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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
5 stars!
I absolutely adored this. The Pandava series is one of my favourites and I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of this graphic novel.
The soul of the characters and the story is still there in an amazing way and the illustrations are incredibly stunning.
I absolutely adored this. The Pandava series is one of my favourites and I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of this graphic novel.
The soul of the characters and the story is still there in an amazing way and the illustrations are incredibly stunning.
This was so much fun! I love Aru and Mini so much, they were such delightful protagonists. I enjoy getting a larger taste of some Hindu myths, I'd heard of a couple of these characters but nothing more beyond their names. I'll definitely be continuing this series when I'm looking for a fun pick me up.
A Pandava reincarnation story ohmigod i have been wanting to do that for AGES.//SQUEES
Correction, a Pandava Gender-Flipped Reincarnation story. EVEN BETTER. And I have so many wrong theories possibly but I'm still sticking to my theories. There's ROOM FOR THEM.
1. I am tempted to go full bias and give Aru Shah five stars instead of four; simply because the mythology is REALLY my thing. And I mean REALLY- I enjoyed the hell out of it. However, I do think that it moved a little too quickly to make for good character development, or character establishment. I am fond of Aru and Mini, but they are mostly sketched-out at this point.
2. Indian Mythology Notes Part 1: One of the two greatest Indian epics is about the war between two sets of first cousins; the Pandavas (the protagonists) and the Kauravas (the antagonists). The Pandavas are five demigod half-brothers who are the greatest heroes of the age, and the Kauravas are their hundred somewhat pissed-off cousins.
3. Aru Shah is twelve, and suffering because of peer pressure and a mother who is constantly wrapped up in her work. When her classmates dare her to light the lamp which will bring about the end of the world, she releases a monster known as the Sleeper into the world. A pigeon appears out of the mouth of a stone elephant and informs he that only a reincarnated Pandava could have lit the lamp and assists her in teleporting to her newly awakened sister. Together, the two Pandavas go on a quest to find and stop him, before the people who are frozen in his wake are lost.
3. It's a pretty typical quest story. Aru and Mini find objects, encounter monsters and strange places as well as monsters in strange places, and find their way to the Underworld to get their magic weapons. On the way, they meet characters out of Hindu Mythology; gods and celestial beings and monsters and vahanas (ie, the animals the gods ride to get to places). Fights ensue. The girls prevail. You know- the usual. It's very similar in structure to Percy Jackson, but not quite as fluidly characterized.
4. On a random note; there are so many bones. Like, everywhere. Bone dust falls from the roof. Skulls with handprints of ash leer at you from the sidelines. Which for me is like coming home to the stories I curled up with as a pre-teen. SO MANY BONES! Everyone gets eaten and turns to ash! MY CHILDHOOD! And so many things about Indian culture are true- everyone is your aunty or uncle if they are a friend of your family. Goodbyes take forever. And ever. And ever. I particularly enjoyed Roshani Chokshi's Glossary at the end, especially that bit about the Saris because WHERE IS THE LIE.
5. Random Hindu Mythology Notes and possible theories for Next Books etc; beware spoilers.
a. I KNEW that bird was Shakuni HA. Like, I don't think people who have not grown up on Indian Mythology realize the extent to which Shakuni influences the story. He's like Wormtongue in LotR, except that he's a king in his own right and all. I want to know more of his story in this version.
b. I am about 70% sure that Aru is Karna, and not Arjuna. Because- little hings here and there. The exact nature of that curse. her tendency to trick her way out of situations rather than valiant her way through them (not that much about Karna is dishonorable, but that's a discussion for another time). Her being told that she is not the hero, and was never the hero, and that her father is trying to save her from the horrific swirls of destiny.
Although her wielding Vajra makes me VERY CONFUSED. Dammit.
c. Valmiki pretty much INVENTED Sanskrit poetry and I am fully convinced he'd ask people to speak to him in rhymes. Very good. I approve.
d. One of the vahanas was a snake and if it was Sheshta I am SAD he did not get any lines. I love him. He's a massive snake whop will endure beyond time and is powerful as hell but prefers to happily curl up under Vishnu.
6. Anyway I'm definitely in for book 2.
Correction, a Pandava Gender-Flipped Reincarnation story. EVEN BETTER. And I have so many wrong theories possibly but I'm still sticking to my theories. There's ROOM FOR THEM.
1. I am tempted to go full bias and give Aru Shah five stars instead of four; simply because the mythology is REALLY my thing. And I mean REALLY- I enjoyed the hell out of it. However, I do think that it moved a little too quickly to make for good character development, or character establishment. I am fond of Aru and Mini, but they are mostly sketched-out at this point.
