Scan barcode
A review by nicolemhewitt
City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda
5.0
This book is told from the unique perspective of a Muslim boy. Recently, I've read MG and YA stories told from Muslim POVs, but all of them have been from a girls' perspective. The male perspective gives a surprisingly different dynamic. Chadda doesn't shy away from the fact that Muslim men don't ever get to be the heroes in Western stories---a fact that is addressed directly throughout the book. He also uses the word jihad to describe the characters' struggles. I will fully confess that I read this word and internally flinched. I've never heard it used in anything but a negative light, and it's obvious that Chadda is well aware of those negative associations and he's working to counteract them. I honestly appreciated this reminder (and repudiation) of my own cultural biases.
As I said, the MC is a teenage boy. The story follows Sik, a thirteen-year-old boy who grew up hearing stories of the epic hero Gilgamesh and his many mighty deeds. When Sik's brother dies while on a trip to Iraq, Sik feels like his family is broken in ways that can't be fixed. He pours his time and energy into his family's deli, but he feels like nothing he can ever do can make up for the loss they've experienced. Then one day, the Mesopotamian plague god shows up at his door, insisting that Sik has something precious in his possession from Sik's brother. He destroys the deli and infects Sik's parents (and, soon, the rest of Manhattan) with a deadly disease. Sik teams up with the goddess of love and war (and her daughter Belet) to try and defeat the plague god.
One of my favorite aspects of this book is how seamlessly Chadda interweaves many seemingly unrelated elements. Tiny details from the beginning of the story become important later. For instance, Sik completely misunderstands and misjudges his brother's best friend, a character who becomes vitally important by the end of the book, and seemingly bothersome details about him transform into something new by the end. The story explores the themes of love and loss, family, friendships, and what it means to fight for your homeland and those you love. It's also full of adventure that will appeal to Rick Riordan Presents' typical fans.
I truly hope this turns into a series so we can follow Sik's and Belet's further adventures!!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
As I said, the MC is a teenage boy. The story follows Sik, a thirteen-year-old boy who grew up hearing stories of the epic hero Gilgamesh and his many mighty deeds. When Sik's brother dies while on a trip to Iraq, Sik feels like his family is broken in ways that can't be fixed. He pours his time and energy into his family's deli, but he feels like nothing he can ever do can make up for the loss they've experienced. Then one day, the Mesopotamian plague god shows up at his door, insisting that Sik has something precious in his possession from Sik's brother. He destroys the deli and infects Sik's parents (and, soon, the rest of Manhattan) with a deadly disease. Sik teams up with the goddess of love and war (and her daughter Belet) to try and defeat the plague god.
One of my favorite aspects of this book is how seamlessly Chadda interweaves many seemingly unrelated elements. Tiny details from the beginning of the story become important later. For instance, Sik completely misunderstands and misjudges his brother's best friend, a character who becomes vitally important by the end of the book, and seemingly bothersome details about him transform into something new by the end. The story explores the themes of love and loss, family, friendships, and what it means to fight for your homeland and those you love. It's also full of adventure that will appeal to Rick Riordan Presents' typical fans.
I truly hope this turns into a series so we can follow Sik's and Belet's further adventures!!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***