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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Star Rating: 4.5 stars
When I heard about Rick Riordan’s imprint with Disney Hyperion, Rick Riordan Presents, that publishes highly entertaining books by authors from unrepresented backgrounds, to allow them to tell their own stories inspired by the mythology, folklore, and culture of their heritage, I got very excited and added all three of the ones he has currently announced to my Most Anticipated Releases list. The 1st one that was coming out was Aru Shah and the end of Time by Roshani Chokshi, and I had my library pre-order it and I started reading it as soon as I got it. It tells the story of Aru Shah, a 12 year old Indian girl, who lives at the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture with her mother, an archaeologist. Aru goes to an exclusive private middle school, and in order to fit in with her rich and snotty classmates, she makes up fantastical stories using her mother’s archaeological adventures and the Hindu stories and myths she has been taught. However, one day, some of her classmates decided to come to the museum to catch her in a lie and dared her to light a lamp that is supposedly cursed. Desperate to save face at school, Aru lights the lamp and accidently unleashes an ancient demon called the Sleeper. This simple act sets off a chain reaction, reveals that the myths that she has been learning may not be just myths, and leads to Aru going on an adventure that is even better than any story she ever could have concocted.
The best thing about this book is the character of Aru Shah as I have never related more to a book character than I did to her. In my normal day-to-day life, I am riddled with anxiety so bad that most days I find it hard to leave my room, and when I was going to school (I have since stopped attending college because of my anxiety), I used to make up stories to make my life more interesting too because I was afraid that people would think I was weird because I never hung out with anyone or went anywhere. I also related to Aru because of the fact she is interested in things that girls her age aren’t and could care less about the things that they are. For instance, when I was Aru’s age, all the girls were wearing makeup and talking about boys, but I was more interested in books, video games, history, and science. Aru is like me and because of this; she doesn’t have many friends and is a social outcast. Finally, throughout the entire story, Aru is constantly sticking her foot in her mouth and saying or doing the wrong things. This leads to a lot of misunderstandings and embarrassment. I also do this all the time! I have never related to a character more than I do Aru Shah, and it is the main reason why I enjoyed this book so much.
Another thing that I loved about this book is the fact that she perfectly pegs the polite and naïve discrimination of the South. This is probably because Chokshi is originally from the South and has experienced this discrimination first hand. There is a point in the book where Aru Shah says that people will come to the museum and tell her and her mother that they are worshipping the Devil because of the fact that they are Hindi. Although, I haven’t experienced this prejudice myself, I am aware of that fact that it exists as I have watched people in my family exhibit this behavior. For instance, when I was in college, we had to read excerpts from the Quran, Buddhist texts, and the Ramayana in World Literature class. Some of relatives were appalled that I was reading these and really considered that just reading them was going to change some integral part of me. I couldn’t believe how close-minded these people were as the reading of this texts lead to me realizing that the different religions weren’t as different or foreign as I thought. It helped me understand others different than me, but my relatives acted like by reading them, I was going to be struck by lightning or something. I live in a very close-minded family who are one of the worst at this polite discrimination that Chokshi is talking about. I am glad that she is calling people out on this, and I hope people read this book and realize that they are exhibiting this behavior or someone they know is and work to correct it.
All in all, this was a great opening to a series that plans to be just as entertaining and educational as her fellow Riordan’s books are. However, she is different in one important regard-her main character are girls. I can’t wait for book 2. 5 stars!
