A Reader's Guide to Books and Reviews

Title: Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Quartet #1)
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Format: Epub
Rating: 5/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: March 27, 2018 to March 29, 2018
Book Summary: 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?
Book Review: Sailor Moon and Hindu Mythology together?

Yes please!

When I first heard that this would be part of Rick Riordan's imprint, I was excited. I had never read anything by Roshani Chokshi and this would be my first book from her I wanted to read.

I was not at all disappointed. This book kept me glued from the first page to the last.

Aru Shah is a seventh grader with a vivid imagination. Unfortunately that imagination has gotten her in trouble in the past and now three of her classmates have come to visit her to see this cursed lamp. Aru has no choice but to light the lamp or be the laughing stock at school. When she lights the lamp, she releases the Sleeper whom will now go out of his way to awaken the Lord of Destruction. Even worse all those around are suddenly hit with a frozen spell. Aru embarks on a journey to not only stop the Sleeper from awakening the Lord of Destruction but to find a way to free those who were caught in the spell. Along the way she meets Mini and the two girls form a sisterly bond that will help the both of them on this journey but this journey will be wrought with perils and secrets that were meant to never be known. Will Aru be strong enough to take on the Sleeper when the time comes?

Aru is a fun character. Here we have a salty and interesting young twelve-year-old with a vivid imagination. She has used this imagination in the past in hopes of trying to gain friends in the past but it has only gotten her in trouble. She lives in a museum (how I would love to do that!) and often helps out on the weekends. This is a girl whom loves every aspect of the museum. She can weave the stories that her mother has told her and keep her audience enthralled until the very end. Unfortunately this has also led her to a bit of a lonely life. Her mother travels not because she has to but because she does it to protect her daughter but Aru doesn't really know this until the very end and the reason behind it. Still Aru tries to seek out friends in school but the others don't seem interested in offering her any type of friendship and Aru finds herself lonely.

That is until she meets Mini. Mini is brainic. She was not quite the hero her family was hoping for. In fact, her parents were training her brother to become one of the Pandava so imagine their dismay when they found out it was Mini instead. While Aru is outspoken, Mini is her complete opposite. She can sprout out information be it helpful or not, much to the chagrin of Aru. If one was to look at her in a Sailor Moon way, she would definitely be Mercury all the way.

The friendship between the two girls does hit some rocky spots during their quest but in the end, it bonds the two girls in a way that makes them sisters. The two depend upon each other. Aru offers support and encourages Mini while Mini offers advice and grounds Aru back down to Earth. This is a type of friendship that everyone would love.

I love the beginning of this series. It was exciting and so hard to put down and trust me I had a hard time putting the book down. I hated going to sleep and then waking up to do things before I go back to reading. This book was that good. Then again anything that takes mythology and breaths it to life with fun characters and gods that mirror those in Rick Riordan's books, you will have me with you until the very end!

So if you are looking for a new read and a fun story, definitely pick this one up!