Aru Shah and the End of Time
(Pandava Quartet #1)
by Roshani Choksi
March 27, 2018
Rick Riordan Presents
Source: from pub for review
Twelve-year-old Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she'll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur?
One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru's doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don't believe her claim that the museum's Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light, Aru thinks. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again.
But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it's up to Aru to save them.
The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that?
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Twelve year old Aru Shah sometimes tells fantastical lies about her life to fit in with her affluent classmates. After all, living in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture with a mom who is always off on an archeological adventure without Aru isn't that exciting. But when three classmates dare Aru to light a magical lamp she finds herself in an adventure that even she couldn't make up. Lighting the lamp unleashes a powerful demon called the Sleeper, who is determined to awaken the God of Destruction. It is Aru's duty to stop the Sleeper, but to do so she must locate the reincarnations of the legendary Pandava brothers, face actual gods and goddesses, find some magical weapons, and oh yeah, journey through the Kingdom of Death!
Roshani Chokshi's Aru Shah and the End of Time is the first book from the new Rick Riordan Presents imprint. Beloved author Rick Riordan, of Percy Jackson fame, is using his gigantic platform to bring more mythology-based books to children, and these diverse books, covering a wide range of mythologies, will be written by own voices authors...which is just awesome!
Aru Shah and the End of Time is a wonderfully crafted and wildly fantastic start in what is sure to be a beloved series. In this book, Roshani Chokshi explores the endlessly fascinating world of Hindu mythology. Like the Greek mythology Rick Riordan explored in his Percy Jackson books, the Hindu mythology Chokshi writes about is rich, complex, insightful, and full of unforgettable characters, wondrous settings, and valuable lessons to be learned. With pitch-perfect storytelling, excellent world-building, and so much humor, Chokshi presents this immense and immersive world in a way that will captivate, charm, and challenge young readers. Readers will love meeting the larger than life gods; goddesses; and other beings, be mesmerized by the Hindu legends and stories Chokshi includes, and be thrilled by the various amazing and exciting settings.
And of course, readers will love our heroines, Aru and Mini! These relatable, brave, smart, capable girls Get. Things. Done. And they do so with imagination, intelligence, and a whole lot of heart.
Full of lovable heroines, enthralling storytelling, and captivating mythology, this is definitely an all-nighter page turner!
MY RATING
5/5 Cupcakes
Roshani Chokshi is the New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen and A CROWN OF WISHES. Her middle grade debut, ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME, will release April 3, 2018 with Disney/Rick Riordan Presents. Her next young adult novel, THE GILDED WOLVES, is slated for Winter 2019. Chokshi's work has appeared in Strange Horizons, Shimmer, and Book Smugglers. She was a finalist in the 2016 Andre Norton Award and the Locus Top Ten for Best First Novel. Her short story, "The Star Maiden," was longlisted for the British Fantasy Science Award. 
1 comment:
This looks so good! I can't wait to get a cop of it! Great review!
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