4.01 AVERAGE


It was nice enough but over cliched. It was supposed to be representative but ended up having a lot of the same stereotypes that are so perpetuated in media.

And the mc was extremely dumb, often, but then again ig I am 10 yrs older than she is. I think I would’ve enjoyed this a lot more when I was in 7th grade.

But again, I am very happy about the representation and sharing of Hindu mythology that is unfortunately so lacking. I wish there were more (detailed) books like this and I wish I’d had something like this when I was younger.

This was a really interesting book. I enjoyed it, a lot. I think if you enjoy Percy Jackson, you would love this book series, too. This book is much better, in my opinion.
I have one complaint that I also had about Percy Jackson. I don't like when characters automatically know how to do things. I think we shouldn't be cheated out of seeing characters learning and growing!
However, this story is amazing. I might pick up the next one this month!

TL;DR: As a girl she learns about her family, she makes difficult decisions to fight a battle to save the world. She learns to accept and love the world no one at school can see. 

I loved all the references to Hindu mythology in bite size pieces. You aren't required to know all the stories, but they aren't shied away from either.
adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

This book was cute. Aru is a fun main character with lots of a sass and a tendency to bend the truth. Mini is a hypochondriac who happens to be Aru's soul sister. They go through different challenges to save the world. It was very funny and witty at times, but I did find myself bored pretty often. For a quest-centric story, this book wasn't very fast-paced and dragged at points.

I could not put this book down! The imagery is vivid and so captivating. The dialog hit right every time. I loved Aru, Mini, and Boo right away and only grew more and more attached as the book went on. This was the perfect blend of humor, heart, and adventure for me.

I also loved the care and attention that went into weaving Hindu mythology into this story. I only knew very, very basic concepts going in and thoroughly enjoyed the educational portions of the book, including the glossary in the back. And, thanks to Roshani Chokshi and Aru Shah, I'm super excited to delve into these myths more!

Cannot wait to start book 2.
funny 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

cth123's review

4.0
adventurous funny lighthearted

This book did a good job of focusing on how lies can get you in trouble and the importance of telling the truth. It also did a good job of discussing how not sharing the important things can be just as harmful as a lie.

The information about Hindu mythology was interesting, though at times, it felt just a tad rushed(I appreciated the glossary in the back though). The characters were likable and even though some of their personality traits seemed a little over the top, I didn’t find them annoying. My only real problem was, the book, seemed too long. The parts that I would have liked expanded were rushed, while others seemed to drag on.

I’m really interested to see, since their was some talk of the future, how or if the characters will grow as the series continues. Even though I gave this three stars I do feel it was an enjoyable read, but I did have to push through some parts. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Your father wears a cross beneath his shirt, an agimat necklace passed down from his family in the Philippines.


You dont how much this means to me; reading my culture in one of my most anticipated book.