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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
When I first started this book I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue. The premise is a 7th grader gets caught in a lie (she lies a lot to try and fit in at school), so does something she’s not supposed to do. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to keep reading. However I did and I’m glad I did.
Fundamentally this book is about two girls trying to save the world. Yes, they get some help. Yes, it gets messy. Yes, there are some really good singers in there, but the relationship between the two girls is real and wonderful and amazing. If you like Riordan’s
work, READ THIS. You will not regret it.
Fundamentally this book is about two girls trying to save the world. Yes, they get some help. Yes, it gets messy. Yes, there are some really good singers in there, but the relationship between the two girls is real and wonderful and amazing. If you like Riordan’s
work, READ THIS. You will not regret it.
This was fun and adventurous! Aru is a fun protagonist and I'm excited to see where the next book goes
New cultures, more mythology. Not quite as awesome as Rick Riordan (but nothing will ever compare to his mastery of that niche genre he has created)
This was interminable. The kids and I started it on audio eleven(!) months ago, gave up at about 80% through, and then I was the only one who bothered to finish it. It was just so long and so meandering and so full of things I dislike about fantasy books (e.g., the Mad Libs style of inventing whatever you need in the moment—a Sword of Eternal Fire, a Spirit Guardian to lead you through the Land of Mist and Sorrows, etc.). For most of it, my kids were on board (they said it’s very like the Percy Jackson books, which they love), but it just draaaaagged, and the ending was like the William Tell Overture with its dozen false conclusions, although the book doesn’t go out in a blaze of cannon fire but with thirty pages of completely unnecessary denouement and setup for a sequel. I do think the author is a good writer (she’s so funny!), and I do think the concept is great (Hindu gods! tween heroines! what’s not to love?), but destination wasn’t worth the journey, and the journey was itself frustrating and tedious.
Instead of Greek Mythology, you have Hindu Mythology.
Instead of Percy Jackson the son of Poseidon, you have Aru Shah the daughter of Indra.
Instead of Annabeth the daughter of Athena, you have Mini the daughter of Yudhistira.
Instead of Grover the satyr , you have Boo the pidgeon.
Instead of heroes, you have heroines.
Instead of middle school boy problems, you have middle school girl problems.
There's a Council of Guardians, a Kingdom of Death, a Bridge of Forgetting, a Night Bazaar and many other adventurous tidbits to keep a young reader engaged. The dialogue is sarcastic and witty, and the background of the story will be new to a lot of folks. Plenty to learn here!
"But be warned: regret will always follow. It is the price of aiming true. For sometimes, when we take the deadliest aim, we are nothing if not reckless."
“You are the Daughter of Death," hissed Aru. "You don't walk into a telephone pole because of a boy.”
“Secrets are curious things. They are flimsy and easily broken. For this reason, they prefer to remain hidden.”
"A fact, on the other hand, is strong and powerful. It's proven. Unlike a secret, it's out there for everyone to see and know. And that can make it more terrifying than the deepest, darkest secret."
“Tales are slippery, her mother had often said. The truth of a story depends on who is telling it.”
“It was one of the things that she liked best when her mother told her the stories: villains could be heroic, and heroes could do evil.”
"They're banding together! We're going to be overrun. Forced into that awful samsara cycle of lives! As punishment! This is what we get for thinking that scaly orange skin and fake hair could keep that former demon out of elected office. It's all your fault--"
"Do you realize how cruel it is to tell someone that their future is fixed? That they can do nothing but play out their life like a puppet? Do you see how even your gifts have enslaved you?"
"It's not failure to fail."
"Aru used to think that friends were there to share your food and keep your secrets and laugh at your jokes while you walked from one classroom to the next. Sometimes, though, the best kid of friend is the one who doesn't say anything but just sits beside you. It's enough."
“You will never be a hero. You were never meant to be a hero."
Hero. that one word made Aru lift her chin. It made her think of Mini and Boo, her mom, and all the incredible things she herself had done in just nine days. Breaking the lamp hadn't been heroic... but everything else? Fighting for people she cared about and doing everything it took to fix her mistake? That was heroism.
