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320rcole's review
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved this book! I read the Percy Jackson series as it was coming out and it changed my life. The idea that another generation of children can read a book that shows them how they can be a hero is amazing. The writing, pacing, plot, and character growth were all done very well! I love Zhong and Pahua and I'm sure that this book will touch at the core of who we are as readers. Highly recommend!
rynflynn12's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
srishtidear's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
abhimanyu01's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
pib003's review
4.0
I enjoyed this one a lot more than some of the other Rick Riordan Presents books I've read, but it still felt a little too long. There was a lot of repetition of the same ideas, which maybe is better for a younger audience? But as an adult it felt unnecessary. Still, very good story and the plot twist at the end got me!
buriedinbooks's review
4.0
4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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Pahua and the Soul Stealer is a fast-paced, comedic, and wholesome adventure about a girl who rights her mistakes and journeys to the Spirit Realm to save her brother… with the help of some friends, of course!
While there are a couple of loose threads and less-than-well-explained areas, overall this book was super fun! I loved learning about Hmong mythology surrounding their different realms and spiritfolk, especially their shamans and shaman-warriors. Pahua was a great character with a lot of complexities. She makes mistakes, but tries her best to right her wrongdoings. She’s very caring and will fight tooth and nail for those that she loves. She also has a good head on her shoulders, as she is intelligent enough to recognize when a situation requires a tactful approach, resulting in her outsmarting the enemy without having to battle it out. Her companions were equally as memorable and good, with both Miv and Zhong having shining personalities that created a great group dynamic throughout their adventure. The only things I wasn’t the hugest fan of were the parts where the storytelling that Zhong would do would be packed with a ton of information, making it confusing and overwhelming to follow. It took away from my immersion into the story, so it knocked the final rating down a little bit… But the foreshadowed plot twists near the final battle were jaw-dropping!
This is a really enjoyable book. 4 stars.
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
-
Pahua and the Soul Stealer is a fast-paced, comedic, and wholesome adventure about a girl who rights her mistakes and journeys to the Spirit Realm to save her brother… with the help of some friends, of course!
While there are a couple of loose threads and less-than-well-explained areas, overall this book was super fun! I loved learning about Hmong mythology surrounding their different realms and spiritfolk, especially their shamans and shaman-warriors. Pahua was a great character with a lot of complexities. She makes mistakes, but tries her best to right her wrongdoings. She’s very caring and will fight tooth and nail for those that she loves. She also has a good head on her shoulders, as she is intelligent enough to recognize when a situation requires a tactful approach, resulting in her outsmarting the enemy without having to battle it out. Her companions were equally as memorable and good, with both Miv and Zhong having shining personalities that created a great group dynamic throughout their adventure. The only things I wasn’t the hugest fan of were the parts where the storytelling that Zhong would do would be packed with a ton of information, making it confusing and overwhelming to follow. It took away from my immersion into the story, so it knocked the final rating down a little bit… But the foreshadowed plot twists near the final battle were jaw-dropping!
This is a really enjoyable book. 4 stars.
bookbragger's review
5.0
Since she was little Pahua has been able to see spirits, good or bad. In fact her best friend is a cat spirit named Miv. So when Pahua gets invited to go and visit the bridge by her school it’s an offer she can’t decline, finally a chance at making some friends, even though Pahua knows that the bridge is haunted by a vengeful bridge spirit. However when she sees a little girl crying by the bridge she decides to approach the spirit and try and comfort her. Bad idea. When Pahua’s little brother Matt comes searching for her they both return home but Matt suddenly falls sick and Pahua is lead to believe that the bridge spirit has stolen his soul. Now Pahua journeys back to the bridge taking her aunts shaman tools with her, hoping to summon the bridge spirit but unfortunately Pahua summons a demon instead but fortunately a young shaman warrior appears to help Pahua out of the situation. Now if Pahua wants to safe her brothers soul she most journey through the spirit world and make surprising discoveries along the way. Although this started off slow at the beginning it grew into an intriguing story that explored a mythology I had never heard of before and had a lot of fun learning about. I loved Zhong and Pahua’s friendship and thought they compromised each other well. I am looking forward to reading more about Hmong mythology and seeing what other adventures Pahua has in the two upcoming sequels
kemendraugh's review
5.0
This was excellent. A culture and tradition I knew nothing about, beautifully told. Pahua's empathy is the best, and Miv is even better. Cat spirit best friends forever!!!
Every character in this book is honestly great, and the world is gorgeous and believable and I feel like I could map it, it felt so right. I'll be eagerly looking out for the sequel.
ARC provided by NetGalley. Thanks, NetGalley!
Every character in this book is honestly great, and the world is gorgeous and believable and I feel like I could map it, it felt so right. I'll be eagerly looking out for the sequel.
ARC provided by NetGalley. Thanks, NetGalley!
riverlasol's review
5.0
Lori M. Lee has knocked it out of the park with her middle grade debut!! If you like mythology, magic, humour, nature/animal spirits, and introverts figuring out how to make friends then I would highly recommend it. I personally loved this book for all of those reasons, but I want to mention how much I loved learning about Hmong shamanism. I feel that Pahua’s story is a deeply important and necessary addition to the literary world as a whole.
Besides that, this book is full up to the brim with charming prose and I was rooting for the characters all the way. There’s really nothing else for me to say! If you like middle grade fantasy in any capacity, you should definitely be checking this out (it’s out as of today!). Thank you so much to the publisher for this review copy and thanks to the author for writing such an important, educational, and also fun book.
Full post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CTi4xGTrchw/
matteahayn's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5