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tangleroot_eli's review
Content Warnings
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
adventurous
funny
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Vomit, Antisemitism, and Kidnapping
Minor: Eating disorder
starrysteph's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
A delightful Jewish fantasy adventure that would have meant the world to me as a young reader.
We’re following Zach, a middle schooler who discovered an unusual antique at a flea market alongside his annoying little sister Naomi. It’s a magical ring - but while it grants him some cool powers, it also summons Ashmedai, King of Demons.
Now Zach, his best friend Sandra, and Ash have to somehow defeat monsters from Jewish folklore, avoid a secret society, and stop an apocalypse. Oh, and it probably wouldn’t hurt to also take down Zach’s school bully and impress the boy he’s crushing on.
Ring of Solomon is short and takes off at rapid speed. There was SO much interesting content here and so much that I wish we could have had time to explore more. I know this is the start of a series, but I think the events of this book could have easily been spread out and expanded. I would have loved more character development for Sandra, more history on Ash, more exploration of Zach’s queer identity, a deeper dive into the Jewish folklore behind the monsters, an expansion of Zach and Sandra’s varying experiences with faith, and so on.
My attention never dropped & I had SO much fun reading. If you know anything about me, you’ll know that pretty much all I need to be happy is a talking animal scene. And we get several. :)
I also think the integration of casual antisemitic experience was done well - it will be all too familiar for Jewish kids and perhaps eye-opening for others.
Overall, this was a fast-paced chaotic adventure that I would recommend to any middle grader looking to take on a new Percy-Jackson-esque read.
CW: bullying, antisemitism, homophobia, slavery, racism, violence, blood, fire, vomit, drowning, kidnapping, brief mention of restricted eating
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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
beforeviolets's review
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book!
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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Antisemitism
Moderate: Racism, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Blood, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
lastblossom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
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? Yes
tl;dr
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Antisemitism
Moderate: Homophobia and Violence
Minor: Racism and Vomit
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