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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
The first book in a planned quartet by Roshani Chokshi. I thought this was wonderful and could see this being a life long favorite with children just like His Dark Materials and Harry Potter. Aru Shah is a heroine for the ages and I was so reluctant to put this book down. Not going to lie, there were a few rough spots here and there with flow and a few times I may have went, well this just seems like an obstacle to keep the story going. I loved the mythology, the characters, and the setting. Any book that returns to the Night Bazaar is always going to be an instant win for me.
"Aru Shah and the End of Time" is about 12 year old Aru Shah. She and her mother live in a museum (I know, I may have squealed with delight) called the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture in Atlanta, Georgia (I maybe squealed again). Aru feels a bit lost. Her mother is always gone looking for antiquities, she is at a new school where she feels like she doesn't fit in, and she lies (and feels bad about it). One of her lies catches up to her and three of her classmates arrive at the museum to confront her. Feeling pressured, Aru does something she has been told to never do, she lights the Lamp of Bharata which causes her world to turn upside down. Soon Aru finds out she is one of a reincarnation of brothers (soul, not biological) who are children of the gods. Aru is to seek out her fellow family and see about going against someone called "The Sleeper" before he wakes Lord Shiva and the world ends.
Aru made me laugh. However, will admit that at times I got frustrated with her. Her trying to make excuses for her lies didn't really sit well with me. Chokshi has her face some repercussions for that, but still. She also does something I thought was a necessary cruelty that sounds like it's going to come back at her later in her life. I honestly don't know what choice I would have made.
Not going to lie though, my favorite in this story had to be her fellow soul sister Mina. Mina is me all over. The two of them going off on a quest to save their families and the world was great. I also maybe laughed at the dismay everyone had that girls were doing the saving of the world thing and not boys.
Aru due to being kept in the dark about her past is going purely on instinct. Mina is going based on the fact that her family has known about the pandavas. I also loved that Mina is Filipino and Indian. Her talking about her family and grandmothers was pretty cute.
We have other characters we meet (gods, their chariots, The Sleeper, the Seasons, and the two sisters teacher/mentor/flying pigeon called Boo).
I do have to say that it was kind of a cop out for Chokshi to show us parts of Aru's mother's history but not have them discuss it.
The writing was so good. I became familiar with some of the figures mentioned in this book because I have read and devoured "The Star-Touched Queen" "A Crown of Wishes" and "Star-Touched Stories."
The flow wasn't that great though after the initial start, I think the chapter endings needed to be tighter IMO. It did feel after a while though a little bit to me that Chokshi threw too much in this first book. It just read as overly long in places. Plus a few times Aru and Mina would be upset with each other and it felt like it was just done away with too fast. I get it's the first book though so I let that go.
This book is the same setting as the "Star-Touched Queen" series. We hear about the Night's Bazaar (and get to see it again too!) but we get a new adventure that we realize is going to be dealing with these mythical brothers (now girls it seems) who are going to be reunited. We also get an inkling that something dark may be coming for Aru.
The ending set things up nicely for the next book in the series, very interested to see where that book goes next.
"Aru Shah and the End of Time" is about 12 year old Aru Shah. She and her mother live in a museum (I know, I may have squealed with delight) called the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture in Atlanta, Georgia (I maybe squealed again). Aru feels a bit lost. Her mother is always gone looking for antiquities, she is at a new school where she feels like she doesn't fit in, and she lies (and feels bad about it). One of her lies catches up to her and three of her classmates arrive at the museum to confront her. Feeling pressured, Aru does something she has been told to never do, she lights the Lamp of Bharata which causes her world to turn upside down. Soon Aru finds out she is one of a reincarnation of brothers (soul, not biological) who are children of the gods. Aru is to seek out her fellow family and see about going against someone called "The Sleeper" before he wakes Lord Shiva and the world ends.
Aru made me laugh. However, will admit that at times I got frustrated with her. Her trying to make excuses for her lies didn't really sit well with me. Chokshi has her face some repercussions for that, but still. She also does something I thought was a necessary cruelty that sounds like it's going to come back at her later in her life. I honestly don't know what choice I would have made.
Not going to lie though, my favorite in this story had to be her fellow soul sister Mina. Mina is me all over. The two of them going off on a quest to save their families and the world was great. I also maybe laughed at the dismay everyone had that girls were doing the saving of the world thing and not boys.
Aru due to being kept in the dark about her past is going purely on instinct. Mina is going based on the fact that her family has known about the pandavas. I also loved that Mina is Filipino and Indian. Her talking about her family and grandmothers was pretty cute.
We have other characters we meet (gods, their chariots, The Sleeper, the Seasons, and the two sisters teacher/mentor/flying pigeon called Boo).
