jtryckman's review against another edition
2.0
This book had promise. Mesopotamian gods! Demons! Adventure!
First, the elephant in the room: the timing of this book could not have been worse. A book about a plague god decimating New York City, coming out in the midst of a global pandemic? As much as both Rick Riordan and Sarwat Chadda try to cover that issue, the book itself just feels...icky. Not that it's taking advantage of the situation, but just that it's missing some of the empathy and depth that should be required for a story like this. The fact that this came out in 2021 means they had time to do some editing to manage this and either didn't or were just incapable of it.
Bad timing aside, there are other issues that cannot be ignored. The protagonist is just...not great? Not that he's a bad person, but he doesn't particularly grow and there isn't much to like about him. After the story drags its feet a little at the beginning, it suddenly jumps from one big set piece to the next, but doesn't give enough time to actually deal with the emotional weight of some of these events. To avoid spoilers here: several massive events occur which should have resulted in large emotional moments by characters are just...shrugged off, mostly so they can just jump to the next moment. As long as the book is, it oddly feels like it could have used more time to properly handle some of the situations that occur.
First, the elephant in the room: the timing of this book could not have been worse. A book about a plague god decimating New York City, coming out in the midst of a global pandemic? As much as both Rick Riordan and Sarwat Chadda try to cover that issue, the book itself just feels...icky. Not that it's taking advantage of the situation, but just that it's missing some of the empathy and depth that should be required for a story like this. The fact that this came out in 2021 means they had time to do some editing to manage this and either didn't or were just incapable of it.
Bad timing aside, there are other issues that cannot be ignored. The protagonist is just...not great? Not that he's a bad person, but he doesn't particularly grow and there isn't much to like about him. After the story drags its feet a little at the beginning, it suddenly jumps from one big set piece to the next, but doesn't give enough time to actually deal with the emotional weight of some of these events. To avoid spoilers here: several massive events occur which should have resulted in large emotional moments by characters are just...shrugged off, mostly so they can just jump to the next moment. As long as the book is, it oddly feels like it could have used more time to properly handle some of the situations that occur.
jasonlaw77's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
dkragick's review against another edition
4.0
Another great addition to the RRP collection. Young, accidental semi/demi god takes on mythological forces brought to current life. This time our young hero is Iraqi taking on the ancient gods of Mesopotamia. A fun, fast read geared toward middle-school readers, but still fun for us middle-schoolers-at-heart.
bopip's review against another edition
5.0
4,5*
This book made me cry and laugh. And that's FANTASTIC for a book! I could always understand how Sik felt, and feel it too.
It was the first time I've read about mesopotamic mythology and, gods, every mythology has a really uhm, how to say it? monstruous monster hahahaha
I read little urban fantasy, and they're usually white characters. It was so nice to read a story from the POV of a muslim boy, and family, and mostly written by a muslim author who really understands the religion and culture.
All the characters make sense, and they all have a part in this story. Give a chance to Daoud, he's nice after all though Sik doesn't know much about him.
So, in cocnlusion, this book is good for introducing mesopotamian mythology, with lots of adventures, a MC that doesn't feel like a hero at all, and a muslim enviroment where racism is NOT the main theme (there is, but it's so subtle you won't notice it; same as other things the author pops but doesn't say huhuhu).
This book made me cry and laugh. And that's FANTASTIC for a book! I could always understand how Sik felt, and feel it too.
It was the first time I've read about mesopotamic mythology and, gods, every mythology has a really uhm, how to say it? monstruous monster hahahaha
I read little urban fantasy, and they're usually white characters. It was so nice to read a story from the POV of a muslim boy, and family, and mostly written by a muslim author who really understands the religion and culture.
All the characters make sense, and they all have a part in this story. Give a chance to Daoud, he's nice after all though Sik doesn't know much about him.
So, in cocnlusion, this book is good for introducing mesopotamian mythology, with lots of adventures, a MC that doesn't feel like a hero at all, and a muslim enviroment where racism is NOT the main theme (there is, but it's so subtle you won't notice it; same as other things the author pops but doesn't say huhuhu).
jdalton's review against another edition
5.0
Huge thanks to Disney publishing and netgalley for a review copy of this book.
I love mythology and there aren’t enough books that have Mesopotamian Gods in them. And there’s a huge lack of Muslim/middle eastern heroes in books too.
This book was great in helping to fill that gap (though we need more!) and I can’t wait/hope there will be more about Sik and his friends especially if they’re as adventurous and imaginative as this book. And man do I really want some middle eastern food now!
This is a great book for young kids and adults alike, and wonderful for representation and teaching kids about heroes from other parts of the world and cultures.
I love mythology and there aren’t enough books that have Mesopotamian Gods in them. And there’s a huge lack of Muslim/middle eastern heroes in books too.
This book was great in helping to fill that gap (though we need more!) and I can’t wait/hope there will be more about Sik and his friends especially if they’re as adventurous and imaginative as this book. And man do I really want some middle eastern food now!
This is a great book for young kids and adults alike, and wonderful for representation and teaching kids about heroes from other parts of the world and cultures.
liveorange55's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
alice_clawford's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
madisonmila's review against another edition
5.0
This was a really fun book! I learned a lot about Mesopotamia and the mythology and legends from there. I can’t wait for more from this series!
professoremdash's review against another edition
4.0
Very enjoyable read based in Mesopotamian mythology (of which I knew very little). The writing style is great (though some parts got a little muddled) and the characters are uniquely likable. Would recommend for fans of Percy Jackson or Magnus Chase (which makes sense given it’s part of Rick Riordan Presents).