The City Beautiful
- Downloads：5409
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-08 07:51:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Aden Polydoros
- ISBN：1335402500
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
"An achingly rendered exploration of queer desire， grief， and the inexorable scars of the past。" —Katy Rose Pool， author of
There Will Come A Darkness
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。
"Chillingly sinister， warmly familiar， and breathtakingly transportive， The City Beautiful is the haunting， queer Jewish historical thriller of my darkest dreams。"—Dahlia Adler， creator of LGBTQreads 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。
"Chillingly sinister， warmly familiar， and breathtakingly transportive， The City Beautiful is the haunting， queer Jewish historical thriller of my darkest dreams。"—Dahlia Adler， creator of LGBTQreads and editor of That Way Madness Lies
Reviews
Heron
，
Historical fiction and I have a complicated relationship in general and regardless of age demographic。 On one hand， I enjoy the care and detail many authors put into creating authentic settings with period-relevant details， and being transported to various historical eras hits different compared to the speculative worlds that are my go-tos。 On the other hand， it feels nearly impossible to find historical fiction without homophobia as either a persistent worldbuilding feature or source of conflic Historical fiction and I have a complicated relationship in general and regardless of age demographic。 On one hand， I enjoy the care and detail many authors put into creating authentic settings with period-relevant details， and being transported to various historical eras hits different compared to the speculative worlds that are my go-tos。 On the other hand， it feels nearly impossible to find historical fiction without homophobia as either a persistent worldbuilding feature or source of conflict in the name of accuracy。Imagine my surprise and delight when I made it through close to 500 pages of Aden Polydoros’ The City Beautiful without homophobia taking front and centre stage。 This queer Jewish historical fantasy takes many dark， twisting turns on its journey through the underbelly of late 19th century Chicago—and make no mistake， difficult themes are a feature of this novel—and weaves the threads of mystery， fantasy， thriller， and historical fiction into a compelling narrative。Protagonist Alter Rosen finds himself embroiled in a sinister plot when his best friend， Yakov， ends up murdered。 Unlike the other victims in this terrible murder spree—all of them Jewish boys—Yakov’s dybbuk possesses Alter and begins to take over him completely。 This sets the high stakes of The City Beautiful from the jump， and additional complications continued to draw me in and kept me reading to find out what happened next。In addition to a solidly constructed and executed supernatural mystery， the Jewish representation and centering of Jewish history， experience， and culture added so many layers to this。 In my advance reader copy， a glossary was provided at the back of the book， so even though I felt most cultural elements were clear via the context of the story， the glossary provides extra detail and clarity， either for readers who may be unfamiliar or those who would like more explanation （or both）。 While there are several harrowing depictions of antisemitism and antisemitic behavior throughout the novel， there is also a significant focus on Jewish faith， joy， and community as well。As mentioned in the beginning， I love historical fiction which seamlessly transports the reader to another time period， and I felt The City Beautiful accomplished just that。 Drawing from the events of the 1893 World Fair to inspire the setting， I could clearly picture the atmosphere Polydoros’ set out to construct。 The romance also felt complex and nuanced， and it also had my favourite combination of tropes: friends to enemies to lovers， with a side of good boy/bad boy to boot。Aside from pacing issues involving certain sections dragging and a wish for a few more developed side characters， I really enjoyed The City Beautiful from beginning to end。 Aden Polydoros has written a rich， beautiful， dark， and compelling YA historical fiction， and I can’t wait for people to be able to experience Alter’s journey soon as well。Thank to you Inkyard Press and NetGalley for an advance reader copy。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Melanie
，
4。5 StarsContent Warnings at end of book。Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for an arc of this book。When Alter's roommate ends up dead during the World's Fair in 1893 Chicago， Alter knows that it wasn't the accident the police are claiming it was。 A string of deaths and disappearances of young Jewish boys are cropping up over the city。 To make matters worse， ever since his friend's death， Alter has been experiencing hallucinations and black outs that leave all-too-real marks on his body。 H 4。5 StarsContent Warnings at end of book。Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for an arc of this book。When Alter's roommate ends up dead during the World's Fair in 1893 Chicago， Alter knows that it wasn't the accident the police are claiming it was。 A string of deaths and disappearances of young Jewish boys are cropping up over the city。 To make matters worse， ever since his friend's death， Alter has been experiencing hallucinations and black outs that leave all-too-real marks on his body。 He is determined to find out what really happened and put his friend's spirit to rest。Wow， this book was mysterious and tense throughout！ It took me a little ways to get into it， but once I did I was completely addicted！ Alter is such a sympathetic character and I loved following his point of view as he discovered what was really going on in the City。 I also。。。。I am in love with Frankie。 I'm sorry， but he is perfect。 He is like。。。。 a slightly-less-traumatized Kaz Brekker but also gay。 Yup。 I'm in love。The prose in this book was beautiful and I truly loved it！Pub Date: Oct 5， 2021Content WarningsGraphic: Body horror， Child death， Child abuse， Death， Gun violence， Violence， Racial slurs， Racism， Antisemitism， Blood， Fire/Fire injury， Murder， and Hate crimeModerate: Sexual assault， Sexual violence， Genocide， Death of parent， Rape， and Pedophilia 。。。more
Renee
，
I won an uncorrected proof from my local bookstore。I really enjoyed this story， both the historical and fantasical aspects。 The main character is intriguing and his adventure was pretty intense。 The love story is secondary to the murder mystery yet still feels right。 Also glad there is a dictionary in the back so I could know the translation of all the Yiddish。
Meredith Katz
，
This novel is *incredibly* good。 Starring a queer， Jewish narrator who has immigrated from Romania and is now living in in 1893 Chicago， this is an intense historical/paranormal thriller that's incredibly hard to put down -- even when I figured out the culprit， I was frantically turning pages to see what would happen on the way to our protagonist Alter figuring it out。 Everything in this story comes out of its Jewishness in a way that I don't find in a lot of fiction （especially， as the author p This novel is *incredibly* good。 Starring a queer， Jewish narrator who has immigrated from Romania and is now living in in 1893 Chicago， this is an intense historical/paranormal thriller that's incredibly hard to put down -- even when I figured out the culprit， I was frantically turning pages to see what would happen on the way to our protagonist Alter figuring it out。 Everything in this story comes out of its Jewishness in a way that I don't find in a lot of fiction （especially， as the author pointed out， in fiction that's not explicitly about the Holocaust）。 It's an unflinching look at antisemitism， at diaspora， at the feelings of not belonging or of being othered in whatever land you're in。 But it has hope in here too， it has *community*， and it has care for each other， living and dead。 I'd recommend this to pretty much everyone I now。 Really a fantastic read。 Alter is a great protagonist， and Frankie and Raizel both had me completely charmed by them。 （Definitely also read the author notes at the end for a look into the research。） 。。。more
Kylie Lee Baker
，
A gorgeous， breathtaking journey。 I felt like I was in a trance taking in all the rich details， and the adventure kept me turning pages。 I’m 100% going to buy anything else Polydoros writes。
anna （½ of readsrainbow）
，
rep: Romanian Jewish gay mc， Lithuanian Jewish gay li， Ukrainian Jewish gay li， Jewish characterstw: antisemitism， mentions of past rape， mentions of past pedophilia， body horror （chapter 42）， blood， gore， violence， murder， drowning， vomiting， fire， immolationrtc
Laura
，
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes。 This in no way influences my review; all words， thoughts， and opinions are my own。Content notes: （view spoiler）[- Murder- Past parent death- Joke about masturbation- Reference to antisemitism- Death- Grief- Runaway teens- Negligent police- Mention of historic antisemitic genocides/massacres- Misogyny- Violence- Use of human remains （i。e。， human skulls as lamps）- Casual ableism- Internalized homomisia- Reference to r I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes。 This in no way influences my review; all words， thoughts， and opinions are my own。Content notes: （view spoiler）[- Murder- Past parent death- Joke about masturbation- Reference to antisemitism- Death- Grief- Runaway teens- Negligent police- Mention of historic antisemitic genocides/massacres- Misogyny- Violence- Use of human remains （i。e。