I was originally pulled into this book because the cover was giving me strong Percy Jackson vibes, and that's a pretty good indicator of what this story is like! Except, you know, Jewish mythology instead of Greek mythology. Opening this book gave me some of the same feelings I had when I read PJO for the first time, and if this does end up becoming a series, I feel like it could be important for the next generation of kids.
"I didn't asked to be wrapped up in this. First the literal king of demons, and now three gigantic beasts, and the antichrist. You've got to be kidding me."
I love a good book with mythology in it, yet I do not know much about Jewish mythology! I feel like I learned a little bit throughout the course of the 240-odd pages, and the author does a good job of explaining it without making it overly complicated or too biblical in the description. It was pretty easy for someone with little to no biblical experience to understand.....which is me. I know next to nothing about the bible (or different religions in general for that matter). The mythology also does not overtake the main portion of the story, instead, it just gives the main character some background to his history and allow himself to learn more about what his culture believes in.
This book does deal with some racism and bullying, evidenced through a single child that literally throws pennies at the main character, and I think the author tackled those topics well. The main character does finally stand up for himself at one point, and even though the "fight" was super exaggerated, the bully kind of backed off once the kid confronted him.
I enjoyed the action sequences, even though I was worried this book would be too short to tackle all three monsters. There was a bit of a twist at the end I did not see coming, but if you know a bit about Jewish mythology and figures, it probably would have been more noticeable from the start. I was definitely googling my way through this book to find out more information!
The side characters are well written, and I loved the humor from all of them. The humor is definitely at a middle grade level (see: "[boogers] are too precious for Jeffrey. He needs to save them for his after-school snacks."), and I will admit that I laughed out loud at a couple of the quips. This is just a group of kids you cannot help but love, and you root for them every step of the way.
Overall, this was a fun and engaging read that gave me some new insight on Jewish mythology while having some good action sequences and funny one-liners. I have no complaints about this book, I think it is all around a great read. This is a book I can definitely see being popular at the middle grade level, especially for fans of Percy Jackson. And if the author does every decide to write a sequel, well.....I would love to get my hands on it!
Content warnings: bullying, racism, kidnapping, blood, broken bones, violence
"I didn't asked to be wrapped up in this. First the literal king of demons, and now three gigantic beasts, and the antichrist. You've got to be kidding me."
I love a good book with mythology in it, yet I do not know much about Jewish mythology! I feel like I learned a little bit throughout the course of the 240-odd pages, and the author does a good job of explaining it without making it overly complicated or too biblical in the description. It was pretty easy for someone with little to no biblical experience to understand.....which is me. I know next to nothing about the bible (or different religions in general for that matter). The mythology also does not overtake the main portion of the story, instead, it just gives the main character some background to his history and allow himself to learn more about what his culture believes in.
This book does deal with some racism and bullying, evidenced through a single child that literally throws pennies at the main character, and I think the author tackled those topics well. The main character does finally stand up for himself at one point, and even though the "fight" was super exaggerated, the bully kind of backed off once the kid confronted him.
I enjoyed the action sequences, even though I was worried this book would be too short to tackle all three monsters. There was a bit of a twist at the end I did not see coming, but if you know a bit about Jewish mythology and figures, it probably would have been more noticeable from the start. I was definitely googling my way through this book to find out more information!
The side characters are well written, and I loved the humor from all of them. The humor is definitely at a middle grade level (see: "[boogers] are too precious for Jeffrey. He needs to save them for his after-school snacks."), and I will admit that I laughed out loud at a couple of the quips. This is just a group of kids you cannot help but love, and you root for them every step of the way.
Overall, this was a fun and engaging read that gave me some new insight on Jewish mythology while having some good action sequences and funny one-liners. I have no complaints about this book, I think it is all around a great read. This is a book I can definitely see being popular at the middle grade level, especially for fans of Percy Jackson. And if the author does every decide to write a sequel, well.....I would love to get my hands on it!
Content warnings: bullying, racism, kidnapping, blood, broken bones, violence