Excellent! I think this is going to be a great series for the next generation of mythology lovers. I’m so excited that Rick Riordan has established Read Riordan and has been promoting such talented voices!

Thank you to NetGalley and Rick Riordan Presents for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.


Anything from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint is an auto-buy for me, so it was just a matter of time before I read City of the Plague God. Thanks to NetGalley, I didn't have to wait too long.

Chadda told a story that kept the reader invested and learning as we followed Sik through his journey. When we first meet him, he is just a kid working in his family's deli who is thrown for a loop when he is attacked by demons who are searching for something they think he has. With the help of his new friend Belet, he learns about himself and the mysterious plague that is threatening his family. Sik makes it clear that there is no one, god or otherwise, that he would let threaten his family. It was wonderful to follow this underdog through his journey to keep his family safe.

My review of CITY OF THE PLAGUE GOD is in the May 2021 issue of SFRevu.com and is exclusive to them until June 1st, 2021. You may read the review at this link: <http://www.sfrevu.com/php/Review-id.php?id=19312>

This book is absolutely brilliant. Like other titles in the Rick Riordan Presents series, it takes mythology from the author's culture and uses it to build out a modern story that uses traditional characters and themes. This one is action packed, exciting, and dives deep into the notions of family and friendship that surround the MC's life.

I delighted in this book, and I absolutely purchased a copy for my daughters, who are right in the age range for the RRP series.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

If I could describe my favorite book, city of the plague god would be it. Dashing adventures, ancient curses, Babylonian myths and Manhattan. There is nothing in that sentence that doesn't sound exciting right? For me one of the best things about this book was how the author was able to craft such a magical storyline that one never wanted to put down.

Being a huge Percy Jackson fan and live for all type of mythology books! Ive been loving all of the diverse worlds of mythology from the Rick Riodans presents series.

Mesopotamian mythology is new for me so I was exicited to learn more. Sik gets embroiled in a plague and the mythological story the Epic of Gilgamesh. Seems crazy but with today’s dealings of a pandemic it’s insane to think this was written before the pandemic. All of these present series are fun but I just didn’t feel like I got enough with this one. I needed more of the history especially since I know nothing of the mythology. Still a fun read through for kids and adults alike.

City of the Plague God
By: Sarwat Chadda

Disney Publishing World Wide

Rick Riordan Presents

Children's Fiction/Middle Grade

Publish Date January 12, 2021

#CityofthePlagueGod#NetGalley

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I received this book from NetGalley for a honest review. I know I am a little behind with this review. I gave this book 4 stars and really enjoyed it.

This book is about a boy who was given something special from his brother just he died and doesn't realize it. The God Nergal, a Mesopotamia God, wants it. He is causing a lot of problems for this item and Sik has to stop him but doesn't know how. He does have help with some interesting characters.

My favorite characters are the house cats because you will be surprised on that they can do. I also happen to like cats.

I like learning about different Gods from different cultures. Who knew there could be so many.

It is always fun to learn about myths you are unfamiliar with, and I appreciate the effort that is going in to exposing kids to so many more of these stories.

These characters are fun and interesting, the story is fun, action filled, and funny. A perfect read for kids, and adults alike.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: City of the Plague God

Author: Sarwet Chadda

Book Series: Standalone for now

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Muslim characters, refuge parents, and I believe one of the cousins is on the LGBT+ side? It’s vague.

Recommended For...: MG fans, fantasy readers, Mesopotamian mythology lovers

Publication Date: January 12, 2021

Genre: MG Fantasy

Recommended Age: 13+ (pandemic like conditions, scary moments, violence, gore, animal death and gore)

Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents

Pages: 400

Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Sik wants a simple life going to school and helping at his parents' deli in the evenings. But all that is blown to smithereens when Nergal comes looking for him, thinking that Sik holds the secret to eternal life.Turns out Sik is immortal but doesn't know it, and that's about to get him and the entire city into deep, deep trouble.

Sik's not in this alone. He's got Belet, the adopted daughter of Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, on his side, and a former hero named Gilgamesh, who has taken up gardening in Central Park. Now all they have to do is retrieve the Flower of Immortality to save Manhattan from being wiped out by disease. To succeed, they'll have to conquer sly demons, treacherous gods, and their own darkest nightmares.

Review: This book was absolutely heartbreaking and wonderful all rolled into one! I loved this book for a multitude of reasons, the first being that it’s based on ancient Mesopotamian mythology! I had read some of the Epic of Gilgamesh in Senior English Honors but outside of that I hadn’t seen other things from that mythology. I loved the characters, the world building was great, and the book really touched on the micro-aggressions and racism Muslims encounter. I also really liked the story and it kept me intrigued from start to finish. The biggest standout of the book is the reverse in gendered norms. Sik is our male character hero, but he doesn’t use weapons throughout the novel. Belet is our female character hero and she can wield all sorts of weapons! I really hope the author is greenlit for more works because this one was absolutely fantastic.

The only issue I had with the book is that the book does have some pandemic like conditions due to the Plague God (duh), so that might be scary for some of the younger readers. Overall though, it was a well done book!

Verdict: Highly recommend!

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 4 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

I really loved this read. It was such a fun fast pace read. I am NYC theater teacher and this book is set totally near where i really work and I loved how gods, pandemics invaded NYC. I was so captured by Sarwat writing style and loved the male lead. I also loved how this book again focused on saving the day, saving your family and grief at the death of a love one. I really loved all the new gods we leaned. This book just put a smile on my face and would totally read more books set in this world!!

I absolutely love reading books inspired by myths, so I knew that I would love this book from the very start. And Mesopotamian myths are some of my favorites. The characters are interesting and the story is packed with equal parts action and humor, which all add up the make this book a really great read. I will definitely be recommending this book in the future.

