Thirteen-year-old Sik has an ordinary life of school and helping in his parents' deli, but he doesn't know that he's actually immortal. In order to save New York City, he teams up with Belet, Ishtar's adopted daughter, and Gilgamesh, the hero that has since become a gardener in Central Park. The trio has to retrieve the Flower of Immortality to save Manhattan from disease, and the way is treacherous.

City of the Plague God is part of the Rick Riordan Presents series, where authors from other cultures explore their mythology in brand new stories. In this volume, we have gods and goddesses of Muslim mythology, one that isn't often seen in American media in a positive light. Daoud even says "Guys like us don't get to be heroes, " which this volume gleefully corrects.

As a first-generation born in the United States, Sikander straddles the commercial world of American culture as well as the traditional Iraqi one. Nergal, the plague god, is nourished by the hatred that people have for whoever is different. Ishtar is the goddess of love and war, whether it's a petty fight over a parking spot or a world war, and the love fueling either helps intensify her power. It's a common theme for gods of old to survive to the present with the worship of mortals and the catastrophic chaos of the world. As with other heroes drawn into the struggles between gods, he doesn't want the responsibility. He wants to save the deli, which is the culmination of his parents' savings and efforts as refugees. And as other heroes found out, their human wants pale in comparison to the epic story that fate has in store for them.

Sik and Belet have different roles in the story: Belet's the fighter, and Sik uses diplomacy as his primary weapon. While he runs away from fighting a lot, he gathers allies, intelligence and tries to regroup. He has a quest to go on in order to reverse the damage Nergal wrought. As Rick stated in the introduction, "the plague god's gonna plague." It's an adventure that mirrors mythology, one that puts him in the starring role. He realizes that things and people aren't always what they seem and that his strengths and knowledge are still worthy to cultivate and depend on. There were details along the way that I didn't expect that led to complications and a way to fulfill some of Sik's emotional needs. The ending was so satisfying, but I was disappointed there wasn't more to read. I didn't want to get out of Sik's version of New York City, and I hope there are future books detailing future adventures that he has.

City of the Plague God excited me from the beginning, because I knew it came from Rick Riordan Presents. I also knew that it was about Mesopotamian Gods, ones I’d never really delved into before (though I know some of the myths and whatnot). There were times throughout the beginning of the book that I found myself having a tough time getting into it, but that was mostly because I didn’t understand the terminology. I also didn’t know there’d be explanations at the back of the book for each word or phrase I didn’t understand (my bad!).

Sikandar “Sik” Aziz, our 13-year-old hero, is a character that is extremely likable. He cares about his family, a lot, and is struggling with the loss of his older brother Mo. Mohammed died tragically, while on a motor bike, overseas in their homeland of Iraq. Mo had been his hero, and so we find young Sik slaving away in a deli named for his brother to hold onto a piece of him. Anyone who has lost a sibling (like me), or a close loved one, can relate to the pain he’s going through and how much he loses himself in it.

It isn’t long, however, before he’s wrapped up in a fight between Gods. Ishtar, Goddess of Love and War, and Nergal, God of war and pestilence are in Manhattan. Nergal sends his minions after Sikandar one night, looking for something that his brother “took”. Sik has no idea what they’re talking about, but soon he gets caught up in their search. And while they are searching, they decide to send plague and ruin rocking throughout Manhattan. Now, it’s up to a 13-year-old boy, a Goddess, her adopted daughter, and Mo’s diva of a best friend to stop it.

I loved this book. At first, I was only okay with this story, but soon I found myself on an exciting ride. I’m glad that I didn’t put it down at the beginning, because it was a thought that crossed my mind. From an almost “do not finish” book to a 5-star tale. I can’t say that’s ever happened to me before. I can’t wait to see what Sik gets up to next!

Following the death of his brother, Mo, Sik deals with his grief by helping his refugee parents’ deli. But when Mesopotamian god Nergal attacks the business in an attempt to find a stolen treasure, a chain reaction spreads a plague infecting the city, Sik’s parents included.

As the story explodes from here, Sik and his best friend, Daoud, an aspiring actor, team up with the goddess Ishtar and her combat-ready adopted daughter, Belet. The result is an adventure worthy of the superhero Sik and his friends most admire, Gilgamesh — who, not unexpectedly, makes an appearance in the story.

This is a fun fantasy adventure for the middle-grade audience, introducing to the readers all the Seriously Cool Bits about Mesopotamian mythology. Chadda juggles a lively story, appealing characters, and deftly deals with stereotypes and weighty topics such as Islamophobia, terrorism and anti-Arabism.

Another nifty, highly readable entry in the Rick Riordan Presents series.

City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda is the latest installation in Disney-Hyperion’s Rick Riordan Presents imprint. Sik always saw himself as the Enkidu to his older brother Mo’s Gilgamesh. But now Mo’s gone, Nergal the god of plagues, is after him, and Sik, Ishtar the goddess of war and beauty, and her daughter Belet are Manhattan’s only hope.

Every book in the Rick Riordan Presents imprint tells modern stories of myth and legend from around the world. Its diverse and impressive roster of authors bring their unique backgrounds and experiences to the table, and Chadda is no exception. In City of the Plague God, Chadda tells the story of Iraqi children burdened by generational trauma from not only the recent two decades of war but millennia of empires rising and falling over their ancestors’ homeland. Today, they are Muslim kids whose only home they’ve ever known has been New York City. But their connection to the Fertile Crescent is older than Islam.

The way Chadda blends so naturally Sik and other characters’ modern identities and senses of home with their familial identities and home is flawless. From the seemingly crass jokes about Shock and Awe sauces too spicy for mortals to handle to Mo’s absolute obsession with the epics of Gilgamesh and the ancient gods of Mesopotamia, the children and teens of City of the Plague God are uniquely and unequivocally first-generation Gen Zers.

It was sometimes hard to gauge how old Sik and Belet are meant to be. While this is a common issue of middle grade and young adult books featuring what boils down to child soldiers, it feels especially true in City of the Plague God. Between the image on the book’s cover, the fact that Belet is a master sword handler, and they speak with rather adult elegance, these pre-teens could easily be mistaken for older teens or young adults. When lined up next to older teenagers, their ages are more clear, but on their own, you’d be forgiven for assuming Sik and Belet were much older than they are.

The pacing in general in City of the Plague God was tough. Much of the plot for the first half of the book felt haphazard and almost difficult to follow. My attention was not well-kept until more than midway through the story. I was ultimately glad I stuck around because the second half pulls through. But I was disappointed that a significant chunk of the book is missing Belet, despite the great moments this portion does offer Sik on his own.

The main cause for my issue with the pacing is simply that the book takes far too long to capitalize on its mythological grandeur. Ishtar, Nergal, and his demons are introduced right away, but nothing new gets introduced in the mythological department for the next couple of hours’ worth of reading. Had City of the Plague God been more consistent with its incorporation of myth, it would likely have helped the first half feel less of a slog.

I absolutely love that City of the Plague God includes many better-known aspects of the Epic of Gilgamesh and ample material from other Mesopotamian myths and legends. The book shines its brightest when it introduces readers to those stories through the eyes of Sik. He reveres his late brother, who adored all things myth and legend from his ancestral homeland. So when Sik experiences things he recognizes from his brother’s stories, you can’t help but be enamored by them yourself. What is a bit less than thrilling from time to time is the repeated references to Western myths and legends. While I can appreciate that these are brought up to help unfamiliar audiences draw correlations between stories and gods, I feel like it may end up doing some unintended whitewashing, whereas those elements would certainly have been able to stand on their own without it.

City of the Plague God’s greatest strength is how it portrays its themes of home and grief. Sometimes examined independent of one another, but often in the same breath, Chadda can express these themes maturely for his young audience and older readers alike. The relationship between Sik and Belet also feels very realistically pre-teen in how they bicker, don’t always rebound so quickly, and are very quick to find themselves attached to one another over their shared experiences and traumas.

City of the Plague God took a long ramp to get going, but it’s definitely worth the build-up. The way it depicts the first-generation pre-teen is spot on, and its exploration of home and grief are poignant, even if the pacing is not always great, and it awkwardly leans on Western myths and legends for points of reference. Nonetheless, Chadda’s ability to make the reader feel as awed by the ancient myths of Mesopotamia through Sik’s eyes is masterful.

This was a really fun book! I really enjoyed that it was about a subject that I am interested in but not super familiar with, so I got to learn a little more about it. I have always been fascinated with ancient cultures, and I really love how Rick Riordan and his Rick Riordan presents line mix these ancient mythologies with current day, to give a new perspective and make it easier for kids to get interested in these sort of things. The main character in this novel is Sik, and one of the things I especially loved is that he is not a fighter. So often, the new person gets thrown into this world and the first thing they do is train to fight. Sik doesn't do that. He relies on his other strengths and skills, and he still proves himself to be heroic. This isn't something we see often in novels, and it's something I'd love to see more of. I think the one thing I would have liked would be a stronger development of the friendship between Sik and Belet. We do see them becomes friends, but I felt like it was sort of detached, and even by the end, they felt more like reluctant colleagues than friends. But overall, I felt this was really enjoyable, and I like that it's a stand-alone, but the option for a sequel or spinoff is still possible.

