Ash Mistry went to India a normal British teen and came back as the Eternal Warrior of the Death Goddess Kali. That's not how most boys spend their summer vacation. Ash just wants to put it behind him and learn to control this crazy new power he has, but Kali isn't exactly someone who can be tucked away. When Parvati, demon princess and Ash's friend from India, comes to India asking for his help, Ash can't say no; especially when he learns that Lord Savage is planning to steal the Koh-I-Noor diamond from the crown jewels of England. From London to India, Ash and Parvati hunt Lord Savage as they try to get the diamond back before Savage can use the power inside the diamond.

THE CITY OF DEATH by Sarwat Chadda the second Ash Mistry book and I loved it even more than the first. The first book, The Savage Fortress, initiated Ash into a realm of magic and legend. He went from a normal boy into a boy who had to sacrifice all to save his sister. In THE CITY OF DEATH, the consequences of that act are finally sinking in. Kali is the goddess of death and destruction. In a world that views death as evil, Kali is terrifying and unfathomable. Chadda handles the conflicting worldviews well through Ash's point of view. He must learn what it means to be the 'death-bringer' and still maintain who he is.

Once again, Chadda took the story to an unexpected place that completely took me off guard and I wasn't even a hundred pages in. After The Savage Fortress, I thought I might have a handle on the unfolding events, but no. There were still surprises and twists that I never saw coming but fit beautifully into the story.

THE CITY OF DEATH by Sarwat Chadda ramps up the action and thrills to deliver another plot-driven story that delivers unexpected twists, fantastic locations, complex emotions, and a cliffhanger ending. I cannot wait to see more of this series.

Book Summary

Ash escaped THE SAVAGE FORTRESS . . . but can he survive THE CITY OF DEATH?

Meet Ash Mistry: eighth grader, pretty good video gamer, guy with a massive crush on the beautiful Gemma . . .

Oh, and the Eternal Warrior of the death goddess Kali.

Just when Ash has settled back into his everyday London life, his friend Parvati arrives with a mission: The evil Lord Alexander Savage is plotting to steal the Koh-I-Noor diamond from England's crown jewels. Ash and Parvati manage to intercept it, but at a terrible price-Gemma's death.

Outcast and heartbroken, Ash returns with Parvati to India, where he meets up with old friends and develops new powers. But he's haunted by Gemma, by thoughts of revenge against Savage, and by horrifying, blood-soaked dreams. As he hunts Savage all the way to an astonishing, long-hidden kingdom, Ash must face the prospect that he may no longer be entirely human . . . and his warrior side may lie beyond his control.