This review is about the first book in the Aru Shah series, Aru Shah and the End of Time. This was a fun and adventurous book following the adventures of a girl, her soul sister and a talking pigeon. It is really good, and now let me tell you more about it!

One morning, in her school break, Aru’s classmates turn up to catch her in a lie (or rather, several lies), and start filming a video, catching her in the lie. It’s not Aru’s fault, she loves spinning tales, and lying about having a chauffeur and spending the break in Paris is the only way to fit in at her snobbish school. And now the only way to get out of her own stupid lie, is to light the museum’s cursed Lamp of Bharata. Something her mother has told her to never ever do. Her mother runs the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, and Aru lives there with her. The Lamp of Bharata is just a lamp, she thinks, what is so special about it? So……. she lights it. And her world officially turns upside down. To begin with, her classmates are frozen in time, and so is her dear mother. And to cap it all off, a sulky pigeon appears in the giant statue in the hall, who insists that Aru is the reincarnation of one of the historic Pandava brothers. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any weirder, a mystical door appears and another girl appears, who is also another Pandava. Her name is Mini, and the pigeon’s name is Boo. And now, they have to stop the world from ending, as a mysterious demon called the Sleeper has apparently been freed, after Aru lit the lamp. Now they have to go to the Otherworld, and go through a Claiming, to see whose daughters they are. Mini turns out to be the daughter of Dharma Raja, the god of Death and Justice, while Aru …… is the daughter of Indra, the god of thunder, sky, lightning and the King of the Heavens. Now they have nine days to stop the Sleeper, and to do that they have to find three things –

• The spring of Youth,
• The bite of Adulthood
• The Sip of Old Age.

And then they have to face the Sleeper… Piece of cake!!!!

 Aru and Mini battle through the Otherworld, the Land of Death, a mysterious forest, the Bridge of Forgetting, and many other amazing, magical places. It will be journey they’ll never forget. But, can they do all of this in time?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

This book showcases some of the not-so-well known aspects of Hindu mythology, and makes it really fun and interesting to read. Even if you are an Indian, and know a lot about it, you will still find something new. Pair this with its quirky sense of humour, it is an instant favourite. For those who love Hindu mythology, this book is a must!! You’ll see the characters and their super cool abilities, and wish you had a superpower like that! Its storyline is kinda sad and happy at the same time, it has the perfect balance. The reader will get swept along in the enchanting, magical and dizzying world of Aru Shah, and with amazing characters and places like a talking pigeon, the reincarnation of the legendary Pandava brothers (reincarnated as girls!) and the fact that all villains are never fully evil. You will take great delight seeing the beautiful realm of Hindu mythology, written in a way that is both interesting and easy to understand, and meet great characters, and want to buy the next book immediately! The author paints out the scenes in vivid detail, and you will love Aru’s bravery and Mini’s smartness. This is definitely a remarkable book! I hope all the other books in the series are this good. I will try the other’s, and I urge you to read this book! This is perfect for those who love comical, fantastical books. I recommend this book for ages 9+.              

I give this book 5 stars!!