City of the Plague God is the kind of book that will remind you exactly why middle grade is such an excellent genre. The dialogue is snappy, the pacing is excellent, the mythology perfectly blended into modern-day New York - if you like Percy Jackson, there is no way you can pass this one over. It practically bursts off the pages, and will be a read to remember. There's really only one thing that I thought was missing, and that was funny chapter titles, which tells you how much I loved this book!

Sik is a classic MG fantasy hero - the underdog, not necessarily particularly hero-like, and so very much a kid. This is exactly what makes him the perfect main character - he's so likeable, and his narration bring the reader straight into the action. He channels everything that makes characters like him so relatable, but there's the extra depth that his heritage brings that makes him a really special character for all the kid who never saw a Muslim kid as the hero of stories they love. It's very clear that Sik is written from the heart, and that makes him so great. Belet, the epic fighting ballerina who teams up with Sik, is the competent counterpart to Sik's street smarts. She's impulsive and ready to fight, but she's also a kid and shaken by the way things are going, which is completely understandable given the situation they're in. The pair make a great team, balancing each other out, and they're the ideal heroic duo.

Mesopotamian mythology isn't one of the most common mythologies, but it's one that I find really interesting having read the Epic of Gilgamesh in school. The way that Sarwat Chadda incorporated the mythology with Sik's faith. The gods were very much gods - Ishtar was the most visible, and Chadda depicted her strength and power alongside her flaws and disconnect from the real world in a way that made her very realistic. There was a good mix of mythology fusion and straight up mythology that kept the book very grounded while still being overtly mythological; something that I especially liked was Chadda's interpretation of Gilgamesh and how he would have changed from his days as legend.

While the plague element was a little bit close to him, I thought the plot was really well written, and well paced. The build-up to Sik finding out what was going on and what he needed to do was structured in a way that kept me hooked while not being rushed, and the pivotal plot points were placed in exactly the right moments. I really liked the battle scenes in this - they were not extravagant to the point where it was unrealistic for two thirteen year olds and an actor to come out of alive, but they still felt tangible and the stakes were kept up well. Grief, notably Sik's grief over his brother's death, played a role in this, and Mo's influence on the plot and the choices Sik made was lovely but also heartbreaking at times - this is absolutely a good thing, though.

I can't actually find if this is a standalone or the first in a series, because the ending could lend itself to either yet there's no information about a sequel, but if a continuation happens I will be on it in an instant. City of the Plague God was my first middle grade of the year ad it set my standards so high, fulfilling all my Percy Jackson-inspired desires and generally being a pretty awesome book. If you have any interest at all in it, go read it. Now.

Thank you to Rick Riordan Presents for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This post will be going up on my blog on Tuesday 19th of January and a link will be added to this review on Netgalley.

While I have much respect for this writer and for diversity in characters as well as mythology, this book just felt forced. It felt like the author was trying too hard to focus on the diversity aspect, and as a result, the plot and writing suffered. The book had some fun elements but beyond that, was definitely not the greatest read.

I was beyond excited to receive an advanced reader copy of city of the plague god and it did not dissapoint.! If you like myths, fables and monsters then this is definitely Italy the book for you. If you like Percy Jackson series, then I would suggest you pick this one up. I would 100% recommend!

Another great addition to the Rick Riordan Presents collection! I loved that this story focused on Mesopotamia mythology. Such a fun adventure that teaches kids about another ancient civilization that barely anyone talks about. I know so many kids who will enjoy this newest adventure!

After hitting the 54% mark I decided I probably won’t finish this book. However, I don’t want that to deter anyone from reading it! It’s just not for me. I admit I’m super picky with my middle grade. I don’t think I vibe with this author’s writing style but I did love learning about the Mesopotamian mythology and the culture of the main character Sik. From the half that I read, there were some very funny and charming lines, and I really loved one of the main characters, the goddess Ishtar. But I felt like some of the characters were just comic relief in a juvenile way. For a middle grade I was also surprised at how gross and gory it got. The idea of a plague god is super interesting but I had a hard time stomaching reading about the skin falling off Nergal’s face and the flies flying around him (that he sometimes eats). Nergal also grabs a heart from a dead body at one point and eats it so that was kind of disturbing. Also spoiler ahead but right at about the 50% mark the main character intentionally gets hit by a train, trying to kill himself. It was jarring and came out of nowhere and I definitely didn’t expect it from a book written for a young demographic. Overall I enjoyed my time reading this book but not enough to continue it. I would definitely suggest trying it out for yourself though because it’s a promising read.

