Aru Shah and the City of Gold (Pandava #4) eBook PDF

Mrinmayi

Rating: really liked it
LOOK AT THE COVER!!!

Finally!!! Now I should probably calm down..
But there is RAAVAN on the cover!!
I am losing my calm...

Just in case you didn't know...Raavan is probably one of my favourite villain from the Indian mythology
Excited to see how he is reimagined in this one...

Umm...maybe I shouldn't be this excited for Raavan's books because of the fact that I was named after Sita
Raavan kidnapped Sita...and took her to Lanka(Raavan's homeland) against her will
Her husband Ram declared war against Raavan
That's what started Ramayana

P.S.: This is just a short version of Ramayana
The war was quite epic..

If you haven't guessed by now...my family is obsessed with Ramayana
Most of us are named after Ramayana characters
Hence my name Mrinmayi...(Mrinmayi means Sita...I was named after her)
Ok...enough of my name history 🙈

BUT this book is coming out in 2021!!

Just realised...I was talking about Ramayan like everyone knows about it😅
If you have any doubts..feel free to ask me😄

Mango

Rating: really liked it
”A golden army might be precious, but a second chance with someone she loved?

That was priceless.”

Note: This will contain spoilers from “The End of Time,” “The Song of Death,” and “The Tree of Wishes.” Spoilers from this book will be tagged. Read at your own risk.

Thank you so much to the amazing Niharika for Buddy Reading this with me! I had a lovely time fan-girling and ranting with you. <3

You can read her lovely review here!

Onto my review...

This was perfection. I’m not even exaggerating. It was literally flawless. There is not one word to describe my happiness on this book. It had everything I ever wanted to happen in it, and it is definitely my favorite book in the series so far.

Let’s cover the plot:

The plot was so fast! Chokshi continues to impress me with her fast paced and entertaining plots. I found myself staying up late to read this, because I had no self-control.

Aru Shah, the main character, has awoken. Only, she has not awoken in her friends’ arms, but a young girl named Kara, who claims to be the daughter of the Sleeper. Understandably, Aru is immediately suspicious of Kara, despite being a daughter of the Sleeper herself.

When Aru is well enough to leave, Kara begs Aru to join her, and the mission. Reluctantly, Aru agrees and takes her to the gang. If Kara does any questionable things, they could always trap her and grill her for answers on the Sleeper.

So, Aru takes Kara with her and using magic they end up at her home, with her friends waiting for her. Her friends embrace her with open arms, but are immediately suspicious of Kara. They scold Aru for bringing her here, and debate whether to actually bring her along.

However, after much debate and Kara’s persuasive points, they grudgingly agree that they need Kara. The Sleeper is getting stronger. He is planning to march on Lanka to demonstrate him power.

The mission is to beat the Sleeper to Lanka, and persuade Kubera (the king of Lanka) to lend them his army of gold.

As the stakes increase, Aru and her friends are thrust into a world where their relationships are questioned, leaving them to wonder whether they really are on the devas’ side.

I loved the plot so much! Literally everything I wanted to happen, happened. But she still left room for surprises! The plot made me smile so hard my cheeks hurt, broke my heart, leaving my heart in pieces, and yet made me feel so wholesome and happy. I am now desperately waiting for the fifth book. Chokshi, you’re amazing!

Continuing onto the characters:

The characters were top notch! Hands down the best character development I have seen in this whole series. Chokshi opened them up even more, made them vulnerable, but strengthened them throughout the book.

So immensely life-like, I found myself relating to not only Aru, but all of these characters. When you find yourself relating to a lot of the characters, that’s how you know the author is spot on. Chokshi’s character development is more than incredible. It’s inspiring.

Aru: I don’t know how it’s possible to love Aru more, but anything is possible. This was the book where I related to her the most and I could actually connect with her.

As her friends start to like Kara even more, Aru starts to feel left out. Kara is literally perfect compared to her. She is pretty, kind, funny, and smart. What if Aru is not good enough to protect her friends?

As her friends start to warm up to Kara more and more, Aru can’t help but feel jealous. They have a lot of reasons not to trust Kara, and yet she is so likable. Even Aiden likes her which hurts her just as much.

However, Aru pushes past this, toughens up, and fights anyway. She fights not only for her friends, but for the world. As she continues to impress her peers with her unique ideas and determination, Aru grows to an even more mature leader, and realizes that jealousy gets you nowhere.