Vajra became a spear in her hand.
"I already am. And it's heroine.”
Instead of Percy Jackson the son of Poseidon, you have Aru Shah the daughter of Indra.
Instead of Annabeth the daughter of Athena, you have Mini the daughter of Yudhistira.
Instead of Grover the satyr , you have Boo the pidgeon.
Instead of heroes, you have heroines.
Instead of middle school boy problems, you have middle school girl problems.
There's a Council of Guardians, a Kingdom of Death, a Bridge of Forgetting, a Night Bazaar and many other adventurous tidbits to keep a young reader engaged. The dialogue is sarcastic and witty, and the background of the story will be new to a lot of folks. Plenty to learn here!
"But be warned: regret will always follow. It is the price of aiming true. For sometimes, when we take the deadliest aim, we are nothing if not reckless."
“You are the Daughter of Death," hissed Aru. "You don't walk into a telephone pole because of a boy.”
“Secrets are curious things. They are flimsy and easily broken. For this reason, they prefer to remain hidden.”
"A fact, on the other hand, is strong and powerful. It's proven. Unlike a secret, it's out there for everyone to see and know. And that can make it more terrifying than the deepest, darkest secret."
“Tales are slippery, her mother had often said. The truth of a story depends on who is telling it.”
“It was one of the things that she liked best when her mother told her the stories: villains could be heroic, and heroes could do evil.”
"They're banding together! We're going to be overrun. Forced into that awful samsara cycle of lives! As punishment! This is what we get for thinking that scaly orange skin and fake hair could keep that former demon out of elected office. It's all your fault--"
"Do you realize how cruel it is to tell someone that their future is fixed? That they can do nothing but play out their life like a puppet? Do you see how even your gifts have enslaved you?"
"It's not failure to fail."
"Aru used to think that friends were there to share your food and keep your secrets and laugh at your jokes while you walked from one classroom to the next. Sometimes, though, the best kid of friend is the one who doesn't say anything but just sits beside you. It's enough."
“You will never be a hero. You were never meant to be a hero."
Hero. that one word made Aru lift her chin. It made her think of Mini and Boo, her mom, and all the incredible things she herself had done in just nine days. Breaking the lamp hadn't been heroic... but everything else? Fighting for people she cared about and doing everything it took to fix her mistake? That was heroism.
Vajra became a spear in her hand.
"I already am. And it's heroine.”
An excellent middle-grade fantasy! The action kicks off right away and, even more importantly, Aru’s character shines through from the first page. She is relatable, funny, and smart, and her banter with the other characters throughout all of their thrilling adventures makes for a super enjoyable read. I will be recommending this one to my students often.
Those 3 stars aren't for me, they're for the young'uns to whom I'd recommend this book.
I'd give it 2 wobbly stars and a peeved side eye.
Confession: I am a hypocrite, a bad meme of a privileged white lady wanting #ownvoices but no, not like that.
I was impressed that Rick Riordan, who ever-so-graciously presents this book, stepped down and let someone from a Hindu background write this story. I like to think he got some pushback after he did the Egyptian gods series and decided to listen and let someone else take on Hindu gods. That's pretty awesome especially because these adventures with gods are incredibly popular and deserve to have an honest, non-white-centered telling.
This particular author says she's reflecting the stories she heard from her grandmother and I wonder if she found those stories boring as a kid so decided to dress things up a bit for this book?
Because here's the thing: Aren't Hindu gods still active? Greco-Roman gods, Norse gods, Egyptian gods have all been relegated to the realm of mythology because they're no longer considered forces in the universe even if they still have their adherents. This reviewer touches on that very sticky thorn - is the subject matter of this storyline treated with respect?
