Aru Shah and the End of Time is a story following the two main characters, Aru and Mini, as they try to save the world from an evil being called the “Sleeper” that Aru accidentally awakened. Aru was trying to fit in but after a poor attempt to try and fit in released the monster and started the end of time. Aru and Mini both start out as normal kids who don’t quite fit in but it is soon revealed that they are the reincarnation of the Pandava brothers who are tasked to save the world. They must go on an adventure filled with danger, demons, and many mythical figures from Hindu mythology to save the world and rescue their loved ones.
The thing I liked most about the story was the interesting way the author represented Hindu mythology. It was done so that young readers like myself could understand and become interested in it. The characters on the other hand were my biggest complaint, the main character, Aru, especially. In the story, her main problem and the reason why the world is ending is due to her habit of lying about everything and anything. I understand that she wants to fit in but the way she tries to do it is simply pathetic and only makes things worse in the long run. Some could argue that it is realistic and sympathize with her or say that it was necessary to move the plot forward but she just got on my nerves constantly. Mini the second “hero” of the story wasn’t much better unfortunately, she was constantly scared of everything to the point where it got repetitive and annoying. The plot of the book was nothing special either and followed a clique pattern of the hero’s journey but was done well enough where it wasn’t too terrible and the addition of the Hindu mythology saved it. Overall, the story and characters were cliche but not terrible. My advice for future readers would be to be prepared for a generic storyline but keep your mind open as the book has much more to offer.
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