Pandava Quintet is a five-part book series written by Roshani Chokshi. It is part of the "Rick Riordan Presents" publishing imprint. The first book of the series and the imprint was published on March 23, 2018, under the name Aru Shah and the End of Time. The next books are Aru Shah and the Song of Death, Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes, Aru Shah and the City of Gold, and Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality. The main character of the series is the young Aru Shah, who is disliked by her classmates, but fits in with the other Pandava sisters, like Mini and Brynne, once she meets an enchanted talking pigeon who she nicknames "Boo" after touching a cursed ancient artifact. The rest of the series has gotten praise for being similar to Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.
Series overview Aru Shah and the End of Time
In Atlanta, Georgia, misfit Aru Shah shows some rude kids from her school a mystical lamp in her mother's museum that she says is cursed, though the kids don't believe her. To save her reputation, Aru lights the lamp, releasing something and freezing everyone nearby, including the kids and Aru's mother. A talking pigeon named Subala arrives, telling her that she has awakened the Sleeper, a mythical creature in Hindu mythology who can freeze time. Subala tells Aru that she is a mythical Pandava. Aru nicknames him Boo and he takes her to find the other Pandava sibling who has been awakened. They meet Mini, an anxious girl who is already familiar with the Pandavas. Upon visiting the majestic Council of Guardians in the Otherworld, both Aru and Mini are claimed by their soul fathers, Aru's being Indra (the god of rain, thunder, and storms) and Mini's being Dharma Raja (the god of death).
The "soul sisters", as they are dubbed, are given a quest to stop the Sleeper from awakening the Lord of Destruction, who will bring an end to all of Time. Aru and Mini must venture into the Kingdom of Death after they find the three keys that will grant them entry. The only items they are given to complete the quest are a golden ball (Aru) and a purple compact mirror (Mini).
Over the course of their journey, the sisters must fight demons while running from the Sleeper. In search of the second key, they go to the Night Bazaar, where the Sleeper ambushes them. The Sleeper takes Boo hostage and reveals that Boo is actually Shakuni, who served as an antagonist to the Pandavas long ago during the Mahabharata War. To free Boo, Aru and Mini will have to hand over all three keys to the Sleeper. Mini, upset after learning Aru lied to her, decides to continue the quest alone. After releasing the mounts of the Gods, Aru catches up with Mini and they begin working together again. After retrieving all three keys, the sisters enter the Kingdom of Death, where they face guard dogs, a lonely Illusion Palace, the Bridge of Forgetting, as well as other challenges. Aru gets cursed along the way, but the sisters manage to get their celestial weapons, a lightning bolt (Aru) and the danda stick (Mini).
Aru develops a plan to defeat the Sleeper with the help of the godly mounts. Though the Sleeper manages to escape after a fierce battle, Boo assures Aru that the Sleeper did not free Shiva (the Lord of Destruction) in time, so they won. Time resumes and Aru and Mini start training. On their day off, the sisters see a third Pandava sister, who transforms from a giant wolf to a girl to a blue bird, on the street holding a golden bow.
Aru Shah and the Song of Death
Aru Shah, and Mini fend off Zombies in the Night Bazaar, wherein Aru notes that the zombies have something over their hearts. The two see Brynne, their other Pandava sister and a doppelgänger of Aru, who steals a golden bow and arrow from Brynne, before disappearing. Brynne gets officially Claimed by Lord Vayu and gets a mace that can alter wind direction. She is convinced Aru is there, and attacks her, knocking her unconscious. She awakens in the council, with her other sisters, including school classmate Aiden, son of an apsara. Even with evidence, the council are not convinced that the Pandavas are innocent, and task them with retrieving the bow and arrow. They each are granted mystical items for the quest, and Aru gets a vial of ideas. They decide to visit Kamadeva, the God of Love, who owns the bow and arrow. While going there, Aru learns that Aiden's mother gave up her position as an apsara, to marry Aiden's father, but they are now getting a divorce. Aiden secretly blames himself. When they meet Kamadeva, he initially suspects them as the thieves, but gradually trusts them. He reveals that, while the arrow can join hearts, it received a darker power from his wife's, Rati, sorrow. It can now rip out hearts, and the affect will become permanent after a while. Anyone who has enchantment knowledge can carve out their soul song to use the weapons. He cannot help them directly, however he reveals that the location of the thief can be revealed through the soul song, which is in the nāga treasury, if they speak the thief's name over it. They must stab them with the arrow, once it is revealed, thus cleansing the weapons of its dark power, and returning the Heartless to normal. He also gives them Rishi Durvasa's business card.
They travel to the Nāga realm, wherein Aru learns that Brynne is half asura, enabling her to shape-shifting, and is therefore discriminated by almost everyone. They reach the Nāga realms entrance, but Aru is separated from the group. She finds her way to the palace of Varuna and Varuni, the sea gods. Varuni foretells Aru's near future, before she and her friends are reunited, and they fend off a large crab monster. Varuni and Varuna allow them to use a secret passage into the Nāga treasure. However, they are greeted by three nāginis, who claim to know the thief's name. Mini gives herself up for the name, and, although the others try and stop it, Mini is kidnapped and drained of her energy. The nāginis claim that Mini is safe in Ushas and Ratri's world and leave behind a Heartgem that belongs to Uloopi, the naga queen. She used the jewel to save Arjuna, but Takshaka stole it, thus making her age. Aru and Brynne briefly fight, before reconciling. Mini interacts with them in their dreams, causing them to believe that Rishi Durvasa can help them. They enter the naga treasury, wherein they are attacked by Takshaka, the guard of the treasury. He is angry at Aru, who he believes is still Arjuna, for burning down his home. He is allied with the Sleeper, and let the thief, who is female, to steal the bow and arrow. The trio quickly discover Takshaka is affected by musical sound frequencies, and Aiden uses this by playing music on his phone. Aru finds the soul song, but Takshaka overcomes the music by destroying the phone. They are almost killed, before Takshaka's grandson, Rudy, intervenes, and hypnotizes him, using music, and lets the Pandavas escape. They visit Rishi Durvasa, who refuses to help them at first, but then shows them an entrance to the Dreamworld. There, they find and rescue Mini, and return. Mini reveals that the thief is Shurpanakha. It is revealed through the soul song that she is in the Ocean of Milk and is planning to use the Heartless to steal Amrita, the nectar of immortality. While the quartet journey to the Ocean, they are tested by Agni, whose insatiable hunger is finally satisfied by Aru's gift, and they are joined by Hiri, a shapeshifter.
They sneak inside Lanka, where the Amrita is kept. They are discovered by Shurpanakha, who is called Lady M by her followers. The Pandavas are taken aback by her slowly fading beauty, and kindness. She says she is stealing the nectar, because her true story is fading. Her true name is Meenakshi, and she wanted to be remembered for her triumphs. She was used as a scapegoat in the War, but she doesn't want to be remembered as that, and the Amrita can help with it. She tries to persuade them into joining her, but when they refuse, she turns Aiden into a Heartless, and unleashes the others on them. Aru, using Hira's abilities, tricks them into giving her the bow and arrow, before stabbing Lady M, which releases a song of death. Takshaka flees during the pandemonium. Lady M speaks her final words, before dying. The Heartless return to normal. The Pandavas are held in court, where Takshaka tries to incriminate them, but fails. Aru returns Uloopi's jewel, and Uloopi has Takshaka arrested. It is revealed later that be escapes. They later return the bow and arrow to Kamadeva. Aru is approached in her sleep by two twins, who claim that she is "her", and that she will save them next year.
Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes
Aru Shah, and her soul sisters, along with friend Aiden, attempt to rescue two twins from a ferris wheel. One of the twins is a clairvoyant, about to foretell a Great Prophecy relating to the War between devas and asuras but are however delayed from the attempt by a rakshasa. Together, they defeat it. They meet twins Sheela and Nikita. Sheela can foretell the future, while Nikita can control plants. They claim they are Pandavas, although there is initial skepticism from the others. As to find out more about the Sleeper, they carry the demon through a quicker way, known as a Dead Zone, to Amaravati. It becomes apparent that normal mortals refuse to believe in magic, and therefore ignore it. They enter the Zone, however, the people who are banished there attempt to flee with them, causing the rakshasa to wake. Sheela speaks the Prophecy, which the rakshasa hears. It escapes afterward. The twins later get claimed by their soul fathers. The Council of Guardians, concerned, visit Lanka, the City of Gold, as the Prophecy mentions a false treasure. The Prophecy mentions a "tree at the heart", which causes the Pandavas to believe it refers to the titular Tree of Wishes. They visit the garden where it is kept, but Nikita reveals it is a fake, and that the real tree, or a hint to its location, is kept in the Crypt of Eclipses, where there lie secrets, which is inside the House of Months. They decide to go on a quest to find the real tree. Since they need a key to open it, they decide to visit Vishwakarma, god of architects first. The quest is kept secret from all others, except Subala the pigeon, as they were forbidden from helping the devas. Aru is unexpectedly visited by a Nāga prince unknown as Rudy, who insists on joining the quest, and claims he can get them an audience with Vishwakarma.