I do have to say that it was kind of a cop out for Chokshi to show us parts of Aru's mother's history but not have them discuss it.
The writing was so good. I became familiar with some of the figures mentioned in this book because I have read and devoured "The Star-Touched Queen" "A Crown of Wishes" and "Star-Touched Stories."
The flow wasn't that great though after the initial start, I think the chapter endings needed to be tighter IMO. It did feel after a while though a little bit to me that Chokshi threw too much in this first book. It just read as overly long in places. Plus a few times Aru and Mina would be upset with each other and it felt like it was just done away with too fast. I get it's the first book though so I let that go.
This book is the same setting as the "Star-Touched Queen" series. We hear about the Night's Bazaar (and get to see it again too!) but we get a new adventure that we realize is going to be dealing with these mythical brothers (now girls it seems) who are going to be reunited. We also get an inkling that something dark may be coming for Aru.
The ending set things up nicely for the next book in the series, very interested to see where that book goes next.
I love the use of Indian Mythology, and the protagonist is very funny. There were a couple of inconsistencies, and I'm not sure why the character on the cover has long hair when the main character clearly doesn't, but overall it was a fun read.
I liked it but I feel like they cut a lot out to convert it to a graphic novel; it jumped around and was confusing at times.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
❧ Aru Shah tells many lies. Most are just small ones to fit in at her rich school. Whereas all her classmates are off on expensive vacations and thriving in ginormous mansions, she lives at the the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture. Sure, her mother goes off to find rare artifacts, but without Aru. And really, all of this is just a lot of bologna. Right? So when three classmates show up, catching Aru in one of her lies, she is sure nothing will happen when she lights a ‘cursed’ lamp to prove to them its cursed. Except something does happen: she releases a great evil into the world, freezing her classmates and her mother. Now she will have to face one of the greatest evils of the Hindu stories, and in doing so, find out there’s more to herself than she ever knew.
❧ Aru Shah is less Hindu Percy Jackson and more Hindu Kane Chronicles, but everyone knows PJ better, so sure. It’s Hindu Percy Jackson. Point being that Riordan really started a wave of something, helped along by the fact that he opened up the Riordan Presents stuff, which the Pandava series is in. I believe if you liked Percy Jackson, you’d also enjoy the Pandava series. It has the same snarky humor, same fun depiction of ‘mythology’ (quotation marks since this one is a still living religion), and same enjoyable characters.
❧ One small advantage I will give Pandava over PJO is that this series almost trusts the audience to be able to handle more. It tackles subjects a bit more seriously even with its humor, something another Riordan Presents series enjoyed did (Paolo Santiago). Like the subjects of destiny, Aru’s relationship with her mother, why Aru’s mother does what she does, the history with Boo, Mini’s insecurities, Aru and her lying. Pandava was definitely still very quirky in the way a lot of these children mythology in present day books are, but it had a serious undertone to it that I really enjoyed and makes me excited for more in the series. I’m extremely excited to see how it handles the villain and Aru’s interactions with him.
It was also nice getting to learn more about a religion I knew very little about, especially since there’s so many practitioners still in the world. I knew it was greatly kiddified and stuff, but I still felt happy being able to know that maybe I’d be able to understand another part of the world as well as my friends better. Whereas Percy Jackson, Kane Chronicles, and Magnus Chase are good fun and learning the mythologies that shape the present, this was both learning the stories and the current cultures with it being a current religion in a way those tales just couldn’t accomplish, and I really appreciated that, and although I have no right to say, I can imagine that will help and touch kids of today in a way the other stories couldn’t.
❧ Aru, Mini, and Boo were all amazing characters. I really liked the “liar” angle taken with Aru and how it was tied in with imagination. Mini deserved all the elbow-bumps (I want to give her huggles, but, you know, germs) for being brave despite her many fears, and Boo... Definitely high up there in animal companions. I know nothing about Hindu stories, but I like what Chokshi did with this one.
All other side characters were strong to solid. Even the more quirky ones (like a rhyming hipster) were fun and avoided being too annoying. So far, this story has avoided going too far with the gods and mythical figures acting ridiculous. I’ll have to watch to see if it continues with that streak.
❧ Overall, I really enjoyed the story. Lots of hilarious moments. Inventive ways to get around issues. Modernized incorporation of well-known myths and stories. I would definitely recommend to anyone who loved Percy Jackson or anything by Riordan. Main reason it’s not a 5 star is because I’m now an adult, and without the nostalgia factor, I don’t think I’ll ever full-out adore most middle grade books because of the goofier/cartoonish humor moments. Is it good fun? Yes. Do I roll my eyes still? Yes. Do I think it’s bad though because of it though? No, but also not among my favorites. Still, four star for me is pretty awesome!