， human skulls as lamps）- Casual ableism- Internalized homomisia- Reference to rape and child sexual abuse- Gore- Loss of employment- Antisemitic slur- Alcohol consumption- Gun violence- Hospital- Arson， fire- Nightmares- PTSD， trauma （hide spoiler）]This book is incredible。 The City Beautiful is a blend of historical fantasy and a murder mystery， told from a Jewish perspective， and queer。 It is so many things， so many elements， but it works together so harmoniously。Alter came to America with his father to escape the antisemitism of Romania， but en route his father caught typhus and died。 Because Alter wasn’t able to observe proper burial rituals， on Maxwell Street he volunteers at his Shul’s Chevra Kadisha， burial society who take care of the bodies of the deceased and prepare them for burial。 He’s found friends and a community， but at his core Alter’s goal is to save up enough that he can bring his mother and younger sisters to America with him。On the Fourth of July， Alter and his friend/roommate Yakov go to see the World’s Fair in Chicago，and after separating Yakov is murdered。 The police are ambivalent towards the death of a young Jewish man and have been ambivalent towards the disappearances of several other Jewish men， and because it is ruled an accident the Chevra Kadisha prepare his body。 During the ritual purification in the mikveh， Alter falls in because he thinks he sees Yakov move， and ends up getting possessed by his dybbuk。 Trying to figure out why he’s seeing visions， Alter reconnects with his friend Frankie who is a thief and has done more to assimilate into America。This book is so layered and I’m just thinking of all the elements that stand out to me。 The discussions of assimilation and how becoming more American equates to losing elements of Jewish identity。 How antisemitism and pogroms and Jewish people being expelled from lands is such a recurring part of our shared history。 The different ways Judaism is practiced and the ways Jewishness is visible。 Not even getting into the actual story， I loved how deeply Jewish this was and how much Alter’s Jewishness and the mysticism and beliefs of Judaism made up so much of the fantastical elements， and the way those elements felt less fantastical and more a part of the world， the belief system。 I’m trying to say， and probably doing a poor job of it， that this felt less like a fantasy （in a good way） because the fantastical elements were woven in so smoothly to the contemporary world and the experiences of the characters。I also loved the setting of the World’s Fair， and the way Polydoros shows both how it was a fantastic experience for many people， but it was also a fantasy created to show the splendor of America， how America was superior to all the other places represented。 There were several lines I marked that expressed the duality of the World’s Fair and how， despite it being a glittering white city， it also had many shadows and terrible things happened there。This book is just phenomenal and I look forward to more from Aden Polydoros。 The City Beautiful is sometimes hard to read and doesn’t shy away from showing the dark parts of Jewish history， thought that was never the focus。 At its center， this is a story of survival and perseverance and family， blood and of choice。 It weaves together these elements into a story that I couldn’t put down， and the ending was so satisfying on so many levels。 Wholeheartedly recommend！ 。。。more
The Nerd Daily
，
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Mimi KoehlerAll in all， The City Beautiful is an immersive and chilling mystery thriller—with an entrancing main character， complex depictions of queerness and community and transportive prose， Polydoros delivers an uncanny and sinister story that will keep readers guessing to the very end。Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Mimi KoehlerAll in all， The City Beautiful is an immersive and chilling mystery thriller—with an entrancing main character， complex depictions of queerness and community and transportive prose， Polydoros delivers an uncanny and sinister story that will keep readers guessing to the very end。Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily 。。。more
Hannah
，
Content warnings: child sexual abuse， violence， gore， antisemitism， racismThis book is gay af， mysterious， and atmospheric to the core。 I adored it。 It's not always an easy thing to read but it is an important story。 Jewish main characters and Jewish stories are sorely needed， even in 2021。My only criticisms are that 1） I feel like it could have been a bit shorter and 2） I probably would have enjoyed the audiobook version better because there are phrases in Yiddish， German， Russian， and Romanian Content warnings: child sexual abuse， violence， gore， antisemitism， racismThis book is gay af， mysterious， and atmospheric to the core。 I adored it。 It's not always an easy thing to read but it is an important story。 Jewish main characters and Jewish stories are sorely needed， even in 2021。My only criticisms are that 1） I feel like it could have been a bit shorter and 2） I probably would have enjoyed the audiobook version better because there are phrases in Yiddish， German， Russian， and Romanian that would translate better in my own head that way。 Thank you to NetGalley for a preview copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kayla Plutzer
