Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality by Roshani Chokshi

Is this the conclusion to Aru Shah? The Pandavas have made it to the final boss. All the side quests and dungeons have been beat. Unfortunately, the Potatoes are standing at the final entrance stripped of their celestial weapons, and therefore celestial allies, but they still have to conquer the Sleeper. How will they overcome?

Standing before Aru are Kara and her father. Two people who have been on her mind since she fell through the elephant. All the soul searching Aru has been doing must now answer, is her father good or evil? That answer will decide if the devas or the asuras receive the nectar of immortality. That decision would be tough for any philosopher to ponder. So let's lay it in the hands of a teenage reincarnation of a Hindu demigod. (Small gripe inserted here. Why is it Aru's decision when all five Pandavas have been required to even get to the labyrinth? Shouldn't Brynne, Mini, Nikki, and Sheila be throwing more weight on how this all turns out.) 

While I certainly don't love the philosophical argument of the novel, I love Aru reaching into her bag and pulling out all the artifacts she has been given along the way. All the sides of the coin that don't get recorded in the epics, eddas, sagas, and tales of history. What Aru ultimately comes to realize is the most poignant inspiration a middle grade novel has had for me (and saved multiple stars on the rating of the book, honestly).

Because I have to admit the snark was a little less amusing by book five. The writing is still witty, and the rock concert is probably the most epic snarkiness in the whole story. The rest, however, feels like some of the spark has worn off and the humor is a little more forced. It must be exhausting trying to write a constant golden one-liner character. Despite all this, all the characters still feel true to themselves. 

Now, obviously there could be spin offs, but this is the conclusion to Aru's family drama. There is a neat little epilogue to tie up those loose ends. But it's nice to know that there's always more story to life, and Aru Shah just might star in it.