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starrysteph's review against another edition
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: Antisemitism, Racism, Bullying, Violence, Blood, Homophobia, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, and Kidnapping
beforeviolets's review against another edition
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: Violence, Kidnapping, and Racism
Minor: Blood, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
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