，
I really really really loved this。 I loved reading about Jews in America in 1893， chicago。 I think the concept of the Dybuk is fascinating and terrifying at the same。 I really liked this。 Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC， all opinions are my own。
Brenda Smith
，
An amazingly good book！ A queer Jewish historical fantasy thriller， The City Beautiful is unique and engaging from beginning to end。 The story is chock full of Jewish folklore and exquisite historical detail and tells the story of teen Alter Rosen， a Jewish immigrant in Chicago during the time of the World's Fair。 Alter is grappling with his sexual identity and has a crush on his roommate， Yakov， but Yakov is murdered and his dybbuk inhabits Alter， refusing to leave until Alter finds the killer。 An amazingly good book！ A queer Jewish historical fantasy thriller， The City Beautiful is unique and engaging from beginning to end。 The story is chock full of Jewish folklore and exquisite historical detail and tells the story of teen Alter Rosen， a Jewish immigrant in Chicago during the time of the World's Fair。 Alter is grappling with his sexual identity and has a crush on his roommate， Yakov， but Yakov is murdered and his dybbuk inhabits Alter， refusing to leave until Alter finds the killer。 Alter teams up with his old flame， Frankie， another Jewish immigrant who has learned to survive on the city's seamy side。 Alter's neighbor， Raizel， brings her news reporter skills and her sense of justice to join the two boys in investigating the murders of several Jewish boys in recent weeks。The book kept me enthralled all the way through， every page a lesson on another culture in the past but also fraught with intrigue and danger。 The City Beautiful has it all: tender gay romance， supernatural possession， close friendships， and a crazy killer on the loose who might choose to kill them next。 The pages are imbued with poignance and gorgeous prose。Mr。 Polydoros is a young man of extreme talent and huge imagination。 I hope to see many more books from him in the years to come。 。。。more
C。
，
I really loved the way this title wound mystery， history， and spirituality alongside each other to create a detailed， at times almost modern feeling （despite the historical setting and fantasy elements）， story。 I also really enjoyed the protagonists voice and found him sympathetic and enjoyable to read。
Jendi
，
A stunning addition to the canon of magical-realist Jewish immigrant literature。 Juxtaposed with the gritty realities of anti-Semitism and worker exploitation in 1890s Chicago， the fantastical element of the dybbuk is fully believable as one more element of the parallel world that these characters live in--the traditions， values， and generational burdens that they keep hidden from an uncaring Gentile society。 I would describe this book as Isaac Bashevis Singer meets Oliver Twist but make it gay。 A stunning addition to the canon of magical-realist Jewish immigrant literature。 Juxtaposed with the gritty realities of anti-Semitism and worker exploitation in 1890s Chicago， the fantastical element of the dybbuk is fully believable as one more element of the parallel world that these characters live in--the traditions， values， and generational burdens that they keep hidden from an uncaring Gentile society。 I would describe this book as Isaac Bashevis Singer meets Oliver Twist but make it gay。 In other words， everything I love！ The pace never flags and the characters are complex and sympathetic。 The Yiddish expressions throughout the book took me back to my childhood on New York's Lower East Side。 It was an original choice to set this book in the Midwest rather than NYC。 I enjoyed learning about Jewish history in other parts of the country。A few of the characters' observations felt anachronistic to me。 I could stretch my imagination around Frankie having enough Biblical literacy to interpret Leviticus， but I don't think he would have used the term "consent" in 1893 to distinguish good from bad sex between men。 Alter's analysis of the Eurocentrism of the World's Fair layout also seemed out of place for the time period。I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Amanda
，