When I heard about Rick Riordan’s imprint with Disney Hyperion, Rick Riordan Presents, that publishes highly entertaining books by authors from unrepresented backgrounds, to allow them to tell their own stories inspired by the mythology, folklore, and culture of their heritage, I got very excited and added all three of the ones he has currently announced to my Most Anticipated Releases list. The 1st one that was coming out was Aru Shah and the end of Time by Roshani Chokshi, and I had my library pre-order it and I started reading it as soon as I got it. It tells the story of Aru Shah, a 12 year old Indian girl, who lives at the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture with her mother, an archaeologist. Aru goes to an exclusive private middle school, and in order to fit in with her rich and snotty classmates, she makes up fantastical stories using her mother’s archaeological adventures and the Hindu stories and myths she has been taught. However, one day, some of her classmates decided to come to the museum to catch her in a lie and dared her to light a lamp that is supposedly cursed. Desperate to save face at school, Aru lights the lamp and accidently unleashes an ancient demon called the Sleeper. This simple act sets off a chain reaction, reveals that the myths that she has been learning may not be just myths, and leads to Aru going on an adventure that is even better than any story she ever could have concocted.
The best thing about this book is the character of Aru Shah as I have never related more to a book character than I did to her. In my normal day-to-day life, I am riddled with anxiety so bad that most days I find it hard to leave my room, and when I was going to school (I have since stopped attending college because of my anxiety), I used to make up stories to make my life more interesting too because I was afraid that people would think I was weird because I never hung out with anyone or went anywhere. I also related to Aru because of the fact she is interested in things that girls her age aren’t and could care less about the things that they are. For instance, when I was Aru’s age, all the girls were wearing makeup and talking about boys, but I was more interested in books, video games, history, and science. Aru is like me and because of this; she doesn’t have many friends and is a social outcast. Finally, throughout the entire story, Aru is constantly sticking her foot in her mouth and saying or doing the wrong things. This leads to a lot of misunderstandings and embarrassment. I also do this all the time! I have never related to a character more than I do Aru Shah, and it is the main reason why I enjoyed this book so much.
Another thing that I loved about this book is the fact that she perfectly pegs the polite and naïve discrimination of the South. This is probably because Chokshi is originally from the South and has experienced this discrimination first hand. There is a point in the book where Aru Shah says that people will come to the museum and tell her and her mother that they are worshipping the Devil because of the fact that they are Hindi. Although, I haven’t experienced this prejudice myself, I am aware of that fact that it exists as I have watched people in my family exhibit this behavior. For instance, when I was in college, we had to read excerpts from the Quran, Buddhist texts, and the Ramayana in World Literature class. Some of relatives were appalled that I was reading these and really considered that just reading them was going to change some integral part of me. I couldn’t believe how close-minded these people were as the reading of this texts lead to me realizing that the different religions weren’t as different or foreign as I thought. It helped me understand others different than me, but my relatives acted like by reading them, I was going to be struck by lightning or something. I live in a very close-minded family who are one of the worst at this polite discrimination that Chokshi is talking about. I am glad that she is calling people out on this, and I hope people read this book and realize that they are exhibiting this behavior or someone they know is and work to correct it.
All in all, this was a great opening to a series that plans to be just as entertaining and educational as her fellow Riordan’s books are. However, she is different in one important regard-her main character are girls. I can’t wait for book 2. 5 stars!
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
All I can say is, wow! Her writing is descriptive, fun and thought provoking. Parts of it reminded me of the Riordan books, but it was also totally unique. I don't know if I've described a novel as beautiful but it definitely gets it.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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:
N/A
This was a fun adventure to follow. I listened to this one. It kept me company while weeding and gardening. Who doesn't like a fantasy story with magical powers and a quest? I enjoyed book 1. I will continue on the adventures in between my book club books.
Fun read... Right for refreshing me
Indian folklore's interpretation is rather interesting especially Shukra's. One other thing liked was how the story wasn't entirely occupied by the quest and had enough breathing space inbetween.
Indian folklore's interpretation is rather interesting especially Shukra's. One other thing liked was how the story wasn't entirely occupied by the quest and had enough breathing space inbetween.
I enjoyed this story and am looking forward to getting more books in this series, as well as more books in the "Rick Riordan Presents" series of books. I'm positive my nephews and/or niece will also enjoy this book, along with anything that comes from the RRP series of stories. I can't wait to get the rest of this series. So fun!
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No