Ash Mistry and the City of Death

Ash Mistry Chronicles #2

by Sarwat Chadda

Ash Mistry is leading a pretty complicated life. There’s school, his unrequited crush on girl-next-door Gemma… and then there’s the fact that he’s the reincarnation of the great Indian hero Rama, not to mention the small detail that he died last year, and came back as an agent of the goddess of death.

So when the demon servants of the evil Lord Savage come after Gemma in order to get to Ash, you’d think he’d be ready to take them on.

But Lord Savage still has some tricks up his sleeve. And with Gemma out of the picture, the English villain is closer than ever to finding a magical aastra of his own, and the power to rule the world. It’s time for Ash to go up against his enemy once again. Luckily, as the human embodiment of the kali-aastra, Ash can find the weak points in any living thing and kill it. But the key word there is ‘living’. And little does Ash know that Lord Savage has mastered another branch of magic – one which allows him to create whole armies out of un-living stone…

Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Middle Grade, Adventure, Young Adult, Fiction, Action

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Sarwat Chadda has lived and traveled throughout the world, from China to Guatemala. He’s been lost in Mongolia, abandoned at a volcano in Nicaragua and hidden up a tree from a rhino in Nepal. Not to mention being detained by Homeland Security in the US and chased around Tibet by the Chinese police. Maybe he just has that sort of face.

Anyway, now he’s trying to settle in one place and stay out of trouble. Hence his new career as a writer. It’s safe, indoors and avoids any form of physical danger.

Throughout his travels, Sarwat has soaked up the myths, legends and cultures of far away places. Now, with the Ash Mistry series, he aims to bring these unfamiliar tales of ten-headed demons and blue-skinned heroes back home and put them beside the exploits of Achilles and Thor. His heroes are Prince Rama and the demon-slaying Kali. Isn't it about time you met them too?

Reviews

[Saimi Vasquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ash esta de regreso en Inglaterra volviendo a ser un joven promedio en su casa y en su escuela. Pero ser al Kali-astra no es facil de dominar, debe hacer ejercicio, quemar su ansiedad y controlar sus estados de animo lo mas posible, incluso durante sus pesadillas que incluyen ahora pedazos de vidas pasadas. Pensaba que ya todo habia quedad en el pasado, cuando Parvati regresa y le pide que lo ayude a conseguir un Astra que Savage esta buscando. El problema es que su busqueda lo lleva por una ruta que no queria volver a seguir, pero que esta seguro que es lo unico que puede hacer. Ahora debera aceptar que el pasado debe quedar donde esta y que debe aceptar que los muertos no pueden volver a la vida.

En esta aventura vemos como se desarrolla mucho mas el personaje de Ash, hasta que te olvidas que solo tiene 14 anos (aunque de vez en cuando te lo recuerden). Los personajes han crecido bastante, pero tambien han cambiado, a veces tanto que no los reconoces de nada, y eso fue lo que me gusto de este libro, que es casi como si fuera una historia nueva, con solo pocas referencias al libro anterior. Sin embargo, se me hizo muy largo de leer, porque tenia tantos cliches, tantas referencias a libros de otros autores que me fastidio un poco.
En fin, el libro sigue siendo entretenido, mucho mas oscuro que el anterior y con un par de momentos emocionantes, pero realmente uno no logra conectarse con el prota o con ninguno de los otros personajes, y ese final, no se que pensar de el, pero por pura curiosidad voy a terminarme la saga para saber como va a terminar con Savage y si vuelve a su vida como la conocia o no.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is even darker than the first book. Ash's problems grow exponentially. He suffers a terrible personal loss that drives him over the edge and forces him to return to the place of origin of his dark powers: India. This time, he is following the trail of Alexander Savage, his nemesis with strange companions, the street thief John and Parvati, a half-demon girl with a very ancient heritage. Ash has to face that the person he was before will never fit again. Too much has happened, and integrating all his past selves into that mundane existence doesn't work.

I know little to nothing about Indian mythology and folklore, but this book fills in a lot of those gaps. Ash has powers endowed by the black goddess, Kali, and that means that he draws from death energies. A horrible thing when it becomes apparent that those closest to him give him even more energy. Ash is learning the cost of his abilities and what powers they give him. He gains the accumulated knowledge of his past lives, but must suffer through the violent memories of those past selves and for them not to take control of him. The people, history, and places of India are vividly illustrated in this book.

Chadda writes excellent action, and there are no opportunities to be bored. Ash is an ideal hero, likable and snarky, and while he's powerful, he has not allowed those powers to give him a sense of overpowering arrogance, knowing how flawed those abilities truly are.

This book isn't for those who balk at seeing young people in danger. Oh, there is plenty of danger for the youngsters in this book. Some blood and guts, but not over the top. Ash and his companions end up in some nasty scrapes, and the bad guys aren't afraid of harming a young boy, or anyone else who gets in the way.

The characterizations are complex and layered. There are no blacks and whites, but instead each person has a little of both inside of them. Ash has to decided what path he will take and what he is willing to sacrifice to defeat Alexander Savage and to gain his greatest hope in this book.

The narrator does an excellent job with the various accents, Indian and British, not stereotyping either. I have enjoyed both books on audiobook and I hope to continue listening to the series in the future.

This series is a distinctive one, touching on a culture that is not often explored in young adult books. While the ending isn't strictly a cliff-hanger, it ends in a way that will make readers eager and ready for the next book, myself included. I'm looking forward to more adventures with Ash Mistry.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initial reaction: What an enthralling action/adventure story with immersive cultural references and interesting take on grief and death. Not to mention that mind-trippy cliffhanger of an ending. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it.

I think I have a new author to watch.

