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A review by laura_cs
City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda
5.0
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Sik Aziz lives an ordinary life in New York City, working at the deli owned by his Iraqi, Muslim, immigrant parents. Things have been hard ever since his older brother, Mo, died in an accident while in Iraq, helping rebuild the country he was born in and left as a small child. Mo was the adventurous one, the one who breathed life into everything, the storyteller. And as much as Sik misses him, he can't help but resent his brother for abandoning him--not just by dying, but going off on his own adventures, both in the city and abroad.
Adventure comes to Sik one night in the form of two demons who attack the deli, demanding a treasure that Mo supposedly stole, one that grants immortality. The next day, Sik's parents fall deathly ill with a sickness no one has ever seen before. And it is spreading, and spreading fast all over the city. It is the wrath of the Mesopotamian plague god, Nergal, raining down on the city, trying to force Sik to hand over the treasure. But Sik can't hand over what he doesn't have. And obviously Mo didn't find the secret of immortality: he's dead.
Nevertheless, Sik knows that it is his jihad to stop Nergal, and teams up with Ishtar, the goddess of love and war; her adopted daughter, Belet, who is basically a ballerina ninja; Sik's coworker/Mo's best friend/actor wannabe Daoud; a talking scimitar; and an army of cats. Adventures, secrets, and living legends await in the newest highly anticipated title from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint!
"City of the Plague God" is highly addictive (read it all in pretty much one sitting!) and an amazing introduction for many young readers (and adults!) into one of the oldest mythologies in the world, Mesopotamian! This is also a phenomenal first in the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, as Sik is the first Muslim main character. Chadda is a masterful storyteller from start to finish, beautifully blending ancient and modern, with fantastic contemporary characters and wonderful utilization of mythological figures. At this point, "City of the Plague God" is a stand-alone, but fingers crossed for more of Sik and Belet!
Sik Aziz lives an ordinary life in New York City, working at the deli owned by his Iraqi, Muslim, immigrant parents. Things have been hard ever since his older brother, Mo, died in an accident while in Iraq, helping rebuild the country he was born in and left as a small child. Mo was the adventurous one, the one who breathed life into everything, the storyteller. And as much as Sik misses him, he can't help but resent his brother for abandoning him--not just by dying, but going off on his own adventures, both in the city and abroad.
Adventure comes to Sik one night in the form of two demons who attack the deli, demanding a treasure that Mo supposedly stole, one that grants immortality. The next day, Sik's parents fall deathly ill with a sickness no one has ever seen before. And it is spreading, and spreading fast all over the city. It is the wrath of the Mesopotamian plague god, Nergal, raining down on the city, trying to force Sik to hand over the treasure. But Sik can't hand over what he doesn't have. And obviously Mo didn't find the secret of immortality: he's dead.
Nevertheless, Sik knows that it is his jihad to stop Nergal, and teams up with Ishtar, the goddess of love and war; her adopted daughter, Belet, who is basically a ballerina ninja; Sik's coworker/Mo's best friend/actor wannabe Daoud; a talking scimitar; and an army of cats. Adventures, secrets, and living legends await in the newest highly anticipated title from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint!
"City of the Plague God" is highly addictive (read it all in pretty much one sitting!) and an amazing introduction for many young readers (and adults!) into one of the oldest mythologies in the world, Mesopotamian! This is also a phenomenal first in the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, as Sik is the first Muslim main character. Chadda is a masterful storyteller from start to finish, beautifully blending ancient and modern, with fantastic contemporary characters and wonderful utilization of mythological figures. At this point, "City of the Plague God" is a stand-alone, but fingers crossed for more of Sik and Belet!