Aru Shah and the End of Time (a Pandava Novel, Book 1)

I was blown away by how well this book was crafted. Starting from the characters, I think Aru was a breath of fresh air because mostly in MG books the protagonists are the goody two-shoes kind, especially girls. I liked how Aru’s habit of lying was used throughout the story and how she realised how to use her quick wit and imagination as a weapon. I also adored Aru’s companion and sister-in-arms, Mini, and wish I had a little sister just like her! She was also biracial, which came up during the story and was not just a token representation, which was another aspect I loved. I enjoyed the side characters as well, especially that of the bird, who added much needed comic relief as well as intrigue. The plot followed a formula similar to Rick’s books and as a huge fan of that, I was sucked in from the beginning.The unique element in this book, however, is how seamlessly it incorporated Hindu mythology into the narrative. As a practising Hindu, who grew up with these stories and view some of the characters as divine entities, I never felt a dissonance between my beliefs and how they were portrayed in this book. I thought that Roshani did a fantastic job of adapting them into a modern narrative while still preserving their essence and doing justice to the source material. She used her imagination to superb effect in reimagining scenes, places and characters from the Mahabharata. She also described some core beliefs of Hinduism such as karma and rebirth in a simple way that is accessible to children. It was the perfect mix of fun, adventure and learnings with amazing characters and a well-paced plot. I honestly cannot wait for the other books in the series to come out and wrap me up in their magic!

Outstanding book.Excellent for girls who don’t read Percy Jackson but would like to.The characters are from Indian mythology , narration and creativity is superb.

It’s worth a read. Or maybe many reads

Book quality is not so great , it's not worth the cost

Rick Riordan fan? Wait till you read this! Who knew Hindu Mythology could be this interesting? Won't say more. It is A MUST read!!!

Good

This was my choice for book number 2 of the @believathon and it was so good! I hadn't gone into this knowing much about Indian mythology but I am so intrigued and wanting to know more, an absolutely fantastic story. I love how 'real' the characters are in that there is no shame in saving the world in spiderman pyjamas. (I would completely do that too) The story moves fluidly from one point to another and it just constantly has you turning the pages to want/need to know what's next, such a lovely, wonderful story filled with friendship, challenges and mythology. Fun for all ages not just children.

I bought this book for my son for his class though he wasn't looking forward to reading it (he prefers graphic novels). Well I'm happy to say that he enjoyed reading this book from start to finish! Every time he went to read it, he read me various passages that had me laughing out loud. I wasn't sure how my kid would take to reading a fantasy/adventure with a young girl heroine but he loves Aru and Mini! Also, I love how the author explained various aspects of Indian Mythology in language my 10 year old could understand.

4.5/5 ⭐I LOVED THIS!This book was everything I wanted! It has vibes from Sailor Moon, which I've always been obsessed with.It was the middle grade I needed. It made me laugh a lot with all those pop culture references. Roshani Chokshi has a beautiful writing style, she's excellent at describing places, she makes you dream about India.I loved the characters as well, Boo was such a fun pigeon and Mini was hilarious, Aru has become a knew fav, she's strong and ironic.Hindu mythology is so interesting!I CAN'T WAIT for the sequel! I want to read it now!

Necesitábamos más historias escritas por mujeres. Más historias con protagonistas como Aru. Perfecto para todo aquel que disfrutando de las historias de Rick quiere fiarse de su criterio y del inigualable talento de su escritora.

Kids love the author