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A review by sundayswithka
Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori M. Lee
2.0
**I was provided an ARC from the publisher in exchange of an honest review**
Pahua isn't like most kids in her town (or most kids for that matter). She's one of the few Hmong people in town and she can see spirits. When a trip to the local haunted bridge goes wrong and her brother is spirited away to the spirit realm, Pahua embarks on a journey with a shaman warrior to get him back.
Pahua is witty, quick on her feet, and we really get to see her grow as the story progress. As a Hmong woman, I am ecstatic (to say the least!) to see a Hmong heroine! I love Pahua's character and complexity; I loved seeing the Hmong culture and language threaded throughout the book. It was so much fun to read about the folklores and Gods I heard about growing up. Thank you, Lori!
Unfortunately, the story did fall flat for me. The world building felt lacking and the plot felt a bit all over the place. While it was easy to follow, there were a lot of things that happened that I wasn't sure we needed, resulting in me losing interest. The story also relied heavily on telling vs showing (Zhong telling/educating Pahua (and the reader) on everything). Even as a Hmong person, I thought there was a lot of info dumping that could get confusing, especially for non-Hmong readers.
That said, I still loved how Lee was able to educate the reader about bits and pieces of the Hmong culture. Although I didn't connect with the story itself, I still really enjoyed reading about Pahua's journey! It was very exciting and refreshing!
Pahua isn't like most kids in her town (or most kids for that matter). She's one of the few Hmong people in town and she can see spirits. When a trip to the local haunted bridge goes wrong and her brother is spirited away to the spirit realm, Pahua embarks on a journey with a shaman warrior to get him back.
Pahua is witty, quick on her feet, and we really get to see her grow as the story progress. As a Hmong woman, I am ecstatic (to say the least!) to see a Hmong heroine! I love Pahua's character and complexity; I loved seeing the Hmong culture and language threaded throughout the book. It was so much fun to read about the folklores and Gods I heard about growing up. Thank you, Lori!
Unfortunately, the story did fall flat for me. The world building felt lacking and the plot felt a bit all over the place. While it was easy to follow, there were a lot of things that happened that I wasn't sure we needed, resulting in me losing interest. The story also relied heavily on telling vs showing (Zhong telling/educating Pahua (and the reader) on everything). Even as a Hmong person, I thought there was a lot of info dumping that could get confusing, especially for non-Hmong readers.
That said, I still loved how Lee was able to educate the reader about bits and pieces of the Hmong culture. Although I didn't connect with the story itself, I still really enjoyed reading about Pahua's journey! It was very exciting and refreshing!