Full review:

How far would you go to save someone you love from the hands of death, especially if there were something holding the promise of bringing them back within your reach?

It's definitely been a while since I've come across a single installment in a series that I really enjoyed, let alone a middle grade novel that takes place chiefly within India and does such a great job blending the lore with the setting and dynamic action/adventure/fantasy qualities. It's not only well structured, but well written and fluid with the prose. I pictured the details and encounters of the story with full clarity as I read this, and I know I'll be following this series in its future installments.

Sarwat Chadda's "The City of Death" is the second book in the Ash Mistry series, and my first experience with the author. I went into this blind, not really knowing what to expect. I'll wholeheartedly admit I fell in love with the cover (in both editions, but the one I have here is the Scholastic version). The colors really make it stand out, as well as the tension between the characters facing off.

The story may not seem like it takes an action/adventure trek from where it starts, because Ash is your typical boy trying to deal with being the odd one out, a nerd/geek outcast who crushes on the popular girl he's known since youth. He likes Gemma, tries to ask her out and despite all of the supernatural kick-awesome things he presumably did in the previous book, he gets weak in the knees.

But Ash has a dark streak living inside him - the power to kill with being able to see the sparkling death points on a target (which admittedly is super cool). After just returning from a trek in India, Ash's half-demon, half-human friend Parvati returns to London to ask him to help her again with another mission, which means it's bound to interfere with his attempts to live "normal" despite being an Eternal Warrior to the death goddess Kali. Ash is fully cognizant of his "with great power comes great responsibility" limitations, but he's a bit blinded by his own desperation to be a "hero" and that sets him up for trouble.

His normal world comes crashing down as conflicts from his supernatural save-the-world existence challenge his real relationships, resulting in a tragedy that has Ash spinning from the loss and desperate to remedy, not just with respect to the toll it takes in his relationships, but for the relationship he actually loses in the crossfire.

I'll admit the events didn't hit me as hard as it could've for a few reasons - the first being that I didn't read the first book in this series (in which case, I'd definitely recommend that versus jumping into this book straightaway). Thus, I didn't nearly have as much intimacy with knowing the characters and situations despite sufficient details that caught me up with the events of the first book.

The second being that the description of this novel kind of spoils a turning point in the novel that's pertinent to the plot, and I wish it hadn't because it would've made that scene work so much better. Still, I get that it's really only a catalyst for events that send Ash back to India with Parvati, and makes forthcoming conflicts that much more complicated for the hero as he faces them.

Ash's trek through India is very evocative of place and personal interaction, which I loved within the alternating turns of lore blended with humor, action with vivid life/death stakes, and attention to Ash's emotional ties and goals. Ash's manipulated several times because of his grief, but at least that grief is palpable. I understood why Ash felt the way he did and his desperation as a youth, though there were times I wanted to throw the book at him for his naivete (at least he *learns* from this as the story moves forward).

I gush a little thinking about some of the action sequences and visions that Ash has with his abilities and encounters in this book. He may be powerful, but he ends up with his back against the wall many times in very real death stakes. Some of the depictions were deliciously dark and I LOVED how they came across - fast, fluid and in the heat of the moment. Chadda has a flare for description and it shows through the turns of this work.

There's also an interesting note about how having too much power does not necessarily make one heroic. Chadda gives an interesting introspection to Ash's character that I appreciated - even considering the hero's flaws. Ash is self aware, humored in turns, other times naive, but learns that even with the things he's able to do and act upon, they can end up having dire consequences for the people around him. It's a nice punctuation and refreshing measure in a sea of narratives where there may be young protagonists who aren't as aware as Ash comes across in turns of the story.

Ultimately, it comes to some interesting conclusions as the ultimate action winds down - with a nice note of acceptance of loss and grief to boot. But then comes the ending that throws a rather blunt curveball for the protagonist (a good curveball, if slightly rushed for events).

This was a strong effort from Chadda and a new favorite read for me. I would strongly recommend it for middle grade readers who want a immersive tale of action/adventure with a strong cultural/mythological focus, notation of grief, and reminder on how the possesion power and the will of being a hero don't always go hand in hand. In fact, it can take one into some dark places that make us question what it means to be human.

Fun, enthralling story on the whole.

Overall score: 4/5 stars

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Scholastic.

[em]

That timeline twist was unpredictable and made up for the whole book

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW - this sequel even better than the first book (which was awesome). This one seems more tightly plotted and expertly paced. Very violent for an MG book, so I recommend for ages 10+.

[Atharva Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ash Mistry Chronicles Book 2
*Ash Mistry and the City of Death* by Sarwat Chaddha

