The Pandava Quintet
#794.24 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 5 books Status Complete 2018–2022 Reading commitment Medium Roshani Chokshi Last reviewed 2026-09-05
Overview
Roshani Chokshi's Pandava Quintet, published under Rick Riordan Presents between 2018 and 2022, follows Aru Shah, a girl living in contemporary Atlanta who accidentally awakens the Sleeper, a time-freezing entity of Hindu myth, and discovers she is a reincarnated Pandava, one of the legendary warrior-heroes of the Mahabharata. Aru and her fellow reincarnated Pandavas must undertake a series of quests spanning both the mortal world and the Otherworld, a realm of Hindu gods, demons and legendary figures, to prevent the catastrophe the Sleeper threatens to unleash. Drawing extensively on Hindu cosmology, mythology and folklore, the five-book series follows the contemporary-mythology-adventure model established by Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books while centering South Asian tradition and a predominantly female cast. Critics highlighted its blend of humor, sarcastic contemporary teenage voice and genuine emotional stakes around identity, friendship and morality, with the series praised for weaving Indian mythology into a feminist coming-of-age adventure aimed at middle-grade readers.
Mythic fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (5 works) counts toward ranking
The Pandava Quintet Roshani Chokshi
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Aru Shah and the End of Time | 2018 | 1 | core | 4.08 (29,660 ratings) |
 | Aru Shah and the Song of Death | 2019 | 2 | core | 4.32 (11,756 ratings) |
 | Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes | 2020 | 3 | core | 4.38 (8,145 ratings) |
 | Aru Shah and the City of Gold | 2021 | 4 | core | 4.44 (6,459 ratings) |
 | Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality | 2022 | 5 | core | 4.51 (5,207 ratings) |
Completed 5-book series, Rick Riordan Presents / Disney-Hyperion.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Pandava Quintet? The Pandava Quintet's Core Canon is 5 books.
- What is the reading order for The Pandava Quintet? Publication order, starting with Aru Shah and the End of Time. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Pandava Quintet finished? Complete (2018–2022).
- How much reading does The Pandava Quintet take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 5 Core Canon books · ~355 pages).
- How is The Pandava Quintet ranked? #79 in this site's official ranking, based on 61,227 reader ratings across 5 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #79?
Ranked #79 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.24 across 5 core books.
- A smaller readership (61,227 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 4.08 to 4.51.
- Less than 0.01 behind #78, Beyonders (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 5 books · Complete · 61k ratings · Ranks #79 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length mythic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (5 Core Canon books)
- Aru Shah and the End of Time (2018)
- Aru Shah and the Song of Death (2019)
- Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes (2020)
- Aru Shah and the City of Gold (2021)
- Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality (2022)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction (Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction), 2018: nominated: Aru Shah and the End of Time
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.24 across 61,227 ratings on 5 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit The Pandava Quintet (Roshani Chokshi) accepted 2026-09-05
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Pandava Quintet Tier 3
Last reviewed: 2026-09-05
Rule: Core Canon = all five novels of the completed series.