You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
This is such a fun quartet so far! It's really neat to follow Aru and her sisters on their quests. This book gives us a more in-depth introduction to new Pandava sister, Brynne, after her sudden appearance in the first. We also get a fun new character in Aiden, who was a nice addition. The team struggles to figure out how their new partnerships work as they get to know one another. As with the first book, there's not a lot of casual get-to-know-you time, as they have to do it on the fly during their next quest! Magic and myth again permeates the story, and it's another fast-paced ride through both the real and Other worlds! A little teaser for the next book appears near the end... I'm looking forward to it.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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:
Yes
I really adore how this feels like Percy Jackson but isn't. I love learning more about Hindu mythology and just really enjoy the cast of characters. I love the pop culture references too. This was a really fun read and it was also nice to see flawed characters realizing their flaws and trying to do better or correct their wrongs. I think that is really important for a book meant for younger readers (wish we could see it in ones for older readers too!). Really excited to see where the series continues from the cliffhangers!
Not too much to say here except that this was fun ride with Aru. I think that Chokshi did a great job with the adventure story-line while still giving a fun flavor to old stories that Aru, Mimi and the newest additions have heard about. We also had a great set-up into the next book as well.
'Aru Shah and the Song of Death" has soul sisters Aru and Mimi trying to track down a thief who stole the god of Love's bow and arrow. Coming across someone that they believe stole it, Aru and Mimi come across the third Pandava,Brynne. After being summoned before the Guardians, the three Pandavas are told either they find out the name of the thief who stole the bow and arrows or they will be banished and the Pandava cycle will have to start again. Boo is also not allowed to help them so the three girls along with Aru's next door neighbor Aiden all have to go and find the bow and arrows before time runs out.
Of course the three girls have trouble ironing things out and working together and it doesn't help that Aru is a little jealous that Brynne appears to be best friends with Aiden, the boy that Aru had a crush on in the last book. Thank goodness that Chokshi doesn't do any of that love triangle nonsense in this book though. We have the three girls slowly learning to trust each other and figuring out more and more how their powers from the brothers work exactly. I thought that Chokshi did a great job with developing not only Aru but everyone else as well.
Aru still doubts herself at times and doesn't feel that confident as a Pandava (very reminiscent of Sailor Moon). Mimi is still obsessed with good hygiene and Brynne seems obsessed with food. I thought Aiden was a nice addition and am interested to see where that whole story-line with his parents is going.
The writing was very good and I laughed at all of the chapter headings. Some of the headings spoiled what was to come though, but still made me crack up. There is also a lot of pop culture references in this which made me laugh (Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, Bollywood, etc.). The flow was very good and I enjoyed getting to see more of the world of the Pandava's in this one.
The setting of the Night's Bazaar and other locations have always been my favorite part of this series and the other one that Chokshi wrote (The Star-Touched Queen). We get to see some old and new characters in this one which was good.
The ending left things nice and tidy with a hint of what the next book will be about. I loved that this book was focused on the three girls becoming friends and also family and that Aiden was just all of their friend. Please no love triangle hint or jealousy in the next book. It's refreshing to just see a boy and several girls being friends.
'Aru Shah and the Song of Death" has soul sisters Aru and Mimi trying to track down a thief who stole the god of Love's bow and arrow. Coming across someone that they believe stole it, Aru and Mimi come across the third Pandava,Brynne. After being summoned before the Guardians, the three Pandavas are told either they find out the name of the thief who stole the bow and arrows or they will be banished and the Pandava cycle will have to start again. Boo is also not allowed to help them so the three girls along with Aru's next door neighbor Aiden all have to go and find the bow and arrows before time runs out.
Of course the three girls have trouble ironing things out and working together and it doesn't help that Aru is a little jealous that Brynne appears to be best friends with Aiden, the boy that Aru had a crush on in the last book. Thank goodness that Chokshi doesn't do any of that love triangle nonsense in this book though. We have the three girls slowly learning to trust each other and figuring out more and more how their powers from the brothers work exactly. I thought that Chokshi did a great job with developing not only Aru but everyone else as well.
Aru still doubts herself at times and doesn't feel that confident as a Pandava (very reminiscent of Sailor Moon). Mimi is still obsessed with good hygiene and Brynne seems obsessed with food. I thought Aiden was a nice addition and am interested to see where that whole story-line with his parents is going.
The writing was very good and I laughed at all of the chapter headings. Some of the headings spoiled what was to come though, but still made me crack up. There is also a lot of pop culture references in this which made me laugh (Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, Bollywood, etc.). The flow was very good and I enjoyed getting to see more of the world of the Pandava's in this one.
