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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Antisemitism
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
i’m screaming, i’m crying, i’m possibly throwing up slightly from the intense nausea this book gave me towards the end because my frail body couldn’t handle the tension. i went through the five stages of grief so rapidly through the duration of this book that i have whiplash and probably some more PTSD. this book tore through me so mercilessly. it was like trying to stay standing during a tornado tearing through a narrow pathway. it absolutely fucking destroyed me.
and all because i read The Gathering Dark and fell in love with Polydoros’ writing in that. i sought out his books because i couldn’t get that one short story out of my brain and now here i am.
i don’t think i have the mental or emotional capacity to write a proper review for this book right now or even ever, i’m not sure. my wife asked me how i felt when i finished it and i did lightly scream at her with a thumbs up because i can’t even begin to put into words how i feel. the writing is astounding and destructive in the most meticulous way, lyrical and dark and poetic, while delivering the most soul crushing content. the characters are so well-written, it made me sick when horrible things were even threatened to happen to them. the murder-mystery element kept me so tightly wound up, i could have made diamonds out of goddamn coal.
i loved this book. i adored this book. i will be buried with 18 copies of this book cradled gently between my arms and no one can stop me. i am in ruins, thank you.
and all because i read The Gathering Dark and fell in love with Polydoros’ writing in that. i sought out his books because i couldn’t get that one short story out of my brain and now here i am.
i don’t think i have the mental or emotional capacity to write a proper review for this book right now or even ever, i’m not sure. my wife asked me how i felt when i finished it and i did lightly scream at her with a thumbs up because i can’t even begin to put into words how i feel. the writing is astounding and destructive in the most meticulous way, lyrical and dark and poetic, while delivering the most soul crushing content. the characters are so well-written, it made me sick when horrible things were even threatened to happen to them. the murder-mystery element kept me so tightly wound up, i could have made diamonds out of goddamn coal.
i loved this book. i adored this book. i will be buried with 18 copies of this book cradled gently between my arms and no one can stop me. i am in ruins, thank you.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Great plot, wishing some of the relationships were explored in greater detail but very much enjoyed the book. Finished in less than 24h, do not read before bed.
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book and Ava Reid’s The Wolf and the Woodsman have really opened my eyes to the existence and beautiful complexity of Jewish fantasy and stories infused with Jewish mythology. In The City Beautiful, Alter Rosen is possessed by the dybbuk of a close friend, who was one of a number of young Jewish boys disappearing or dying under mysterious circumstances under the shadow of the 1892 World’s Fair in Chicago. (It admittedly suffers from one of my bookish pet peeves—first person narration in a historical setting—but I will be forgiving in this case because of how well I enjoyed the story.)
Perfect for fans of Aiden Thomas’ Cemetery Boys and Roshani Chokshi’s The Gilded Wolves, The City Beautiful has proven itself to be a great addition to the budding young adult historical fantasy genre and cemented my interest in Polydoros’ future works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Rape
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This story of queer teenage Jewish immigrants solving murders at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair is definitely not one I've read before. I appreciated details of the immigrant Jewish experience and sympathized with Alter Rosen's worries about his problematic desire for other young men. He's infatuated with one of his rooming house roommates, Yakov, but then Yakov turns up dead, the latest in a series of young Jewish men's deaths.
Alter volunteers for the Jewish burial society and helps tend to Yakov's body, which turns out unexpectedly chaotic. Alter is troubled by visions, or perhaps breaks in reality, and Frankie, a former associate who wants back into Alter's life, suggests he is harboring a dybbuk and offers to find him an exorcist. When Alter fears that exorcism will kill Yakov a second time, then Frankie agrees to help him avenge Yakov's death and the deaths of the other boys.
I might have rated this book a bit higher, but I get bored reading action, and there's quite a lot of it here. Alter and Frankie's logic in identifying murderers to revenge themselves against is pretty simplistic. A female character flits in and out of utility and I felt she deserved better. The romance made me happy.
Alter volunteers for the Jewish burial society and helps tend to Yakov's body, which turns out unexpectedly chaotic. Alter is troubled by visions, or perhaps breaks in reality, and Frankie, a former associate who wants back into Alter's life, suggests he is harboring a dybbuk and offers to find him an exorcist. When Alter fears that exorcism will kill Yakov a second time, then Frankie agrees to help him avenge Yakov's death and the deaths of the other boys.
I might have rated this book a bit higher, but I get bored reading action, and there's quite a lot of it here. Alter and Frankie's logic in identifying murderers to revenge themselves against is pretty simplistic. A female character flits in and out of utility and I felt she deserved better. The romance made me happy.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced