Monday, May 8, 2023

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.

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