Ring of Solomon

Aden Polydoros

Feb 2023 · Sold by Harlequin

About this ebook

“Will keep you on the edge of your seat and grinning until the last page!” —Greg Howard, author of The Whispers and The Visitors

This exciting and adventurous start to a middle-grade trilogy follows a queer boy and his family as they try to halt the chaotic effects of a mysterious ring, drawing upon Jewish mythology to navigate magic, mayhem and the search for pride in one’s identity.

The little beachside town of San Pancras is not known for anything exciting, but when Zach Darlington buys a mysterious ring at the local flea market, his quiet little hometown is turned topsy-turvy by monsters straight from Jewish folklore and a nefarious secret society focused on upholding an apocalyptic prophecy.

Zach discovers that the ring grants him strange powers, and he’s intrigued; maybe he can use the ring’s strengths to halt the slew of anti-Semitic and homophobic bullying he’s experiencing at school. But soon the ring brings unexpected visitors—Ashmedai, King of Demons, in the guise of a preteen boy named Ash, and the local chapter of the Knights of the Apocalypse, a secret society intent on completing a creepy prophecy that will bring three monsters to Earth to start the events of the end of times.

Now responsible for the ring and its consequences, will Zach and his friends, with the help of Ash, be able to stop the Apocalypse and save the world?

Ratings and reviews

Well, this definitely reads as a middle grade book. It has action but is resolved quite quickly. More quickly than I though the rising of apocalypse beasts would be. That bit was a little disappointing and was very squished at the end of the book. In its defense, the book itself is not really long. As I am a bit older than middle grade, I expected more but it should go well with the younger crowd. Zach and Sandra not only have to deal with regular bullies but need to stop the world from ending

About the author

Aden Polydoros is an award-winning author who transitioned from female-to-male when he was 14. After going ‘stealth’ for over 10 years, he came out as transgender in order to support trans youth and vocalize how transitioning saved his life. His YA gothic fantasy novel, The City Beautiful, won the Sydney Taylor Book Award and was a finalist for the Lambda Award, the National Jewish Book Award, the Cybils Award, the South Carolina Book Award, and the 2022 World Fantasy Award.