BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY ~ ARU SHAH AND THE NECTAR OF IMMORTALITY by Roshani Chokshi

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the ARU SHAH AND THE NECTAR OF IMMORTALITY by Roshani Chokshi Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my blog and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About the Book

Title: ARU SHAH AND THE NECTAR OF IMMORTALITY (A Pandava Novel Book 5)

Author: Roshani Chokshi

Pub. Date: April 6, 2021

Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 400

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents the breathtaking conclusion to Roshani Chokshi’s New York Times best-selling Pandava quintet. Will the Sleeper gain immortality or be stopped once and for all?

*”A deeply satisfying conclusion to a superb, groundbreaking series.”–Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

The Pandavas only have until the next full moon to stop the Sleeper from gaining access to the nectar of immortality, which will grant him infinite power. But how can Aru, Mini, and Brynne hope to defeat him without their celestial weapons? The Sleeper and his army are already plundering the labyrinth, and the sisters can’t even enter. Their quest to get in will have them calling on old friends, meeting new allies, and facing fearsome trials, like…performing in a rock concert? When the moment of confrontation finally arrives, it’s up to Aru to decide who deserves immortality, the devas or the asuras. The most unexpected answer will come from a most unexpected place.

More surprises and delights, gods and demons, and laughs and tears await in this immensely satisfying conclusion to the wild ride that began with the lighting of a lamp.

Collect the whole series:

• Rick Riordan Presents: Aru Shah and the End of Time (Book 1). Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited membership!
• Rick Riordan Presents: Aru Shah and the Song of Death (Book 2)
• Rick Riordan Presents: Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes (Book 3)
• Rick Riordan Presents: Aru Shah and the City of Gold (Book 4)

EXCERPT

TWO

I Hate It Here

Aru Shah’s life was, to put it simply, an absolute mess.  

Her previous pigeon mentor, Boo, was currently a flammable chick of some kind. Her  crush, Aiden, had kissed her and yet was now acting like she was invisible. Her friend Kara had  turned out to be not only her real-life half-sister but also the daughter of the sun god. And, as if  that weren’t enough for the past twenty-four hours, Kara had betrayed them, joined forces with  the Sleeper to locate the nectar of immortality, and incinerated the Pandavas’ celestial weapons. On Aru’s birthday. 

But even though Kara and the Sleeper had vanished, at least Aru now knew where she  would find them. 

It was almost evening in Atlanta, and the mid-February wind made her ears burn as she  stared up at the stone gate marking the entrance to Lullwater Park. According to Krithika Shah,  this was the current hiding spot of the labyrinth holding the nectar of immortality, but just for the  next ten days. The only way to navigate the labyrinth was by the light of the sun, and now that  the Sleeper had Kara’s demigod solar powers on his side, the Pandavas’ chances of reaching the  nectar of immortality first were looking, well, low. 

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if they could simply get through the magical barrier  surrounding the park. For the second time since they’d arrived, Aru held out her hand. She could  feel a pulse of energy near the gate, and it was like a curtain drawn tight. She couldn’t push past  it.

“I told you, Aru,” said Krithika softly, laying her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “You  won’t be admitted without your godly weapons. It’s to be expected that the devas would devise a  way to keep humans out.” 

“But we’re not humans!” said Brynne. “We’re demigods!” 

Just then, a young white family walked past. The mom grinned at them and thrust her fist  into the air. “That’s the spirit of the future! We’re all demigods!” And then she laughed and kept  walking.  

“You okay, Brynne?” asked Mini. “Your forehead vein is sticking out a lot. . . .” “No, I’m not okay!” said Brynne. “We have nothing. We can’t fight without our  weapons!” 

“Technically, we could . . .” said Mini, weakly holding up her fists. 

“Only someone with a godly weapon can control the Nairrata army,” said Brynne. “We  don’t have that anymore! And we can’t get into the labyrinth, either!” Her voice broke, and she  looked away from them right before she mumbled, “We can’t protect anyone.” “That’s not true, Bee,” said Aru. “We still have this.” 

Aru shoved her right hand into her pocket. Her fingers instinctively searched for her  lightning bolt, Vajra, which normally would either be nestled into a glowing ball of static  electricity or wrapped around her wrist as a sparking bracelet. Aru felt a sharp ache. Without  Vajra, the world felt a little less bright.  

