The Pandava Quintet

**The Pandava Quintet** is the five-book series that encompasses *Aru Shah and the End of Time*, *Aru Shah and the Song of Death*, *Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes*, *Aru Shah and the City of Gold*, and the upcoming *Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality*.

The author, Roshani Chokshi, describes the series as a mix between Sailor Moon, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic centering around the war between the Pandavas and their cousins, the Kauravas.

## Books

*Aru Shah and the End of Time**Aru Shah and the Song of Death**Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes**Aru Shah and the City of Gold**Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality*
## Characters

### Main Characters

* Aru Shah - Aru Shah is the main character and viewpoint character of the Pandava Quintet. She is the daughter of Krithika P. Shah and Suyodhana, and is the reincarnation of the Pandava brother Arjuna. Aru lives in Atlanta, Georgia, above the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture.
* Mini Kapoor-Mercado-Lopez - Mini is the reincarnation of the Pandava brother Yama. She is one of Aru's best friends and is one of Aru's soul sisters. Mini resides in Texas with her family.
* Brynne Rao - Brynne is the reincarnation of the Pandava brother Bhima, and has super strength. She is another one of Aru's close friends and soul sisters. Brynne lives in New York with her uncles Gunky and Funky.
* Aiden Acharya - Aiden is the reincarnation of Draupadi, the wife of the five Pandava brothers. He is half-human and half-apsara. Aiden is Brynne's best friend and Aru's love interest. Aiden lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his mother, Malini.
* Kara - Kara is the reincarnation of Karna, the secret Pandava brother. She is the birth daughter of Krithika Shah and the adopted daughter of the Sleeper.
* Rudy - Rudy is a naga prince of Naga Loka. He is friends with the Pandavas and Aiden.
* Nikita Jagan - Nikita is the reincarnation of the Pandava brother Nakula. She has the ability to manipulate plant matter. Nikita is the twin of Sheela Jagan and soul sister of Aru, Mini, Brynne, and Sheela. She lives in Atlanta, Gerogia, with her parents and sibling.
* Sheela Jagan - Sheela is the reincanation of the Pandava brother Sahadeva, and is a clairvoyant. Sheela is the twin of Nikita Jagan and the soul sister of Aru, Mini, Brynne, and Nikita. She lives in Atlanta, Gerogia, with her parents and sibling.

## Plot

### Aru Shah and the End of Time

While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, Aru will 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?

### Aru Shah and the Song of Death

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.

### Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes

War between the devas and the demons is imminent, and the Otherworld is on high alert. Fourteen-year-old Aru Shah and her friends are sent on a mission to rescue two “targets,” one of whom is about to utter a prophecy that could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Turns out the targets, a pair of twins, are the newest Pandava sisters, though the prophecy says that one sister is not true. When the Pandavas fail to prevent the prophecy from reaching the Sleeper’s ears, the heavenly attendants ask them to step aside. Aru believes that the only way to put the shine back on their brand is to find the Kalpavriksha, the wish-granting tree that came out of the Ocean of Milk when it was churned. If she can reach it before the Sleeper, perhaps she can turn everything around with one wish. Careful what you wish for, Aru . . .

### Aru Shah and the City of Gold

Aru Shah and her sisters–including one who also claims to be the Sleeper’s daughter–must find their mentors Hanuman and Urvashi in Lanka, the city of gold, before war breaks out between the devas and asuras. Aru has just made a wish on the tree of wishes, but she can’t remember what it was. She’s pretty sure she didn’t wish for a new sister, one who looks strangely familiar and claims to be the Sleeper’s daughter, like her. Aru also isn’t sure she still wants to fight on behalf of the devas in the war against the Sleeper and his demon army. The gods have been too devious up to now. Case in point: Kubera, ruler of the city of gold, promises to give the Pandavas two powerful weapons, but only if they win his trials. If they lose, they won’t stand a chance against the Sleeper’s troops, which will soon march on Lanka to take over the Otherworld. Aru’s biggest question, though, is why every adult she has loved and trusted so far has failed her. Will she come to peace with what they’ve done before she has to wage the battle of her life? Filled with wondrous magic, unforgettable creatures, manipulative gods, and laugh-out-loud dialogue, this fourth book in the Pandava series, a fantasy adventure loosely based on mythology, will leave readers wishing they could read the finale right now.

### Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality (Coming 2022)

Will the Sleeper gain immortality or be stopped once and for all? 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 a 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.

## Trivia

* The first book from the Pandava Quintet, *Aru Shah and the End of Time*, is the first book series to be published under the Rick Riordan Presents imprint