Book Review: The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros

I cannot believe it’s been six months since my last book review, but here we are. And I’m so excited to be back with The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros, a fantasy historical fiction novel immersed in Judaism! If you’ve read my reviews before, you know that’s right up my alley, so I apologize in advance for gushing over this book. I’m excited to talk about it, so let’s get started!

The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros: Fast Facts

Release Date: October 5, 2021
Format: E-book on Kindle
Pages: 330
Genre: fantasy, folklore, mystery, paranormal, romance, thriller, urban fantasy, young adult
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Content Warning: animal cruelty, antisemitism, blood, body horror, death, fire, grief, hate crimes, imprisonment (mild), internalized homophobia, medical trauma, murder, pedophilia (mention), rape, poverty, self-harm, slurs, violence, xenophobia

Summary

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.

bookshop | indiebound | publisher

— i.

Death was ugly, I had learned, but life could be even uglier and unfathomably cruel.

I first heard of The City Beautiful back in May at a book club. Upon learning it was fantasy, Jewish, and LGBTQ+, I had to add it to my TBR. I knew it would be different from anything I had ever read but in a good way. And I ended up being right. The City Beautiful follows Alter, a Jewish immigrant in Chicago, as he tries to solve his best friend, Yakov’s untimely death, pushed by Yakov’s dybbuk—a demonic presence possessing Alter’s soul. There is so much to talk about in this beautiful story, but as always, I will begin with the characters.

Alter is our protagonist and narrator, and I quickly warmed up to his character. And we learn almost right away of Alter’s inner conflict—he is gay and has feelings for his best friend. Of course, as the narrative unfolds, so do the complexities of his character. I think Aden Polydoros did an excellent job portraying those complexities and revealing them at the right time. The story did not unravel Alter’s character all at once (if that makes sense). Like the novel, he also unfolds at critical points. And because Polydoros nailed these moments, Alter’s character truly shines and is a compelling protagonist throughout the book.

I also loved the secondary characters. Raizel was my favorite, and I really connected with her on a personal level. She was headstrong, funny, fearless, and a wonderful character. I also liked Frankie, even if I didn’t warm up to him at first. But that was before we learned more about him and his past.

— ii.

“Because we are godly people,” Frankie said quietly, leaning down to stare him in the face. Whitby laughed, but there was nothing funny about the look in Frankie’s eyes. “We believe in justice. Biblical justice. The kind that comes at the end of a sword. Now, you tried to hurt my friend. You would have killed him, if you could have. Therefore, according to our laws, I have full jurisdiction to jam this gun—you see this, yes?—up your ass.”

Of course, dynamics and characters often go hand in hand, and The City Beautiful is no exception. There are two primary dynamics—the first between Alter and Yakov and the second between Alter and Frankie. Although Yakov is dead for most of the novel, his relationship with Alter is the heart of the story. Alter’s feelings for Yakov are the plot’s driving force—he wants to bring Yakov peace and justice in death. At the same time, Alter reconnects with an old friend he left a year before, and that’s Frankie. I loved reading about Alter grappling with his feelings for both these boys. In addition, Alter also has to reconcile with his sexuality, given that it is 1893. However, Polydoros makes it relatable even though the story takes place over a hundred years ago.

I also enjoyed the non-romantic dynamics. In particular, I loved the closeness of Frankie’s group. You can see how much they love each other and how they look out for one another. They may not say it, but you see it in their actions, making their dynamic so much more powerful. I also loved Alter’s friendship with Raizel. They invented gay-lesbian solidarity, and I loved how even though the adults kept trying to set them up, it only made their friendship stronger. And of course, Alter was friends with Yakov and Frankie before developing feelings for them. It is the foundation of these friendships that make their potential romances captivating.

— iii.

“When a body is left alone after death, in a state of desecration, the soul becomes corrupted,” he said, as though I hadn’t even spoken. “It is no longer your friend. It is only a shadow of him, driven by the desires he had in life. The greatest kindness you can give the dybbuk is by helping it pass on, so that it may complete its time in Gehinnom.”

I’ve read a few fantasy novels with Jewish mythology, but never one immersed in historical fiction the way The City Beautiful is. So, my perspective of the narrative’s world-building might be different from the average reader since I was already familiar with most of the concepts (if not all). Nevertheless, I think Aden Polydoros did a thorough job introducing the concepts and giving the reader sufficient narrative hints to understand what is going on without disrupting the story. And for the concepts that may be more difficult to understand than others, there is a glossary at the back of the novel that explains them without spoiling the narrative.

Furthermore, everything was coherent, and there weren’t any concepts that canceled out each other, which I appreciated. It can be tricky maintaining coherence in a fantasy or historical setting, but anyone can see how hard Polydoros worked to ensure the narrative remained coherent and accurate.

— iv.

But the past was not a place to which I could return. It was a frozen memory, a dybbuk. All that mattered now was the future. I needed to keep moving.

I found the pacing of the novel fit well, for the most part. The beginning could have been a bit faster, only because its slow-ish pace threw me off a little. But after a while, things started to pick up. And I thought The City Beautiful was engaging from start to finish, despite the slightly disruptive pacing at the beginning. After the first few chapters, I couldn’t put the book down.

The pacing also coincides with the plot. The story unraveled nicely, but it was a little confusing at first because of the pacing. However, within a few chapters (i.e., once the pacing evened out), the plot became clear, and it hooked me until the last page. I also liked how Aden Polydoros integrated the element of mystery. Adding more genres to a narrative might make it too much, but he wrote it in a way that effortlessly entwined mystery, fantasy, and historical fiction.

— v.

My father’s death had been meaningless, and the violence in this world was meaningless, too. But that did not make my life meaningless. I refused to believe that my fate was already written for me, even before the Day of Atonement.
Life was not some never-ending tragedy. Just as for every bitter herb there was sweet charoset, hope and joy persisted alongside suffering. And even someone like me had the ability to change things.

I’d also like to talk about the setting. Yes, The City Beautiful is historical fiction and takes place in our world. It is not high fantasy. However, the setting is very much integral to the novel. The City Beautiful takes place during the Chicago World Fair in 1893, right at the turn of the century. And the story’s critical events take place at this fair. If Yakov and Alter’s relationship is the heart of the story, then Chicago and the World Fair is the soul. The environment brings the narrative to life. Choosing Chicago and the World Fair as the backdrop for the novel was an interesting choice that I wouldn’t have thought of, but it fit seamlessly with the novel’s themes and events.

— vi.

“Actually, I’m more interested in power than wealth.” Drawing a match from his silver vesta case, Frankie lit the cigar. He took a draw and grimaced. “Oy, this is atrocious. It tastes like a filthy ashtray.”
“Aren’t wealth and power the same thing?”
“They’re connected, but not the same. Power makes you untouchable. Wealth doesn’t.”
I gave it some thought. “But wealth gives you power.”
“And yet when there’s a pogrom, the rich Jew is butchered alongside the poor one.”

The biggest theme in The City Beautiful is antisemitism, by a landslide. As a Jew, I related to a lot of it, even though this theoretically took place over a hundred years ago. And what I didn’t relate to, I understood because of how familiar I am with our history. I believe that being Jewish doesn’t mean you can tell a story with antisemitism as its central theme, but Aden Polydoros pulled it off successfully. The antisemitism was gut-wrenching but heartbreakingly accurate at the same time. So many things that the characters say throughout the narrative ring true that they still keep me up at night. I’m so glad Polydoros took extra special care with this theme to portray it accurately.

— vii.

“You need to go through with this. The body cannot sustain two souls in equilibrium. It is like a candle with two wicks. No matter what you believe Yakov’s intentions are, his dybbuk will first suppress you and then it will consume you. Do you understand me? This possession will eventually kill you.”

I also enjoyed Aden Polydoros’ writing. I loved how he interweaved the themes of life and death with Jewish customs and mythology. He has a way with words that keeps you hooked onto the narrative until the end. He is a talented writer, and I’m looking forward to reading his upcoming releases.

— viii.

Raizel staggered from the floor, pressing a hand to the bump on her head. She spat on the ground at his feet. “May his name be erased!”
“No.” I rubbed my bruised throat, recalling the rustling of many wings and the low roar of the Atlantic. “May he suffer and remember.”

Overall, I loved The City Beautiful. The novel had great characters, even better dynamics, and critical themes. The plot was compelling, and although the pacing was a little off-putting in the beginning, once it picked up, everything was perfect. I really enjoyed this book, and I am looking forward to reading more stories from Aden Polydoros and more historical fantasies as well.

All that being said, The City Beautiful does deal with sensitive themes. Please heed the content warnings I listed at the beginning of this review.

Final Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

— ix.

“What’s that?” Gittel asked, tugging at my sleeve. She pressed her face against the window, staring enthralled at the sprawl of ivory buildings.
“Last year, there was a fair there,” I said. “People came from all over the country to visit it.”
“Is it still open? Can we go there?”
“No, I don’t think so. It’s over now.”
“It looks like a kingdom in a fairy tale,” Gittel murmured, mesmerized.
“It isn’t,” I said, wishing to hold her close and warn her: don’t be deceived, those walls aren’t polished marble, they’re particleboard, sawdust, and plaster, colored white with lead. The canals had been dredged from swampland; the picturesque waterfront hacked out of the lakeside by the shovelful. No one had ever lived in those buildings, and no one ever would. I realized it now. I understood it completely. The White City had never been a city. It was simply the hallucination of one.

I’d love to hear from you guys! Did you read The City Beautiful? If not, is it on your TBR? Do you like stories that entwine fantasy and historical fiction? If so, tell me your favorite historical fantasy novels! The City Beautiful gave me a newfound appreciation for this genre, and I’d love to read more. I also love to hear about whatever you’re reading these days.

If you missed my last wrap-up, you could find it here. I will post my 2021 Wrap-Up in a few days, so be sure to look out for it. I hope everyone had a fantastic 2021, and I’m wishing you all health and happiness going into the new year.