And her accomplishments paid off well. *wink wink*

Can’t wait to see more of Aru in the next book! That ending pretty much sealed her role as the group leader. >:)

Aiden: So...you know how I told you Aiden was undeveloped in book 2 and 3? Well Chokshi completely solved the previous problems in this book! I was extremely thrilled when the author ‘opened up his soul’ and made him vulnerable. He is definitely a good character to root for.

Aiden was pretty much a jerk to Aru in most of this book.

So you can probably understand why I hated Aiden for a lot of this book. I was always like:

“What the heck Aiden?”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“What did Aru ever do to you?”

Well, towards the end, Chokshi explains Aiden’s backwards attitude towards Aru, and it totally makes sense, and it’s understandable. I can’t really explain why because that would include major spoilers, but I can tell you Aiden gets a lot better in this book.

Not only do we get more information on Aiden, but Chokshi shows his growth! You may have noticed more than once that Aiden always refuses to take sides. Whenever there’s a fight within the gang, he is always in between and never really decisive.

Chokshi conveys that the reason Aiden is like this is because of his parents and their divorce. How could Aiden take a side when he loves people of both sides?

Anyways, I just wanted to point that out because I feel that many of us will be able to relate to that. I really loved how Aiden pushed passed this and learned how to make decisions without hurting anyone. That is a very important skill and I think Chokshi portrayed it beautifully.

(view spoiler)

Aiden is definitely a complex character worth reading about. He’s not perfect, but he’s not all bad either. Chokshi exposed his flaws in a way which you hate him at first, but your feelings for him change as you read on.

Mini: Awww, she was amazing! I loved how much Mini grew in the previous book, and this book pretty much showed the result of her growth.

Chokshi portrays Mini very leader-like! She is the supporter of the group and helps Aru with the plans to accomplish their goals. Mini has so many good qualities now like bravery, leadership, empathy, it’s impossible not to smile.

I really loved how she never turned her back to people who she cared for. She was there when all her sisters and friends were in times of difficulty and helped to reassure them

~~Also, now I like how Mini ignores Rudy, and how Rudy suddenly seems to like her. YES ROAST HIM.~~

Brynne: I am so glad I got to see more Brynne in this book! I really love her boldness and bravery, with a touch of impulsiveness. Definitely a realistic character to enjoy and discuss.

Brynne’s growth and development in this book was amazing! Chokshi showed us how much Brynne cares for her friends, but has trouble expressing it. It doesn’t help that she prefers deciding everything for everyone.

This makes it easy for her friends to get frustrated at her, and it gets in the way of her logical thinking. All Brynne is doing is helping, is it that bad that Brynne makes all the decisions?

Throughout this book, Chokshi explores Brynne’s relationships with each of her friends and strengthens it. I loved the moment when Brynne realized that she can care for others without controlling their lives. It’s a beautiful scene and an important lesson for everyone to learn.

Kara: I have some pretty mixed feelings about Kara, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

I really liked Kara’s sincerity. I could tell that she had not been around people in a long time, due to her awkward and rough conversations. But, one thing that did not change was that she was sincere.

Kara really wanted to help Aru and the others, because she believed that she could save her (and Aru’s) father from becoming a monster.

She believed in herself and the others and I found her very sweet and loving. Kara was so enthusiastic about everything, it’s hard not to fall in love with her.

I really liked Kara’s growth throughout this book too. From an awkward girl, always needing to prove herself, she transitioned to a confident warrior willing to fight for what’s right.

(view spoiler)

Additional Note: Ummm what happened to the twins?? I’m not that angry, since they aren’t old enough to go on quests anyway, but I ~need~ more Nikita and Sheela! However, I have a hunch they’ll be there in the next book. If they aren’t...*storms out of the room and huffs*

To conclude, Chokshi developed these characters so beautifully! Their dialogue was natural, their growth gradual, and their personalities bright. I am in love with these beautiful characters and am looking forward to seeing them in the next book.

Finally the writing:

I feel like I’m saying the same thing in all my Aru Shah reviews, but I can’t stress it enough. It is so easy to immerse oneself in Chokshi’s writing. Because can I be honest for a second? Being in a fourteen-year-old’s brain is hilarious lol.

In a lot of these books, the main characters are teenagers. But they are already thinking such mature thoughts, you just treat them like adults. What makes Chokshi different is that she’s realistic. She paints these teenagers’ thoughts in such a way you can’t help but relate to them. Or at least your teenage self would.

