Love everything written by and presented by Rick Riordan! The characters are always so well written and portrayed, and I know my students will enjoy reading about them!

A Fine Addition to the Rick Riordan Collection

With Percy Jackson we got the Greek and Roman Gods. The Kane siblings gave us Egyptian deities, and Magnus Chase mixed it up with the Norse greats. With the "Rick Riordan Presents" imprint we've expanded the franchise to include myths and legends from India, Korea, pre-Columbian Mexico, Cuba, Africa, and the Navaho Nation. Now we have this new entry, which introduces us to the ancient gods of Mesopotamia, and it has all of the appealing qualities I've come to expect from a Percy Jackson-style adventure.

Our young hero, Sikander Aziz, is modest, diligent, and forthright, with a hint of something special. Living a normal life, he is suddenly thrust into a world of myth and magic, which has broken through into daily reality and poses a great threat to our hero, his family, and his community. Our heroine is prickly and mysterious, with crazy skilz and a true identity that is slowly teased out.

It takes a little while for Sik's character to be developed and to settle down, as he swings from timid to active, and from moody to engaged. The wisecracks feel a little random and Sik's first introduction to the supernatural is less than convincing. But pretty quickly Sik is on track as the kid hero we can root for and the plot comes together and starts to sell itself.

As you might hope there are lots of interesting, amusing, and memorable supporting and secondary characters. While the action is driving there are numerous amusing, and even laugh out loud, set pieces. Some of the best bits are just throwaway lines and incidental developments. While these books are under the Riordan imprint umbrella the individual authors have their own voices. I'm fond of the Cuban and Mayan entries, which are a little more funky and jazzy than is Riordan. This volume, possibly because it's trying to get the tone right, is a bit more restrained.

The choice to feature a Muslim hero is inspired. Great effort has been devoted to making Sik as authentic as possible, and this isn't the sort of book that just throws in a few foreign words and some unfamiliar food items and calls it good. Sik is a convincing character and he, his family, and his friends constitute a community that engages and informs a young reader, which is just great by me.

So, this has everything you could want from a Riordan-style book, with many unexpected pleasures and an ambitious cultural agenda. A good find.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I am submitting this to reach the author. My Kindle won't read the book file, and I'm trying to figure out why. I will update this once I am able to read it.

I Have a Wok
Sarwat Chadda brings his own voice to Rick Riordan Presents, with ancient Iraqi myth. After the death of his brother Mo, all Sikander Aziz (Sik) wants to do is work at his Parent’s deli. When his home is threatened by demons looking for something Mo left behind. With the help of Belet, Sik must become the hero of his own story. It just might take some time for him to actually believe that Mesopotamian myth is real. Sik and Belet deal with family, bulling, gross demons, and a plague god. In an original, action packed, dryly sarcastic, adventure to save the world. So, a warning for those sensitive to pandemic narratives. Though, it is satisfying to have a character fight back against a pandemic. The difficulty is that not many people have read Mesopotamian myths. Sarwat Chadda often describes certain mythos and characters compared to other Greek, Britain, and Norse mythologies. Gilgamesh is apparently King Arthur, Heracles, and Thor times fifty thousand. Which, without knowing who these characters are, could be hyperbolic or true. Thankfully, Sik knows his Mesopotamian myth and terminology really well. As he does a fairly good job of defining each new term clearly, and fluidly. There are also a lot of heavy issues and themes tackled in this in this one book. Racism, war, homelessness, religion, and human trafficking to name a few. It is good to have a YA book that does not gloss over real issues, but there is not a lot of fun left in between. City of the Plague God is a great representation of Mesopotamian myth, and a dynamic read.

City of the Plague God is a wonderful romp through Mesopotamian mythology, true to the original myths while turning them on their heads for a modern update. Ishtar, goddess of love and war, adopts orphans throughout history; her current ward is a girl named Belet. Gilgamesh has given up battle for gardening, although he has some pretty fierce plants. Enter Sikander (Sik), a 13 year-old boy who works in his parents' deli, trying to fill the spot left when his older brother, Mohammed, died while exploring his heritage in Iraq.

