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emily_mh's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
This was such a great read! The MC Alter was so dynamic, because as well as having to deal with possession and finding a serial killer, he has a rich inner world as the narrator. He’s trying to earn the money to bring his family over to the US from Romania, he is haunted by internalised homophobia and he is living in poverty in an antisemitic world and responding to that situation in his own way. His perspective really exposed the facade of the American Dream.
Alter’s romance with Frankie was great. I love when an author writes an romance where the MC is oblivious to how much the LI is into them but the reader can clearly see it, and the romantic subplot here is exactly that. Because Alter and Frankie had already been through so much together before the events of this book, their connection was believable and their chemistry was good. I like how balanced their relationship was, with Frankie helping Alter with his mission, and Alter helping Frankie through his grief and trauma.
It’s hard to comment on the predictability of the mystery as I am older than the target audience, but I found it to be engaging. I also don’t believe that the point of the mystery here was to be elusive and hard to solve, but to compound the social themes Polydoros was exploring. And boy did he EXPLORE. The narrative looks at the intersection of classism and antisemitism in the experiences of Alter, showing how doubly vulnerable it makes poor Jewish people to exploitation and violence. It displays the dissonance between having a grand international exhibition while people are living in poverty; the ludicrousness of the existence of the mega-wealthy when there are those with nothing. What is truly sickening is that these same issues and oppressions characterise today’s society too, like Polydoros was holding up a mirror to the present. I appreciated him foregrounding these issues for that reason, and also because it gives a more realistic depiction of Chicago and the US in general in 1893.
Another fantastic element in this book was the atmosphere the author created. He conveyed the darkness and grit of Victorian Chicago effortlessly: the senseless violence and exploitation and the constant presence of danger. It was completely immersive and, like the mystery, engaging, so that even in slower-paced moments the book didn’t feel like it dragged at all, despite its 450+ pages.
Rep: gay Jewish MC, gay Jewish LI, Jewish SCs
Rep: gay Jewish MC, gay Jewish LI, Jewish SCs
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Antisemitism, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Physical abuse, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Child abuse, Classism, Genocide, Excrement, Grief, Gun violence, Death of parent, Violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Bullying, Sexual content, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Torture, Vomit, Drug use, Sexism, Misogyny, Police brutality, Medical content, Abandonment, Suicide, Sexual assault, and Ableism
Major: five uses of the antisemitic k-slur Moderate: missing loved one, separation from family, illness, theft, internalised homophobia Minor: drowning, fainting, gambling, blackmail, divorce, police corruption, imprisonment, capital punishment, gentrificationhobbithopeful's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.5
Queer Jewish historical fantasy? Yes please!
Aden Polydoros wows in this gripping tale about the demons inside all of us, and the consequences of guilt.
Set in Chicago in the 1890s Alter works himself to the bone, numbers running through his head all day as he saves up to bring his Mother and sisters over from Romania. His plans become derailed when his best friend is found dead, and soon he finds himself embroiled in the mystery of missing and dead Jewish boys. To make matters worse he has become possessed by Yakov's dybbuk, his past has come back to haunt him, and it seems his only solution is to ask his ex friend Frankie for help. (Frankie who is doing very well for himself with his mini crime empire, overall attractiveness, and assimilation into "American ways")
Please check your trigger warnings, as this does go to dark places. (It's worth it, I promise!)
I loved how incredibly honest and angry this book was. Every page just felt raw, not in an unpolished and unedited way, but as if the author was baring his heart and soul for us to see, his emotions bleeding through every page and character. (Seriously y'all, you can feel the rage and injustice) I saw so much of myself in so many of the characters, but most of all Frankie. I wanted to scream at the police officers who refused to help, and when it is revealed what Mr. Katz has been doing to young boys, and Frankie, I cried. I wish such lengths could be taken for every person who has committed such despicable and inhumane acts.
I honestly went in with pretty low expectations after reading The Bone Weaver, and to say this book blew me away was an understatement. The City Beautiful has won a ton of awards, and rightfully so.
The only reason this isn't a 5 star read for me is I felt it kinda slowed down near the end. It was all going so well and great and then with multiple different bad guys it was a bit hard to keep up with and I just felt like it lost steam for me.
I highly recommend this book, and with a renewed interest in the author, I look forward to what he will write next.
Aden Polydoros wows in this gripping tale about the demons inside all of us, and the consequences of guilt.
Set in Chicago in the 1890s Alter works himself to the bone, numbers running through his head all day as he saves up to bring his Mother and sisters over from Romania. His plans become derailed when his best friend is found dead, and soon he finds himself embroiled in the mystery of missing and dead Jewish boys. To make matters worse he has become possessed by Yakov's dybbuk, his past has come back to haunt him, and it seems his only solution is to ask his ex friend Frankie for help. (Frankie who is doing very well for himself with his mini crime empire, overall attractiveness, and assimilation into "American ways")
Please check your trigger warnings, as this does go to dark places. (It's worth it, I promise!)
