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popthebutterfly 's review for:
City of the Plague God
by Sarwat Chadda
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: City of the Plague God
Author: Sarwet Chadda
Book Series: Standalone for now
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Muslim characters, refuge parents, and I believe one of the cousins is on the LGBT+ side? It’s vague.
Recommended For...: MG fans, fantasy readers, Mesopotamian mythology lovers
Publication Date: January 12, 2021
Genre: MG Fantasy
Recommended Age: 13+ (pandemic like conditions, scary moments, violence, gore, animal death and gore)
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Pages: 400
Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Sik wants a simple life going to school and helping at his parents' deli in the evenings. But all that is blown to smithereens when Nergal comes looking for him, thinking that Sik holds the secret to eternal life.Turns out Sik is immortal but doesn't know it, and that's about to get him and the entire city into deep, deep trouble.
Sik's not in this alone. He's got Belet, the adopted daughter of Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, on his side, and a former hero named Gilgamesh, who has taken up gardening in Central Park. Now all they have to do is retrieve the Flower of Immortality to save Manhattan from being wiped out by disease. To succeed, they'll have to conquer sly demons, treacherous gods, and their own darkest nightmares.
Review: This book was absolutely heartbreaking and wonderful all rolled into one! I loved this book for a multitude of reasons, the first being that it’s based on ancient Mesopotamian mythology! I had read some of the Epic of Gilgamesh in Senior English Honors but outside of that I hadn’t seen other things from that mythology. I loved the characters, the world building was great, and the book really touched on the micro-aggressions and racism Muslims encounter. I also really liked the story and it kept me intrigued from start to finish. The biggest standout of the book is the reverse in gendered norms. Sik is our male character hero, but he doesn’t use weapons throughout the novel. Belet is our female character hero and she can wield all sorts of weapons! I really hope the author is greenlit for more works because this one was absolutely fantastic.
The only issue I had with the book is that the book does have some pandemic like conditions due to the Plague God (duh), so that might be scary for some of the younger readers. Overall though, it was a well done book!
Verdict: Highly recommend!
Book: City of the Plague God
Author: Sarwet Chadda
Book Series: Standalone for now
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Muslim characters, refuge parents, and I believe one of the cousins is on the LGBT+ side? It’s vague.
Recommended For...: MG fans, fantasy readers, Mesopotamian mythology lovers
Publication Date: January 12, 2021
Genre: MG Fantasy
Recommended Age: 13+ (pandemic like conditions, scary moments, violence, gore, animal death and gore)
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Pages: 400
Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Sik wants a simple life going to school and helping at his parents' deli in the evenings. But all that is blown to smithereens when Nergal comes looking for him, thinking that Sik holds the secret to eternal life.Turns out Sik is immortal but doesn't know it, and that's about to get him and the entire city into deep, deep trouble.
Sik's not in this alone. He's got Belet, the adopted daughter of Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, on his side, and a former hero named Gilgamesh, who has taken up gardening in Central Park. Now all they have to do is retrieve the Flower of Immortality to save Manhattan from being wiped out by disease. To succeed, they'll have to conquer sly demons, treacherous gods, and their own darkest nightmares.
Review: This book was absolutely heartbreaking and wonderful all rolled into one! I loved this book for a multitude of reasons, the first being that it’s based on ancient Mesopotamian mythology! I had read some of the Epic of Gilgamesh in Senior English Honors but outside of that I hadn’t seen other things from that mythology. I loved the characters, the world building was great, and the book really touched on the micro-aggressions and racism Muslims encounter. I also really liked the story and it kept me intrigued from start to finish. The biggest standout of the book is the reverse in gendered norms. Sik is our male character hero, but he doesn’t use weapons throughout the novel. Belet is our female character hero and she can wield all sorts of weapons! I really hope the author is greenlit for more works because this one was absolutely fantastic.
The only issue I had with the book is that the book does have some pandemic like conditions due to the Plague God (duh), so that might be scary for some of the younger readers. Overall though, it was a well done book!
Verdict: Highly recommend!