Amazing! Ash Mistry is back in this amazing sequel to to the Indian Mythology series that will surely entertain any young reader. This book has made many developments compared to its predecessor. Ash Mistry is totally changed in this book, no longer he is a fatso, young geek boy who is scared of demons but on the contrary he is quite athletic, cool and ready to face challenges and demons head on now that he has defeated the Demon King Ravana. The book begins after three months after the aftermath from Jailsalmer and Ash is back in the US at his home. But life seems very different and better for him now. We see a lot less of Lucky here. There's a new additional character, Ash's crush, Gemma who plays a key role in the book. When Ash is trying to settle at his home and family, Parvati returns seeking Ash's help to find Lord Savage, the murderer of Ash's Unlce. But to Ash's disappointment Jackie, the demon arrives and kills Gemma due to a misunderstanding (which I won't explain here!). Due to this particular event, Ash's goal in the book is defined. To resurrect Gemma and to ill Savage. He accompanies Parvati on her quest to safe guard the Kohinoor, Bramha's Astra capable of bringing the dead back to life. A lot of things happen in the book, including Ash and Parvati's constant argument over the Kohinoor, introduction of friendly demons, introduction of loha-mukhas, like metal and rock demons, Ash being betrayed by John and thrown in a huge river current. The most important and influencing keypoint in the story is Ash being under the tutelage of Ujba and obtaining the total power of Kali due to which he gains supremacy over his senses. Finally, Ash strikes a temporary alliance with Savage and enters the City of Death in Lanka which is totally enchanted due to Ravanas's magic. The city is described very well with traps and bloody horrifying demons and ghosts that taint every corner. Also, Vibheeshana enters the plot, the mage, the wizard and the brother of the legendary Ravana who has the control of the eight legendary elemental abilities. The book ends when suddenly the timeline changes and Uncle Vick and Gemma being alive and almost everything and everyone's attitude changes and Ash feels like being transported to a different world, this is without a doubt the effect of Kohinoor.
The book is written exceptionally well, with some trace of humour, but mostly the plot is surrounded by a dark and grim atmosphere that always captivates the attention of the reader and the book transforms itself into a definitive page turner. The chapters are comparatively short. I personally think that the Gemma phenomenon is overdone. The Kohinoor diamond and Parvati are one of the most important aspects. At the end, Savage's fate is not revealed but I'm hoping he lived, he's a unique villain. Much of the story takes place in temples, the City of Death, Sri Lanka, the cemetery of Kolkata and the US foreign states. Ash's personality has changed and he does not shun death but welcomes it, it is a ghastly transformation for a fifteen year old boy. The beginning serves an an introduction and the events after the aftermath. An interesting fact that I would like to share is that the beginning of the book is much better for Ash and the end of the book is again, much more better, but he has to go through a lot worse than anything in all those pages in the middle. I get that you don' actually understand what i just said, but your job is not to comprehend my reviews, it to read them and get motivated and actually pick up the respective book and finish it soon. I really like the new characters, the plotlines, the beautifully described and vivid locations, the playful use of words and the progression speed of the story. I also forgot to mention that Ash can now travel back in the time and foresee the future. Wonderful addition to the Ash Mistry chronicles that will surely amaze you. Nice Reading!

[Liviania · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was super excited when I heard about Sarwat Chadda's debut novel; unfortunately, I found it disappointing. However, I heard so many good things about his Ash Mistry series that I had to give it a try. The first book got me hooked, with a fun take on Indian mythology and a central sibling relationship.

(I'm going to try to be vague about the events of the first book in this review.)

The second book, THE CITY OF DEATH, starts out with Ash having returned home to England and going back to school. His adventures have left him fitter (due to a great excess of energy) and more confident, but that's not enough to solve his bullying problem. In fact, it's worse in some ways, because if Ash fought back he could kill another kid - and he doesn't want that on his conscience. Ash thinks he has his new abilities under control, but he really doesn't.

Soon enough he's caught up in another adventure, and once more headed to England. There's been another tragedy in his life, which leaves Ash feeling guilty and determined to right things. But some things cannot be changed, as Ash must learn. The Ash Mistry books are middle grade, but I think they're aimed more at the ten and up crowd. They deal quite a bit with the realities of death, including grief, culpability, and empathy. Ash's adventures are changing him, and if he's not careful, they could turn him into a monster like Lord Savage.

I loved Parvati's role in THE CITY OF DEATH. She's a half-rakshasa (demon), half-human warrior that helped protect Ash during the first book, THE SAVAGE FORTRESS. She and Ash are becoming closer, but he keeps putting his foot in his mouth when it comes to her heritage. And I loved the way THE CITY OF DEATH made the rakshasa more complicated. They aren't human and they don't feel emotions like humans, but it's still not meaningless when they die. They are living, thinking beings capable of forming connections. They don't always agree with each other and can take opposite sides in a fight. At the same time, they are very dangerous to humans. Ash has to make difficult decisions when he fights the rakshasa, even if it doesn't seem that way at first.

I really enjoyed THE CITY OF DEATH. There's lots of adventure and action, the kind filled with magic and crazy puzzles and sudden betrayals and secret plans. Underneath the fun is an exploration of morality and mortality. I think the Ash Mistry series will especially appeal to readers looking for something similar to Percy Jackson, with a modern take on mythology. THE SAVAGE FORTRESS and THE CITY OF DEATH have much of the same appeal, but their different source material keeps them from feeling like any sort of imitation.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike most of these reviews, I did not think this book was better than the first. In fact, I found so many things about this book annoying that I really wavered between 3 and 4 stars. I eventually settled on 3.5 because there also so many good things about this book (and series).

One of my major pet peeves and something that I consider very lazy is a forced misunderstanding between characters. Think about it. Pavarti has literally known Ash for 4000 years, but instead of just telling him the truth and letting him make an informed decision, she lies to him and withholds pretty critical details. Therefore Ash is susceptible to Savage and thus drives the plot. There isn't any good explanation for this behavior, and it seems rather out of character for Pavarti. And then there were five or six chapters where Savage pointed out how similar Ash was to him or dark he was growing, and each chapter ended with Ash wondering if Savage was right. That got repetitive and annoying.

Additionally, Ash gains access to all his past lives and becomes even more bad ass just by drinking the soma. Well, that was easy. And now we've entered the poorly explained sci-fi world of alternate timelines. Not to mention that I despise the choice of a cliffhanger over a proper ending. It's just, well, annoying.

For all my griping, there were things that were handled well. I think Chadda is exceptionally adept at drawing characters that straddle the line between good and bad. They make mistakes. They are interesting. I also likes how Ash's ability to see briefly into the future was described and how it was used. I think that Gemma's death was a believable catalyst for what we see happening inside of Ash. The moment he wonders if his presence as the Kali-aastra hastened her death was beautiful and heart-breaking.