The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros tells the story of Alter Rosen in Chicago of 1893， a Jewish immigrant new to America and struggling to carve a path for his identity and faith in a place that seems intent on stifling it。 When his best friend becomes another in a series of murdered Jewish boys， Alter becomes possessed by his dybbuk。 Alter is thrown back into the darkness of his past， which includes a boy who on the surface seems tough， but deep down cares for him more than he’ll ever know。Wow The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros tells the story of Alter Rosen in Chicago of 1893， a Jewish immigrant new to America and struggling to carve a path for his identity and faith in a place that seems intent on stifling it。 When his best friend becomes another in a series of murdered Jewish boys， Alter becomes possessed by his dybbuk。 Alter is thrown back into the darkness of his past， which includes a boy who on the surface seems tough， but deep down cares for him more than he’ll ever know。Wow。 I don’t know what I expected when I started reading this book， but this wasn’t it。 It was EVERYTHING。 After the first few chapters， I was completely hooked， entirely sucked into Alter’s life， his struggles， his intense desire to maintain some piece of his homeland and identity。 All of the characters had such a beautiful depth to them。 The vicious hatred felt real， and it cut me to the very core。 I felt for all of them， and I wanted to change things。This is what a fantastic novel does。 Not only does it teach you something， but it makes you want to do something about it。 Each evening， I found myself researching more and more about the events in the novel。 Somehow Polydoros has managed to write a murder mystery that is equal parts historical fiction， suspense， Jewish mythology， and queer love story。 I adored it all。 。。。more
Teri
，
Set during the World’s Fair in 1893， this atmospheric， queer Jewish historical fantasy infuses real-life events with a dark murder mystery。 I’ve read several of this author’s books， and The City Beautiful was on my list of most anticipated releases this year。 It surpassed my expectations。After tragically losing his father during the journey to America， Alter falls in with the wrong crowd and is soon scraping by robbing others。 It’s not something he’s proud of， and after a particularly unsettling Set during the World’s Fair in 1893， this atmospheric， queer Jewish historical fantasy infuses real-life events with a dark murder mystery。 I’ve read several of this author’s books， and The City Beautiful was on my list of most anticipated releases this year。 It surpassed my expectations。After tragically losing his father during the journey to America， Alter falls in with the wrong crowd and is soon scraping by robbing others。 It’s not something he’s proud of， and after a particularly unsettling experience he leaves his criminal days behind and gets an honest job。 He works long， hard hours to save enough money to bring his mother and sisters over from Romania。 When his best friend， Yakov is the latest victim in a string of murdered Jewish boys， Alter finds himself in the middle of a mystery not many seem to care about。 The police aren’t much help and the newspapers all but dismiss the murders， but he refuses to let his Yakov’s death go ignored and unsolved。 With the help of his friends Frankie and Raizel， Alter is determined to discover who’s responsible。 Yakov’s dybbuk is equally determined and possesses Alter’s body。 Time is of the essence in discovering the identity of the murderer because former friend or not， two souls can’t inhabit one body for long and the possession takes a toll on Alter。Sadly lacking in knowledge of Judaism， learning more about Jewish customs and traditions was incredibly compelling and enlightening for me。 A glossary is included at the end of the book for help with some of the terminology。 The author skillfully weaves those customs and traditions along with historic details involving Jewish immigration during that time into the story。 He also touches on the racist themes of the World’s Fair and how The White City wasn’t the utopia the organizers portrayed。This novel is dark and disturbing at times， but it’s also a beautiful story of love， friendship， community， and justice。 As a trigger warning， it doesn’t shy away from the ugliness of anti-Semitism and social inequities so be prepared。 I can’t wait to see what this author does next – he’s been on my auto-buy list for years。I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
Grace W
，
Full review to come but I needed this book in a way I wasn’t even aware of
Sapphic Shelves
，
