Pahua and the Soul Stealer
by Lori M. LeeAlso by this author: Forest of Souls (Shamanborn, #1)
Published by: Rick Riordan Presents on September 7, 2021
Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Rating:
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Lori M. Lee's middle grade debut about a lonely Hmong girl who discovers she's a powerful shaman warrior in this fantasy inspired by Southeast Asian mythology.
Pahua Moua has a bit of a reputation for being a weirdo. A lonely eleven-year-old Hmong girl with the unique ability to see spirits, she spends her summer days babysitting her little brother and playing with her best friend, a cat spirit no one else can see.
One day Pahua accidentally untethers an angry spirit from the haunted bridge in her neighborhood--whoops. When her brother suddenly falls sick and can't be awoken, Pahua fears that the bridge spirit has stolen his soul. She returns to the scene of the crime with her aunt's old shaman tools, hoping to confront the spirit and demand her brother's return. Instead, she summons a demon.
Thankfully, a warrior shaman with a bit of an attitude problem shows up at the last minute and saves her butt. With the help of this guide, Pahua will have to find her way through the spirit worlds and rescue her brother's soul before it's too late. Little does she know she'll have her own discoveries to make along the way. . . .
Content Tags:
Perfect for readers who want:
- Rick Riordan-esque fantasy but with diverse characters!
- Hmong-based mythology and creatures.
- Fast-paced, highly addictive fantasy.
- A Spirit Realm that’s both interesting and intense.
- Creatures that you definitely don’t want to meet in a dark alley.
- Super cute, super sarcastic cat demon sidekick.
- Dragons.
Many thanks to Rick Riordan Presents and Rockstar Book Tours for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I’m back with yet another Rick Riordan Presents books! I utterly could not wait for this one (though I say that a lot when it comes to RRP). Pahua was a bit more special, though, because I’ve previously read Lori M. Lee’s Forest of Souls, which I absolutely loved. So of course I was eager to check out her middle grade!
Pahua and the Soul Stealer is a foray into the world of Hmong mythology, featuring diverse characters, strong females, sibling bonds, and an utterly irresistible (and gloriously sarcastic) cat demon sidekick.
And if that doesn’t convince you to read it, I don’t know what will. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ If you don’t do it for the adventure or the mythology or the hecka interesting Hmong stories, do it for the cat demon, okay? That is literally probably the only time you’ll ever hear someone say that. Unless your life is as . . . interesting . . . as mine . . . and then probably not.
I went in not quite knowing what to expect but trusting Lori M. Lee to just work her magic, and she did! This is easily one of my favorite Rick Riordan Presents series now, right up there with Tristan Strong.
Prepare yourself for a world filled with Hmong mythology and legends, curtesy of the latest Rick Riordan Presents by Lori M. Lee.
If you haven’t read Lee’s other work, you obviously should. If you have, you sort of know what to expect when it comes to her fabulous world-building skills and the way she pulls readers straight into her books. I was utterly hooked from page one and immediately knew I was going to have a good time with this one.
Hmong mythology isn’t something I’m particularly familiar with. I’ll admit that I had to lean on the glossary here a lot also, because Hmong words aren’t even close to spelled phonetically. I thought Gaelic was bad when it came to just shoving sounds into random letter combinations, but then Hmong said, “Hold my naab vaam.” Lee does a fantastic job of trying to translate the sounds of a tonal language (please do look this up, because it’s fascinating) into something young readers can imitate, and I absolutely loved learning more about this language and culture!
Also, Hmong is a culture filled with stories, and Lee really brings that to life. All sorts of stories and myths are shared throughout the book, and I really enjoyed the emphasis on storytelling.
Miv hissed. “Nice outfit. You forgot your cape.”
“Capes are actually a terrible idea,” I said. “They get caught in everything.”
The demon pointed at me. “Yes! Thank you! Someone who gets it.”
“Does that mean you’ll let us go?”
“Nope.”
Pahua is such a fun protagonist, because she’s obviously special (I mean, she can see spirits that others can’t!), but she’s also very much an outsider 11-year-old who lives in her own head a little too much.
And if that’s not the most relatable thing ever, I’m not sure what is, okay? Pahua is the quintessential reluctant hero because not only does she not particularly want to be nor think of herself as a hero, she’s also not very good at being a hero. Not that she doesn’t have her strengths, of course, as do we all. However, she’s a teeeeensy bit hopeless. In an adorable way. She means well, though, and that’s what really matters.
