Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality (2022)

 

*Premise spoilers, which spoil the end of The City of Gold.*

Ending a series is notoriously tough, but in the case of the Pandava quintet, I think Roshani Chokshi nailed it. This book has action, humor, romance, and emotion, and the story is fully propelled by the characters. The Pandavas and their allies are on both a mission and a personal journey, and it all comes together in a thrilling climax.

At the end of The City of Gold, the Sleeper revealed some important secrets about Kara. Amid her feelings of hurt and betrayal, she in turn betrayed Aru and the others. She felt misgivings almost immediately, but the damage had been done. Now, she’s guiding the Sleeper and his army through a labyrinth to find the nectar of immortality, the crux of the whole Otherworldly war. Meanwhile, Aru, Mini, and Brynne have been stripped of their celestial weapons, unsure how to fulfill their mission to stop the Sleeper without their powers. With Aiden and Rudy to back them up, each sister has to dig deep and discover what they’re truly made of.

The Pandavas have always had a complicated relationship with the rest of the Otherworld. The love they receive from the society at large is very conditional, with lots of folks (and devas) souring on them whenever they fumble and welcoming them back into their good graces whenever they succeed. It’s not the most conducive environment for tweens/teens to develop good self-esteem, and with the loss of their weapons, our heroes take a serious hit. Brynne is less confident in herself, Mini’s sense of self-regard is on the floor, and Aru doesn’t know who she is or what she’s good for anymore. But they keep going and keep trying because that’s what heroes do, trying to trust that the power will be there when they need it.

For five books now, Aru has been wrestling with her duty. She wants to do well, she wants to protect her sisters, she wants to make her soul dad proud of her, and she wants to know that she’s on the side of good. But with or without her powers, she doesn’t know what she’s going to do when she confronts the Sleeper. She looks at those doubts and sees them as a failing in her. She doesn’t see the value in it, can’t recognize how important it is not to simply accept everything she’s been told without question, especially when she sees evidence that seems to refute it. What will Aru do? is the question that’s been looming over the entire series, and it’s exciting to see that moment finally arrive.

This is a fantastic series. I love it when kids get wonderfully written, nuanced stories that are made just for them. While the Pandava quintet can appeal to fantasy/mythology fans of any age, it’s also so specific to middle school and early teens, and it handles the complicated emotions and dynamics therein beautifully. Excellent work by Roshani Chokshi. I’m definitely interested in reading more of her work.

Warnings

Violence, scary moments for kids, and thematic elements.

Aru Shah and the City of Gold (2021)

*Premise spoilers, which involves a spoiler from book one that’s been an ongoing part of the plot, as well as the ending of The Tree of Wishes.*

While each of the Pandava books has leveled up so far, I feel like this one is maybe a slight step down from the third installment in the series. More than anything, that’s a testament to how excellent The Tree of Wishes is, because The City of Gold is still pretty great. With another new character added to the main crew, the story takes some new twists, even as the narrative gets a tiny bit “quest, rinse, repeat.”

At the end of The Tree of Wishes, Aru was taken by the Sleeper. In his home/hideaway, she meets Kara, who says she’s the Sleeper’s daughter. The thing is, Aru is also the Sleeper’s daughter, a fact that has caused her huge amounts of turmoil over the course of the series. She’s suspicious, but Kara helps her escape, and they return together to the rest of the Pandavas, Aiden, and Rudy. With the Sleeper and his army on the move, our heroes have to beat him to the golden city of Lanka, in the hope of convincing the god of wealth to lend them his elite nairrata warriors.

There’s plenty to like here. Kara is a really interesting character, between her sad/possibly untrustworthy backstory, her perspective on the Sleeper that no one else has, and her geeky love of etymology. Like all the kid characters gradually added to the series, she immediately brings a new dynamic to the group. I like seeing how Aru is simultaneously wary of Kara, sympathetic towards her, and envious of her.

Beyond that, as always, some of the quests are really neat and creative. For (I believe) the first time, we get a chapter that’s not from Aru’s perspective, which is fascinating. And while I saw some of the turns of the plot coming, the climax is definitely exciting.

As I said, there are times when the quests stack on top of each other just a bit too much. And I get it—I read all the Percy Jackson books, and I’ve happily made it through the first four books in the Pandava quintet. There are quests within quests within quests, it’s a whole thing. But this book was the first time I was reminded a little of The Rise of Skywalker’s penchant for, “We have to go to the place, to find the thing, that will point us to the tool, that will take us to the map, to get us to the place we really need to go.” Again, though, the various mini-quests themselves are still interesting and well done.  And my main gripe remains, “I really loved The Tree of Wishes and this book isn’t quite as fantastic as that one.” So it’s barely a knock against the book.

Only one more Pandava installment to go. I’m sure our heroes will prevail, but how?!?

Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes (2020)

The third Pandava book is my favorite so far. We have more new characters to enjoy, deeper inner conflicts to wrestle with, and a stellar climax that ups the ante heading into the final two books. An absolute winner!

When Aru, Mini, and Brynne are tasked with saving young twin girls, one of whom is clairvoyant, they succeed in getting the twins to safety, but they fail to keep the Sleepers’ acolytes from hearing a crucial prophecy that could tip the balance of the coming war. Desperate to get ahead of him, the Pandavas—plus Aiden and his cousin Rudy, a self-impressed naga prince—try to decipher the prophecy themselves, deciding that the key is the legendary tree of wishes. The only problem? The tree everyone knows about is a fake, a decoy, and time is running out to locate the real one before the Sleeper does.

I really enjoy getting to know the twins, Nikita and Sheela. Each is very distinct from the start, and being a few years younger than Aru and crew, they add a different dynamic to the character interactions. I like seeing how they use their powers as well. Meanwhile, we met Rudy briefly in the second book, in a slightly mysterious “watch this space” kind of way, and he makes a big impression here. His ego and entitlement can grate on the other characters, but his reactions to everything are entertaining, from his shameless playing of the prince card to his confusion about all manner of human stuff.

Each Pandava book seems to get richer and more complex. Here, there’s just so much to love. While Aru is the character whose name is on the cover, and the whole thing is written from her perspective, we get insight on all the other characters through her. In this book, I especially love seeing the fears and insecurities at the root of Nikita’s standoffishness, watching Mini rise to the challenge of task with life-and-death stakes, and a scene in which all of our heroes have to offer secrets as payment.

As for Aru, she goes on a journey in this book. The Pandavas aren’t the first people to go looking for the real tree of wishes. Years ago, the Sleeper did the same, hoping he could find it and make a wish to avoid his fate. Over the course of their mission, Aru is confronted by memories that Sleeper lost on that earlier quest, and it informs her feelings about facing off against him in battle.

Like I said, the climax is excellent, gripping both in terms of excitement/suspense and emotional resonance. And to top it off, the final chapter takes things in an intriguing new direction that has me scrambling to grab book four.

Warnings

Violence, scary moments for kids, and strong thematic elements.