Enter the demons. While cleaning up after hours, Sik goes to empty the trash, and finds a pair of demons straight out of Mesopotamian mythology munching down on the contents of the dumpster, and thus begins their quest for immortality. The demons believe that Mohammed brought back the mythical flower that grants immortality, and they believe that Sik has it - and he has no idea what they're talking about. Thus begins a quest to save Manhattan, and a story worthy to be endorsed by, and included in the pantheon of, Rick Riordan. Anyone who enjoys Rick Riordan's mythology-based novels will enjoy this one as well.

I have been impressed with all the books I've read from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, but this one was just non-stop fun! Adventure and excitement with lots of family love thrown in with a little mythology. Ever since his brother, Mo, died a couple years ago, thirteen-year-old Sik spends his days either at school or working at his family's deli. His connections with his old friends are fading because he refuses to go play, he just works.

One night after closing, Sik hears funny noises out back and sneaks out to discover 2 demons who are looking for something they assume he's hiding from them. Sik has no idea what they're talking about, but when their boss, the god of plagues, shows up and trashes the place, Sik's life is turned upside down. He's thrown into a war he doesn't understand with mythical gods on both sides. Watching him balance his new discoveries about mythical gods with his belief in Allah is fascinating. Chadda explains this beautifully and treats both mythology and Islam with respect.

Overall the book is extremely well-written and the characters are believable. The action is just fast-paced enough to keep you turning pages, but not so crazy that it overtakes the plot. If you're a fan of adventure stories, mythology, middle grade lit, or just well-plotted and well-written books, definitely give this one a try. Highly recommended!

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.

Any time I see Rick Riordan's stamp of approval on a book, I know I'm about to read an exciting middle grade adventure, usually celebrating a culture that doesn't often get celebrated in novels. That was pretty much all I needed to know in order to request this book. This one does a wonderful job of using the story of Gilgamesh and the Mesopotamian myths, interwoven with modern-day characters.

I always start with my negatives and there isn't that much I can say that's negative here. The only thing I can think of is more of a nitpick: why do all of these stories have to take place in New York? I realize it's a recognizable city but it can get tiring and repetitive to have so many of these in the same or similar locations. I know it's a minor thing, but that was really the only part that bothered me.

There are so many good things about this book! I admit I was lost on the culture and the gods and demons, but it was still action-paced and fast-paced. The characters were interesting and relateable. I think my favorite part about this book was how it dealt with grief. I don't want to explain for spoilers but that was written so well. How it showed how someone could be angry at the person who died and miss them at the same time. I also think the sibling stuff was done well. The dialogue and the mixed feelings between wanting to be with that sibling or being included while the other tries to respect their siblings wants and desires is a very familiar conflict.

I loved what they did with Gilgamesh's story and how everything was concluded. Again, I don't want to explain for spoilers, but I thought the idea behind it was very good and not an angle often chosen in these kinds of stories. There's also a subtle thing going on in the B plot involving Daoul, Sik's brother's friend. I liked the discussion of how they're often type-cast as the villains in movies and television and I liked the way his character worked within the plot.

This book may be a bit difficult to read due to the current world climate, but I still think it's worth reading. It will open up a young mind to stories they never heard. Or it may let a young reader see themselves represented for the first time.

Sik is just going about his life, helping his parents run their deli, missing his brother Mo, dealing with his friend Daoud, when the deli is suddenly under attack by demons. They want Sik to give them "it", only Sik has no idea what they are talking about. Cue a crazy adventure where Sik is labeled as "Plague Boy", his parents are in the ICU, and the entire city is mutated by Nergal, the Plague God. Thankfully, he has a little bit of help from Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, her daughter Belet, some transforming cats, a talking sword (that cannot transform into a pen), Gilgamesh, Daoud (unexpectedly), and an even more unexpected ally (think underworld). Sik must figure out what Nergal wants and then how to save his parents and an entire city of people.

I generally like the books on Rick Riordan Presents imprint, and this one was no different! The main character was meant to be 13 and he read more like 16 to me (although he does have a lot of responsibilities for a 13-year old, so perhaps that's why), but other than that, and the fact that I'm not really in the mood for plague related literature, it was a win! I wish I had listened to it, but I'll definitely be recommending it to fans of Rick Riordan.