“Smooth,” Miv said.
My face went hot. “I mean, obviously you do, because you’re spiritfolk. Like me. I’m spiritfolk, too. Ha-ha-ha.”
“Oh my gods,” Zhong said, covering her face.
Did I mention that there’s also an incredibly sarcastic, very funny cat demon sidekick that mostly only Pahua can see?
Boy does this cat snark, as any cat should. Miv takes the whole idea of an animal sidekick and kicks it up a notch. If you’ve read and loved Nevernight by Jay Kristoff, Miv very much reminds me of a cleaner, less violent, more wholesome version of Mr. Kindly. Which is high praise, considering how much I utterly adore that cat.
Miv isn’t without his secrets, of course. Needless to say, he’s an enigmatic entity that has, for some reason, attached itself to Pahua from a young age and follows her on her adventures. Why would an ancient, immortal being do that? Well, who’s to say for sure, really? Cats are curious creatures.
Ramen gives you indigestion? Miv said as he jumped onto my rumpled bed, leaving a ghostly trail of smoke in his wake.
“No.” For the record, I did not say that.
Pokemon scares you?
Or that. I threw a sock at him.
Stop watching you sleep?
I paused in the middle of wadding up another sock. “Do you watch me sleep?”
His yellow eyes glowed faintly. Let that question haunt you for the rest of the day.
Pahua’s adventure takes her (and the reader) to the Spirit Realm—an afterlife that is probably nothing like you ever imagined, and inhabited by all sorts of characters—some good, some bad, and some just larger than life.
I love the Spirit Realm. I said it. It’s dangerous and sexy and filled with elephants (you’ll get it when you read the book, because elephants are spirit guardians, but honestly, who wouldn’t want an afterlife filled with elephants?!). There are also quite a few interesting characters that Pahua and her friends meet along the way. Not all are particularly nice, but they do tend to crack me up, which I loved! In their own ways, of course.
“Quite frequently. When I don’t have visitors, my mind is always somewhere in the cosmos. Feels weird returning to my body. Confining. Also, I can’t remember the last time I used the bathroom.”
Also, because I just couldn’t choose from all the fantastic quotes in this book (I have so many flags in it for quotes that narrowing it down to just these took some effort), I decided to leave you with just one more quote from our favorite cat demon sidekick.
You know, because Miv is really the only “adult” that gets to go on this adventure, and I feel like he speaks for a lot of the adults that may also be reading this book. Really, he says what we’re all thinking. Bless him for that.
“Have you been here before?” I asked.
“Of course not. But my gut tells me I’m right.”
“Your gut also tells you to spread spit on your face, so it probably shouldn’t be making decisions for us,” I said. “It’s two against one. We’re going left.”
Miv huffed and stuck his little nose in the air. “Yes, let’s listen to the two children over the wise and powerful cat spirit. That’ll end well.”
About Lori M. Lee
Lori M. Lee is the author of speculative novels and short stories. Her books include PAHUA AND THE SOUL STEALER (Disney/Rick Riordan Presents), FOREST OF SOULS and the sequel BROKEN WEB (Page Street), and more. She’s also a contributor to the anthologies A THOUSAND BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS and COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES. She considers herself a unicorn fan, enjoys marathoning TV shows, and loves to write about magic, manipulation, and family.
Photo credit PrettyGeeky Photography.
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This one sounds great! There is so much good Middle Grade coming out these days.
Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits recently posted…WIP Wednesday for 8 September 2021
There iiiis! But for some reason our bosses won’t give us time off to read all of it? Talk about unreasonable. I think this is one that you’d like. 🙂 Not too scary, but just enough for a fun fall read.
[…] September 7-The Bookwyrm’s Den […]
I loved the dialogue in this story! Made it so fun and engaging! And Miv was an amazing character! And I want Pahua to be my best friend TBH! Her character growth was so inspiring to watch! Thanks for the great review, Sammie!
Hasini @ bibliosini recently posted…The Feelings Book Tag
YES! These are characters I would absolutely love to hang out with. I also very much would like a Miv. I’m very sad that we now have to wait for the sequel. Where’s a time machine when you need one? xD
[…] @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads and Sammie @ The Bookwyrm’s Den reviews Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori M. […]