A review by starrysteph
Ring of Solomon by Aden Polydoros

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.)

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