Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality

Official cover

***Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality*** is the fifth and final book of the Pandava Quintet, written by Roshani Chokshi. The story follows fifteen-year-old Aru Shah and her friends in their last adventure as they attempt to keep the Sleeper from taking the nectar of immortality from the labyrinth where it is contained. It was released on April 5th, 2022.

## Blurb

*The Pandavas only have until the next full moon to stop the Sleeper from gaining access to the nectar of immortality, which will grant him infinite power. But how can Aru, Mini, and Brynne hope to defeat him without their celestial weapons? The Sleeper and his army are already plundering the labyrinth, and the sisters can't even enter. Their quest to get in will have them calling on old friends, meeting new allies, and facing fearsome trials, like...performing in a rock concert? When the moment of confrontation finally arrives, it's up to Aru to decide who deserves immortality, the devas or the asuras. The most unexpected answer will come from the most unexpected place. More surprises and delights, gods and demons, and laughs and tears await in this immensely satisfying conclusion to the wild ride that began with the lighting of a lamp.*

## Development

* The title of this book was officially revealed at the end of *Aru Shah and the City of Gold* after the glossary.
* The Pandava Quintet was originally supposed to be a quartet, but Roshani expanded it to a quintet because there was another arc she needed to explore.
* In an interview with the Half-Blood Report, Roshani stated that readers will learn more about Aiden Acharya's celestial side of the family in this book.
* In the aforementioned interview, Roshani also said that there will be an "apocalypse Coachella" scene in this book, where the Potatoes will be stuck in a weird talent show that they are trying to escape.
* The official cover and synopsis for this book was released on June 8, 2021 on the Read Riordan website, along with the cover and preview of *Aru Shah and the End of Time: the Graphic Novel*.
* In August, Roshani released a brief exchange between Rudy and Aiden via Instagram, in which Rudy suggests that he uses makeup to turn some people, presumably the Potatoes, into clowns, to which Aiden replies, "The point is *not* to be ourselves, Rudy."
* In March of 2022, Read Riordan released the first two chapters of *Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality*.
* At the end of March, Roshani posted a picture of the table of contents of *Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality*, which listed almost all of the chapter titles from the book.
* Also in late March, Roshani posted a picture of a new character named Tumburu on Twitter, saying that he was a celestial musician that plays a role in *Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality*.
* In a timed interview posted on Read Riordan's twitter account, Roshani stated that there would be a "supernatural X Factor contest", an encounter with the bear king, a visit to a spa, and that Rudy would have a band.

## The Sleeper's Plan

The Sleeper aims to retrieve the nectar of immortality from the labyrinth where it's contained with the help of Kara.

## Chapters

### 1 - Not All Who Wander Are Lost

This chapter is told from Kara's point of view.

Kara enters the labyrinth that contains the nectar of immortality using her trident, Sunny. She begins to feel guilty about what she is about to do, remembering how she betrayed her soul sisters. The Sleeper congratulates Kara, praising her for making the right decisions when being faced with difficult choices, and reminding her that she will have a family like he promised. Kara tries to shove away her doubt and the image of a girl saying the Sleeper is lying to her. She then steps into the dark of the cave containing the nectar of immortality.

### 2 - I Hate It Here

Aru Shah, Mini Kapoor-Mercado-Lopez, Brynne Rao, and Krithika Shah travel to Lullwater Park in Atlanta, where the hiding spot of the labyrinth holding the nectar of immortality is supposed to be located. They realize that the park is surrounded by an energy field that cannot be penetrated without celestial weapons, which the girls no longer posses. The only thing the girls have that could help them is an enchanted coin from Agni, the god of fire, but they are unable to figure out how to contact Agni with it. Aru decides that the only way to get into the Otherworld without anyone bothering them is by using a prophecy. Brynne makes a remark about how easy prophecies are to acquire, and Aru replies with, "I never said it had to be a *real* prophecy."

### 3 - I'm Sorry, Your Call Cannot Be Completed As Dialed

Aru, Mini, and Brynne head to Mini's house to discuss what to do next. They are joined by Nikita Jagan and Sheela Jagan, who visit them via portal. Aru explains their situation to them, and Sheela, being a clairvoyant, says that she many be able to fake a prophecy to buy the older Pandavas time. Brynne mentions not being able to use Agni's coin properly, and Sheela suggests setting it on fire using Baby Boo. Nikita conjures up some fireproof gloves so that Aru can hold BB without getting burned, and he belches out flames the size of a dinner plate. At first nothing happens, but then Aru notices a red wedding invitation on the kitchen counter. The Agni coin begins to hum, and an automated voice comes out of it, instructing the Pandavas to check their connection to a sacred flame, then trying contacting Agni at a later time. The Pandavas realize that they need to attend the wedding listed on the invitation, which will have a sacred fire for the bride and groom that they can use to contact Agni. Nikita says that the older girls will need a new wardrobe if they are to attend.

## Characters

* Arundhati Shah
* Yamini Kapoor-Mercado-Lopez
* Brynne Rao
* Aiden Acharya
* Rudy
* Kara
* The Sleeper (Suyodhana)
* Nikita Jagan
* Sheela Jagan
* Krithika P. Shah
* Agni

## References

1. ↑ https://www.thehalfbloodreport.com/episodes/episode/2857799f/74an-interview-with-roshani-chokshi
2. ↑ https://www.readriordan.com/2021/06/08/cover-reveals-the-latest-from-the-pandava-series/
3. ↑ https://www.readriordan.com/2022/03/17/aru-shah-and-the-nectar-of-immortality-sneak-peek/
4. ↑ https://twitter.com/Roshani\_Chokshi/status/1506380636440903682/photo/1
5. ↑ https://twitter.com/readriordan/status/1507449427476287502?ref\_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet