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A review by alli_the_bookaholic13
Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori M. Lee
4.0
Thank you to Disney Books and Rick Riordan Presents for sending me an ARC via netgalley for an honest review.
4/5 stars
I really enjoyed reading this one! I loved learning about the Hmong culture and folktales, and I thought the author did a wonderful job of bringing the fantastical elements of the story to life.
We follow 11-year-old Pahua whose best friend is a kitten spirit (Miv) and mostly hangs out with her younger brother. Pahua feels likes she’s not good enough, and she also feels like she doesn’t fit in anywhere. She can also see spirits of all kinds. Because of this, she does a lot of pretending, and most of her pretending involves things like being a shaman warrior, or leading troops into battle. I really related to Pahua’s thoughts of not fitting in, and even though it was for different reasons, I think that the emotions are the same. I also think that a lot of younger readers will also connect and relate to Pahua’s pretending and feelings of not fitting in.
The story really kicks off when Pahua meets an angry bridge spirit and accidentally untethers her soul. Later that night Pahua discovers that her brother is sick and she fears that the bridge spirit has stolen his soul. This sets her off on a journey to rescue him. Pahua was motivated by her love for her brother, and her fear of losing him, and I liked that it continued to be the most important thing to her even as she was discovering things about herself.
Pahua’s journey takes her into the Spirit Realm where she meets all kinds of different spirits and runs into all sorts of problems. With the help of her best friend Miv and a shaman-warrior-in-training named Zhong, Pahua has to face her own spirit in order to rescue her brothers.
Pahua was a really amazing character. She was brave, strong, and she looked for alternatives to violence, but she also doubted, and she struggled with believing in herself. This made her feel relatable and realistic. I loved her relationship with Miv, and it had me laughing even in moments where the situation was stressful and tense. Zhong was a good character to balance Pahua, and I loved seeing their friendship develop.
I felt that the pacing was really good. The plot was super interesting, and I was engaged the whole time. It was a bit slow at times, but it didn’t drag on, and I thought there was a good balance between action and excitement and some of the slower but necessary moments.
Overall this was a really fun and exciting read. I loved learning about a new culture and their folktales, and I can’t wait to see what happens to Pahua next!
4/5 stars
I really enjoyed reading this one! I loved learning about the Hmong culture and folktales, and I thought the author did a wonderful job of bringing the fantastical elements of the story to life.
We follow 11-year-old Pahua whose best friend is a kitten spirit (Miv) and mostly hangs out with her younger brother. Pahua feels likes she’s not good enough, and she also feels like she doesn’t fit in anywhere. She can also see spirits of all kinds. Because of this, she does a lot of pretending, and most of her pretending involves things like being a shaman warrior, or leading troops into battle. I really related to Pahua’s thoughts of not fitting in, and even though it was for different reasons, I think that the emotions are the same. I also think that a lot of younger readers will also connect and relate to Pahua’s pretending and feelings of not fitting in.
The story really kicks off when Pahua meets an angry bridge spirit and accidentally untethers her soul. Later that night Pahua discovers that her brother is sick and she fears that the bridge spirit has stolen his soul. This sets her off on a journey to rescue him. Pahua was motivated by her love for her brother, and her fear of losing him, and I liked that it continued to be the most important thing to her even as she was discovering things about herself.
Pahua’s journey takes her into the Spirit Realm where she meets all kinds of different spirits and runs into all sorts of problems. With the help of her best friend Miv and a shaman-warrior-in-training named Zhong, Pahua has to face her own spirit in order to rescue her brothers.
Pahua was a really amazing character. She was brave, strong, and she looked for alternatives to violence, but she also doubted, and she struggled with believing in herself. This made her feel relatable and realistic. I loved her relationship with Miv, and it had me laughing even in moments where the situation was stressful and tense. Zhong was a good character to balance Pahua, and I loved seeing their friendship develop.
I felt that the pacing was really good. The plot was super interesting, and I was engaged the whole time. It was a bit slow at times, but it didn’t drag on, and I thought there was a good balance between action and excitement and some of the slower but necessary moments.
Overall this was a really fun and exciting read. I loved learning about a new culture and their folktales, and I can’t wait to see what happens to Pahua next!