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。What an absolute delight of a book。 Set with the backdrop of the Chicago World Fair Polydoros gives us queer horror in such a fantastic way。 Besides the horror of having his body taken over by his friends dybbuk - Alter is also having to face the trauma of his own past to discover how to save his future。 The main cast of characters are so g 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。What an absolute delight of a book。 Set with the backdrop of the Chicago World Fair Polydoros gives us queer horror in such a fantastic way。 Besides the horror of having his body taken over by his friends dybbuk - Alter is also having to face the trauma of his own past to discover how to save his future。 The main cast of characters are so great and have such a great dynamic with one another。 I can't wait to see what else Polydoros does！ 。。。more
Cheryl
，
3。5 stars
Michelle
，
What a great book！ “The City Beautiful” is a queer historical fantasy and I could not set it down。 It is 1893 in Chicago， Illinois。 Alter， the main character， is young Jewish immigrant from Romania。 Alter finds out his best friend is the most recent victim in a long line of murdered Jewish boys。 Alter is terribly upset not just because he lost his best friend but also because he was his secret crush。 Alter is now slowly being possessed by his friend’s dybbuk。 This causes him to be around some un What a great book！ “The City Beautiful” is a queer historical fantasy and I could not set it down。 It is 1893 in Chicago， Illinois。 Alter， the main character， is young Jewish immigrant from Romania。 Alter finds out his best friend is the most recent victim in a long line of murdered Jewish boys。 Alter is terribly upset not just because he lost his best friend but also because he was his secret crush。 Alter is now slowly being possessed by his friend’s dybbuk。 This causes him to be around some unsavory characters and also back in the path of a boy from his past。 A boy that could ruin his future。 Alter is trying to find his friend’s killer before the killer finds him。 AND he needs to do this before the possession is complete。 No spoilers from me-get this book to find out what happens， you will not be disappointed！ Not only is this story epic but the author’s writing style is also。 He so tenderly allows Alter to hint at his queerness。 I hope we see more books by this author and that they also are queer thrillers。 I received this book in a gracious giveaway on Goodreads by Inkyard Press。 I loved every page of it！ 。。。more
Elana
，
I know that technically speaking this isn’t a 5 star， or perfect， book。 I’d say it’s between 4-4。5， for reasons I will get into at a later time。But， wow， it is fucking EUPHORIC to have representation like this。 I can’t even begin to describe。 I’ve never read a book before where I could connect to the culture automatically， where I feel so understood and respected and seen。 Where I felt like my culture was just—the default。 I don’t know how to articulate how this makes me feel。 When I saw the bli I know that technically speaking this isn’t a 5 star， or perfect， book。 I’d say it’s between 4-4。5， for reasons I will get into at a later time。But， wow， it is fucking EUPHORIC to have representation like this。 I can’t even begin to describe。 I’ve never read a book before where I could connect to the culture automatically， where I feel so understood and respected and seen。 Where I felt like my culture was just—the default。 I don’t know how to articulate how this makes me feel。 When I saw the blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference to "In the City of Slaughter，" I burst into tears。 I've never felt so seen by a book before。Admittedly， it took me a while to get into the book。 I tend to despise first person， but it was here for a reason。 This would be a wholly different story， and one less powerful， had it been third person， my preferred。 The little clever details and references， the callbacks to sunflowers， the way that the mystery slowly unravels itself and little details are revealed。 Yes， it isn't too hard of a mystery to solve， but a good thriller knows that the mystery/identity of the killer isn't what makes the genre。 This isn't a book that's about veiling who the killer is and what their motives are。 It's pretty clear。 I cannot recommend this book enough。Thank you to netgalley for the ARC。Trigger warnings: graphic strangulation， pedophilia， sexual assault， rape and murder of a teenager， CSA， trauma， antisemitism， drowning， people being murdered by being burned alive， internalized homophobiaAlso， fellow Jews， BE CAREFUL。 Around 80% into the book there is some EXTREME ANTISEMITISM。 I was forewarned but still wasn’t prepared。 It was much more intense than I thought it would be。 If you need me to warn you which pages this starts on or paragraphs to avoid， please let me know。 Stay safe ❤️ 。。。more
Annie Long
，
