The City Beautiful

480 pages

English language

Published Jan. 20, 2021 by Harlequin Enterprises ULC.

ISBN:: 978-1-335-40250-9

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.

2 editions

Strnad reviewed The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros

3 stars

Caveat to my rating: Historical Fiction, even with supernatural elements, isn't my cup of tea.

I probably would have enjoyed this more had it been in a more fantastical setting. Instead, the more historical aspects made the read almost too depressing for me.

I think the book did what it was trying to well. If a murder mystery in 1893 Chicago as told by a poor teenage gay Jewish immigrant sounds good to you, I would recomend checking it out. The supernatural elements fit in well.

As with Bone Weaver, check the content warnings if you want any heads up.

Caveat to my rating: Historical Fiction, even with supernatural elements, isn't my cup of tea.

I probably would have enjoyed this more had it been in a more fantastical setting. Instead, the more historical aspects made the read almost too depressing for me.

I think the book did what it was trying to well. If a murder mystery in 1893 Chicago as told by a poor teenage gay Jewish immigrant sounds good to you, I would recomend checking it out. The supernatural elements fit in well.

As with Bone Weaver, check the content warnings if you want any heads up.