Sikander "Sik" Aziz, a Muslim boy, works all night at his parents' New York deli in the aftermath of his brother Mo's death. As he closes up late one night, Sik is attacked by two gangly and gross demons, and despite his wish to stay in "the real world," he gets a quick and not-at-all warm welcome from Nergal, the Mesopotamian god of disease and war. Nergal is certain that Mo stole something from him during a trip to Iraq, and has come to collect d he's willing to kill all of New York if he doesn't get what he's looking for. When it turns out that Sik's classmate Belet is the adopted daughter of love goddess Ishtar, Sik has to face facts: the real world just got a lot more interesting. Sik has the trademark snark and humor of all heroes from Riordan's imprint, which makes this venture into one of the world's oldest mythologies more fun d is especially appreciated given that this villain is a plague god making his literary debut during a pandemic.

Thirteen-year-old Iraqi American Sikander Aziz must stop the ancient Mesopotamian plague god Nergal from raining destruction and pestilence on New York City.After the death of his older brother, Mo, who died during a trip to Iraq, Sik has been working in his refugee parents' New York deli nonstop, trying to stymie his grief. But when Nergal and his minions trash the deli while seeking a stolen treasure, they start a plague that infects Sik's parents and threatens all of New York. Teaming up with the goddess Ishtar; her sword-wielding adoptive daughter, Belet; and Mo's frequently typecast aspiring actor best friend, Daoud, they must find a way to stop Nergal and cure New York's residents in an epic adventure worthy of Gilgamesh. Chadda brings attention to the less well-recognized mythology of ancient Mesopotamia with engaging humor and wit. Dialogue between characters, most of whom are Iraqi and Iraqi American, allows exploration of heavier topics of Islamophobia, anti-Arabism, and terrorist and Orientalist tropes to be inserted with ease. The Aziz family and Daoud are Muslims; Chadda navigates the difficult line of reconciling the depiction of characters interacting with multiple gods with the fundamental Muslim belief in one God both in the text and the backmatter. Daoud and Mo are alluded to being gay and having been in love.Well paced and witty. (author's note, glossary) (Fantasy. 10-14)