In all, I'm really pleased to see a series that explores Indian culture. I'd like to see Pavarti more in the third installment.

[Alan Stater · Rating 3 out of 5]

The City of Death is about a boy named Ash that lives a normal teenage life when he is given a second life and is reincarnated. The book is about Indian mythology. Ash must defeat the evil that took away his life. While taking care of these problems, Ash must also balance school problems. I didn't really like this book at times since there wasn't much action is the plot. When there was action or fights going on it was very entertaining. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes fiction books with superheroes. Also, I believe people who enjoy Indian Mythology would really enjoy this book.

[Rachel Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well crap, with that ending, I'd better start reading the last book right meow.

[Liz Friend · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story: Ash Mistry is back, but he's not the boy he used to be. The Kali aastra has changed him forever, turning him into a bringer of death. It happens first with the girl Ash has been crushing on since grade school; his anger and guilt send him racing back to India in search of the the stolen Koh-I-Noor diamond, and a way to bring Gemma back from the dead. But if he turns away from his friends and works with Savage, the master of the diamond, will he become just as evil?

June Cleaver's ratings: language PG; violence R; sexual content PG; nudity PG; substance abuse PG-13; magic & the occult R; GLBT content G; adult themes (going over to the Dark Side) PG-13; overall rating R.

Liz's comments: While I really liked "The Savage Fortress", the first book in the Ash Mistry series, in book 2 then author has taken a significant step over to the Dark Side (hence the move from a PG-13 rating to R.) While the first book was quite violent in its own right, Ash as a hero tended to have bad things done TO him, rather than being the doer of them. In this installment, Ash becomes more a creature of Kali, the death goddess, rather creepily sucking up the energies created by the deaths around him. In all, I was disappointed with the sequel's very dark tone and extreme violence, and will probably stop following the series (although there was an unexpected twist at the end that does leave you wondering...).

Annotation with spoilers: Ash Mistry, at home in England, hears the strange news that the Koh-I-Noor diamond, part of the Crown Jewels and secretly an aastra, has been stolen, and he suspects right away that there's some connection to the evil Lord Alexander Savage, who got away at the end of the previous book. He's been having difficulty fitting back into life in England; kids at school still treat him like the nerd he's always been, and he still can't seem to crank up the nerve to ask Gemma, his crush, for a date--and all this, along with the growing ability to sense how to kill everything around him, and to see killing as a natural way to solve many of life's vexing problems.

When he finally does crank up the nerve to ask Gemma out, he comes home to find Parvati waiting for him, with a plan for retrieving the diamond. He figures he can help her shake down a rat rakshasa a named Monty and still make it back in time to meet Gemma at the Guy Fawkes Day bonfire. While at Monty's, Savage's crew of rakshasas show up, firmly tying the jewel's theft back to him. Ash and Parvati (along with a tiger rakshasa named Khan, who's Parvati's new traveling companion) get the jewel; Ash, rushing home for his date, is frustrated that a traffic jam has slowed things to a standstill--so he gets off a block later and walks. Of course, this makes him an hour late meeting Gemma at the park where the bonfire is being lit. She is there waiting for him, although understandably a bit ticked off. Ash offers her his coat just as her former boyfriend Jack shows up and there's a bit of a scuffle. Gemma, irritated, walks off with Ash's coat...just as there' s an unearthly yowl and Ash realizes that somehow, the evil dog rakshasa Jackie has tracked him here. Worse, he realizes that Gemma is still wearing his coat.

By the time he catches up with her, it's too late. Even worse, Parvati is there, and Jackie offers to trade Gemma's life for the diamond, but Parvati refuses. She says that the thousand deaths that will result from Savage getting the stone is a bad trade off for one girl. But Ash is guilt ridden as Gemma dies in his arms, especially because the Kali presence within him grows stronger because of it. Even worse, the people at school start treating him like he's a murderer (even though the police clear him later), so when Parvati asks him to accompany her back to India, he's ready to go.

In the story, Ash is having dreams of the cruel, bloodthirsty emperor Ashoka, another person his soul has been in its past as an Eternal Warrior. He's afraid that, more and more, this is the type of person he's becoming, and the tendency is getting harder and harder to fight.

On the plane, he meets back up with John (the kid from the Lalgur who helped Ash escape from the thug Ujba in the previous book), who quits his job as a cabin boy to join Ash and Parvati on their adventure. When they get to Kolkata (aka Calcutta), Parvati leads them to an old graveyard that is her base camp, and where her followers-- a huge crowd of less than stellar rakshasas--also hang out. Through one of his dreams, Ash learns that the stolen diamond is a Brahma-aastra, a healing stone. Ash gets the idea that somehow, there should be a way to use his (or even Lord Savage's) powers and the stone to bring Gemma back from the dead, and this becomes his obsession for the rest of the book. He and the others search for Savage in the Savage corporation's various places of business, but have no success until John has the idea to look in places that would have been there when Savage first arrived in the 1850s. In the meantime, Ash is reunited briefly with Ujba, who warns him not to trust John, and who evidently was the one assigned by Rishi to complete Ash's remaining in case Rishi was ever killed. This makes sense, because Ujba is also a follower of Kali, but Ash gets only as far as drinking a Soma potion (kind of like a peyote ritual) that turns him into the complete follower of the death goddess, with augmented powers that let him do things like knock down buildings.