This is a great modern-day mythology. Readers who are into the stories of the gods will really enjoy this twist on the old Mesopotamian myths. It includes your average 13-year-old who goes to school and works at his family's deli. Little does he know, he just happens to have the power of eternal life. Of course, this is something the gods would love to have. Bring in Nergal, Belet, Ishtar, and Gilgamesh among others and you have an epic fantasy, adventure battle that spans the times.

It doesn’t get any more ‘Old School’ than Mesopotamia. This was especially cool because I loved learning about Mesopotamia in school.Bold, brave, and full of surprises! I couldn't stop turning the pages. Chadda balances an action-packed story with his trademark humour.

A great addition to the Riordan presents line of books! I was excited to see that this book has a muslim main character and follows mythology from Mesopotamia. I was not disappointed with either the storyline or the characters! I am happy to hand-sell this to readers looking for their next great fantasy book. Great for fans of the other Rick Riordan or Riordan Presents stories.

Title: City of the Plague God
Author: Sarawak Chaddah
Rating: 5 stars

This book was so good. I was afraid that i wouldn’t be as entertained, frankly because i had read another Riordan Presents books and i was bored. Chaddah did an amazing job with this book. It was funny, sarcastic, entertaining, lovable, and full of adventure. (It’s perfect for PErcy Jackson lovers) I don’t know much about Mesopotamia, or it’s Gods, but after reading Sik’s story i want to learn more. Definitely a book to diversify my classroom library.

The Story follows Sikander Aziz, the son of refugees who came to America for a better life managing their deli, when he encounters an ancient god from Mesopotamia, Nergal, and his life gets turned inside out. With the help of Ishtar (yes, the ISHTAR) and Belet he has to try to become the very thing his name says he is.

Sikander = Alexander “defender of man”

I received this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

#Netgalley
#islam
#muslim
#mesopotamia
#ishtar
#sikander
#TW
#triggerwarning
#refugees
#racism
#Nergal
#plagues
#war
#Iraqi
#Mythology
#eArc
#Gilgamesh. (17)
#plagueboy

Mesopotamian mythology is one of my faves. And I have always found the Epic of Gilgamesh fascinating. So I was happy to see this book! Of course, in 2018 when Sarwat Chadda was writing about Sik and his (mis)adventures in New York City, there was no COVID-19 pandemic. Riordan includes a foreword about that. And Chadda also mentions it in his notes at the end of the story. It is eerily relevant.

Sik lives with his Mama and Baba in Manhattan. His parents are Iraqi refugees though Sik was born in America. Together they run Mo's deli. Mo is his brother who was killed while on a trip to Iraq. Sik and his family are still wrestling with their grief over Mo's death. As Sik is closing up the deli one night, Nergal (the Mesopotamian god of plagues, death, destruction....) appears with a couple of his demons. Sik has something that Nergal desperately wants - but Sik has no idea what that is. Enter Belet - awesome ninja girl - to save the day. The next day at school, Sik realizes the new girl in his class is none other than Belet. She takes Sik to see her mom who just happens to be Ishtar. Sik knows about the Mesopotamian mythology from Mo but, being a Muslim kid, he has a hard time
wrapping his head around the fact that those gods are real. Nergal, in the meantime, has decided to unleash a plague on NYC starting with Sik's parents. For some reason, this plague does not impact Sik. Hmmmm. And so the race begins to figure out what Nergal wants and stop him.

A definite page turner, this book had me staying up late to finish the last few chapters. it was great to see a book with a Muslim protagonist. And this book does deviate a bit from the usual demi-god trope that we see in most of the Riordan books. It was a great story and -- it has amazing cats - Lamassu of sorts. Highly recommended. And there is certainly a possibility of a second book, yes? Please?

Maybe I should have known not to read a book with "Plague God" in the title when we're in the middle of a pandemic, but here we are! This was a great addition to the Rick Riordan presents line. I learned a lot about Persian mythology and really enjoyed Sik as a main protagonist.

Rick Riordan was a genius when he decided that the publishing world needed to focus on mythology that wasn’t just Greek or Roman. He found some tremendous authors to join him in educating readers on a whole new world of stories. Sarwat Chadda brings to life characters with a Muslim/Mesopotamian flair. Through fantastic character development, Chadda tells the story of Sik and his family as they face challenges of the destruction of their family business, the loss of their sense of normality, and the realization that the Gods are real. I look forward to reading more stories of Sik and his escapades.

Thirteen-year-old Sik helps out with his parents’ deli in Manhattan. One night, he’s attacked by demons who were working with the plague god Nergal. Their deli is destroyed and his parents are left in the hospital with a mysterious virus. Sik is rescued by his new friend Belet who lives with a god of her own. Nargal insists that Sik is hiding an item that Sik’s brother sent back from Iraq just before he died. Sik and Belet have to find this item, with the help of the hero Gilgamesh, to save their city and Sik’s parents.

I have never read Mesopotamian mythology before, or even the epic story of Gilgamesh, so this was all new to me. I loved learning about the different gods and their stories. The story was set in the familiar city of New York, so I could picture everything that happened, even though the characters were all new.

This story addressed racism and Islamophobia. Sik’s friend Daoud was an actor, but he had accepted the fact that he was always going to be cast as the villain or a terrorist. He wouldn’t be the hero. Luckily in this story, Sik is a Muslim hero. This racism was disturbing because it’s so outrageous and doesn’t make any sense. I’m glad that books like this can be published, because I love reading about different cultures. My favourite books are the ones that teach me things, and I feel like I learned a lot from this one.

This is a great story in the Rick Riordan Presents collection!

Thank you Rick Riordan Presents for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.