Hardcover, 343 pages
Release Date: March 27, 2018Published by: Rick Riordan Presents…
Read from: March 30- April 1, 2018Pandava Quartet, #1Source: LibraryFor fans of: Action, Adventure, Mythology, Fantasy, Diverse Authors, Diversity, Own Voices, MG, Girl Power, Friendship GoalsTwelve-year-old Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she’ll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur?
One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru’s doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don’t believe her claim that the museum’s Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light, Aru thinks. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again.
But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it’s up to Aru to save them.
The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that?
*MY THOUGHTS*
I haven’t read much MG lately, but anything that’s about mythology and quest-y, I have to go for it. And y’all, don’t miss this super cute, awesome book because its MG. Give it a chance. You won’t regret it!
“The world has a tendency to trick people. It likes to make a day feel as bright and lazy as sun-warmed honey dripping down a jar as it waits until your guard is down… And that’s when it strikes.“pg. 4
Aru Shah is named a liar by her classmates. She just wants to fit in with them. But when they catch her in her lies and tell her to prove one of them by lighting a lamp, she does and gets way more than she bargained for. The world around her is frozen in time and she has woken up a demon, the Sleeper. Can Aru save time before its too late?
“Blood isn’t the only thing that makes you related to someone,” said Boo. “You have a sibling because you share divinity.“pg. 30
No doubt, the coolest thing about this was learning about another culture and its mythology. Just as I did with Percy Jackson, Magnus Chase, and Sadie Cain, I read about the things they encountered in their book and then went and did research on it. I learned so much about the different gods and demons and it was so interesting to know the backstories of what Chokshi was mentioning.
“It’s all about what you do with what you have.“pg. 68
I also really loved the characters. Aru and Mini are now frienship goals. They were friends to sisters and they went on all types of adventures, both helping each other out. Tell me that’s not #FriendshipGoals! And the humor between the two of them was absolutely charming. They were the cutest heroines and I can’t wait to read more about them!
“A particularly good book had a way of opening new spaces in one’s mind. It even invites you to come back later and rummage through what you’d learned.“pg. 145
The only thing I wish I could change was the length. It seemed a bit long to me and towards the end I started getting a bit antsy. Like flipping to the end and seeing how much I had left and so on. It wasn’t that it was entertaining, because it was, it just seemed as if there was alot of story left after the huge fight at the end.
“Secrets are curious things. They are flimsy and easily broken. For this reason, they prefer to remain hidden.“pg. 273
Don’t let this being a middle grade stop you from wanting to read this! It takes you on an adventure and once you get started you won’t want to stop. I was hooked from Riordan’s letter at the beginning, and I can’t wait to see what else the Pandavas do!
Overall, I give this
