Ring of Solomon: Ring of Solomon, Book 1

I was immediately drawn to this book because of the cover. It gives Percy Jackson and the Olympian vibes and that is one of my favorite series ever!Upon reading the book, the PJO vibes stuck with me, but this book is wholly its own. The mythology and quests the characters go one are unique even if the follow the same blueprint as other adventure style books. I did feel that the writing was a bit juvenile, but I’m also an adult and this is marketed as middle grade with characters around the ages of 11-12, so take that with a grain of salt. I enjoyed all of the characters and side characters, especially Zach’s family! The inclusion of queer characters is something I love to see, and I was very excited for the representation here. I’m not very familiar with Jewish mythology, so all of this was basically new information for me, and I found it so fascinating and the author did a wonderful job making it easy to understand. I look forward to seeing more from this world!

Ring of Solomon follows the story of Zach who finds a ring that gives him magical powers. Unfortunately, it is also wanted by some bad people, and some even worse monsters. Zach is super likeable and has a vulnerable side, as he is Jewish and queer and has a bully in his life. The ring also brings about Ash, King of the Demons (in pre-teen form) who has to help Zach stop the world from ending. Zach and Ash’s friendship was a big highlight to this story for me. It was complicated at the start, but they really started to care about each other. There was also Zach’s little sister who is wildly entertaining, and I loved her!Overall, this book gave me massive Percy Jackson vibes and I was not complaining about that! From the start it’s fun and has a lighthearted yet adventurous tone. The pacing is well and there is a lot of action happening to keep the readers captivated. There are also quite a few laughs to be had. I would absolutely like to see this series continue and would highly recommend it to young readers looking for a thrill.

"The Ring of Solomon" by Aden Polydoros had a slow start but started picking up halfway through around the scene where the guy steals the Ring of Solomon and pushes Zach into the lion's pen at the zoo. I really loved it once it got intresting I wasn't able to put it down. I also love the cover it's really pretty and fits the story well.

I really enjoyed this one! I wasn’t sure because I’ve never read a book based in Jewish mythology but I was very excited to read it. I love learning new things as I read, and this being a queer mythology made it even more interesting.It was entertaining and there was plenty of action and humor. Zach is a 12-year-old who is interested in horror and monster movies. He’s gay, even though he has a hard time vocalizing it. He has a crush on a boy in his class and is regularly bullied. One day at a flea market he and his little sister find a ring that gives them the ability to speak to animals. He also accidentally summons the king of demons who he calls Ash.I will definitely read more from this author. I’m not used to reading middle grade and I’m more familiar with YA, but this had an interesting plot and characters and I’m ready to read more. If this series were to continue I’d also be happy. Thanks so much Inkyard Press for this one!

Ok. I rated this 4 stars with the fact that it’s a middle grade novel in mind. . Middle Grade is not what I often choose to read. I like the inclusion and the use of Jewish religion. Especially, for a middle grade novel. It was easy for me to predict, but I think kids would enjoy it. Zach and his friend, Sandra are easily likable. They're just trying to make it through middle school and now they have to fight demons. There's also some bullying that Zach is dealing with along with a crush, not to mention that he's gay. Middle school is rough and this book shows that Zach is just a normal kid trying to get through. It's also a book that nerds with resonate with. Comic books, video games and classic horror films. I think Aden Polydoros left room for there to be more books and make this a series, but it's a pretty good standalone too. I'd like to see more of his books.

Zach Darlington discovers a strange ring with Jewish markings at a flea market and decides to buy it for his mom’s birthday. Shortly thereafter, he discovers that the ring allows him to talk to animals and that the king of the demons is the ring’s guardian. What follows is a middle-grade adventure to stop the apocalypse, in a similar vein as Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books.There were quite a few things that I really enjoyed about this book. I thought that the characters were interesting and believable as far as a middle grade story goes. Obviously they were immature and not nearly as complex as adult characters but that makes them more relatable to kids. I also really liked the inclusion of Jewish mythology, something I’m not terribly familiar with.The only thing I wish had been done differently about this book was that I wish the plot had been more developed and that the talking to animals plot point didn’t seem like just a side note in the end. I think the book could have easily been 50-100 pages more (it came in at just under 250) and it would have fleshed out the story just a little more while not making it that much longer of a read.As a side note, the main character is gay, but it’s a relatively minor plot point that gets no more attention than a heterosexual crush would in a middle grade story. Zach talks about how beautiful he thinks Dominic is and how he really wants Dominic to like him and want to hang out with him. I think this is all very appropriate for this level of book and I love that the representation is almost a nonevent because it portrays it as normal and not something that should be a big deal.Overall, this was a highly enjoyable story and it is something I would definitely encourage my kids to read when they get older.