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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Percy Jackson meets Night in the Museum meets Alcatraz Vs the Evil Librarians
A great entry into the genre with two Indian girls as protagonists, and an Indian mythology theme. Definitely neat to have a different perspective for the characters and the worlds they inhabit. I look forward to reading the other books in the series.
I really enjoyed this! The writing is awesome, the characters are super lovable, and the culture representation is fantastic. However, it’s a little TOO close to the “Percy Jackson plot”, and a few scenes were almost identical, which was a little annoying. Still, it was very fun, and I would definitely recommend it to any middle grade readers.
Wow. This was weirdly boring, considering there was constant action. I had a really difficult time keeping track of all of the Hindu gods/goddesses, demons, etc. and I sadly realized that there was a glossary after I read the last page. I would not have been able to finish this book had it not been for the audiobook version. The book should have ended three or four chapters sooner - it felt like a brand new book started after their final run in with the Sleeper (or like it was a really long extended epilogue).
I did appreciate the fact that the main characters were heroines, but the dialogue made them seem petty and childish (yes, I know they're children
I did appreciate the fact that the main characters were heroines, but the dialogue made them seem petty and childish (yes, I know they're children
It took me forever to get through this book because for about the first half of it, it was so close to being like Percy Jackson but not as good that I kept wishing I was just reading Percy Jackson instead. Eventually though, I did get into the story and even started enjoying it by the end.
I haven't read an MG book in a while, and it was so nice to come back to MG with a book featuring desis front and center. I'm neither Indian nor Hindu, but I am a desi South Asian, and I know that little brown me would've loved reading this in middle school.
Whereas most people flock to HARRY POTTER as their favorite MG series, I always stuck to PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS, and having reread those books countless times, I can say that ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME is no doubt a Rick Riordan Presents book. Aru is a funny, unreliable protagonist who goes off on a quest in a mythological world and creates more problems than she does fix them. I loved that she had the naivety and problems relevant to middle schoolers. As someone who teaches a handful of middle schoolers, I could see exactly how and why she did everything she did.
It was really nice to be taken back to a nice part in life for me. Aru and Mini's first fight took me back to Percy, Annabeth, and Grover's first fight with Medusa. Difficult for a new book to take me back to old times like that, so I really appreciated reading this book. It was the mental break I needed.
Honestly, I think what I loved the most was the twist with the Sleeper in his relation to Aru. I sort of saw it coming, but I absolutely adored how it drove Aru and completely changed the game for her. I loved how it gave her a renewed sense of agency, and I hope the vision she saw does end up coming true. She's definitely different than everyone else, and it'll be something huge if that vision comes true. I'm going to continue reading solely for this twist.
I will say that there were some shortcomings. I would've preferred this to be in first person, because Aru's personality definitely calls for something dynamic like that. However, I do understand it's difficult to write first person at times, so it's a pass. At the same time, I didn't feel quite attached to any of the characters. My favorite characters are actually Boo (because he's a moody, whiny pigeon) and the Sleeper. I was more invested in Aru after the twist with the Sleeper and Mini was interesting, but none of the mythological characters (monsters, deities, demons) interested me. I'm not one to say characters have to be likable, but I couldn't see anything remarkably interesting any of them. I am hoping this is improved in the sequel, given that we haven't even met Aru and Mini's dads yet, but I was a bit let down that the mythological beings weren't interesting.
The random desi references and the Sleeper are definitely enough to keep me going, though. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. It's nice to see diverse MG being released on larger platforms like this, and I'm really hoping this book gets just as much attention as PJO, because this is the kind of book little desi kids deserve to read. 3.5 stars.
Whereas most people flock to HARRY POTTER as their favorite MG series, I always stuck to PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS, and having reread those books countless times, I can say that ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME is no doubt a Rick Riordan Presents book. Aru is a funny, unreliable protagonist who goes off on a quest in a mythological world and creates more problems than she does fix them. I loved that she had the naivety and problems relevant to middle schoolers. As someone who teaches a handful of middle schoolers, I could see exactly how and why she did everything she did.
It was really nice to be taken back to a nice part in life for me. Aru and Mini's first fight took me back to Percy, Annabeth, and Grover's first fight with Medusa. Difficult for a new book to take me back to old times like that, so I really appreciated reading this book. It was the mental break I needed.
Honestly, I think what I loved the most was the twist with the Sleeper in his relation to Aru. I sort of saw it coming, but I absolutely adored how it drove Aru and completely changed the game for her. I loved how it gave her a renewed sense of agency, and I hope the vision she saw does end up coming true. She's definitely different than everyone else, and it'll be something huge if that vision comes true. I'm going to continue reading solely for this twist.
I will say that there were some shortcomings. I would've preferred this to be in first person, because Aru's personality definitely calls for something dynamic like that. However, I do understand it's difficult to write first person at times, so it's a pass. At the same time, I didn't feel quite attached to any of the characters. My favorite characters are actually Boo (because he's a moody, whiny pigeon) and the Sleeper. I was more invested in Aru after the twist with the Sleeper and Mini was interesting, but none of the mythological characters (monsters, deities, demons) interested me. I'm not one to say characters have to be likable, but I couldn't see anything remarkably interesting any of them. I am hoping this is improved in the sequel, given that we haven't even met Aru and Mini's dads yet, but I was a bit let down that the mythological beings weren't interesting.
The random desi references and the Sleeper are definitely enough to keep me going, though. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. It's nice to see diverse MG being released on larger platforms like this, and I'm really hoping this book gets just as much attention as PJO, because this is the kind of book little desi kids deserve to read. 3.5 stars.
I laughed so hard while reading this book and now I'll go cry because I have to wait so long for the next one to be out.
I pre-read this before I give it to my niece, who just the turned 8. I was burned by the Ranger’s Apprentice series (It has the *hero* selling someone into slavery) which I gave to my nephew before I found out that wonderful bit of trivia that no one seems bothered by (It has like 5000 reviews, most of which are 5 stars, and i only found 1 review that mentions it). But I won’t turn this into a complete rant against RA.
This book was so FUN!!! I will probably wait. A bit to give it to my niece. Not for mature content reasons, but because I think she’ll appreciate some of the humor more. And there’s good amount of humor. It’s middle grade humor, but there’s stuff in there that adults would appreciate.
I’m extremely grateful (and a bit humbled) that this is Rick Riorden chose to use his very wide platform to support not only authors of diverse backgrounds, but stories that expose readers to mythologies and tales that he doesn’t have the background knowledge to tell.
Even as an adult, I, as a White woman, appreciate these “101’s” of non Greek/Roman mythologies. This series is also a wonderful starting point to find non-white authors of adult fantasy, as many of the authors have written for adults.
This book was so FUN!!! I will probably wait. A bit to give it to my niece. Not for mature content reasons, but because I think she’ll appreciate some of the humor more. And there’s good amount of humor. It’s middle grade humor, but there’s stuff in there that adults would appreciate.
I’m extremely grateful (and a bit humbled) that this is Rick Riorden chose to use his very wide platform to support not only authors of diverse backgrounds, but stories that expose readers to mythologies and tales that he doesn’t have the background knowledge to tell.
Even as an adult, I, as a White woman, appreciate these “101’s” of non Greek/Roman mythologies. This series is also a wonderful starting point to find non-white authors of adult fantasy, as many of the authors have written for adults.
I liked this story, it was a cool world and I liked the culture. The characters came across as young, but they were young. It was fun.
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes