Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Quartet, #1)

by Roshani Chokshi

A particularly good book had a way of opening new spaces in one’s mind. It even invited you to come back later and rummage through what you’d learned.

But old age didn’t taste…bad. It reminded Aru of her birthday last year. Her mom had taken them to a fancy Italian restaurant. Aru had eaten so much that she’d fallen asleep in the car. Her mom had picked her up (Aru remembered because she kept pretending to be asleep) and carried her to bed. The sip of old age was like that—a happy kind of fullness.

This is what we get for thinking that scaly orange skin and fake hair could keep that former demon out of elected office.

“That makes sense,” said the clockwork creature. “Heroines usually are the Kingdom of Death’s worst nightmares. They’re always barging in, waving scraps of metal around, and demanding things. No manners whatsoever.” “Excuse you!” said Aru. “What about heroes? I bet they’re just as bad as heroines.” “It’s a compliment! Heroes rarely have the guts to demand things. Usually they just sulk until a magical sidekick feels bad for them and does all the work while they get all the credit.”