Ash and John make their way to the old Raj cantonment, where Ash makes two unhappy discoveries: first, that John has betrayed him to Savage because Savage was willing to send money to John's mother every month, and second, that Savage as used his powers over the elements--in his position as a level 7 sorcerer--to animate a huge group of stone statues, which are now his soldiers. Using a bit of reverse psychology, Ash tricks Savage into not killing him, but at this point, John has told the creepy old man the location of both Parvati and the diamond. Ash is weighted down and thrown off a bridge to drown, but uses his powers to escape, nearly depleting them all. When he wakes up an entire day later, Parvati's camp has been obliterated. Strangely, he finds John there, having had no where else to go once it became clear that Savage, being done with him, was going to kill him. Ash understands John's behavior and is willing to forgive him, and together, the two of them decide to follow Savage.

The old magician has gotten on the train and headed south. Unable to find Parvati to let her know their plans, Ash leaves her a letter of apology and he and John take the next train in pursuit. Following a hunch, Ash finds the place where Savage and his minions have left the train; he and John follow their trial to the shore, where there's an ancient causeway. Ash sends John to look for Parvati--or any other kind of help he can drum up--and goes to tackle Savage on the island at the other end of the causeway.

When Ash gets to Savage's camp, he's able to sneak up on the old man and press a dagger to his throat. But Savage, talking fast, promises to use the Koh-I-Noor to help bring Gemma back to life if Ash will help him find the right spell on the Black mandala in Ravana's palace. Ash wants to believe that Gemma can be rescued from death (even though he's had a dream showing him that when Ashoka tried to resurrect brave warriors who died following him into battle, they returned as zombies) so he agrees to help Savage...for now.

Savage proves his magical chops when he is able to cause Ravana's palace, long sunken, to rise up from the ocean floor. Together, he and Ash are able to work their way through a series of magical booby traps set by Ravana's brother, the demon prince Vibheeshana, to make their way to the heart of the palace. Here, they encounter an incarnation of Vibheeshana himself, who tries to reason with Ash. It's at this moment that Parvati and Khan show up, and side with the rakshasa prince. But Ash is blinded by his desire to bring Gemma back from the dead, and it's only when he's faced by Savage's sudden but inevitable betrayal that he realizes Parvati is right. Since Savage as been able to inflict a mortal blow on Vibheeshana, Ash waits to receive the power from his death to recover enough strength to go on.

Using his powers, he tracks Savage to the palace treasury, where the man is busy absorbing the eighth level of magic from the black Mandala, but Ash interrupts the process, and the diamond, which had been cursed by Ravana's himself, cripples the magician. Finally, Ash forces Savage to transport himself, Ash, Patvati, and Khan back to the mainland just before the palace sinks back under the waves. But as they all land on the shore, winded, Savage is somehow able to crank out the magical power to teleport himself somewhere else entirely. Thus, although they have retrieved the diamond and prevented Savage from attaining the tenth level of sorcery, they're pretty much right back where they started.

Parvati stays in India with her followers--kind of a new family for her, even--and Ash goes back to England to find that things at school really haven't changed much. He does, however, visit Gemma's grave really early one morning and bury the now powerless Koh-I-Noor diamond with her.

On his way home, though, things seem weird. There's a huge billboard advertising Savage Industries; his parents have changed; it appears that his aunt and uncle are still alive, Lucky is taking riding lessons, and a young, handsome Alexander Savage has just been named Time Magazine Man of the Year. Weirdest of all, on his way to school, Ash stumbles over another version of himself, Asoka--and his worst fears are suddenly confirmed: somehow, Savage has altered the timeline leading up to this moment, and Ash Mistry, Kali-Aastra, now exists only as a temporal anomaly.

Big problem, right? Clearly, big enough to need its own book! And thus "The City of Death" ends with quite a plot twist on the very last page. Very clever, Mr. Chadda!

[Tibby]

I really, really enjoyed this series. Growing up, like many kids, I was totally into Greek and Roman mythology. Then I found Ancient Egyptian mythology and culture. Back then there were was very little YA and MG literature that I could get my hands on that featured good Ancient Egyptian content (I eventually started reading the Elizabeth Peters mysteries, which had a lot of romance and stuff that I wasn’t all that interested in) or even really Greek and Roman mythology and history. Now that Rick Riordan has written all those Percy Jackson books there’s plenty of Greek content out there. There are also the Kane Chronicles. And now it looks like Norse mythology is catching on. I think it’s great that there is a lot out there for kids who are interested in mythology and ancient cultures, but it’s really mostly focused on the Greeks and Romans. Which is why I think series like this one are awesome.

Ash Mistry is based around Indian mythology and it’s so rich. It helps that Chadda appears to know his Indian mythology, ideology, and history inside and out. It’s so seamlessly woven into the story of Ash. From Ash’s rebirths to the Carnival of the Flesh that appears in the third book. It all plays such an important role in the story. Chadda never panders to the Western audience by having asides that explain various aspects of the mythology, but there is explaining. You don’t need to know Indian mythology to understand and follow the story.

I did find the third book moved more slowly for me. I don’t know why. It was by far the most violent in action and depiction. Otherwise the books move along at a nice clip. They are full of action, but aren’t just plot driven. Ash grows and changes through the series into a wiser character. There’s a tiny bit of romance. Ash has a crush on a girl and there is something brewing between him and Parvati, but it’s never really the focus of the story and there’s only one kiss at the very end of the series. Ash is also incredibly devoted to his family which I thought deviated from the standard YA hero story and was a nice touch.

The series is definitely for older audiences. I had originally picked up the first book to see if it was something I could get for our fifth grade students. I don’t think it’s the best fit. There is a lot of violence. A lot. And it’s a lot more graphically depicted than, say, the Riordan books. That makes me think these books are really more YA than middle grade. Darn. They’re so good. I’m mulling it all over. Since we don’t have anything else that features Indian mythology I would consider having the first book on our shelves. That one is probably the least violent or graphic. I highly recommend this for libraries with middle school and high school age patrons. It’s so engrossing and mythology is certainly a popular subject.

There is one big, big problem with the series, though. Only the first two books have been released here in the U.S. I got the first two books from my public library and had to buy the third from a British dealer on Amazon. Why would the publisher do that? It was incredibly frustrating.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review posted on my blog The Otaku Librarian.

Yay, it's the gorgeous cover that I started this series for! It was only about halfway through the book when I realized that the person that Ash was fighting on the cover was his friend Parvati. GASP. Drama! When in actually, it wasn't that much emotive drama, which I'm perfectly fine with.

As in the first book, while it may be listed as a middle-grade children's book, there is so much blood and gore and violence that I wouldn't put it there at all. Similarly, the internal darkness that Ash deals with is so troubling (I wonder if it's supposed to be like roiling hormonal puberty...) with the urge to kill, that I wouldn't want someone to pick it up and be horrified. But, on the other hand, it is a book called City of Death. So I suppose that's a fair warning.

I liked Ash and how he was trying to regain his normal life and his method of comprehending his unearthly powers in the frame of superheroes rather than being an agent of the goddess of death. I know I'd do the same. Why he stammers in front of Gemma after all he's been through, I'm not sure. But he still was a sympathetic character whose actions I believed in, even if I didn't agree with it. And on to Savage. I can't recall if he was more "muahaha I'm evil" in the first book or his charisma just improved despite his physical deterioration, but I kinda liked him. Of course, you know he's a villain, but he's a James Bond villain, something that Ash references and even mocks with a reversal of "I expect you to die!" line. Parvati and her rakshaka tiger friend were interesting. I'd have liked to see more interaction with her and her fellow rakshakas since I could feel something happening there. Sympathy?

Plot-wise this was quick and a tad disjointed at times, but it did feel like a rollicking Indiana Jones adventure, along with the aeroplane zooming across a map with the heroes aboard. Action and fights good as usual and didn't feel stale or anything like that. The ending was just...I have no idea what happened was it Savage who went back and changed time or was it when Ash placed the stone in the grave and then that changed all time and how did he get displaced from time. Was it because he's not fully human so he's ejected from the time stream? Where's his TARDIS! and I despise cliff hangers, so I'd have to pick up the third book. Let's hope the library has it.

Mature Tween: 3.5 stars

[Vikas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow what an adventure I just had loved it wow what a great end on a cliffhanger that's how you make people move to the next issue and leave them salivating for the next issues. It's times like this when I like my policy of not starting the series which haven't finished :) so I will swiftly be moving to the next and final adventure of Ash Mistry. Wow so much happens here that I can't even begin to explain all of it but let's cover some major points.

Ash is living now in England and then Parvati visits him and everything goes for a toss. Once again there's a trip to India this time to old lanes of Calcutta in search for Lord Savage and this is like the 2nd part of any movie or book trilogy where the hero after gaining his power in the first book explores his powers and has doubts and guilt and Ash has so much guilt because Gemma gets killed by Jamie the Jackal Monster. We move from fracture between friendships and rows between friends to the point there bitter enemies start working together.

Not too much else or it would spoil the fun, do read this series and have fun loads of fun and then what else then just Keep on Reading.

People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Are you saying I'm a kid with my dad's revolver?"
"No, I'm saying you're a kid with a thermonuclear device, with a big red button saying PRESS ME.”

This is the least entertaining book of the trilogy for me, I guess. Ash acts very annoying and I just can't stand him. Thank the gods he sees reason in the end.
Sure, what happens in this book - the thing that sets it all off - is hard and harsh, but be reasonable, please. By the way, "the thing that sets it all off"... You'd never guess what that is. It's something you don't see very much in middle grade books, at least not in this way, if you ask me.

The first time I read this book, I was flabbergasted, I truly was. So that, then, was a good thing.

Another thing that made me happy in the end was that Parvati never turns into a bad guy, despite everyone warning Ash that he can't trust her and that she'll betray him. (Instead, he's the one who betrays her over the course of the book.) That many warnings make a person - and a reader - nervous and edgy, because, you know… the more you hear it, the more you start fearing it's true. But Parvati never disappoints, and there's not even one single moment when she does something un-Parvati-like. Congrats, girl.

O
verall, not a bad read, but Ash… Just, Ash. Ugh.
7.5/10

[Deborah Dempsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of action, but my 11 year old and I both felt that the author let us down.
Ash's decision to help Savage just didn't seem believable and Ash's focus on getting Gemma back was too much for both of us. Ash knew getting Gemma back would not turn out well! And he knew how evil Savage has been, why all of a sudden work with him? Overall, Ash's decisions in this book were a little unreasonable and we had a hard time getting past them.

[Nathan Perru · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably one of the best series I've read in a while.

[Alysha DeShaé · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my Nokley... These books are like Percy Jackson and those in the Rick Riordan Presents label, but so much darker. I love it.

My favorite bit of this book was when Ash essentially has an existential crisis over morality, good vs evil, and what side he's on.

"That's not how it is. I'm not the bad guy here' said Ash.
Savage just smiled. But he was wrong. Wasn't he?

