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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
4.5/5
This was a really fun middle grade book about Islamic Mythology. If you love the Percy Jackson books then you will love this one too. The writing style is very similar and it’s just a fun adventure book with a 13 year old main character running into the ancient Mesopotamian gods.
It’s really refreshing to see some much needed representation in a book. Hopefully kids reading this will gain some empathy for a culture that is so often despised for no good reason. Thank you to the author for being brave enough to give us this gem and to Rick Riordan for publishing it through his imprint. I can’t wait to read the sequel!
This was a really fun middle grade book about Islamic Mythology. If you love the Percy Jackson books then you will love this one too. The writing style is very similar and it’s just a fun adventure book with a 13 year old main character running into the ancient Mesopotamian gods.
It’s really refreshing to see some much needed representation in a book. Hopefully kids reading this will gain some empathy for a culture that is so often despised for no good reason. Thank you to the author for being brave enough to give us this gem and to Rick Riordan for publishing it through his imprint. I can’t wait to read the sequel!
Overall, I really enjoyed reading City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda. I loved the diversity of the characters as well as learning about a mythology that I previously knew very little about. While I didn't care for the descriptive words used for all the gross things going on, I'm positive that the target audience will love it. I would have loved more character development in the beginning/middle of the book, but it seems like it's the first of a series so hopefully there will be more to come!
TW: plague, rot/decomposition, body horror, refugee situation, bombing, blood, killing, sibling/parent death
Wow. I just... that’s all I have to say.
This book was everything I could have asked for given the title and the imprint company. I loved Sik and Belet and they’re entire journey. It was such a fun read to mash Mesopotamian mythology with Muslim culture and having Sik insist that Dauod plays something more than the villain is very telling of how our society treats Muslims (spoiler, he is a hero in the end).
I will say that this story unexpectedly hits very close to home with our current epidemic- it was unintentional and that’s mentioned several times at the beginning and the end of this book. It is interesting though to see how this imaginary plague lines up with the very real epidemic that’s current going on AND the plague that lives within each of us- the hatred for “other”. Having this set in New York really amped it up for me since I feel like that’s the perfect place for refugees to flee- it is the melting pot of the United States and all.
This is a middle grade and it doesn’t shy away from things in a way that most middle grades tend to do and for that, I love it. I love the development that Sik goes through; coming to terms with his brother’s death, his role in his family, and even the role that Daoud plays in his life.
This book deserves more than 5 stars but alas, five is all goodreads offers.
Wow. I just... that’s all I have to say.
This book was everything I could have asked for given the title and the imprint company. I loved Sik and Belet and they’re entire journey. It was such a fun read to mash Mesopotamian mythology with Muslim culture and having Sik insist that Dauod plays something more than the villain is very telling of how our society treats Muslims (spoiler, he is a hero in the end).
I will say that this story unexpectedly hits very close to home with our current epidemic- it was unintentional and that’s mentioned several times at the beginning and the end of this book. It is interesting though to see how this imaginary plague lines up with the very real epidemic that’s current going on AND the plague that lives within each of us- the hatred for “other”. Having this set in New York really amped it up for me since I feel like that’s the perfect place for refugees to flee- it is the melting pot of the United States and all.
This is a middle grade and it doesn’t shy away from things in a way that most middle grades tend to do and for that, I love it. I love the development that Sik goes through; coming to terms with his brother’s death, his role in his family, and even the role that Daoud plays in his life.
This book deserves more than 5 stars but alas, five is all goodreads offers.
I’ve read and enjoyed every “Rick Riordan Presents” title that has been released to-date. I have a couple favourites, for different reasons. But if you/ your kid is feeling a Percy-shaped hole in their book heart, THIS is the one I would recommend. It has that great balance of myth and “reality”, kids who are smart and kind and tough, and just enough monsters.
This was fun! New mythology that I don't know much about. This was written before the current Covid-19 pandemic world we're currently in, but it still managed to fit the feelings of having loved ones at risk and not being able to know what to do to help. Then there is the nice craziness that Rick Riordan Presents books always lovingly come with... the mythology and the crazy Gods and Goddesses that come with each culture. This was no exception. Such a fun ride, I hope we get another!
I won this ARC from Netgalley which in no way influenced my review. Just wow, this was amazing and so much fun! As soon as I knew it was about Mesopotamian mythology and the legend of Gilgamesh I was there (and the author sealed the deal when he told me there were flying cats!) I love mythology and came into it like most do via Greco-Roman myth (which is actually my own heritage) but I quickly went to Mesopotamian. I'd read and wrote papers on Gilgamesh before I was 19 because how can you resist the world's oldest hero?!?
And wow does Mr. Chadda use him well in this! Sik is a thirteen year old dealing with more than any one should. He is proud to help his parents with their Middle Eastern restaurant in NYC, with dubious help from his older brother's friend, Douad (who wants to be not only an actor but to play the hero). He's also suffering from the loss of his brother, Mo, who died on one of his trips back home in Iraq. The last thing Sik ever expected was to be attacked in his parent's restaurant during closing by a couple of demons and thing made of insects and rot. Unluckily for Sik, the Plague God, Nergal, thinks he has the secret to something Nergal wants desperately.