I received a copy of this book from Rick Riordan Presents and Netgalley.

I really want this to be a series based on the protagonist, Sikander. I loved being in Sik's head in this wild adventure. I loved it so much!

It is full of heart and action and just all-around wonderful!

Once again, we have another terrific story in the Rick Riordan Imprint. This set of novels has published several of my favorite recent novels and this one did not disappoint! This is the first RRP novel that has included a religious character, and I feel this was done very well. I simply love the strength and wit of the characters throughout this novel! I really hope that we will get to see Sik again! #CityofthePlagueGod #NetGalley

This book was received as an ARC from Disney Publishing Worldwide - Rick Riordan Presents in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was in love with this book from the first page I have read. I was prepared for adventure and conflict and I got that and more. The only suggestion I would make is I had some trouble pronouncing some of the character names including the protagonist Sik but once I read through, they became much easier to understand and relate to. Sik is unaware of his immortality and not only does he get himself into trouble but the entire world. My jaw was wide open at many parts of this book and I could not stop feeling my heart coming out of my chest. I am really hoping this book becomes a series and I know I will love it just as much or more than Percy Jackson.

We will consider adding this title to our JFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Absolutely fabulous story of family, immigration, mythological interconnection, and overcoming trials to triumph. Sik must come to terms with his late brother’s death, his brother’s overshadowing of everything he still does, and who he is and wants to be himself. This powerful coming of age story is so well done that even stalwart non-mythology fans will want more!

Sik is an excellent main character, he carries the story very well. This book can get disgusting (plague gods) but in the best way possible? My favorite thing about this book is when Ishtar helps Sik reconcile old world "gods" with his real-world, current theology, I felt that bit was very well done.

First of all, as a person of color, I grew up not seeing myself being represented in the media in a positive light. I only had stereotypical caricatures in TV shows or movies. Rick Riordan is making my little Indian girl heart so happy by endorsing all of these authors of colors to write about children of color and their cultures. Riordan is setting a great example of how to diversify books and create idols for younger audiences.

Chadda did a magnificent job with this book. Silk delivered the sarcastic and witty humor of Percy Jackson while still feeling like an original, new voice. I loved being introduced to a culture and folklore that I am not familiar with, Mesopotamian mythology. I loved watching Silk meet new characters and overcome different hurdles along the way. While we have seen the Chosen One (who doesn't want to be the Chosen One) trope countless times, but Chadda did a wonderful job with it, not allowing it to seem redundant and unoriginal.

This book had the adventure, humor, and friendships of the Rick Riordan novel with new characters, Mesopotamian mythology, and originality. I would suggest anyone who is a fan of the Percy Jackson series or is trying to find themselves in the story of a person of color to read this book.

- 5 stars -

Thank you to NetGalley, Disney Publishing, Rick Riordan, and Sarwat Chadda for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

As this is written from Sik’s perspective, the commentary was honestly hilarious. Chadda incorporated humor into this otherwise serious book in a way that reminisced the Percy Jackson series- which makes sense, as this is a Rick Riordan Presents imprint.
This book was a five out of five-star read. I loved the way I was taught about myths and culture that I’m not familiar with. The characters were terrific, and the entire tale had me wrapped up as soon as it started. The pacing was quick, perfect for a middle-grade read with low attention spans. The jokes made me laugh out loud, and world-building was beautiful.
“Love always remains. Believe me, I know all about that.”

Another hit from Rick Riordan Presents. I can't wait to buy many copies of this and give it to my middle schoolers!

Disclaimer: I got this ARC from Net Galley. All opinions are my own.

(no spoilers because this is also in the synopsis)

Sik is 13 years old and helps out at his parent's deli. Sik is about to find out that he's immortal and the obstacles that go with that. I'm excited to do a review on my blog closer to the release date!

Oh my goodness, this is everything I didn't know I wanted to see in a kid's book! The characters are so vivid, strong, and relatable, and I LOVED the representation and that it's own voices. Can't wait to sell this in store.

Really adorable MG fantasy a la Rick Riordan and Roshani Chokshi! I'm so happy we have more mythology books from Eastern traditions; can't wait to gift this to my baby cousin!