The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros (audiobook)

 genre: young adult historical fantasy

When Alter Rosen arrived in Chicago at the turn of the 19th century, it didn't take long for America to NOT be the land of milk and honey his father had imagined.  While it is better than his native Romania, to be a Jew in Chicago is still to be a second class citizen, a fact that hits close to home when Alter's roommate and friend Yacov dies in a mysterious way, another boy in an upsetting list of Jewish boys to have recently disappeared.  It's soon clear to Alter that Yacov has something to tell him about his death - and thus Alter begins on a quest to understand not just what's happening to him and the spirit of Yacov, but to figure out who is murdering Jewish teenage boys and make it stop.

It took quite a while for me to figure out why this book was a nominee for the "speculative fiction" category for the Cybil awards, since it is solid historical fiction with a powerful Jewish setting.  Jewish folklore, traditions, culture and foodways make us drenched in Alter's life as an immigrant Jew in a big city.  However, when it took a speculative turn, I was all in - I am choosing not to spoil it - but it intrigued me and gave the book a forward push that made me even more eager to keep reading.  It's a murder mystery, yes.  There is gore and death and a couple deliciously scary bits.  It's also about finding your place, about the strength of religion to give comfort while also really impacting the way you see the world - and yourself - especially if you are a Jewish boy that knows he's not attracted to girls.  Alter's path to accepting that he is gay in an unforgiving world, his cognitive dissonance, his very real desire to love and be loved, all of this is so tenderly portrayed.

For me, the mix of gothic horror/mystery, the historical Chicago setting amidst the World's fair, having a actively religious and empathetic gay teen as a protagonist, the light touch of paranormal mixed with folklore tradition - it just made for a really unique read.  It did get a little repetitive, sometimes, there was one plothole that made me do a little rereading and maybe it went on a little bit too long for me, but overall, this is a strong four star read for me.