What’s there not to love?

Not surprisingly, I am a sucker for Chokshi’s writing, and am dying for the last book.

This book was my favorite book in the series. Period. I can’t say much else without going into a full on rant.

Love the book. Need the next.

Mango has left the chat.

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OMG OMG OMG. I'm squealing in delight. This was PERFECTION. Best book in the series so far. Review to come!

rachel ☾

Rating: really liked it
[parental abandonment & neglect, nightmares, sword violence, kidnapping & captivity, disappearance of a parent, and war themes & battle scenes (on-page) (hide spoiler)]

Ashley

Rating: really liked it
Star Rating: —> 5 [ Shiny, GOLDEN ] STARS !!!

RE-READ— October 15th, 2022 🤍 still 5 stars all the way ;)) absolutely nothing to change!!!

Ahhhhh 🥲 THIS WAS SO FREAKING FANTASTIC I CAN'T EVEN, RN.

Roshani Chokshi is such a ridiculously talented writer! Just... i'll explain later mmk bc I am experiencing some serious freakin' feelings right now! Haha RTC

I MISS THE PANDAVAS ALREADY SO MUCHHHHHHHH !

______________

THIS COVER = PERFECTIONNN ! Cannot WAIT!

LyraFirefly

Rating: really liked it
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!

4.5/5 stars; This book really packed a punch. It was great all throughout and kept me very entertained. This book really gives the reader what they want and doesn't hold back. Aru Shah is a teenage girl who has discovered she is a Pandava. In this book, she is trying to stop an army after hearing a prophecy about herself. She has her sisters by her side and meets another one along the way.

The pacing was really good and didn't drag at all. It was kept consistent and it wasn't too slow or fast at any given point.

The characters are amazing. This author really writes the best characters and doesn't stick to the standard image of a book's characters. This book portrays the characters as their own and it's amazing to see them work through all the difficulties throughout the book. The evolution of each personality is amazing and they are written as real people rather than as cardboard.

In the end, the plot pieced together very nicely, though I'm sad to say that I figured out what would happen in the end earlier on. I think this generally wouldn't be too predictable, but I am quite familiar with Hindu Mythology myself.

Alyson Kent

Rating: really liked it
I needed this book yesterday. I gotta wait a year. Wah.

ARC!! Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC.

Too close to the release date to say much of anything other than..... ANOTHER cliffhanger. Why do you do this to us, Roshani?!

Gavin Hetherington

Rating: really liked it
I spent a week reading all of the Goodreads Choice Awards finalists in the Middle Grade category, complete with my entire thoughts on each book, and which books I think should have won and in what order. You can check out my vlog here: https://youtu.be/d7or1qfinfo

ikram

Rating: really liked it
CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW GORGEOUS THE COVER IS??????

Prabhjot Kaur

Rating: really liked it
Words are like a soul and a story all in one.

After that shocking ending in Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes, Aru wakes up to find another girl similar to Aru's age who claims to be The Sleeper's daughter. The girl, Kara agrees to help Aru only if she can come along with Aru as well. But Aru isn't sure if Kara can be trusted even though they are related. On top of that Aru is sure that her other Pandava sisters won't take to Kara kindly but what choice does Aru have if she wants to escape from The Sleeper's lair. Aru agrees and together they make their way out of there.

The moment someone knows what you want, it becomes a weapon in their hands.

When Aru gets back to the real world, she finds out that she had been gone for two months and so much has happened. Aru's mum has disappeared and no one knows her whereabouts. The Otherworld has no faith in the Pandavas because they believe Aru to be the traitor as she and The Sleeper disappeared together two months ago along with The Sleeper's armies. The only way to salvage their reputation and stop The Sleeper is by going to Lanka, the city of gold, and asking Lord Kubera to loan his Nairatta army to the Pandavas but all the portals to the Otherworld are closed and no one is there to help the Pandavas. Would they be able to defy the odds and win the day?

What we know of the world are blips and fragments. The only people who can truly speak of history are ghosts.

This was action-packed and the writing flowed. The story was quite intense as we are nearing the end of the series and it kept a steady pace. Our Pandavas could not take a breather as they keep getting into trouble on their journey to Lanka and they have to figure everything out on their own but have no fear as Aru, Mini, Brynne, Aiden along with Kara, and Rudy made a fearsome team. Both the twins Nikita and Sheela still couldn't come on the journey as they are underage and their parents won't allow them to go. That is one part I didn't like because I was keen to see them in a more active role.