This adventure based on ancient Mesopotamian mythology is GOLDEN! The main character/hero Sikandar is an American Muslim kid born and raised in New York City, where his parents own a deli. His brother Mo was a U.S. Marine who died in action, a loss that the family is still mourning. However, one day, as Sik deals with the pressures of life (including dealing with the usual bullies and Islamophobic slurs at school), Nergal (read the book to find out) comes looking for him. Turns out - Sik is immortal - and there's a plague! What can he do?

The book is just amazing because I love the characters and the story that is so perfect for this time period. It is filled with pain and joy, hope and fear. Kids will love this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide (Rick Riordan Presents) for the ARC in exchange for an Honest Review!

City of the Plague God jumps right into adventure and excitement. This is a great read for boys who can't stand reading but love all the action and fight scenes!

Rousing, yet macabre, adventure…
As an adult, I’ve enjoyed Rick Riordan’s various series and how they really bring home an understanding of various mythologies. All the gods and beings become real and remembered as they are crafted into a modern and relatable story. City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda is a great expansion of that model. It’s an engrossing adventure with a lot of wisdom tucked around and about and with relatable characters guaranteed to suck in your own adventurer.

I did find City of the Plague God much darker and with a lot more macabre details (such as maggots and bluebottles slithering in and out characters’ eyes and skin, etc.) than Riordan’s books. But, if that sort of thing doesn’t bother you, the horrific element is pretty much capped there and with one character eating another in a gruesome mouthful. As these gods and creatures are from Mesopotamian mythology and the main bad guy is the god of death, we’ve been forewarned.

Sikander’s story is sadly relatable as he grieves over his brother’s passing and agonizes over how to pursue his dreams while still caring for his parents and their deli. Sik adored his older brother, who dedicated his life to helping people in his homeland throughout various trips that he took there. Sik always stayed at home and looked after the deli, helping his parents. But he wishes his brother had taken him on at least one of his adventures.

But it seems a god of Death thinks Mo gave Sik something to hide and he won’t stop until he has it. He won’t stop threatening Sik’s family, their deli, and the entire city.

Trigger warnings: Graphic violence, gore, disease, and death. This might not be the book that some folks will feel comfortable reading in the midst of a pandemic. For others, it might be a reassuring reminder that nothing lasts forever, no matter how dark the times.

3.5/5 Okay so I enjoyed this book well enough, but I honestly didn't like the depictions of the plague symptoms that the gods had or all the bug stuff. The author wrote about how this plague god had maggots on him and skin peeling and it was super gross! I hated reading that stuff! And I felt that Belet was a bit rude at times and really unlikable when you are first introduced to her. I also didn't like her attitude towards Sik, and I didn't like her comment about Sik's brother's death not meaning as much as her mothers. But overall I enjoyed the novel and I enjoyed being part of the quest with Sik and meeting Gilgamesh as well!

I love the Rick Riordan Presents series! This one is by far the closest in feel to the Percy Jackson series of any I have read. There are even a couple of jibes (wouldn't it be handy if a sword would just magically turn into a pen when it comes to carrying it around New York?). Instead of the Iliad or Odyssey, we get the Epic of Gilgamesh, a Muslim hero who uses cunning much more than violence, and well-developed LGBTQIA+ characters where their sexuality is part of who they are, but not the only piece we see.

The descriptions of the fetid demons and their filth was amazing. I was grossed out more than once, and that's not a very easy thing to do. But it fit so well. Later in the book, as the diseases got more fantastic and the descriptions got further from my wheelhouse, I felt somewhat lost. Also, the glossary in the ARC left something to be desired (pronunciation?), I have confidence that would be fixed. Shout to me if it's not.

Thank you to NetGalley, Disney Hyperion, and Sarwat Chadda for the advance ebook in exchange for an honest review. I want kebobs now.

13-year old Sikander is a rare Muslim hero in this urban fantasy that brings Mesopotamian mythology to modern-day New York.

From the very beginning, Sik is pulled into danger by demons serving the plague god Nergal, who believes Sik has a treasure that he desperately wants. The action is non-stop from there, and Sik finds himself moving from one amazing circumstance to another, encountering gods, goddesses, heroes and fantastic creatures from Mesopotamian myths.

The over-arching theme of this story is death and loss, which I wasn't expecting for a book geared toward middle-grade. Sik is struggling with the loss of his brother and he encounters death in various forms throughout his trials.

The author's writing style is engaging, and the pages flew. The side characters had distinct personalities, although I would have liked a little more insight to their motives a bit more.

I really enjoyed this action-packed adventure, and especially appreciated the representation of a non-traditional hero. Also, this was the first story I've read featuring Mesopotamian mythology, and this book has gotten me intrigued enough to seek out more.