I just finished an ARC of "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros and I have a few critiques。 It's a good story in an interesting setting: Chicago during the World's Fair of 1891。 It has good characters， they are interesting， various， plausible， and well-developed。 The plot is just ok it could have been better visualized and conveyed。 I had some confusion about what was happening。 Overall the book would have benefitted from a stronger edit。 It's about 100 pages too long。 Probably due to the indul I just finished an ARC of "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros and I have a few critiques。 It's a good story in an interesting setting: Chicago during the World's Fair of 1891。 It has good characters， they are interesting， various， plausible， and well-developed。 The plot is just ok it could have been better visualized and conveyed。 I had some confusion about what was happening。 Overall the book would have benefitted from a stronger edit。 It's about 100 pages too long。 Probably due to the indulgent alternate reality/dream sequences the length of which diminished their impact。 I would have liked more of the tender and well-written romantic interactions that were strong on feelings and memories。 Or perhaps the attractions could have been explored further。 There's a lot of repetition in the writing of some words and phrases that were not needed and detracted from the story flow。 Because I have an interest in typesetting and printing， I liked the printshop scenes。 。。。more
Stuart Jennings
，
This is a seriously haunting read。。。VERY WELL DONE！And the author， Aden Polydoros is VERY talented！If you want to read a riveting story。。。here you go！Recommended！
Kimberly
，
I liked learning more about Jewish customs and traditions， and the treatment of many Jewish immigrants in the late 1800’s。 The plot of this story was fabulous。 It was fresh， and dark， and really well done。 Unfortunately， there was also a lot of unnecessary things， not vital to the development of the story， that really slowed down the pace。 I found myself skimming， a lot。 I just wanted to get beyond a lot of parts and get to the meat of the story。 Every time I really started to get into the plot， I liked learning more about Jewish customs and traditions， and the treatment of many Jewish immigrants in the late 1800’s。 The plot of this story was fabulous。 It was fresh， and dark， and really well done。 Unfortunately， there was also a lot of unnecessary things， not vital to the development of the story， that really slowed down the pace。 I found myself skimming， a lot。 I just wanted to get beyond a lot of parts and get to the meat of the story。 Every time I really started to get into the plot， I was pulled back out with more unnecessary threads。 I liked the fantasy/ Jewish folklore aspect of the dybbuk。 I liked the characters and the character development。 The author did a great job at painting the time and setting for you。 It was a great concept for a story and very interesting。Thank you to Net Galley and Inkyard Press for a digital copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review。#NetGalley #TheCityBeautiful 。。。more
Jennifer
，
TW: anti-semitism， violent/graphic deaths， sexual assault， -THE CITY BEAUTIFUL is a queer historical murder mystery that takes place in Chicago， 1893。 We’re following Alter Rosen， who is trying to save up enough money to bring his family to America from their home in Romania。 When Alters best friend and crush Yakov is murdered， Alter can no longer avoid facing the truth: someone is targeting Jewish boys。 Alter is possessed by Yakov’s dybbuk， and together they must hunt down the killer before he TW: anti-semitism， violent/graphic deaths， sexual assault， -THE CITY BEAUTIFUL is a queer historical murder mystery that takes place in Chicago， 1893。 We’re following Alter Rosen， who is trying to save up enough money to bring his family to America from their home in Romania。 When Alters best friend and crush Yakov is murdered， Alter can no longer avoid facing the truth: someone is targeting Jewish boys。 Alter is possessed by Yakov’s dybbuk， and together they must hunt down the killer before he can kill again。 -This one was slow starting for me， I really only got hooked around 30% into it， then I couldn’t wait to get my answers！ I really enjoyed the murder mystery plot; it was dark and more gruesome than I expected。 I thought I would struggle more with the historical setting since I rarely ever read historical， but it was easy to fall into， I thought it made a great setting。 The friendships and romance were also wonderful。 There is a lot of intense anti-semitism in this book towards our Jewish main characters， so please keep that in mind if you decide to pick this one up！ -4/5 stars， THE CITY BEAUTIFUL by Aden Polydoros is available September 7， 2021！-Thank you to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for sending me an eARC to review。 。。。more
Aυѕтιη
，
absolutely amazing， I cannot wait for this to come out so I can make everyone I know read itrtk
Cindy
，