The setting of the Night's Bazaar and other locations have always been my favorite part of this series and the other one that Chokshi wrote (The Star-Touched Queen). We get to see some old and new characters in this one which was good.
The ending left things nice and tidy with a hint of what the next book will be about. I loved that this book was focused on the three girls becoming friends and also family and that Aiden was just all of their friend. Please no love triangle hint or jealousy in the next book. It's refreshing to just see a boy and several girls being friends.
adventurous
medium-paced
Even better than the first one! I love the character development, the humor, and especially the running theme that people are more than they appear to be - or what it said about them.
Can't wait for the next one!
Can't wait for the next one!
❧ Aru Shah completed one adventure to be thrown into another almost instantly. This time, the world isn’t the only thing threatened, but Aru’s very place in the Otherworld. She, Mini, her new soul-sister Brynne, and the cute guy across the street will have to team up to find the bow-and-arrow of the god of love, both to clear their names as thieves and to save the people turned into Heartless, which are basically zombies. Along the way, though, they may discover that things aren’t quite as clean cut as the stories always led them to believe.
❧ Just on a slight bad start. I was not the biggest fan of how the first book ended. It ended almost right where this one picked up. Because of that, the last book’s ending felt a bit abrupt, and it was so connected to this start that it could have basically been the start of this book. It wasn’t too bad given I picked up the next one instantly, but given the wait for others and stuff, I just found it... an odd choice, I guess. Not a huge point against either book, but I just found it not to be for me. I understand, with a series, wanting one book to lead into the next. I think this one did it much better with its ending, personally.
❧ Otherwise, though, my love for this series just continues! Each of the new characters added with this installment were wonderful. Brynne with her tough exterior but need to be accepted really just making you wanna hug her (even if she’d punch you for it). And Aiden is an adorable grandma friend that every friend group needs. Pairs amazingly with Mini’s vibes. Both are just very real characters that are enjoyable with their own struggles and desires and stuff, and they were great additions to the cast.
❧ What continues to elevate this series for me over other books similar to it is the maturity of which it approaches subjects. There are villains in the book, and they do bad things, but... The reasons they do it, and the heart behind the villains, they make things complicated, and Aru *feels* that complication in a way that not many Middle Grade fiction would let their MCs dwell. The weight is there, and Aru struggles and wonders and questions, and it’s so good.
Things aren’t black and white. Aru faces regrets for the choices she makes, wonders at her choices, even faces consequences constantly over the ones she made in prior books. It’s so weighted and just good, and I love that the series is tackling this. History is written by the victors, and the villains’ tales in this specific book of the series really highlights that. And there’s a part at the end of the book that I love where the girls accept the wrong of how history presents the losers, don’t allow the wrongness they do in response, but also try to fix the mistakes of the victors.
I repeat: It’s just so good. And again, I just grow so excited to see how the moral struggles will continue as the books go on, because it’s clear that things aren’t, well, clear for Aru at least as the book ends. Because she’s fighting for the victors who painted these villains as monsters despite the good they’d done in life. I love it!
❧ I am gonna put this at a 4.5 that is very close to a 5 star. This would likely be close to tying with Percy Jackson if not for the fact that Percy Jackson has so much nostalgia tied in with it, and adult me just still has eye rolling moments from the more kiddish moments. I’m sorry! Adult me can appreciate just how deep and strong this novel is, but also sees the more kid moments T^T So a very strong 4.5. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get over myself and eventually move this up to a full 5 star.
❧ Just on a slight bad start. I was not the biggest fan of how the first book ended. It ended almost right where this one picked up. Because of that, the last book’s ending felt a bit abrupt, and it was so connected to this start that it could have basically been the start of this book. It wasn’t too bad given I picked up the next one instantly, but given the wait for others and stuff, I just found it... an odd choice, I guess. Not a huge point against either book, but I just found it not to be for me. I understand, with a series, wanting one book to lead into the next. I think this one did it much better with its ending, personally.
❧ Otherwise, though, my love for this series just continues! Each of the new characters added with this installment were wonderful. Brynne with her tough exterior but need to be accepted really just making you wanna hug her (even if she’d punch you for it). And Aiden is an adorable grandma friend that every friend group needs. Pairs amazingly with Mini’s vibes. Both are just very real characters that are enjoyable with their own struggles and desires and stuff, and they were great additions to the cast.