Aru withdrew her hand. She had meant to pull out the IO(F)U coin from Agni, the god of  fire. But she must have reached into the wrong pocket, because instead she drew out half of an  expired and possibly fossilized Twix bar. While her left hand fished around in her other pocket  for the enchanted coin, Aru shrugged and took a bite.

“Aru! NO!” shouted Mini, smacking Aru’s back so hard that Aru spat out the candy bar.  “That was perfectly good chocolate!” said Aru. 

“What is wrong with you?” demanded Mini. “You cannot eat that! Expired candy can  carry microbes! Some even has strains of salmonella! And if you eat it, you could die.” “We’re already going to die!” said Brynne, crossing her arms. “Especially if Aru thinks a  moldy candy bar is a way to avoid doom!” 

“What I meant to take out was this,” said Aru, holding up the glowing coin.  Brynne still didn’t look convinced. “Yeah, but it doesn’t seem to work, does it?” Aru sighed. Nothing was going her way. She couldn’t even eat some chocolate without  the risk of death.  

When they’d previously tried to contact Agni with the coin, Mini, Brynne, and Aru had  taken turns holding it tight and making a wish. They’d even called out Agni’s name and held it to  the sky, but nothing seemed to make a difference.  

“So how exactly are we going to find the god of fire, Shah?” demanded Brynne. “If we  step foot in the Otherworld and start asking questions, the devas are going to figure out we don’t  have our weapons anymore. Everyone will panic. What if they know already? What if Rudy goes  back to the Naga Realm and doesn’t keep his mouth shut?” 

“I think Rudy and Aiden are still at home fighting over who gets to hold BB,” piped up  Mini.  

BB was what they had decided to name baby Boo, who had hatched at the museum this  morning and had already left multiple singe marks on the floor. Mini hadn’t wanted to take him  outside, worried that he would catch a cold—even though Aru had pointed out that he was  literally a firebird—so they’d left him behind with the boys. 

Brynne groaned. “There’s no way to hide what’s happened to us. Hanuman and Urvashi  are bound to check in any minute now.” 

Aru flipped the coin between her fingers, weighing a new idea in her head. “Mom? Can  you talk to Sheela and Nikita’s parents? The twins may be able to help us.” “Of course,” said Krithika. “But the girls are still too young to have inherited a godly  weapon, so they won’t be able to open the boundary either.” 

“But they still have their Pandava powers,” said Mini.  

Brynne looked like she was chewing on the inside of her cheek. Like Mini and Aru, she  had lost her control of wind, her element. But she was half-asura, which meant she could still  shapeshift. The only problem was that she couldn’t turn into anything big anymore.  

Brynne shook her head. “So what? It’s not like we can make the twins fight an entire  battle on their own.” 

“I know,” said Aru. “But we need a prophecy. Something that will let us get around the  Otherworld and look for Agni without anyone bothering us for the next few days.” Brynne kicked at a bottle cap on the sidewalk. “Right. We’ll just pop over to a  convenience store and pick a prophecy off the shelf.” 

Aru ignored her soul sister’s tone. She knew Brynne was hurting—they all were—but  Brynne was taking it even harder than Aru expected. A small part of Aru felt responsible for this  whole mess.  

On the drive over to Lullwater Park, she kept replaying all the things she could have done  differently. She should have worded her answer better when the god of treasures, Kubera, had  asked her to decide who could wield the Nairrata army. She should have stopped the Sleeper the  first time she’d had the chance. She should have confronted her mom about the truth ages ago. 

But it was too late for all that. 

Aru squared her shoulders and frowned at the darkening sky overhead before she faced  her mom and her sisters. “I never said it had to be a real prophecy.” 

About Roshani

Roshani Chokshi (www.roshanichokshi.com) is the author of the instant New York Times best-selling books in the Pandava series, Aru Shah and the End of Time, and its sequel, Aru Shah and the Song of Death. She also wrote the New York Times best-selling YA books The Star-Touched Queen and The Gilded Wolves. She studied fairy tales in college, and she has a pet luck dragon that looks suspiciously like a Great Pyrenees dog. The Pandava novels were inspired by the stories her grandmother told her as well as Roshani’s all-consuming love for Sailor Moon. She lives in the south and says “y’all,” but she doesn’t really have a Southern accent. Her Twitter handle is @roshani_chokshi.

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Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of ARU SHAH AND THE NECTAR OF IMMORTALITY, US Only.

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