Posts

Showing posts with the label Aden Polydoros

Review: Wrath Becomes Her

Image
Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros Inkyard Press (imprint of HarperCollins Publishers), 2023 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Rebecca Klempner Buy at Bookshop.org   Wrath Becomes Her is a fantasy novel about the Shoah but also a reflection upon self-determination and personhood. During WWII, Ezra hides in a barn in Lithuania. There he creates a golem, Vera. He tells her, "An ordinary golem is created from pure elements, the same dust from which HaShem shaped the first man. But to create you, it involved power gained from going against all our commandments (page 32)." Indeed, Ezra has used the eyes, nails, tongue, and teeth of his murdered daughter, Chaya, in order to fashion Vera. Why? To avenge Chaya’s death. With her incredible strength, Chaya’s memories, and immunity to many weapons, Vera was created to get even with the Nazis. However, Vera doesn't want to be a mere instrument of Ezra's revenge. She wants to know: Is she more than an unholy monstrosity, more than

Review: The Ring of Solomon

Image
Ring of Solomon by Aden Polydoros Inkyard Press, 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Laurie Adler Buy at Bookshop.org When twelve-year-old Zach Darlington buys a magical antique ring for his mother’s birthday, he unwittingly unleashes an egotistic and snarky demon king, some terrifying mythological monsters, and a nefarious secret society. Zach, his best friend Sandra, and demon Ashmedai, or Ash, must struggle within themselves and with each other in order to vanquish ancient beasts and foil a deadly apocalyptic prophecy. Strong sub-plots include Zach’s trepidation about coming out, antisemitism, homophobia, bullying, and navigating a first crush. Ring of Solomon is a well-paced, action-packed mythological adventure that fits snugly into the popular genre of Percy Jackson and the Rick Riordon Presents imprint. It will have strong appeal to middle grade readers between 8-12 years, especially those who enjoy mythology and monsters. As evidenced by his other books, most notably The Cit

Review: The City Beautiful

Image
The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros Inkyard Press Category: Young Adult Reviewer: A.R. Vishny Buy at Bookshop.org The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros is a YA historical fantasy set during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Alter is a young typesetter and recent immigrant to the United States, who is trying to save enough money to send for his mother and sister, who are still waiting back in Romania. His life is upended when his roommate, Yakov, is found dead on the premises of the World’s Fair and Alter becomes possessed by Yakov’s restless spirit as a dybbuk during tahara, the preparations for his burial. To free himself from the dybbuk and stop the steady stream of murders and disappearances of young Jewish men around the Fair, Alter must team up with the pickpocket ring-leader Frankie and the budding anarchist journalist Raizel to solve the murder mystery. This book is an impressive feat of YA Jewish historical fantasy. Polydoros builds a rich world for his characters to inhabit