Review: Aru Shah and the End of Time

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Quartet #1)
by Roshani Chokshi

Release Date: March 27, 2018

My rating: 4 stars

SUMMARY: Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi is a middle school fantasy based on Hindu mythology. It is the first book of the proposed Pandava Quartet and the first book for the “Rick Riordan Presents” collection.

I have never read Rick Riordan (gasp!), but my younger daughter loves mythology and has devoured them all. I think she will enjoy Aru Shah as well, although we have never studied Hindu mythology.

Aru is a modern day student who has a tendency to lie (later she decides she has the gift of imagination and not a gift of lying). She is trying to survive middle school, where she often lies in order to try to fit in with the crowd. She is a bit resentful of the fact that it’s just her and her mom, they live in a museum, and her mom never has time for her because she is always flying off to do work for the museum.

One day, three classmates—wanting to catch her in a lie—dare her to light a lamp in the museum that Aru says is cursed. She figured it won’t hurt to just do a quick lighting of it., then she’d blow it out and “never ever ever lie again.” Of course, you know how these things go….something bad always happens. In this case, the “quick light” of the lamp releases a demon whose job is to wake up the Hindu god of destruction who will destroy the world. Nothing major, right?!

Aru, who learns that she is the reincarnation of one of the legendary Pandova brothers of ancient Hindu mythology, must locate the other reincarnated brothers and stop the demon from waking up the god. And, man, she’s still in her Spider-Man jammies….

MY THOUGHTS: As a Christian, I obviously do not believe in mythology or reincarnation, but this story was still a very fun read for me, even though at times it was very middle-schoolish in attitudes and actions. I learned a lot about Hindu mythology. There were several funny places, a talking pigeon, and mythological creatures galore.

I do wish I had seen that there was a glossary in the back of the book before I finished it, but that was my fault for not seeing it in the table of contents.

I would recommend it to middle-grade students who enjoy mythology.

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At my request, I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. This review reflects my honest thoughts and opinions on the book, and I received no compensation for this review.

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