Imagine Chicago， 1893 with the World's Fair bringing people flooding into the city。 This is where we find Alter， a young Jewish man who is working hard to bring his mother and sisters over from Romania。 When one of Alter's roommates， Yakov， is found dead at the fair， Alter finds himself searching for the killer。 As he starts to look into Yakov's murder， Alter learns of other young Jewish men who have been murdered。 Alter soon finds himself having strange dreams and learns that he has been posses Imagine Chicago， 1893 with the World's Fair bringing people flooding into the city。 This is where we find Alter， a young Jewish man who is working hard to bring his mother and sisters over from Romania。 When one of Alter's roommates， Yakov， is found dead at the fair， Alter finds himself searching for the killer。 As he starts to look into Yakov's murder， Alter learns of other young Jewish men who have been murdered。 Alter soon finds himself having strange dreams and learns that he has been possessed by Yakov's dybbuk。 Alter feels that he is running out of time and he finds himself being pulled into the darker side of life in Chicago。 Alter finds help in rather unexpected places， but will he survive long enough to bring the killer to justice？ Such a wonderful blend of historical fiction and fantasy！ 。。。more
Siofra
，
Thank you to Inkyard Press and NETGALLEY for allowing me to review this title early in exchange for my honest review！Review to come！
Rogier
，
The City Beautiful takes place at the backdrop of The 1893 Chicago。 The White City。 Alter Rosen， a Romanian Jewish guy has lived in the US close to 3 years now working at a low paying job to have his mother and little sisters brought over to escaping oppression in Europe。 This is an amazing book about Jewish immigrant life in the US with a gothic horror core。 A friend found dead possesses him to act revenge。 Yakov 's Dybbuk is angry， antagonistic and yet you feel sympathy for this lost soul。 You The City Beautiful takes place at the backdrop of The 1893 Chicago。 The White City。 Alter Rosen， a Romanian Jewish guy has lived in the US close to 3 years now working at a low paying job to have his mother and little sisters brought over to escaping oppression in Europe。 This is an amazing book about Jewish immigrant life in the US with a gothic horror core。 A friend found dead possesses him to act revenge。 Yakov 's Dybbuk is angry， antagonistic and yet you feel sympathy for this lost soul。 You get to experience horror filled imagery which is full of Jewish lore and mythology。 But the real life horrors are more terrifying: the exploiting of workers， the reasoning of killer， how discrimination is systemic and chilling how individuals see others as filth。 A warning ， the anti-Semitism is intense 80% into the book， it is mentioned in the dialog of two chapters。 I loved how Jewish this book， the customs， the food ， faith and everyday life。 The City Beautiful is a part thriller and murder mystery with but seeing Jewish life is really special。 WW2 novels are important but I'm glad that publishing pushed out more non WW Jewish fiction。 The action scenes and character building moments were well paced。 The plot has a medium paced and it will be a disservice to you and the story heading in for the action。 The action is intense but the characters matter more。 Every page was needed to tell this story。 I adored Alter， Frankie and Raizel so much。 I'd would love to be in their company。 Each had a great arch but Alter has to be my favorite， embracing himself fully as a person and being queer ， dealing with survivors guilt and not losing his kindness after the much needed self defense。 Alter and Frankie are have faults， have messy feelings， are angry， have violent moments and are not desexualized gay guys。 I'm so happy that they don't fit in the squeaky clean mold that popular YA media portrays。 They showed love， passion and lust as much possible in a YA novel。 Frankie is the 'bad boy' from Alter's past。 Frankie has a lot of trauma and it's respectfully written and mentioned。 If I would label attach a trope to their romance it would be rekindled friends to lovers。Aden Polydoros is 100% an autobuy author of mine after finishing The City Beautiful。 Gah， I hope people read it。 They are totally different but i had the same joy after finishing it I had with cemetery boys。 I can't wait for the Bone Weaver next year， the MG the year after that and many others in years to come， I speak it into existence。 READ THE CITY BEAUTIFUL for well researched historical life in Jewish ghettos， a well plotted story， a sweet romance that gradually builds ， great rounded characters and a male lead that you want to hug immediately。 💖💖 。。。more
Minx Laura
，
This book is sensational :）
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The City Beautiful
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The City Beautiful&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The City Beautiful&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0