[Jax H · Rating 2 out of 5]

The city of death,The story is about this guy aka the main character leaves home and school by returning to india i cant spell or Pronounce the names but the story is about the there's these two guys and they are working together with Ash to get the Mystikal aastra that is a diamond out of the hands of the bad Lord Alexander Savage A Shazam weird powers that is due body has what he was like a reborn like a God or something so what explains the book and he can run lots of miles in one morning and he has really good strength and he could kill someone with a touch And he has some Danger to his first love gemma
I really like how the author I'd like in the story like little details that you probably wouldn't need but added anyways it also the author has like a good imagination with like the mystical Astra the diamond and how the story has backstory for instance didn't really need to know
In my opinion I didn't really like it but it might be for you it just wasn't my cup of tea But it has like some pretty good aspects But in my opinion it's not for me if you think it's for you look at the summary (this is just my opinion)

[Sonic Is Fluffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

[gowri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rough first 3 quarters of the book for me I'm not gonna lie, but that last quarter and the cliffhanger ending got me so we will be finishing the trilogy

[78sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dies ist der zweite Teil einer wirklich tollen Fantasy-Reihe. Ich verstehe gar nicht warum die Reihe so unbekannt ist. Für mich ist sie viel besser als Percy Jackson. Von der Altersgruppe her spricht die Reihe eine ähnliche Gruppe an, aber hier geht es um hinduistische Mythologie und die Reihe baut nicht auf Humor auf. Man sollte die Bücher dringend in der richtigen Reihenfolge lesen und daher fällt es mir schwer hier viel zum Buch zu schreiben. Wer Teil 1 nicht kennt sollte unbedingt meine Rezi zu "Ash Mistry und er Dämonenfürst" lesen. Das Buch ist zwar ein Middle Grade Buch, aber ich finde es kann durch seinen tollen Schreibstil auch Erwachsene begeistern. Es ist stellenweise auch etwas brutal, aber nicht mit der heutigen (aus meiner Sicht teilweise zu extremen) Jugendliteratur zu vergleichen. Ängstliche Kinder sollten die Reihe aber auch nicht lesen. Der Verlag empfiehlt ein Lesealter ab 11 Jahren, allerdings sollte man wirklich bedenken, dass hier einige Stellen doch sehr nervenaufreibend sein können und auch Menschen sterben. Mir gefiel das Buch wieder genauso gut wie Band 1. Ich mag die etwas unbekanntere Mythologie und wie der Autor das ganze in eine Jugendbuch einbaut. Getragen wird das ganze von dem unglaublich sympathischen Hauptcharakter, Ash, der zwar wirklich heldenhaft kämpft, dabei aber menschlich bleibt und auch so einige Fehlentscheidungen trifft. Das Thema Vertrauen, Abschied, Trauer und vor allem Freundschaft spielen eine sehr große Rolle im Buch. Ash ist oft auf sich allein gestellt, aber in bestimmten Situationen bekommt er Hilfe von Freunden. In diesem Band ist aber nicht immer klar wer wirklich ein Freund ist und wer nicht. Ash hat in Band 1 ja eine bestimmte Macht erlangt, die sich nun in Band 2 noch steigert. Er wirkt dadurch auch deutlich erwachsener und trotzdem nimmt man ihm ab, dass er 12 Jahre alt ist. Das hat der Autor wirklich toll hinbekommen. Der Bösewicht ist der gleiche wie schon in Band 1 und es kommt hier zu allerhand mal mehr und mal weniger vorhersehbaren Wendungen. So wurde es nie langweilig und die actionreichen Stellen wechselten sich mit emotionalen Passagen ab. Der größte Teil der Handlung spielt wieder in Indien, aber ein Teil auch in London. So hat man ein klein wenig Normalität und dann wieder viel Mythologie und Action mit Dämonen, Dämonenfürsten, Zauberern und Gestalten, die halb Tier halb Mensch sind. Einfach eine tolle Mischung.
Das Ende war dann richtig überraschend und ein echter Cliffhanger.
Ich kann die Reihe jedem empfehlen, der etwas ähnliches wie Percy Jackson sucht, aber gern auf den Humor verzichten kann.

Wertung:
4,6 Sterne

[ABendahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book that I read this quarter was The City of Death by Sarwat Chadda. Ash Mistry, a 13 year old boy, has now gone back to his normal life in London, England and is trying to be the same person he was before. This is the second book in the Ash Mistry Chronicles, and it takes place after Ash's adventure in the Savage Fortress.
So the book starts out with Ash and his friend Josh at school talking to Gemma, Ash's crush, when the school bully comes along and tries to embarrass Ash in front of Gemma. Ash gives him a warning and just goes home, but little does he know that he will have a little surprise waiting for him. Ash's old rakshasa friend, Parvati shows up at his door to tell him about the Koh I Noor, an ancient diamond that had been stolen. She wants him to once again go on a long journey to get something back, but Ash had just resumed his normal life and doesn't want to go. But when he hears the name "Lord Alexander Savage," he feels that he must go to save the world. So Ash and Parvati begin their second adventure that has some big obstacles coming their way. My favorite part of the book is when Ash and Parvati find the criminal that stole the Koh I Noor because the creature was shaking in fear of the eternal weapon of Kali, Ash Mistry. Ash shows off his moves and threatens to kill the criminal, and the story really just starts from that point.
This book would be best fit for anyone who likes apocalyptic and science fiction books because The City of Death is categorized as both of them. It is a very fast-paced book with never ending action, and it was very thrilling to me because of the characters and the setting. I would not recommend this book to anyone under the age of 10 because it tends to have some parts in it that like to tug your heart strings, and push your buttons—the things that really activate your emotions. I really encourage you to read this book, and I hope you like it as much as I did!

[Patrick Samphire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here’s what I like in a book: action, humour, a cool setting, great characters, and a plot that doesn’t let up. Not to mention hidden compartments containing little dark chocolate liqueurs.

So, how does Ash Mistry and the City of Death stack up?

Well, it doesn’t have any chocolate liqueurs, so that’s a black mark for a start. But it does have the rest of it, and hooray for that!

This is the second Ash Mistry book. Ash is now the Kali-aastra, the weapon of the goddess of death and destruction. Which kind of gets in the way of the normal life he’s trying to lead back in England. He might have thought he’d left behind the great battles between demons and gods that he’d been caught up in in India, but those battles have followed him home.

