Roshani Chokshi

Best-selling author Rick Riordan Presents the penultimate book in the Pandava series by best-selling author Roshani Chokshi. Aru 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 wshes, 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 devas have been too devious up to now. Case in point: two of the Pandavas' mentors, Hanuman and Urvashi, have been mysteriously detained in Lanka, the city of gold. Why? The Pandavas need to find them and get some answers before the Otherworld's magic fades completely in the human realm. 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 will leave readers wishing they could read the finale right now.

A Pandava Novel Book 4

Aru Shah and the City of Gold

Anna Stewart

Aru Shah felt like she’d been struck by lightning. 

And she knew all about that feeling, thanks to a terrible experiment.

No one had ever been grateful that Aru had freed the Sleeper. If anything, it was one of her biggest sources of guilt. And yet it was the reason she now had Brynne and Mini as her best friends and sisters, and Nikita and Sheela as the little sisters she hadn’t realized she’d always wanted.

All she knew about the Sleeper were the memories he’d sacrificed. She didn’t know anything about the kind of music he liked or books he read. He may have told Kara that Aru was his daughter, but he’d never been Aru’s dad.

“Shah,” said a familiar, velvety voice. “You’re okay. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I mean, you know, thinking if you were okay and stuff…” 

Aru looked up to see Aiden Acharya staring at her. As usual, his camera, Shadowfax, hung from his right shoulder. He wore a loose-fitting black tee and jeans. Even in the daylight, there was something about his eyes that reminded Aru of distant stars.

Whatever had almost happened fizzled and died on the spot when Aiden coughed and pointed to Kara, still passed out on the grass. 

Aru took a deep breath, then looked at her friends. “So…as it turns out…I’m not the only daughter of the Sleeper?”

“The Sleeper was always destined to fight a war that could destroy the Otherworld.” 

“Maybe he wouldn’t have done that if he hadn’t been locked up!” said Aru. 

Brynne shook her head. “Listen, I get it. It’s sad, but he’s a monster, Aru—” 

Vajra, who had turned back into a bracelet on Aru’s wrist, flashed angrily. “If you were forced to give up parts of your soul, you’d become a monster, too!”

Because they know you’re a liar, Aru Shah

“Where did she go, exactly?” asked Aru. 

“I wish we knew more, dude,” said Brynne sadly. 

“She said she knew what she was doing, and she promised to stay out of harm’s way,” said Aiden. “She also gave me a message in case you got back before her.” 

Aiden looked deep into her eyes, and Aru felt prickly and warm all over. “I love you, Aru.” 

,” said Aru, while quietly dying inside.

“A book of Emily Dickinson poems?” he asked, handing it back to her. 

Kara flushed. “Her work has always made me feel…less alone.” 

Aiden’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and his gaze lingered on Kara. As Aru watched, something painful nudged at her heart.

Kara was at peace with an ugly situation. But Aru? Aru was angry. 

Sometimes she felt so angry that she wondered if holding it in was the only thing that kept her pinned to the ground. Otherwise, the force of all the unknowns in her life might pull her apart.

Aru Shah and the City of Gold quotes

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