The City Beautiful

The City Beautiful

2021 • 480 pages

Ratings10

Average rating4

15

"The City Beautiful is the haunting, queer Jewish historical thriller of my darkest dreams." --Dahlia Adler, creator of LGBTQ Reads and editor of That Way Madness Lies Death lurks around every corner in this unforgettable Jewish historical fantasy about a city, a boy, and the shadows of the past that bind them both together. Chicago, 1893. For Alter Rosen, this is the land of opportunity, and he dreams of the day he'll have enough money to bring his mother and sisters to America, freeing them from the oppression they face in his native Romania. But when Alter's best friend, Yakov, becomes the latest victim in a long line of murdered Jewish boys, his dream begins to slip away. While the rest of the city is busy celebrating the World's Fair, Alter is now living a nightmare: possessed by Yakov's dybbuk, he is plunged into a world of corruption and deceit, and thrown back into the arms of a dangerous boy from his past. A boy who means more to Alter than anyone knows. Now, with only days to spare until the dybbuk takes over Alter's body completely, the two boys must race to track down the killer--before the killer claims them next.

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July 19, 2021

A beautiful blend of genres with a riveting plot and characters I LOVED. The mix of his.fic. and paranormal fantasy with other kinds of lore and representation are done seamlessly by Polydoros, and I find myself unable to say much more than that I am glad I finished 2021 with this beautiful read.

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August 7, 2021

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