City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda

Available January 12, 2021

This is an incredible magical adventure for all fantasy lovers. Set in New York City, Sikander Aziz discovers there is more to the stories his family has been telling him his whole childhood. Spending his days split between school and his family’s deli, Sik wants more out of life, but his brother’s accidental discovery of an ancient flower leads to his brother’s even more accidental immortality. Now, ancient gods have waged war between each other and Sik, along with all of NYC, is caught up in the middle. With an uncontrollable plague taking over the city. Sik and his new ally Belet must discover a way to bring back peace and stop the plague. 

This is a fast paced adventure full of action that will keep younger readers riveted. Sik is not only smart and quick-witted, but he’s also a bit mouthy and tells it like it is. He misses his older brother fiercely and young readers will easily relate to his expressions of grief, especially with the current events taking place. I really liked Belet and her ability to be so loyal to her cause but also so prickly! She doesn’t take any nonsense from anyone and when paired with Sik and the talking sword, Kasusu, the three have a great dynamic.  That’s right, a talking sword. And, Gilgamesh makes an appearance in the most unlikely of ways.

This story is centered around a plague god that spreads a horrible and disgusting disease around the city and that may be a bit too on the nose for some readers right now, however, I think the theme of protecting and fighting for family and our community will win over reluctant readers. Knowing that Sik will overcome and defeat a plague god, when we are currently living through our own pandemic and watching scientists and medical professionals fight to overcome this virus, keeps the tone hopeful.   

I’m very glad that a novel based on ancient Mesopotamian myth is now out in the world and you can feel the author's love for the story and characters. This book is full of interesting historical and mythological facts and characters that will grab the reader's attention and keep them enthralled until the very end. This will be great for readers that have loved other books in the Rick Riordan Presents series and for the readers just getting into the fantasy genre. 

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Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.