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tangleroot_eli's review
Graphic: Bullying, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Gore, Homophobia, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Blood, and Vomit
Minor: Nonconsensual drug usedirectorpurry's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Vomit, Antisemitism, and Kidnapping
Minor: Eating disorder
kasanas's review against another edition
3.0
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, and Antisemitism
starrysteph's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
beforeviolets's review
An incredibly fun and adventurous middle-grade novel that I would easily pitch as a queer Jewish Percy Jackson. This is most definitely a book I wish I could've had when I was a kid. I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a diverse middle-grade pick.
It did feel a bit rushed at times, and I think it would've been far more fun for the plot of this book to be stretched out over 3-5 books detailed with more adventures and more folkloric flashbacks. All the elements were there, but felt a little crammed in. There was just soooo much goodness that deserved to be narratively milked.
CW: bullying, antisemitism, racism, violence, blood, fire, emesis, drowning, kidnapping
Graphic: Bullying and Antisemitism
Moderate: Racism, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Blood, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
kayladaila's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Bullying and Antisemitism
lastblossom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
An incredibly fast-paced adventure that hits all the right notes for fans of middle grade mythology.
Thoughts
I had a great time reading this book. Middle grade mythology books can be tricky - the structure is what makes them fun, but stick too close and you run the risk of seeming derivative. Ring of Solomon balances expectations with some great twists, and I especially enjoyed the friendship between Zach and Sandra devoid of any crushes or romantic leanings. A lot of people are going to talk about the strong rep in here, with good reason. I'm not Jewish, so I can't speak to the presentation of the folklore, but as a fellow queer who dislikes rainbows and face paint, my heart absolutely connected with Zach. I think the one thing that caught me off guard is how quickly the story moved. If I didn't know this was the start of a trilogy, I would have guessed that the author only had this one book to fit in everything. The ending ties off neatly enough that this can be considered a standalone, but I do look forward to seeing what comes next.
Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an advance copy. All thoughts posted in this review are my own.
Graphic: Bullying and Antisemitism
Moderate: Homophobia and Violence
Minor: Racism and Vomit
ezwolf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The “Dear Reader” at the start was very touching and I loved it. And even in the fantasy setting, Polydoros sets up the very real feeling of “otherness” that comes from being Jewish or queer or Jewish AND queer. And the added helplessness of being part of a minority group while being harassed by school bullies and the way teachers just ignore it instead of taking a stand. I know the book is really more geared toward the fantasy and apocalypse plot but it does a great job paralleling to real world discrimination.
My only complaints were the kind of like “boy humor” jokes which were kind of gross but I know I’m not the target audience so it’s something I can forgive and then also the way the ending just seemed to kind of trail off. Open endings are fine but this seemed waaaay more broadly open ended.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Graphic: Bullying, Violence, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Slavery