❧ Aru Shah is less Hindu Percy Jackson and more Hindu Kane Chronicles, but everyone knows PJ better, so sure. It’s Hindu Percy Jackson. Point being that Riordan really started a wave of something, helped along by the fact that he opened up the Riordan Presents stuff, which the Pandava series is in. I believe if you liked Percy Jackson, you’d also enjoy the Pandava series. It has the same snarky humor, same fun depiction of ‘mythology’ (quotation marks since this one is a still living religion), and same enjoyable characters.
❧ One small advantage I will give Pandava over PJO is that this series almost trusts the audience to be able to handle more. It tackles subjects a bit more seriously even with its humor, something another Riordan Presents series enjoyed did (Paolo Santiago). Like the subjects of destiny, Aru’s relationship with her mother, why Aru’s mother does what she does, the history with Boo, Mini’s insecurities, Aru and her lying. Pandava was definitely still very quirky in the way a lot of these children mythology in present day books are, but it had a serious undertone to it that I really enjoyed and makes me excited for more in the series. I’m extremely excited to see how it handles the villain and Aru’s interactions with him.
It was also nice getting to learn more about a religion I knew very little about, especially since there’s so many practitioners still in the world. I knew it was greatly kiddified and stuff, but I still felt happy being able to know that maybe I’d be able to understand another part of the world as well as my friends better. Whereas Percy Jackson, Kane Chronicles, and Magnus Chase are good fun and learning the mythologies that shape the present, this was both learning the stories and the current cultures with it being a current religion in a way those tales just couldn’t accomplish, and I really appreciated that, and although I have no right to say, I can imagine that will help and touch kids of today in a way the other stories couldn’t.
❧ Aru, Mini, and Boo were all amazing characters. I really liked the “liar” angle taken with Aru and how it was tied in with imagination. Mini deserved all the elbow-bumps (I want to give her huggles, but, you know, germs) for being brave despite her many fears, and Boo... Definitely high up there in animal companions. I know nothing about Hindu stories, but I like what Chokshi did with this one.
All other side characters were strong to solid. Even the more quirky ones (like a rhyming hipster) were fun and avoided being too annoying. So far, this story has avoided going too far with the gods and mythical figures acting ridiculous. I’ll have to watch to see if it continues with that streak.
❧ Overall, I really enjoyed the story. Lots of hilarious moments. Inventive ways to get around issues. Modernized incorporation of well-known myths and stories. I would definitely recommend to anyone who loved Percy Jackson or anything by Riordan. Main reason it’s not a 5 star is because I’m now an adult, and without the nostalgia factor, I don’t think I’ll ever full-out adore most middle grade books because of the goofier/cartoonish humor moments. Is it good fun? Yes. Do I roll my eyes still? Yes. Do I think it’s bad though because of it though? No, but also not among my favorites. Still, four star for me is pretty awesome!
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thoughts:
Can a few children save the world, a world that doesn't know it needs saving while learning about their past lives and meeting the Gods and Goddesses that control the world? Of course, they can. This book type of children's quests with gods and monsters is not a new trope. Everyone has heard about Percy Jackson. However, adding in the Hindu myth, stories, and gods/goddesses was the hook that drew me in.
Aru Shah is like any other young girl. She tries to fit in at school, she tries to make friends, and she wants her mother's attention. However, Aru is about to undergo a dramatic life change. She starts off the book with a lie (we find out that Aru is a HUGE fibber, she's always fudging the truth to make friends and to up her credentials at school). She ends up awakening the sleeper!
After awakening, the sleeper freezes the entire world and threatens to end it all. Aru ends up finding a divine sibling (and more are on the way). Mini is so adorable and so different from Aru. The girls can postpone the end but more is to come.
Can a few children save the world, a world that doesn't know it needs saving while learning about their past lives and meeting the Gods and Goddesses that control the world? Of course, they can. This book type of children's quests with gods and monsters is not a new trope. Everyone has heard about Percy Jackson. However, adding in the Hindu myth, stories, and gods/goddesses was the hook that drew me in.
Aru Shah is like any other young girl. She tries to fit in at school, she tries to make friends, and she wants her mother's attention. However, Aru is about to undergo a dramatic life change. She starts off the book with a lie (we find out that Aru is a HUGE fibber, she's always fudging the truth to make friends and to up her credentials at school). She ends up awakening the sleeper!
After awakening, the sleeper freezes the entire world and threatens to end it all. Aru ends up finding a divine sibling (and more are on the way). Mini is so adorable and so different from Aru. The girls can postpone the end but more is to come.