It was the smell of vengeance.

I have loved Mini and Aiden from the beginning and this book was no exception. I have said this before and I'll say it again that I need more about Aiden's mum's background. If a book or a novella can be based on the Apsara, I'd love that.

I also love Brynne and Rudy. Rudy's arrogance worked so well in this and he made me laugh each time he appeared. Aru is definitely getting better and I loved her inner struggle with both liking and resenting Kara. That was very realistic and done rather well. And Kara was an interesting character, to say the least. A lot of other characters make an appearance from so many different tales of Hindu mythology and it was fun to read about them. Of all the newer additions, I loved Biju, The Mongoose the most.

We are all our own beginnings and our own ends....

I love the mythology, the mysteries, and the quests that our Pandavas go on to prove their mettle. Obviously, they are growing in age and their powers are also growing but most of all, I love the character development of each one of them. They are proving to be a complex bunch. This was my favorite part of this book. It works subtly but also impressively.

I also loved how no one part takes a lot of time or no one person is more important than the other except Aru I suppose in a way but she did not overshadow anyone.

I was angry with Boo's arc but the writer redeemed that a little so I am not so mad anymore about that part.

Hope was the thing with feathers.

I did think that this was the last book in the series, I am not complaining but just saying that this was a quartet series. I had guessed the ending to this book, to be honest, but that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy reading it. I am obviously looking forward to reading the next.

I also appreciate the author's note at the beginning.

4 stars

Alexandra Elend Wolf

Rating: really liked it
3.5 stars.

“Gold is a beautiful but treacherous thing. We keepers know all too well the lengths humans have gone to possess it.”

Aru Shah and the City of Gold was one of those books that I was not expecting in the least.

It surprised and made me more emotional than I expected at the same time that I fell more in love with these characters.

Seeing as how things ended in The Three of Wishes the book started really intensely and it never really let go. Pulling many twists and taking a journey that was surprisingly unexpected and fresh. It definitely made a great job of preparing us for the end of it all.

One thing I do have to say, I am still ambivalent towards that ending.

“Someone once told me that just because you can’t have the life you wanted, you shouldn’t give up and fade out of existence. That’s how we become living ghosts – by never moving on.”

Let's start from the beginning.

When I started the book I had no expectations over anything because things were left too ambiguous to form much of an opinion. So, I was pleased and excited when things went as differently as possible from anything I could have dreamt.

Sure, I wasn't astonished or anything seeing as it fitted the themes of the story all too well, but I was happy with it. Truly. All the possibilities it opened and the character arcs that it enabled were suddenly right in front of me and the sheer potential of it all made me drunk.

It is very fascinating.

At the same time, it followed the "script" so well that it added a sense of familiarity that was needed in the more emotional moments settling me back on my skin and at the same time amplifying the tension and anxiety all that much more.

“After all, Brynne Tvarika Lakshmi Balamuralikrishna Rao knew lots of stuff. She knew how to whip up a perfect soufflé, knew a dozen ways to knock someone unconscious, and (All right, fine!) she knew how to play the harp, and she was pretty great at it. Plus, it was very soothing… But she also knew something else in that second. She knew she was strong enough to be weak.”

The character arcs were, without a shadow of a doubt, my favorite thing of the whole book.

Chokshi has a great way of capturing all this turmoil of difficult and contradictory emotions and transmitting them as I was the one feeling them as well as making them perfectly easy to decipher. And they just kept hitting me in the chest.

After three books things have come to be in a state of disarray and turmoil, understandably, that affects very directly our characters, and the baggage they are carrying was as varied as their personalities and so well dealt with that I couldn't help but love each one more.

Okay, sure, I do love them all but, I'll admit, Aru and Brynne's particular arcs are the ones that most stole my breath and made my ribs squeeze hard. They were so beautifully explained and the lessons learnt from them felt like a natural development instead than something forced, which is great.

“I am always my own favorite. That works best for me. Maybe you should try it. Just be your own favorite person and then no one else’s opinion really matters.”

All of that is not to say that the actual plot wasn't great, because it was.

One of the things that, admittedly, has been tiring me a bit about middle grade books was the very strictly-set form of the story. So far, Chokshi had been following well so I thought, before starting the book, that I could easily guess where things were going based on that... I could not. Though still retaining, very much so, the essence and much of the format of the genre The City of Gold had enough divergences that I didn't felt bored or like I had already seen the story before.

I really liked the change of pace.

The adventures and quests were as fun as ever and very interesting to see... as well as weird; which was amazing and relaxing in its own way.

“Sometimes there are no easy answer. All we can do is try our best to perform our duty to ourselves and the people we care about and hope everything will work out. And when something comes to a bad end, we need to ask ourselves: Is this really the end, or just an ugly middle?”

Alright, the time has come to talk about the one thing that I still cannot wrap my head around: why that particular plot point that has been driving the story from the beginning was solved like it was.

Since the moment I first read it I've been confused and, dare I say, somewhat disappointed. I still wonder the reasoning behind making it so.

On the one hand, I get it, it is, objectively, an interesting twist and it makes perfect sense between the bounds of the stories' world. It's not like it's illogical or something. Had it been done any differently I may even have loved it. But it wasn't, and I don't.

My confusion stems from the fact that it doesn't have the level of payoff that I was expecting that plot thread to have.

It has been made abundantly clear since the beginning that this whole plot was A PRETTY BIG FREAKING THING. That it was supposed to make break our hearts and shock us to no end. I've been dreading it and theorizing over it for years now. Only for it to be solved in such a manner that a) I didn't care and b) none of my theories could have ever, not in a million years, been true because I just had nothing to go on.

So, I find myself asking: What was even the point?

I feel both disappointed and cheated, even though, as earlier stated, the move works perfectly between the bounds of the story.

“I’ve looked to the past to remember happiness for so many years that I’d forgotten how to look to the future to find happiness anew.”

At the end of the day, I find myself thinking that if it wasn't for that ending I would have been quite in love with this book. I enjoyed it, maybe even more than I thought I would, and that is still a reality but that feeling of having rooted for something for so long to have no payoff whatsoever is a little too bitter on my tongue to just let it pass.

On a brighter note, and side, I did very much enjoyed the characters, so there is that.

For what is worth it, I do think that the book did an amazing job to set the scene, tension, and stakes for the final book. As I find myself waiting with bated breath.

Saying goodbye to the Aru Shah world will be a sad, bittersweet thing indeed.

“Hope might be all that they had left, but it was something she needed to cling to, because it meant that even though things were awful… They were far from over.”

__________________

Well, this was really nice.

Upon first finishing it I felt very satisfied, though now that I've had a second to think about it I must say I feel a bit cheated by the resolution of that particular plot point that has been essential for so many books now. I don't know, it felt like a half commitment to me.

Still, I can admit it fits the story.

I don't know, I need time to think it over and decided if I liked it or not.

RTC.
_________________

I am so intrigued to see where this book will take us. The previous one gave us some interesting twists and set the story to be tense.

That being said, I'm not sure what I expect from this book, I think nothing in particular, is the right answer. So... I'm just hoping to have some fun.

Gotta say, though, that I find it kind of funny how the page count varies so incredibly much with each edition.

Book Gangsta

Rating: really liked it
PERFECT.

That's the word to describe this more than amazing book.

The book was the most fun I have ever had reading a book. It was extra-extraordinary. And this book was my most anticipated read, and despite of my great expectations, my mind was blown.

Plot
The plot was pretty good here.
The gist of the book (without spoilers) is that as Aru and her Pandava sisters continue to defeat the Sleeper, which seems pretty simple, but is not as there are so many grey characters and she doesn't know whom to trust, as the sleeper is related to her and had a greater motive before he was turned into a monster, and many trust issues come along the way. There were betrayals, dramatic heartbreaks, then fake betrayals, then crying, epic twists, battles, world building, heartbreaks, dialogues, and the EPIC-EST humor I have ever seen. My favourite part.

Characters
The characters in this book felt so real. Most characters had a grey-ish side, and each one of them had a unique and identifiable personality which they stuck to, but not predictable. Even if they became annoying, it was not to the extent to the part where they were hate-able. They all needed each other, and their teamwork is one of the best things in the book. It was all perfect.

Aru Shah She was amazing. I have never ever loved a protagonist this much. She is funnty, kind, humble, with-flaws, and not perfect. She is the most relatable main character.
Mini was really, really good. I love her for her strength. She is a brave, kind and funny character. I love her so much.
Brynne is a really, really good character. What makes her stand out is that she acts like a normal human being. She often is taken over by her anger, and is improving very much in the books.
Sheela and Nikita Well...they are definitely the definition of little sisters. They are cute, sympathetic, and stick to their character very much.
Aiden He was good...he is just the good best friend and I liked him.

