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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
LGBT+ rep: gay, unknown orientation men-into-men, casual mlm relationship
Other rep: Jewish, US immigrants
CW: antisemitism, violence (lightly graphic), murder, drowning (descriptive), consensual near-drowning in order to achieve visions (let me know if there’s a term for this)
Other rep: Jewish, US immigrants
CW: antisemitism, violence (lightly graphic), murder, drowning (descriptive), consensual near-drowning in order to achieve visions (let me know if there’s a term for this)
Strengths: setting of 1893 Chicago and its Jewish community around Maxwell Street, portrayal of the complex relationship between Alter and Frankie, artful combination of historical fiction and fantasy.
Weakness: significant plot holes and inconsistent character motivation. Heavy-handed thematic messaging, especially toward the end.
Weakness: significant plot holes and inconsistent character motivation. Heavy-handed thematic messaging, especially toward the end.
It’s Chicago, 1883, just as the World’s Fair is getting ready to open and Jewish boys are disappearing. When Alter Rosen’s best friend turns up murdered, Alter sets out to solve the murder and get revenge. While Alter is driven to solve the mystery of his friend what he doesn’t realize is that a dybbuk, the spirit of his dead friend, is slowly consuming him driving him with even more force to avenge his death.
This book is creepy and riveting. It is a real page turner with many twists and turns and depicts the life of immigrant Jewish people during this time period. With its vivid descriptions, excellent character development and gothic mysticism, it’s one not to be missed.
*I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
This book is creepy and riveting. It is a real page turner with many twists and turns and depicts the life of immigrant Jewish people during this time period. With its vivid descriptions, excellent character development and gothic mysticism, it’s one not to be missed.
*I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
i’m over 100 pages in and i do not care about these characters or what’s going on.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Of the four books from the Young Adult category I have read or am reading for the 2022 Lammy Awards, this one is my favorite. It's like Cemetery Boys with a more balanced plot and like Before We Disappear with greater historical accuracy. The writing is taut and suspenseful, the plot is well-structured and well-rooted, and the characters are well-developed (an underrated quality in Young Adult literature).
My only qualm with the book is one of tonal consistency. The main character, Alter, is supposed to be a relatively recent immigrant with an emerging grasp of the English language. While I get that he is intelligent in his grasp of concepts in Yiddish and Romanian, he often uses big English vocabulary words that would seem out of his current linguistic grasp. One could make an acceptable argument that Polydoros is providing a "translation" of mental thoughts from Yiddish to English, but this still seems inconsistent with his expansive use of Yiddish terminology. it was a small gripe that can be easily ignored, but it was enough to keep the novel from fully clicking with me.
My only qualm with the book is one of tonal consistency. The main character, Alter, is supposed to be a relatively recent immigrant with an emerging grasp of the English language. While I get that he is intelligent in his grasp of concepts in Yiddish and Romanian, he often uses big English vocabulary words that would seem out of his current linguistic grasp. One could make an acceptable argument that Polydoros is providing a "translation" of mental thoughts from Yiddish to English, but this still seems inconsistent with his expansive use of Yiddish terminology. it was a small gripe that can be easily ignored, but it was enough to keep the novel from fully clicking with me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
A murder mystery centred around the Jewish community in Chicago in the late 1800s.
This book was so good! Everything just comes together: beautifully written characters, engaging story, descriptive details, rich sense of history.
Written from the POV of a young Jewish immigrant from Romania, we got a unique take on Jewish traditions and lore, as well as anti semitism.
“I hated the idea that to be considered a worthy American, I had to hack away parts of myself, become a more acceptable Jew, an invisible one.”
This book was so good! Everything just comes together: beautifully written characters, engaging story, descriptive details, rich sense of history.
Written from the POV of a young Jewish immigrant from Romania, we got a unique take on Jewish traditions and lore, as well as anti semitism.
“I hated the idea that to be considered a worthy American, I had to hack away parts of myself, become a more acceptable Jew, an invisible one.”