This was a BLAST!!! It’s not afraid to shy away from darker themes - Islamophobia, death (accidental and on-page murder), grief, and sickness. There’s a TON of grotesque bug-related imagery that squicked me out, but that was the point, so I can’t be too mad lol. 

City of the Plague God is the first Rick Reordan Presents book I have read, and what a way to start! This new mythologically-inspired series by Sarwat Chadda revolves around Mesopotamian mythology and centers on a first generation Iraqi-American named Sik. The book has an excellent balance of Riordan-style humor and heroic recklessness placed alongside the microaggressions, overt racism, and islamophobia that a young man of Sik’s ethnicity would have to endure. I enjoyed the story, loved learning the new mythology, and found myself enraged on Sik’s behalf. Chadda’s world building and story building balance is incredible.

Most readers would come into City of the Plague God looking for a mythologically-driven story about a teen saving the day like heroes of yore. You absolutely get that story here, including the classic multi-part quest and multi-level bosses. Very few people are familiar with Mesopotamian mythology because it doesn’t permeate pop culture, at least not in the United States. I’ve read the epic of Gilgamesh, but it’s been over a decade, and I remember very little of the story – now I want to reread it. I adore mythology, so many of the books by either Rick Riordan or his Rick Riordan Presents label come adorned with deities I am familiar with and stories I’m ready to commentate. It was nice to be able to sit back for a change and learn about Ishtar and the other ancient gods of the Middle East. I loved the conversations between Sik and Ishtar about immortality and the nature of being a god. Definitely not the type of thing I would’ve thought about when I was the target age for these books, but as an adult, I appreciated the philosophical conversation.

Chadda does an excellent job of mimicking the Percy Jackson style. It’s a tribute to Riordan. The familiarity of the storytelling style makes it cozy and comfortable, but the new characters and situations give it a fresh face. City of the Plague God presents a modern day plague that breaks out in New York City, and although the book was finished and ready for publication before COVID-19 hit, it is somehow a stronger and more relatable story because of the enduring pandemic. In the foreword there is discussion about the decision to release the book despite coronavirus. Ultimately, they decided to publish despite the timing because everyone involved felt that the book had value despite (and maybe because of) the current situation. I absolutely agree. Although City of the Plague God is more than just details of the plague, the situation reminds us of the importance of perseverance and compassion. Because it is more relevant than the author could have imagined, it is more meaningful as well.

I absolutely recommend City of the Plague God to anybody interested in mythology or who were fans of any of Rick Riordan’s books or those of his label. Sik and Belet are excellent characters, Ishtar and Daoud are an absolute delight, and even our villain has some dialogue that hits home. It was entertaining, but it was also endearing and thought-provoking. The representation was fantastic on all levels and I appreciated that it was never a big deal, that these identities were not the center of the story but part of the characters in it. I’ve already got the next book on my TBR and I can’t wait to read it when it is published next year.

This was a really interesting and adventurous MG fantasy that showcased Mesopotamian mythology really well. It was also great at confronting serious issues such as the blame put on oppressed communities in times of crisis, and the experience of grief. Belet was definitely my favourite character as I loved how determined and sharp she was. My biggest criticism is that the pacing was a little slow considering this is 350 pages and a MG read.

As a side note, I listened to the audiobook and the narrator Vikas Adam did an absolutely phenomenal job.