All the characters here have good character development. And I appreciate it.

Ending
Aru Shah and the City of Gold had a good ending It made me satisfied with this book and at the same time not destroying the curiosity I have for the next one. After everything that happened, and things went back to somewhat normal, I was shocked to see what happened by the end. There were subtle hints about what was going to happen at the last part but still itcame as a shock.

Now coming to my favourite part, the humor in this book exceeded all. Aru is soo funny and I love her.
"(Aru perked up) Or gold bars? Are we going to rob a bank?
Why are you like this, shah? (Aiden sighed)"

"We wanted a group name, so that's we call ourselves. Potatoes"

"I hereby declare you an official....potato"

These are just some. A teeny-tiny bit of what is written.
I absolutely love the comedy. And this adds to the reason why I was glued to the book.

Other thoughts

The last book ended on THE BIGGEST CLIFFHANGER. And in this book EVERYTHING HAPPENED. Every single detail was so important and I loved how stories were put in every trial where we along with the ~potatoes~ can learn from them. It was as if they were learning more and more with each obstacle. Each trial was woven with mythology in a way that along with testing the Potatoes, it felt real and relatable. I loved how every character had so many flaws and how Aru was not the typical ~not like other girls~ thing. I loved how they fell into every problem and how they got out of them. I loved Every. Single. Bit. Of. It.

At last, this book was a fast-paced, perfect, amazing, interesting, really-funny, adventurous, mysterious, with-a-lot-of-twists, which-teach-us-many-things, which-kept-me-glued, perfect, long-awaited, wonderful, just-my-cup-of-tea, astounding, stunning, perfect, and now my last 2 braincells are not cooperating for more such words. .

Did I enjoy this book?
A lot.
Was it good?
No, it was perfect.

Niharika✩

Rating: really liked it

“True, but it never hurts to understand a place a little better. That’s why words are so important. They’re like a soul and a story all in one.”

After staring at the screen for a long time, I officially declare myself not worthy enough to express the awesomeness of this book. So keep a lookout for my friend and buddy reader Mango's review.

PS: Her reviews are AWESOME

Plot
"Aru Shah and her sisters--including one who also claims to be the Sleeper's daughter--must find their mentors Hanuman and Urvashi in Lanka, the city of gold, before war breaks out between the devas and asuras.

Aru has just made a wish on the tree of wishes, but she can't remember what it was. She's pretty sure she didn't wish for a new sister, one who looks strangely familiar and claims to be the Sleeper's daughter, like her.

Aru also isn't sure she still wants to fight on behalf of the devas in the war against the Sleeper and his demon army. The gods have been too devious up to now. Case in point: Kubera, ruler of the city of gold, promises to give the Pandavas two powerful weapons, but only if they win his trials. If they lose, they won't stand a chance against the Sleeper's troops, which will soon march on Lanka to take over the Otherworld.

Aru's biggest question, though, is why every adult she has loved and trusted so far has failed her. Will she come to peace with what they've done before she has to wage the battle of her life?"

I love how the story focuses more on Aru's internal feelings and not so much on the happenings. It felt really how do I say this close to me. I love every single book in this series but to be perfectly honest, I'm glad there's only one book left. Because I could already see signs of it turning into something more mature and a little less exciting.

Writing
I felt the writing lost a bit of humor. Maybe because Aru was older and more mature or maybe because it wouldn't fit with a tense plot. But I still loved it.

“Last time I saw you, your mom called you ‘Baby Snekky-Snake’ and carried you into a fountain,” said Mini with a little edge to her voice. Aru snickered.

It was also, for the first time, very clearly wise.

I know right? I never expected it to go anywhere close to wise.

“Someone once told me that just because you can’t have the life you wanted, you shouldn’t give up and fade out of existence. That’s how we become living ghosts—by never moving on.”

Characters
Now, my friend, meet Aru, the entire reason this book was so amazing. I think she deserves a huge round of applause for being so amazing.

This book would be nothing without her. We need her. We Aru fans need her.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

(sorry, I do not trust myself to express my undying love for her. Mango does it real good- check out her review once it's out)

Mini wasn't shown too much in this book. As I mentioned above:

"I love how the story focuses more on Aru's internal feelings and not so much on the happenings around her.

