While this story is based around ancient Mesopotamian mythology, Chadda also incorporated Sik’s Muslim faith and Iraqi heritage in a way that was educational and organic. Also, it was so nice to have a Muslim main character. Having New York City as the setting was fantastic. The way it unfolded was just classic storytelling so well done.

The entire story had a fluidity to it that was absolutely enchanting. As always with the books published under the Rick Riordan Presents Imprint, it is full of humor and heart. He’s immortal and didn’t even know it! More than that, he holds the secret to eternal life. Together they discover something quite interesting about Sik. He has a new friend, Belet, who just so happens to the be the adoptive daughter of the Goddess of Love and War, Ishtar. He needs to figure out why and stop him before all of Manhattan succumbs. The disease is spreading and Sik knows that Nergal is behind it. The deli is destroyed and Sik’s parents become quite ill, victims of a new plague.

He owns nothing that could possibly be of value to a God. Obviously, it’s something very important, but Sik has no idea what it could be. He enjoys his time there, but all of that is threatened when the deli is attacked one night by demons. Sikander, known as Sik to his family and friends, spends most of his time outside of school working in his family’s deli. City of the Plague God follows 13-year old, Sikander Aziz, as he tries to save New York City from, Nergal, the ancient God of Plagues.

City of the plague god series