I loved how incredibly honest and angry this book was. Every page just felt raw, not in an unpolished and unedited way, but as if the author was baring his heart and soul for us to see, his emotions bleeding through every page and character. (Seriously y'all, you can feel the rage and injustice) I saw so much of myself in so many of the characters, but most of all Frankie. I wanted to scream at the police officers who refused to help, and when
I honestly went in with pretty low expectations after reading The Bone Weaver, and to say this book blew me away was an understatement. The City Beautiful has won a ton of awards, and rightfully so.
The only reason this isn't a 5 star read for me is I felt it kinda slowed down near the end. It was all going so well and great and then
I highly recommend this book, and with a renewed interest in the author, I look forward to what he will write next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Racism, Racial slurs, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Rape
toopunkrockforshul's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Loved this book! Its definitely not "feel good" in the cozy and soft sense but it made me really happy to have so many Jewish and Yiddish references. The mystery was also very compelling, and I loved the development of Frankie and Alter's relationship
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Torture, Hate crime, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Body horror, Child death, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Self harm, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape
Minor: Homophobia
This book deals heavily with antisemitism and revolves around a serial killer who targets Jewish boys and men. There is also heavily implied pedophilia and assault/rape of minors. Lots of violence and murder and the main character often mildly self harms to ground himself.novella42's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Homophobia, Child death, Hate crime, Grief, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Gun violence, Death, Antisemitism, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual violence
jonathaneden's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Antisemitism, and Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Self harm, and Pedophilia
Minor: Alcohol
paracosim's review
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
5.0
It’s very rare for me to find books like this where the main characters are Jewish, let alone queer Jewish men like myself. This was an absolutely delightful read with fantastic writing, great characters, and high-stakes. I read it half-and-half on audiobook and with a physical copy, and while the audiobook narrator wasn’t my favorite (he sounded a bit too anxious lol), hearing the Yiddish and Hebrew words aloud was really nice and he did some fabulous character voices. I’m looking forward to what Aden Polydoros has in store next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Xenophobia, Violence, Rape, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, and Child abuse
Minor: Alcohol
criticalgayze's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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: Blood, Antisemitism, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Confinement
bookenbee's review
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Sexual assault, Child death, Murder, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Hate crime, Rape, and Pedophilia
forgottenangstycharacter's review against another edition
dark
informative
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? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death of parent, Murder, Antisemitism, Blood, and Child abuse
Minor: Rape
phoebejeziel's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow. What a tale!!! I absolutely loved this!! In the past I have not really been into historical fiction (or even historical fantasy) but lately I have truly been enjoying and loving some really fantastic tales.
The City Beautiful is a haunting, ghostly, gothic tale that truly explores so many themes in a multifaceted way. It explores queerness in the 1800s, the lives of those immigrating over to America during this time period, anti-semitism, politics, abuse, injustice, and ultimately: what it means to fight for your right to be human.
Our main character, Alter is a wonderful character who is truly just trying his best!!!! Haunted by his past and the murder of a dear friend, Alter is thrown into a situation and task of making things right. Alter is also drawn back so another person from his past. All while many jewish boys are being murdered left and right!
This story is tense, scary, and again- absolutely haunting. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I am not familiar with Jewish culture or customs, but I deeply appreciated the language, mythology, and overall rich storytelling and culture immersion that this book had. I found it incredibly fascinating and I learned so much!!
This for sure has become one of my top books of the year, it was absolutely fantastic. If you like ghostly gothic tales, murder mysteries and are looking to read something unique and also diverse- this is definitely the pick for you!!! For anyone really. You should ALL ready this book!!
The City Beautiful is a haunting, ghostly, gothic tale that truly explores so many themes in a multifaceted way. It explores queerness in the 1800s, the lives of those immigrating over to America during this time period, anti-semitism, politics, abuse, injustice, and ultimately: what it means to fight for your right to be human.
Our main character, Alter is a wonderful character who is truly just trying his best!!!! Haunted by his past and the murder of a dear friend, Alter is thrown into a situation and task of making things right. Alter is also drawn back so another person from his past. All while many jewish boys are being murdered left and right!
This story is tense, scary, and again- absolutely haunting. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I am not familiar with Jewish culture or customs, but I deeply appreciated the language, mythology, and overall rich storytelling and culture immersion that this book had. I found it incredibly fascinating and I learned so much!!
This for sure has become one of my top books of the year, it was absolutely fantastic. If you like ghostly gothic tales, murder mysteries and are looking to read something unique and also diverse- this is definitely the pick for you!!! For anyone really. You should ALL ready this book!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, and Pedophilia