-Me

Mini is basically the 'happenings around her.' I did feel a bit bad for her because we've known her since the first book. I wish we'd seen her a little more or maybe once or twice when she did something big.

Brynne. . .I loved her. Around the middle, she became quite a prominent character. She had a whole chapter from her point of view and I loved that.

“Brynne Tvarika Lakshmi Balamuralikrishna Rao was a lot of things.
She was an amazing cook, and a fierce wrestler. She had an awful temper and once tried to crack a cinder block just by barreling into it headfirst. Granted, she got knocked out for an hour, but the cinder block definitely had a line through it, so that was pretty much a win.
Brynne was even fairly decent at playing the harp, though she hated admitting that her uncles, Gunky and Funky, had signed her up for lessons on that instrument.
But if there was one thing she was known for, it was never giving up.
She absolutely, flat-out refused.”

That was the opening and. . .I'm still shocked. No chapter ever has been from anybody but Aru's perspective.

Aiden is an a m m a m m a

I also wanted to copy-paste mine and Mango's super long discussion of the book. I hope you don't mind, Mango! This is also full of spoilers so don't click unless you've read it. I have untagged all spoilers here.

(view spoiler)

And that, my friend, is the end of it. If that was confusing then click on THIS.

Read my review of

Aru Shah and the End of Time: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Aru Shah and the Song of Death: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

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Enne

Rating: really liked it
I feel the need to let everyone reading this review know that this is a Roshani Chokshi stan account. At this point I would do anything to get an early copy of any of this woman’s books. I also really love Aru Shah!! Both in terms of the character and in terms of the book series.

I think this was a really strong installment in the series! I really loved the way the plot was structured and I thought this did a really good job of building up to what I can see being an excellent finale! All of the pieces are in place for the last book and I am!! So excited!! That ending?? Was so painful to read knowing that I have to wait over a year for the next book. That said, there were some scenes that ended up feeling a little more filler for me and I thought the pacing in those parts was off a bit.

However, the characters more than made up for it for me. I think Chokshi is so good at character development and character relationships!! All of her characters make me incredibly emotional and the cast of the Aru Shah books is no different. Aru Shah herself grows so much throughout the story, as do Aiden, Brynne, and Mini and I love all of them so much I’m just!! The way their interactions and relationships are written is also incredibly well done and also just so funny?? Chokshi’s writing style is truly unmatched. I will admit I was surprised by the decision to introduce a new character in the 4th book in the series, but I think Chokshi does a really good job of making the reader attached to them!

I am also constantly surprised by how much new worldbuilding information each book manages to introduce. I also think Chokshi does a great job of integrating the new info within the already established world. I really love contemporary fantasy and I think this is such a great series in the genre and I’m just!! I get so excited every time I think about how Chokshi intersperses fantastical elements with the real world.

Anyways, in conclusion, this is an excellent installment in an excellent series that I have recommended many-a-time and that I will recommend many times over in the future. I genuinely think this is one of the best middle grade fantasies out there right now. If you haven’t picked this series up yet, what are you waiting for?

content warnings: violence, references to parental abandonment
rep: Indian American MC & SCs, bisexual Indian American SC
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i cannot believe i have to wait an entire year for the next one after that ending im so- will be forwarding all therapy bills to roshani chokshi <33

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this cover is so pretty im crying why isn't it 2021 yet

Poet

Rating: really liked it
Yet another cliffhanger :0

I can't believe the series is almost over!
The plot of this book was great- it kept me hooked the entire time. I've always loved this series and this book hasn't failed to impress me!
The characters were definitely developed more than in the first three books- getting to know each character more as the series progressed has definitely helped. I loved learning about more of the Hindu mythology that Roshani Chokshi incorporates so effortlessly into the books.
The witty and humorous dialogue was engaging as well!

4 stars

Fanna

Rating: really liked it
June 18, 2020: THE book I'm waiting for, like THE THE THE book I'm desperately waiting for. Especially after this cover that has just been revealed because I can't stop staring at all the details and this demon king is OH MY, I'm so excited to see how this journey would unfold for Aru and her friends!

Aru Shah & the End of Time ★★★★★
Aru Shah & the Song of Death ★★★★★
Aru Shah & the Tree of Wishes ★★★★★

Detail

Aru Shah and the City of Gold (Pandava #4)

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