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bibliomania_express's review
4.0
Pahua and the Soul Stealer is fun, snappy, and has falliable heroes and real issues bound up in the adventure and fantasy. I really enjoyed this book - the characters felt real and the worldbuilding was fantastic.
Pahua is a great main character - she's strong, cunning, determined, and brave, but she sees herself as inferior and a perpetual outsider. She's dealing with her father abandoning their family, her guilt over her brother's soul being captured, and all the bullying and racism she's faced at school. Pahua goes from a Hmong girl who feels out of place, who loses herself in games of pretend to be strong, to someone who embraces her uniqueness and finds strength in being herself.
Zhong was a great foil for Pahua, as Pahua sees Zhong as this perfect, competent and confident shaman-warrior, but we get enough glimpses of Zhong's life at her shaman school that she also feels overlooked and second-best. Rounding out our trio is Miv, the sassy cat spirit who is Pahua's best friend. Miv has his own past, but I loved seeing the three of them work their way through danger to become a team.
As with all the books in the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, I loved learning about a new mythology - this one the oral traditions of the Hmong people. Nature spirits play a big role in this story, particularly trees, but we also get a rundown of the gods, like Ntuj the Sky Father and Xov the destroyer, and heroes like Shee Yee. I particularly liked the Tree of Souls and the Crossroads - both settings were fun and vivid (and packed with adventure).
There were a few plot points that I called early on, and a couple of very convenient things, but there were also a few of great twists. I do wish we had more of the shaman world fleshed out, but I expect to see more in the next book. I also wish there had been more of Matt - he felt like a typical younger brother, but I didn't feel like we got enough hints of who he was for how imporrant he was to the story.
Also, there's a bit of a fake out with phonics - sneaky, sneaky.
Rating:
Pahua is a great main character - she's strong, cunning, determined, and brave, but she sees herself as inferior and a perpetual outsider. She's dealing with her father abandoning their family, her guilt over her brother's soul being captured, and all the bullying and racism she's faced at school. Pahua goes from a Hmong girl who feels out of place, who loses herself in games of pretend to be strong, to someone who embraces her uniqueness and finds strength in being herself.
Zhong was a great foil for Pahua, as Pahua sees Zhong as this perfect, competent and confident shaman-warrior, but we get enough glimpses of Zhong's life at her shaman school that she also feels overlooked and second-best. Rounding out our trio is Miv, the sassy cat spirit who is Pahua's best friend. Miv has his own past, but I loved seeing the three of them work their way through danger to become a team.
As with all the books in the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, I loved learning about a new mythology - this one the oral traditions of the Hmong people. Nature spirits play a big role in this story, particularly trees, but we also get a rundown of the gods, like Ntuj the Sky Father and Xov the destroyer, and heroes like Shee Yee. I particularly liked the Tree of Souls and the Crossroads - both settings were fun and vivid (and packed with adventure).
There were a few plot points that I called early on, and a couple of very convenient things, but there were also a few of great twists. I do wish we had more of the shaman world fleshed out, but I expect to see more in the next book. I also wish there had been more of Matt - he felt like a typical younger brother, but I didn't feel like we got enough hints of who he was for how imporrant he was to the story.
Also, there's a bit of a fake out with phonics - sneaky, sneaky.
Rating:
speevlovestoread's review against another edition
4.0
This book was alright. It would be 3 stars, but the humor in it was good enough to bump it up. It was a fun read, though i’m not sure i was actually paying attention enough to understand the culture/myths (this is my bad i just didn’t soak it in). I enjoyed Zhongs character the most, SMALL SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!and i didn’t really like how Pahua would always force Zhong to stop fighting to bargain with the thing they were fighting. The things gave in almost immediately, which did not make sense because they were so intent on fighting before. Overall, 3 stars that moved up to 4 because of the humor.
bookinitwithahtiya's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
ladygetslit's review against another edition
I truly just wasn’t in the mood for a Rick Riordan presents. This was such a good story worthy of being told, but it felt repetitive because it follows the story pattern of the others in the imprint. IYKYK 😅
320rcole's review against another edition
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
ag200108's review
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 against another edition
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!