As far as the titular character goes, I couldn't find much to latch onto. She didn't feel like a fully-realized 12-year-old to me but more like an adult's idea of a tween. There's not much to her sidekick "sister" Mini, either; they're both somewhat bland, plug-n-play characters. That can be beneficial to readers who aren't familiar with Indian culture (or Filipino culture; Mini mentions her Filipino heritage a few times) and can insert themselves into these blank-slate heroes and, yes, I absolutely mean heroes because girls don't have to be relegated to another term. Anyone can be a hero. Ugh, why are we even backsliding on this?
Anyway, yes, great for young readers to be able to put themselves in the shoes (or Spider-Man pajamas) of Aru and Mini. However, that also keeps Aru and Mini from having agency of their own. They can't be models of whatever they need to be models of because they're malleable to every reader. It was worth Harry Potter being an Every Kid because he was a white English boy. We've all read plenty about white English boys to know how they work. The youngsters in this book are not white, not English, and not boys so is it work making them an empty shell for the reader to fill? Is it worth the sacrifice of showcasing what it feels like to not be the default? You get that with Aru at the beginning as she attends her predominantly white school full of rich kids while she is the child of a single mother who is always traveling and she lives in a museum but that sense of otherness ends as soon as her adventure begins and she becomes a generic, quippy pre-teen. It's kind of funny she's wearing Spider-Man pjs throughout because she's definitely a Peter Parker character.
I am not hopeful that this will age well, either. There are a lot of contemporary references and odd ones at that. I was confused when Game of Thrones was tossed out there as a thing adults watch. That's true now but won't be after the final season airs in fifty years. So this will be relevant again in fifty years, I suppose.
Also:
”They’re always found in a position as if the virus attacked quickly and caught them off guard--”
“Hence the name: The Frozen Syndrom!” The anchor laughed. “To bad we can’t just let it go, let it go. Am I right, Doctor?”
Ugh.
Sure, the audience currently reading this will get that. Disney is forever, moreso than even diamonds, so that will probably remain a relevant little joke but Frozen Fever is dying down and this already sounds pandering.
The one that really irked me, though:
”Did you hear that, Wish? They’re banding together! We’re going to be overrun. Forced into that awful samsara cycle of lives! As punishment! This is what we get for thinking that scaly orange skin and fake hair could keep that former demon out of elected office.”
Really?
I wound up having a certain political leaning because of hearing this kind of nonsense, though in the opposite direction, from my parents. It took me a long time to unbrainwash myself.
My point here is: Don't foist your political snark on kids. Sure, teach them the values you admire but being snide shouldn't be one of them because then they'll just grow up to post stupid memes and misinformation on whatever passes as social media in their day.
And, honestly, I'm sure many kids will get the jibe now but what about in four years (this better not still be a relevant remark at that point)? How will this make any sense to ten-year-olds in 2022? It won't so what's the point of having it in here other than to be contemporary?
I didn't like this story. I mean, as an adventure, it was ok. As an engaging romp with Hindu deities, it felt lacking. As an empowering tale for Hindu girls...I will leave that up to Hindu girls to decide. I just know I found it silly (not in a good way), reductive, and potentially disrespectful.
I'll still recommend it to kids, though, because they're not nearly so fussy as I am.
I'd give it 2 wobbly stars and a peeved side eye.
Confession: I am a hypocrite, a bad meme of a privileged white lady wanting #ownvoices but no, not like that.
I was impressed that Rick Riordan, who ever-so-graciously presents this book, stepped down and let someone from a Hindu background write this story. I like to think he got some pushback after he did the Egyptian gods series and decided to listen and let someone else take on Hindu gods. That's pretty awesome especially because these adventures with gods are incredibly popular and deserve to have an honest, non-white-centered telling.
This particular author says she's reflecting the stories she heard from her grandmother and I wonder if she found those stories boring as a kid so decided to dress things up a bit for this book?
Because here's the thing: Aren't Hindu gods still active? Greco-Roman gods, Norse gods, Egyptian gods have all been relegated to the realm of mythology because they're no longer considered forces in the universe even if they still have their adherents. This reviewer touches on that very sticky thorn - is the subject matter of this storyline treated with respect?
As far as the titular character goes, I couldn't find much to latch onto. She didn't feel like a fully-realized 12-year-old to me but more like an adult's idea of a tween. There's not much to her sidekick "sister" Mini, either; they're both somewhat bland, plug-n-play characters. That can be beneficial to readers who aren't familiar with Indian culture (or Filipino culture; Mini mentions her Filipino heritage a few times) and can insert themselves into these blank-slate heroes and, yes, I absolutely mean heroes because girls don't have to be relegated to another term. Anyone can be a hero. Ugh, why are we even backsliding on this?
Anyway, yes, great for young readers to be able to put themselves in the shoes (or Spider-Man pajamas) of Aru and Mini. However, that also keeps Aru and Mini from having agency of their own. They can't be models of whatever they need to be models of because they're malleable to every reader. It was worth Harry Potter being an Every Kid because he was a white English boy. We've all read plenty about white English boys to know how they work. The youngsters in this book are not white, not English, and not boys so is it work making them an empty shell for the reader to fill? Is it worth the sacrifice of showcasing what it feels like to not be the default? You get that with Aru at the beginning as she attends her predominantly white school full of rich kids while she is the child of a single mother who is always traveling and she lives in a museum but that sense of otherness ends as soon as her adventure begins and she becomes a generic, quippy pre-teen. It's kind of funny she's wearing Spider-Man pjs throughout because she's definitely a Peter Parker character.
I am not hopeful that this will age well, either. There are a lot of contemporary references and odd ones at that. I was confused when Game of Thrones was tossed out there as a thing adults watch. That's true now but won't be after the final season airs in fifty years. So this will be relevant again in fifty years, I suppose.
Also:
”They’re always found in a position as if the virus attacked quickly and caught them off guard--”
“Hence the name: The Frozen Syndrom!” The anchor laughed. “To bad we can’t just let it go, let it go. Am I right, Doctor?”
Ugh.
Sure, the audience currently reading this will get that. Disney is forever, moreso than even diamonds, so that will probably remain a relevant little joke but Frozen Fever is dying down and this already sounds pandering.
The one that really irked me, though:
”Did you hear that, Wish? They’re banding together! We’re going to be overrun. Forced into that awful samsara cycle of lives! As punishment! This is what we get for thinking that scaly orange skin and fake hair could keep that former demon out of elected office.”
Really?
I wound up having a certain political leaning because of hearing this kind of nonsense, though in the opposite direction, from my parents. It took me a long time to unbrainwash myself.
My point here is: Don't foist your political snark on kids. Sure, teach them the values you admire but being snide shouldn't be one of them because then they'll just grow up to post stupid memes and misinformation on whatever passes as social media in their day.
And, honestly, I'm sure many kids will get the jibe now but what about in four years (this better not still be a relevant remark at that point)? How will this make any sense to ten-year-olds in 2022? It won't so what's the point of having it in here other than to be contemporary?
I didn't like this story. I mean, as an adventure, it was ok. As an engaging romp with Hindu deities, it felt lacking. As an empowering tale for Hindu girls...I will leave that up to Hindu girls to decide. I just know I found it silly (not in a good way), reductive, and potentially disrespectful.
I'll still recommend it to kids, though, because they're not nearly so fussy as I am.
I love mythology of all types. Hindu mythology is something I know absolutely nothing about. This book made me much more interested in learning more about Hindu mythology. I was happy the author put a glossary in at the back of the book because I was definitely lost at times since I knew nothing about this type of mythology going in.
I think this started off a little slow. I'm not sure if that was the story/plot or my not knowing a lot of the mythology involved. I enjoyed the second half a lot more. And I'm very interested in continuing the series. I think the author set up the continuation quite well. I'm looking forward to hopefully getting some answers for some outstanding questions and spending more time with the characters (both new and old).
I think this started off a little slow. I'm not sure if that was the story/plot or my not knowing a lot of the mythology involved. I enjoyed the second half a lot more. And I'm very interested in continuing the series. I think the author set up the continuation quite well. I'm looking forward to hopefully getting some answers for some outstanding questions and spending more time with the characters (both new and old).