The Koh-i-noor, a great diamond from the crown jewels has been stolen. But it’s not just any diamond. It was looted from India by the British, and it holds the power of one of the Hindu gods. If Lord Savage, the English sorcerer who murdered Ash’s aunt and uncle and nearly killed Ash, gets hold of it, he may be unstoppable.

So, well, where does that leave us? Right in the middle of a wild adventure full of demons, magic, deadly living statues, and some serious super-powered ass-kicking.

If I had a criticism of the first Ash Mistry book it was that it took a little while to really get going. Well, The City of Death doesn’t have that problem. It’s into the action right from the beginning, and it doesn’t let up.

Ash is a great character, and with the action, sense of fun, and original setting, this is a book well worth reading.

If you like Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books, you’ll like this too.

4 ½ stars.

Review first posted on my blog.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The follow-up to “The Savage Fortress,” Ash is in London with his family and spending time with friends. He’s just a regular 14 year old nerd who likes Dungeons and Dragons. Well, normal, except he’s also the Kali-aastra, the living weapon of the death goddess Kali. After he killed the demon king and absorbed his powers, Ash has noticed that he has unbelievable strength. These powers will fade soon but never fully go away.

When the Queen Mother’s crown is stolen, his old frenemy Parvati (half demon/half human assassin) shows up in London because she’s determined to find it. The crown contains a diamond that’s an “aastra,” which is something made by a god and had tremendous power. She wants to get her hands on it before the evil Savage does.

After nearly killing his dad with his new powers, Ash leaves for India to search for Savage with Parvati. While in India, he learns more about his powers, encounters friends and enemies from the first book and discovers that Savage has assembled an army of statues so he can become the world’s most powerful man.

This book is enjoyable and will appeal to certain readers (i.e. gamer boys), but it dragged in parts (especially the last third) and the last chapter wasn’t keeping with the rest of the story. The characters are fairly well-developed and Ash’s struggle to accept who he is while also trying to stamp down the more evil parts of him will resonate with some readers.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ash Mistry is back in his second book. He is now the Kali-aastra, a servant of Kali, the Goddess of Death. His power has been growing. His dreams are becoming more vivid, and he learns from Parvati, the rakshasa daughter of Ravanna, the demon. She is an immortal, and is Ash's friend....or not. When Lord Savage, the bad guy from the last book, kills Gemma to reach Ash, Ash goes into Kali-aastra mode, where he can kill. The more he kills, the more powerful he becomes. Ash is desperate to get to Savage, who has learned some serious magic, but Savage is also in trouble. To extend his life again, he needs the Kol-I-Noor diamond. Ash must make decisions that will affect his life, and the lives of those around him. A lot of responsibility for for an 8th grader.

I liked this story. Not only did the author make numerous references to Doctor Who, (which, in my opinion, was some of the best lines in the book) the plot twists and turns kept me guessing throughout the story. Lots of action and humor made this book a fun read. Looking forward to the next in the series.... No spoilers, but the ending to this one, it should be absolutely awesome!

[Molina High · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ash Mistry is back in his second book. He is now the Kali-aastra, a servant of Kali, the Goddess of Death. His power has been growing. His dreams are becoming more vivid, and he learns from Parvati, the rakshasa daughter of Ravanna, the demon. She is an immortal, and is Ash's friend....or not. When Lord Savage, the bad guy from the last book, kills Gemma to reach Ash, Ash goes into Kali-aastra mode, where he can kill. The more he kills, the more powerful he becomes. Ash is desperate to get to Savage, who has learned some serious magic, but Savage is also in trouble. To extend his life again, he needs the Kol-I-Noor diamond. Ash must make decisions that will affect his life, and the lives of those around him. A lot of responsibility for for an 8th grader.

I liked this story. Not only did the author make numerous references to Doctor Who, (which, in my opinion, was some of the best lines in the book) the plot twists and turns kept me guessing throughout the story. Lots of action and humor made this book a fun read. Looking forward to the next in the series.... No spoilers, but the ending to this one, it should be absolutely awesome!

[Amoghp83 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ash has a demon friend Parvati the daughter of the evil ravana. He is settled back to his London life until Gemma dies, his crush. He tries to find a way to save her but he couldnt. Until he realizes that ravana revived savage. Savage killed his aunt and uncle. He goes with khan, the tiger Rakshasa and the demon Parvati to Kolkata.Parvati doesn't care about Gemma and they argue and they have issues for a while when ash is going through savage's traps. He captures savage until savage betrays him. He realizes he is another time zone and that it was all caused by savage. His parents call him Ashoka and his aunt and uncle weren't dead. He didn't know what to do, while another person has the same name and he didn't save Gemma.

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sequel had more of everything than the first book in the series, and I ended up liking it less.

There was more graphic violence, more convoluted plot twists, more misunderstandings between Parvati and Ash that drove the plot, and more evilness from Lord Savage. I guess I just felt that it was too much, and that I couldn't really relate to the characters anymore.

I still enjoyed the fact that I wasn't being handed another Greco-Roman mythology mashup, but I would have preferred a treatment that was less Jerry Bruckheimer and more cerebral.

I don't know if I'll end up reading more books in the series or not.

[Luseride · Rating 4 out of 5]

Go a bit deeper than Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom into the lore of India. The goddess Kali is all about death and Ash Mistry, through a minor accident, is her tool of death. Just being in the eighth grade makes that last bit a hard pill to swallow.


Follow Ash through many lands as he meets demons, magicians, and rashaka of many kinds.


At time dark and a bit disturbing The City of Death has Ash really evaluating his motivation and actions, and the decisions are not easy at any point. A good read, the second in a series.