“How about a group elbow bump?” suggested Mimi. “Handshakes are really unhygienic.”
Roshani Chokshi
“No,” Brynne and Aru said at the same time.
Aru Shah and the Song of Death by Roshani Chokshi
365 pages
Genre: Children’s lit
Published by: Disney Hyperion
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Re-readability: I might return to this one.
Reviewed by: Indiana
Synopsis from the publisher:
“Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents best-selling author Roshani Chokshi and her sequel to Aru Shah and the End of Time. Aru is only just getting the hang of this whole Pandava thing when the Otherworld goes into full panic mode. The god of love’s bow and arrow have gone missing, and the thief isn’t playing Cupid. Instead, they’re turning people into heartless fighting-machine zombies. If that weren’t bad enough, somehow Aru gets framed as the thief. If she doesn’t find the arrow by the next full moon, she’ll be kicked out of the Otherworld. For good. But, for better or worse, she won’t be going it alone. Along with her soul-sister, Mini, Aru will team up with Brynne, an ultra-strong girl who knows more than she lets on, and Aiden, the boy who lives across the street and is also hiding plenty of secrets. Together they’ll battle demons, travel through a glittering and dangerous serpent realm, and discover that their enemy isn’t at all who they expected.”
Review:
Chokshi is back with a high octane adventure packed with Hindu-inspired characters and plenty of silly and sarcastic humor.
This second installment in the series picks up directly where Aru Shah and the End of Time left off, though new characters are quickly introduced. Aru and her soul sister Mini are joined on another high-stakes adventure by Aiden and Brynne, two best friends with complicated family lives. The expanded cast creates interesting group dynamics and adds more depth to the world.
There are a fair number of action scenes throughout the book, some of which are admittedly difficult to follow. While the plot was also complicated, the book’s resolution was both surprising and satisfying.
Even though I wasn’t in the mood for reading middle grade fiction (or really anything – I seem to be in a reading slump lately) this book won me over.
Has anyone else read this one? Or the following books? What do you think of the series?
Lit Lens 