Aru Shah and the Song of Death

Aru Shah and the Song of Death, written by Roshani Chokshi and edited by Rick Riordan, is the second book of Pandava Quartet.

The book follows Aru Shah trying to clear her name after being accused of stealing the bow and arrow belonging to the god of love.

Synopsis
''Just when she's learning how to be a Pandava, Aru is accused of stealing the god of love's bow and arrow. In order to prove her innocence, she must navigate the serpent realm with Mini and two new companions, one of whom is a BOY!''

''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.''

Development
According to Roshani Chokshi, the Georgia Aquarium will play an important role in this book, she says there's a portal to the Naga Realm there. She also said that Boo will be like "WHY ME" for the entire book.

Plot
A herd of zombies currently swarming through the Night Bazaar which was in chaos. Aru Shah and Mini were hiding as they had trouble using their celestial weapons. They had to find a thief somewhere who set off an alarm saying an unwanted demonic presence was in the area. Some zombies found them, so Aru launched Vajra at them and the girls made a run for it. The zombies chased them through the stands and aisles, the thief, another Pandava sister, was at the end, she shifted into a blue wolf and ran off carrying a large and golden bow and arrow. Grocery carts blocked the girls' path, Mini tried to use Dee Dee but failed. A zombie dentist named Ernst Warren charged at them, the girls managed to hold him off only for at least twenty more to appear. Boo arrives using a vial of grey smoke so the girls can go after their sister. Aru used Vajra to lasso a grocery cart and they go to an arena where students train. In there, the thief and another girl were fighting for control of the bow and arrow, the latter looked exactly like Aru, much to the utter surprise of herself and Mini. The Pandava sister turns into a blue jaguar but the fake Aru throws her against the wall, she was controlling the zombies. Mini and Aru believe the fake Aru is a rakshasi as they could take on the appearance of gods, demons, and humans. The two try to fight her but the imposter escapes leaving them surrounded by fire. Up in the sky, Hanuman, Urvashi, and two other members of the Council of Guardians arrive. The two Pandavas used their weapons to shield themselves from Hanuman's water, then they check out the other Pandava. She blames Aru as the thief who blames her back, suddenly air began to lift the three off the ground. A flag, the symbol of Vayu, appeared over her head and turns into her own celestial weapon, a large, blue club. After blowing Mini away, she and Aru were getting ready to fight, Hanuman wanted her half-sister, Brynne, to stop. Aru was then shot into the sky.

Uloopi's Ultimatum
She wakes up in a bubble with a hole in it, Mini and Brynne appear next to her. Using mind link, Mini says that Brynne is the reincarnation of Bhima the Strong, as she broke the glass bubble while Aru hurt herself trying. Down below in the Court of the Sky, the Council of Guardians was gathered together. One of them was King Jambavan, the gigantic bear. The four of them were with arguing the fifth member who says the bow and arrow was stolen from the naga treasury. It had to have been a Pandava as only they could get past Takshaka, the guard who was also present there. The bow and arrow belonged to Kamadeva, the hindu god of love, that's why Varja and Dee Dee didn't work on it. The naga woman blames Aru and Brynne for this, she is Queen Uloopi who was a wife of Arjuna, Aru's previous incarnation. Boo stands up for the girls but Uloopi doesn't trust him due to his past as Shakhuni, Hanuman tries to say that they had an alibi but Takshaka reveals that the alarm went off when it was discovered that the weapon was stolen. Uloopi thinks that the thief is afflicted with the Sleeper who was still at large since he failed to end time. The council bring the Pandavas down, Brynne is shocked to discover that they are her sisters. After Boo breaks up another argument, Uloopi reveals that the thief is kidnapping men and turning them into zombies without actual hearts and soon the effects will be permanent. The Pandavas are to prove their innocence by retrieving the bow and arrow in ten days. If they fail, they'll lose their memories of being Pandavas and the Otherworld, their souls will go dormant, and they will be banished from the Otherworld, forever. Aru was horrified at not even remembering Mini, Brynne is revealed to be part Asura but it doesn't seem like she is the thief. Takshaka also says new Pandavas will come along if they fail. Uloopi reveals that she had many consorts and therefore didn't mourn the death of her son from Arjuna that much. She and Takshaka leave through a portal he made. Brynne thinks she can do this alone but her sisters disagree, Boo can't come as he is suspected to be in league with the Sleeper. Instead, the Council's witness who made them doubt their guilt with join them. He is Aiden Acharya, the new boy Aru spoke poorly to, he's actually a great student of semidevine linage.

Chapter list

 * 1) New Demon Who Dis?
 * 2) Keeping Up with the Pandavas
 * 3) Aru Shah: Demigod and Hamster Impersonator 
 * 4) We Literally Just Went on a Quest
 * 5) This Is Fine. Really
 * 6) The Warehouse of Quest Materials, aka "Do Not Touch That"
 * 7) Who Doesn't Like Vegan Granola?
 * 8) Swans are the Worst 
 * 9) That One Time I Got Incinerated
 * 10) That Went Well ... Not
 * 11) Terminal C. Get It? LOL
 * 12) Aru Shah Is a Piece of Sushi
 * 13) I Mean, Technically, We're Family....
 * 14) Heeeere, Monstrous Kitty!
 * 15) No, I Can't Sing. Leave Me Alone
 * 16) Mini Gets a (Spooky) New Power
 * 17) Uloopi's Secret
 * 18) A Chocolaty Truce
 * 19) Dehhhh-Spah-CITO
 * 20) I Don't Trust Nobody and Nobody Trusts Me
 * 21) The Dangerous Samosa
 * 22) Aiden Brings the Smolder
 * 23) Leave the Rock Outta This
 * 24) Mistakes Have Been Made....
 * 25) And Then Came the Fiery Cows
 * 26) Cows Are Officially Cancelled
 * 27) Sage Durvasa Curses
 * 28) We'll Even Throw in Starvation for Free!
 * 29) Did Your Parents Really Name You Sparky?
 * 30) Brynne Loses an Eating Contest
 * 31) Aru Shah Is on Fire. No, but Seriously. Like Fire Fire. This Is Not a Drill
 * 32) Presents from Uncle Agni
 * 33) But Real Talk, Where Are the Cookies?
 * 34) Oh No! Oh No! Oh, Wait a Minute....
 * 35) Hello, New Friend!
 * 36) The Tale of the Demon Princess
 * 37) Lady M Makes a Request
 * 38) Who's the Heartless One Now?
 * 39) Shadowfax Saves the Day
 * 40) Well, This Is Awkward
 * 41) You Shall Not Pass!
 * 42) There and Back Again, an Aru Tale

Main Characters

 * Aru Shah
 * Mini
 * Brynne Rao
 * Aiden Acharya
 * Boo
 * Uloopi
 * Urvashi
 * Hanuman
 * Ernst Warren
 * Giant Crab

Trivia

 * The premise of the book is similar to The Lightning Thief, both Percy Jackson and Aru Shah were accused of stealing a powerful weapon and set off to clear their names.

Mentions of Other Cultures

 * At one point, Aiden alludes Tamatoa, the singing crab from Moana.
 * In one scene, Aru Shah, Mini and Brynne dress as the Sanderson sisters from the movie, Hocus Pocus.