2. Indian Mythology Notes Part 1: One of the two greatest Indian epics is about the war between two sets of first cousins; the Pandavas (the protagonists) and the Kauravas (the antagonists). The Pandavas are five demigod half-brothers who are the greatest heroes of the age, and the Kauravas are their hundred somewhat pissed-off cousins.
Spoiler
Contrary to what Roshani Chokshi has Aru think, the "sixth" Pandava brother is not technically a Pandava, although he IS half-brother to three of the five Pandavas. But that's a story for another time.3. Aru Shah is twelve, and suffering because of peer pressure and a mother who is constantly wrapped up in her work. When her classmates dare her to light the lamp which will bring about the end of the world, she releases a monster known as the Sleeper into the world. A pigeon appears out of the mouth of a stone elephant and informs he that only a reincarnated Pandava could have lit the lamp and assists her in teleporting to her newly awakened sister. Together, the two Pandavas go on a quest to find and stop him, before the people who are frozen in his wake are lost.
3. It's a pretty typical quest story. Aru and Mini find objects, encounter monsters and strange places as well as monsters in strange places, and find their way to the Underworld to get their magic weapons. On the way, they meet characters out of Hindu Mythology; gods and celestial beings and monsters and vahanas (ie, the animals the gods ride to get to places). Fights ensue. The girls prevail. You know- the usual. It's very similar in structure to Percy Jackson, but not quite as fluidly characterized.
4. On a random note; there are so many bones. Like, everywhere. Bone dust falls from the roof. Skulls with handprints of ash leer at you from the sidelines. Which for me is like coming home to the stories I curled up with as a pre-teen. SO MANY BONES! Everyone gets eaten and turns to ash! MY CHILDHOOD! And so many things about Indian culture are true- everyone is your aunty or uncle if they are a friend of your family. Goodbyes take forever. And ever. And ever. I particularly enjoyed Roshani Chokshi's Glossary at the end, especially that bit about the Saris because WHERE IS THE LIE.
5. Random Hindu Mythology Notes and possible theories for Next Books etc; beware spoilers.
Spoiler
a. I KNEW that bird was Shakuni HA. Like, I don't think people who have not grown up on Indian Mythology realize the extent to which Shakuni influences the story. He's like Wormtongue in LotR, except that he's a king in his own right and all. I want to know more of his story in this version.
b. I am about 70% sure that Aru is Karna, and not Arjuna. Because- little hings here and there. The exact nature of that curse. her tendency to trick her way out of situations rather than valiant her way through them (not that much about Karna is dishonorable, but that's a discussion for another time). Her being told that she is not the hero, and was never the hero, and that her father is trying to save her from the horrific swirls of destiny.
Although her wielding Vajra makes me VERY CONFUSED. Dammit.
c. Valmiki pretty much INVENTED Sanskrit poetry and I am fully convinced he'd ask people to speak to him in rhymes. Very good. I approve.
d. One of the vahanas was a snake and if it was Sheshta I am SAD he did not get any lines. I love him. He's a massive snake whop will endure beyond time and is powerful as hell but prefers to happily curl up under Vishnu.
6. Anyway I'm definitely in for book 2.
Couldn't get into this story or the writing even though I liked the premise. It just wasn't working for me. Too bad. I abandoned ship. Arrrr!
I got sent the sequel to Aru Shah for review and as a part of my 2019 challenge of reading all of my review books before release date, I obviously had to read it. However, I realised that I never actually got around to reading the first book when I got it for review last year (I’m a terribe blogger obviously). Therfore, I decided to binge-read both of these books and I’m so glad I did. It’s been a while since I read a Rick Riordan book but this took me back to all of those years ago when I loved the Percy Jackson series because it was just so much fun. I had even more fun in this series because it deals with Hindu mythology which I am much more aware of from my love for Bollywood movies. The characters are so much fun, especially Aru who is so reliable. I love how she is in her Spider-Man pyjamas for the whole of the quest in the first book. I loved all of the new characters in the sequel that we got introduced to and I cannot wait to get to know more about them in the following novels. I loved so much about this series and I highly recommend it for any mythology fans. I am eagerly anticipating the third book in this series already.
Aru Shah is such a great pre-adolescent (her words) protagonist. She is flawed but brave. I'd recommend her adventure to kids aged 8+, especially for fans of Percy Jackson or Ms. Marvel.
Eh. I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. The Hindu mythology was fascinating, but that was about it for me. Aru was annoying, and the author’s attempts to be funny overshadowed pretty much everything else. I don’t think most 11-year-olds are going to get references to Die Hard or Johnny Cash songs, and Boo the pigeon was the only character I really liked.
Funny and sweet! Just like Percy Jackson but with a different mythology. Well written :)