❧ What continues to elevate this series for me over other books similar to it is the maturity of which it approaches subjects. There are villains in the book, and they do bad things, but... The reasons they do it, and the heart behind the villains, they make things complicated, and Aru *feels* that complication in a way that not many Middle Grade fiction would let their MCs dwell. The weight is there, and Aru struggles and wonders and questions, and it’s so good.
Things aren’t black and white. Aru faces regrets for the choices she makes, wonders at her choices, even faces consequences constantly over the ones she made in prior books. It’s so weighted and just good, and I love that the series is tackling this. History is written by the victors, and the villains’ tales in this specific book of the series really highlights that. And there’s a part at the end of the book that I love where the girls accept the wrong of how history presents the losers, don’t allow the wrongness they do in response, but also try to fix the mistakes of the victors.
I repeat: It’s just so good. And again, I just grow so excited to see how the moral struggles will continue as the books go on, because it’s clear that things aren’t, well, clear for Aru at least as the book ends. Because she’s fighting for the victors who painted these villains as monsters despite the good they’d done in life. I love it!
❧ I am gonna put this at a 4.5 that is very close to a 5 star. This would likely be close to tying with Percy Jackson if not for the fact that Percy Jackson has so much nostalgia tied in with it, and adult me just still has eye rolling moments from the more kiddish moments. I’m sorry! Adult me can appreciate just how deep and strong this novel is, but also sees the more kid moments T^T So a very strong 4.5. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get over myself and eventually move this up to a full 5 star.
Another fun installment. Looking forward to picking up the next one!
Star Rating: 5 stars
Note: This is the 2nd book in the Pandava series so this will not be an in-depth review.
When I found out that this book was coming out, I immediately put it on the anticipated book list that I make every year so that I can put in purchase orders from my library as the release dates come up (I don’t buy new releases as I don’t buy books often and I don’t want to waste money on books I may not like so I read them from my library first and then if I enjoy them, I buy my own copies.) This book continues the story of Aru Shah, who learns in the first book that she is a reincarnated version of one of the Pandava brothers of Hindu mythology and is tasked with going on a series of adventures and may just end up saving the world.
My favorite part of this book was the themes that it plays with such as how all friendships and families are different and there is nothing wrong with that, bullying and ingrained prejudice are wrong even if one has grown up with them, and every story has multiple perspectives/viewpoints and it is important to consider everyone’s and not just take things at face value. First off, the characters in this book come from many different family backgrounds, some of which they are ashamed of, and they have to learn over the course of the book that ever family is different and that isn’t a bad thing as it leads to every individual being unique. As well as coming from a variety of different family situations, there is a character who deals with ingrained prejudice and her friends learn over the course of the novel that prejudice is still wrong even if it is ingrained. Finally, over the course of the adventure in this book, our characters learn that just because they have heard a story a certain way, it doesn’t mean that is only way the story could be told or understood. I really appreciated all the lessons that Chokshi was trying to teach children and I hope she continues to share/impart this knowledge in the rest of the series.
All in all, this was a great continuation of the Pandava, and I will eagerly be awaiting the next installment. 5 stars!!!!!!
Note: This is the 2nd book in the Pandava series so this will not be an in-depth review.
When I found out that this book was coming out, I immediately put it on the anticipated book list that I make every year so that I can put in purchase orders from my library as the release dates come up (I don’t buy new releases as I don’t buy books often and I don’t want to waste money on books I may not like so I read them from my library first and then if I enjoy them, I buy my own copies.) This book continues the story of Aru Shah, who learns in the first book that she is a reincarnated version of one of the Pandava brothers of Hindu mythology and is tasked with going on a series of adventures and may just end up saving the world.
My favorite part of this book was the themes that it plays with such as how all friendships and families are different and there is nothing wrong with that, bullying and ingrained prejudice are wrong even if one has grown up with them, and every story has multiple perspectives/viewpoints and it is important to consider everyone’s and not just take things at face value. First off, the characters in this book come from many different family backgrounds, some of which they are ashamed of, and they have to learn over the course of the book that ever family is different and that isn’t a bad thing as it leads to every individual being unique. As well as coming from a variety of different family situations, there is a character who deals with ingrained prejudice and her friends learn over the course of the novel that prejudice is still wrong even if it is ingrained. Finally, over the course of the adventure in this book, our characters learn that just because they have heard a story a certain way, it doesn’t mean that is only way the story could be told or understood. I really appreciated all the lessons that Chokshi was trying to teach children and I hope she continues to share/impart this knowledge in the rest of the series.
All in all, this was a great continuation of the Pandava, and I will eagerly be awaiting the next installment. 5 stars!!!!!!