You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
planetlibrarian 's review for:
The City Beautiful
by Aden Polydoros
*Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review*
Set during the Chicago world's fair of 1893, this book is about Alter, a Jewish immigrant from Romania working to save money for his mother and sisters to join him. One of his roommates, Yakov, becomes the latest in a line of Jewish boys found murdered, and Alter's life is turned on its head when Yakov's dybbuk possesses him. Driven by Yakov's desire for revenge and with only a few days before his dybuuk fully possesses him, Alter is thrown into the underworld of Chicago to try and hunt down Yakov's killer. Along the way, he runs into Frankie, an old friend who offers to help if Alter can get over the way things ended between them. There was a lot to love about this book, the setting was a great choice since there was actually a notorious serial killer that operated in the area at the time, and the gothic/paranormal vibe really played well with that. The pacing was good, things moved quick and there were some good twists and surprises along the way. The characters were great, the main three, Alter, Frankie, and Raizel (Alter's neighbor) were all interesting and likeable, and the chemistry Frankie and Alter have is very good. I don't have anything but good things to say, this was a fun and engrossing book that was thrilling to read and had a satisfying ending.
Set during the Chicago world's fair of 1893, this book is about Alter, a Jewish immigrant from Romania working to save money for his mother and sisters to join him. One of his roommates, Yakov, becomes the latest in a line of Jewish boys found murdered, and Alter's life is turned on its head when Yakov's dybbuk possesses him. Driven by Yakov's desire for revenge and with only a few days before his dybuuk fully possesses him, Alter is thrown into the underworld of Chicago to try and hunt down Yakov's killer. Along the way, he runs into Frankie, an old friend who offers to help if Alter can get over the way things ended between them. There was a lot to love about this book, the setting was a great choice since there was actually a notorious serial killer that operated in the area at the time, and the gothic/paranormal vibe really played well with that. The pacing was good, things moved quick and there were some good twists and surprises along the way. The characters were great, the main three, Alter, Frankie, and Raizel (Alter's neighbor) were all interesting and likeable, and the chemistry Frankie and Alter have is very good. I don't have anything but good things to say, this was a fun and engrossing book that was thrilling to read and had a satisfying ending.