A review by unicornsbookshelf
The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros

dark 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? No

4.75

 
I have received an ARC of this book from Edelweiss+, in exchange for an honest review thank you!

TWs: drowning, choking, possession, internalized homophobia. antisemitism, violence, sexual assault, death of a loved one

When The City Beautiful is described as dark, gothic, and queer, you can absolutely be sure the description is accurate. I really hope the finished copy comes with trigger warnings because the ones above are just some from the top of my head. Now that we're clear on that, we can get to the actual review.

The City Beautiful is set in 19th-century Chicago during the World's Fair and the atmosphere the author has crafted is out of this world. It reminded me a bit of The Diviners in this aspect. The way the city was described was almost cinematic. You could feel the dust from the streets sticking to your skin. Everything felt so vibrant and alive and it makes the novel even more hard-hitting.

The characters were all likable and well-developed. Alter was such a relatable protagonist because you rarely see novels about queer characters who struggle with the fact that their sexual orientation is looked down on by the religion they were raised in. I'm personally not Jewish so you should check out some own voices reviews for more insight on this topic but still being afraid that no one will accept your sexual orientation because of religious reasons resonated with me deeply. I also find it beautiful that the main character isn't forced to pick between his religion and his queerness. I do feel that romance wasn't the main focus of this book so if you come here to get a very romance-oriented story, you're going to be disappointed. It was very important but the main point was Alter growing as a person and learning to accept himself and stand up for himself.

The plot was a very murder mystery-like kind of story with a paranormal twist. It was interesting and kept me engaged. There was very well-crafted suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat and made it hard to put the book down.

All in all, The City Beautiful is a stunning novel with a rich atmosphere and compelling characters and it feels very unique compared to other YA books I've read. I highly recommend it. 
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