curiouslykaylee's review
5.0
**Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review**
*Trigger Warnings: Death of a sibling that happens offscreen; plague, pandemic, diseases, sickness, etc. *
5 stars to City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda. I’d give it a million stars if I could. I loved getting to learn about Ancient Mesopotamian mythology and the religion of Islam simultaneously. But my favorite part of this novel was how Sik kept his faith in Allah while being constantly confronted by other gods and mythological creatures. Sarwat's explanation for how these ancient gods could exist while Sik could still believe in Allah is remarkable. In the words of Ishtar "People worshiped up, and we drew power from that. But there are mysteries, wonders far greater that even I don't understand. I am not omniscient, nor omnipotent. Those are attributes of this greater power. After all, someone created me." Sarwat did a wonderful job at combining “existing religion with what is now called mythology” as he stated in the author’s note. City of the Plague God is a perfect addition to the Rick Riordan Presents imprint as Sik has the same courage, sarcasm, and compassion as Percy has.
**Any quotes are currently from the Advance Reader Copy and will be updated when I receive my physical copy. **
*Trigger Warnings: Death of a sibling that happens offscreen; plague, pandemic, diseases, sickness, etc. *
5 stars to City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda. I’d give it a million stars if I could. I loved getting to learn about Ancient Mesopotamian mythology and the religion of Islam simultaneously. But my favorite part of this novel was how Sik kept his faith in Allah while being constantly confronted by other gods and mythological creatures. Sarwat's explanation for how these ancient gods could exist while Sik could still believe in Allah is remarkable. In the words of Ishtar "People worshiped up, and we drew power from that. But there are mysteries, wonders far greater that even I don't understand. I am not omniscient, nor omnipotent. Those are attributes of this greater power. After all, someone created me." Sarwat did a wonderful job at combining “existing religion with what is now called mythology” as he stated in the author’s note. City of the Plague God is a perfect addition to the Rick Riordan Presents imprint as Sik has the same courage, sarcasm, and compassion as Percy has.
**Any quotes are currently from the Advance Reader Copy and will be updated when I receive my physical copy. **
natcommon's review
4.0
This is so much fun, so well written and so important. There were a few pacing issues in the middle that didn't jive with me, but otherwise, I highly recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an early review copy in exchange of my honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an early review copy in exchange of my honest review.
jazzyjan94's review
Dnf'd at page 100. I just couldn't get into it, but it might just be now is not the right time for me to read it and I will give it another chance.
jtryckman's review
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
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
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
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