‘Rick Riordan Presents: City of the Plague God’ by Sarwat Chadda (Disney-Hyperion)

There’s a gap in young adult fiction that many libraries would find difficult to fill: an adventure story with a Muslim protagonist who saves the world. And libraries are not alone. Even authors who identify with this ideal struggle with such a scenario.

“Growing up Muslim in Great Britain, I knew I couldn’t be the good guy. It was a weird feeling as a kid,” writes Sarwat Chadda in the author’s note to his new novel, “City of the Plague God.” “Is it any wonder, then, that it took me 12 years and 11 books to actually create a Muslim hero?”

Chadda resisted the scenario out of fear that “any celebration of my heritage would be seen as something scary or sinister. Phrases like ‘jihad’ or ‘Allah Akbar’ are so horribly misunderstood nowadays.” But then came “Rick Riordan Presents.”

Riordan, of “Percy Jackson” fame, publishes only about four books a year under the Disney-Hyperion Presents imprint, but each of those publications are important literary additions to the middle grade canon: They specifically aim to publish “great middle grade authors from underrepresented and backgrounds to let them tell their own stories inspired by the mythology and folklore of their own heritage.”

And so we have Chadda’s “City of the Plague God,” the story of 13-year-old Iraqi American Sikander “Sik” Aziz, who will be tasked with stopping the Mesopotamian plague god Nergal from destroying New York City.

Following the death of his brother, Mo, during a trip to Iraq, Sik deals with his grief by throwing himself into the work it takes to help run his refugee parents’ deli. But when Nergal attacks the business in an attempt to find a stolen treasure, a chain reaction spreads a plague infecting the city, Sik’s parents included. As the story explodes from here, Sik and his best friend, Daoud, an aspiring actor, team up with the goddess Ishtar and her combat-ready adopted daughter, Belet. The result is an adventure worthy of the superhero Sik and his friends most admire, Gilgamesh — who, not unexpectedly, makes an appearance in the story.

Chadda does an admirable job in constructing not only the story but, through dialogue and plotting, overcoming stereotypes and weighty topics such as Islamophobia, terrorism and anti-Arabism.

“So, when are you gonna play a hero,” Sik asks his friend, Daoud, who laughs at the question.

“Guys like us don’t get to be heroes. You know that.”

“Why,” asks Sik. “‘Cause you’re an Arab, or ‘cause you’re a Muslim?”

“Take your pick, cuz. Take your pick,” Daoud says.

But in this story, at least, Sik, Daoud and their friends do get to be heroes — and Chadda shows the way, crafting a novel that joins ancient gods with the fundamental Muslim belief in one God with enviable skill.

Sik helps run his parents deli in NYC. One night he hears a noise out back in the alley and when he investigates he finds some demons wreaking havoc in the dumpster and then has a run in with Nergal (an ancient god of plagues). Nergal says that Sik has something he wants, but Sik has NO IDEA what Nergal is talking about. Luckily, Sik doesn't have to figure things out alone. With the help of Belet (daughter of the god of war and Nergal's niece), Gilgamesh (of the epic tale), his dead brother Mo's best friend Daoud, and Mo himself (yes, he's still dead), Sik and his friends work to stop Nergal from destroying NYC with his plague. A great story full of adventure and interesting characters. I had never thought much about Mesopotamian mythology before, but now I'm intrigued and hope there will be more adventures with Sik.

Fantastic fantasy adventure, full of Mesopotamian mythology, great characters, and worldbuilding. This story is more than that though it is about friendship, family, and loss, mixed with different cultures and modern times. Extremely entertaining for young readers, fast-paced, and very exciting making it a perfect read for all.

Thank-you to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for an e-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As an avid reader of anything Greek and Roman Mythology, I found author Sarwat Chadda’s ability to weave an adventurous tale into Mesopotamia mythology, simply fascinating.

City of the Plague God, follows Sik, a grief-stricken thirteen-year-old boy navigating through the loss of his older brother and the strain of tending to his family’s deli.

His world is quickly thrown into further peril when a Mesopotamian god shows up searching for something he believes
Sik has in his possession. Along with his new friend Belet and her adoptive mother, Ishtar, the three set out to save the world. Along the adventure, Sik is forced to face his fears as he readies to defeat the God of Plagues and War.

This is truly a beautifully written story about loss, love, friendship, and facing ones fears while educating the reader on Mesopotamian mythology and Muslim culture.

I highly recommend this book as a must read for 2021! However, before warned, you won’t want the book to end and will be disappointed the sequel isn’t out already.