Aru Shah Series

5/5 ★

I give this book a 5-star review. It is a sequel to the engrossing Aru Shah and the End of Time, which hooks you in from the beginning. We see young Aru taking on a challenge by growing as a person and going on another quest to prove her innocence. After all, she has to work with other, slightly unbearable, people and accept that she can’t always be a one-woman show. I love this book because as the content and characters evolve, the writing stays the same, hilarious way it was before. This book will always have a place on my bookshelf😉.

Recommendation

I would 100% recommend this book if you are a younger reader just getting into reading. It's fast paced and the plot is never lacking. Even though this series revolves around Indian mythology, it is casually infused in the story, not heavily brought up, as the main character barely knows about mythology. Furthermore, this book has a realistic but informal perspective on the world. The main character has to carry the guilt of letting the villain go, work harder to prove that she won't end up like her father, and suppress the feeling of jealousy for her ‘not crush’ whom she has to go on a quest with.

Aru Shah & the Song of Death

4/5★

I would recommend this book if you could not put down the second one. Because Roshani Chokshi made this installment riskier and wittier than before. This book is the most action-packed of the series, as thrilling as a rollercoaster. In addition to new characters, we gain insight into the old ones. Chokshi implies that you can trust no one . . . But that isn’t to say that this book only taught me about trust issues. It also taught me, like Krishna taught Arjuna all those eons ago, that you should fight on the right side, wherever your family may be. It is a tough decision, but a worthwhile and impactful one. Aru knows this firsthand after learning how her father came to be the Sleeper. Instead of rage, she feels pity, and replacing relief, is disbelief. But all I feel is wonder and curiosity.

Recommendation:

I will recommend this book wherever I go because it’s excellent for all types of people. It is fantastical and dystopian, mythical for historical people, and entertaining in general. The stakes and emotions are higher as the war between the Devas and the Sleeper is getting nearer. Aru is haunted by the prophecy of an untrue sister, who she undoubtedly believes is herself. Along her journey through this book, she becomes skeptical about those she loves, and may even lose sight of what she is going questing for. Hopefully, she does the right thing . . . whatever that is.

Aru Shah & the Tree of Wishes

5/5★

I know I say this a lot, but this is a 5/5. This is a great book. Honestly, I know it's a bit bland, but I can't make my opinion any juicier without spoiling anything! So I'll try to be vague. We get introduced to a new character, which we are all skeptical about. Especially Aru. For the Potatoes, oncoming war between the devas and asuras is the only thing on their mind. Except for the fact that they get a quest to do in 3 days, Aru's mom is missing, her 'dad' is trying to trample the gods, her 'sister'(whoops) shoves her way into the adventure, and they have to save the almighty, powerful, unrestrainable gods who get restrained. *Sigh* But I can say that friendships are made, trust is broken, and . . . one other feeling is formed. Read this book. That is all.

Recommendation

I 100% recommend this book to those of you who love fantasy/dystopian books and young adult fiction. This is right under the belt of young adult, since it's protagonists are around 14. This book is somehow similar & different from the others in the franchise. It holds the same style of humor, but inserts an air of uncertainty and wavering throughout. No one knows what they are doing, and so they are all on edge. The affects of this are more impactful than you think. But on the optimistic side, at least for my Aruden fans out there, we get some heartfelt content. Oh! Aru finally figures out the prophecy at the end. I recommend reading the book to find out how it ends up!

Aru Shah & the City of Gold

5/5★

This book deserves 5 stars because it closes the story sentimentally but logically. I wouldn't have the ending any other way, and while I reminisce about some of the characters lost along the way, everything had to be done for a reason. Also, not sure if I mentioned this before but this book (series) was especially inspiring because not a lot of novels highlight Indian protagonists. Unlike this book, which delves into Indian mythology and old legends that we all remember being told as kids. Along the rollercoaster of a plot, we fell in love with imperfect characters and their realistic tendencies. I also want to point out that Roshani Chokshi's humour throughout this book resembles Rick Riordan's writing style in such an enlightening way.

Recommendation

If you couldn't tell by now, I would definitely recommend this series. It's perfect for first time readers or even long time readers who are looking for something new and exciting to bring them out of their reading slump. This book specifically ends the series perfectly, and so I'm proud to recommend it to you!

Aru Shah & the Nectar of Immortality