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belleand_books 's review for:
City of the Plague God
by Sarwat Chadda
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.