In order to get it, he infects all of Manhattan in order to tip Sik's hand (bringing in themes of Islamaphobia and mistrust/hatred of immigrants). On Sik's side there's the vain Douad, Belet the martial arts trained teenaged daughter of Ishtar and the goddess herself. (Ishtar has regain her popularity in the pagan world these days. I'm sure she'd approve).
All Sik wants is his brother back and to have his parents healed. What he's about to get is a lesson on being a hero, like his hero Gilgamesh. In fact, he's about to meet his hero but nothing ever goes to plan. Sik has his own epic quest looking him in the eye.
The action in this is relentless and engaging. Had I had time, I'd have read this in one shot. All of the character come instantly to life. These are kids I would love to know (and would love to see adapted to the screen). I was sad to say goodbye to them at the end of this. It is wrapped up in one-shot but could easily be a series. I hope it is as I love Sik and Belet and want to see more of them!
And wow does Mr. Chadda use him well in this! Sik is a thirteen year old dealing with more than any one should. He is proud to help his parents with their Middle Eastern restaurant in NYC, with dubious help from his older brother's friend, Douad (who wants to be not only an actor but to play the hero). He's also suffering from the loss of his brother, Mo, who died on one of his trips back home in Iraq. The last thing Sik ever expected was to be attacked in his parent's restaurant during closing by a couple of demons and thing made of insects and rot. Unluckily for Sik, the Plague God, Nergal, thinks he has the secret to something Nergal wants desperately.
In order to get it, he infects all of Manhattan in order to tip Sik's hand (bringing in themes of Islamaphobia and mistrust/hatred of immigrants). On Sik's side there's the vain Douad, Belet the martial arts trained teenaged daughter of Ishtar and the goddess herself. (Ishtar has regain her popularity in the pagan world these days. I'm sure she'd approve).
All Sik wants is his brother back and to have his parents healed. What he's about to get is a lesson on being a hero, like his hero Gilgamesh. In fact, he's about to meet his hero but nothing ever goes to plan. Sik has his own epic quest looking him in the eye.
The action in this is relentless and engaging. Had I had time, I'd have read this in one shot. All of the character come instantly to life. These are kids I would love to know (and would love to see adapted to the screen). I was sad to say goodbye to them at the end of this. It is wrapped up in one-shot but could easily be a series. I hope it is as I love Sik and Belet and want to see more of them!
adventurous
medium-paced
WOW! If I could give this more than five stars, I would. It is by far the best book I have read this year. It is definitely going on my to-read-again shelf. I loved the action, the culture, the dialogue, the plot, the setting, everything. Highly recommend!
Fun adventure. If there ends up being more books would like to be more immersed in the mythology and have more gods to run around with.
City of the Plague God book 1 is a Middle Grade Urban Fantasy novel in the Adventures of Sik Aziz series.
Ok, so funny story before the review. One day I went into BaN with the fam and my husband noticed a really cool cover. Picking up Fury of the Dragon Goddess, I read the synopsis and thought it sounded like a really cool read, so I took it home to read to the fam, but because of my failure to CHECK THE BOOK IN ITS ENTIRETY! I got about a couple pages in and realized, I was reading book 2 lol. Didn't return the book, I just went ahead and ordered book 1. So here we are! The story follows the young Sikander "Sik" Aziz, a boy who is still reeling over the death of his older brother 2 years prior to the start of the story, only to be attacked suddenly one night by two goons and the God of Plagues straight from Mesopotamian myth. I thought this story was really fun and I enjoyed the characters, however, and yes there is a but, Sik is Muslim, which means there HAS to be a weird explanation about how Allah probably/definitely came before these gods instead of probably existing alongside one another aaaaand there's a HP reference. This story was written pre Covid pandemic but published afterwards, there's no excuse why there was a HP reference when it very much could've been replaced by a Merlin reference instead. Just saying. Anyway, besides Sik and Belet being really good characters, there was a character in here I found extremely annoying, only to be an instant fave by the 3rd act. Seriously, wow! Good thing I have book 2, I can't wait to see where the story goes from here.
p.s. Still not in the mood for in depth reviews for trad pub books, but I think I can work with this.
Ok, so funny story before the review. One day I went into BaN with the fam and my husband noticed a really cool cover. Picking up Fury of the Dragon Goddess, I read the synopsis and thought it sounded like a really cool read, so I took it home to read to the fam, but because of my failure to CHECK THE BOOK IN ITS ENTIRETY! I got about a couple pages in and realized, I was reading book 2 lol. Didn't return the book, I just went ahead and ordered book 1. So here we are! The story follows the young Sikander "Sik" Aziz, a boy who is still reeling over the death of his older brother 2 years prior to the start of the story, only to be attacked suddenly one night by two goons and the God of Plagues straight from Mesopotamian myth. I thought this story was really fun and I enjoyed the characters, however, and yes there is a but, Sik is Muslim, which means there HAS to be a weird explanation about how Allah probably/definitely came before these gods instead of probably existing alongside one another aaaaand there's a HP reference. This story was written pre Covid pandemic but published afterwards, there's no excuse why there was a HP reference when it very much could've been replaced by a Merlin reference instead. Just saying. Anyway, besides Sik and Belet being really good characters, there was a character in here I found extremely annoying, only to be an instant fave by the 3rd act. Seriously, wow! Good thing I have book 2, I can't wait to see where the story goes from here.
p.s. Still not in the mood for in depth reviews for trad pub books, but I think I can work with this.