Lori M. Lee

Their souls remain trapped as well. The older the soul, the more a part of the Dead Wood they become until they are no more than wood, rot, and rage.

WHEW. This was a ton of worldbuilding crammed into a little book. And for once, that's the thing I have the most to say about.

For starters, it was impressive, and genuinely, fantastically creepy. Never has a forest spooked me so much since Uprooted, and I thought it never would again. Throw in some spider monsters and a castle (and a spider king show more god DAMN) tucked in the middle of all this mess and you've got yourself quite the atmosphere. The unapologetic dragons and wyverns and all the lizard-things in between was also great; I can hardly remember the last dragon I read about and I loved it.

When it comes to the magic, the kingdoms, and the especially the scores of magic-users, the guide at the start of the book is necessary, and though I liked all the details, it felt like epic 600-page fantasy crammed into the constraints of a 400-page YA drama, unable to stretch and really organically teach us. And so my main frustration, though I'm firmly calling this a "me" problem - most of the reveals and twists relied on the tiniest change of understanding or a shift in dictionary definition, when I hardly understood what was going on in the first place. All I had to do was just nod and follow along and pretend I didn't already "guess" the twist purely because I didn't understand the base concept enough. I also never felt like I knew what was happening in the plot - characters just went places and I followed, and again like an epic fantasy with more pages to spend, characters you thought had a set role or would pull their weight just...didn't, and were used far more subtly, though that's far from a flaw.

The imagination and the characters were fantastic, though. Theyen was outstanding in particular, and the turn Saengo and Sirscha's bond takes early on made me sure that I was in for something great.

I'd recommend this - and also recommend to myself that I do a reread eventually. show less

I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.

Rick Riordan's line has done it again--this is another masterful middle grade book that explores a fascinating culture and is a rollicking adventure all the while. Lori M. Lee wrote about Pahua, a young, lonely girl Hmong girl with only a cat spirit and a younger brother as her friends. As I grew up in Central California, I had many Hmong schoolmates, and while I marveled at the elaborate clothing the other girls wore for special show more occasions, I knew absolutely nothing about their culture. With reason, I'm sure--junior high is all about blending in to some unreal American ideal. Now, I feel like I know a little more, and I wish I'd known more when I was much younger.

Pahua is utterly relatable. She doesn't fit in with her schoolmates. She sees spirits everywhere, including the cat she counts as her best friend. Her knowledge of Hmong mythology is scattershot; her mom doesn't talk about it much (and is always at work at the factory, anyway) and her dad abandoned the family a few years before. She is close to her little brother, though. When Pahua talks to a creepy spirit at a bridge, the thing attacks her--and when her brother falls sick, Pahua realizes he was attacked, too. Pahua takes off on an adventure to save her brother, learning a lot about Hmong spirits and gods--and herself.

To me, this book had a wonderful Studio Ghibli vibe. I could really see this as a vibrant anime in the tone of Spirited Away. It's cozy, a little dark at times, but overall hopeful and empowering. show less

I loved the emotional beats of this, and the Hmong folklore worldbuilding was lovely, but I'm starting to find the quest formulae of these Rick Riordan Presents books a little tedious, especially when they involve instances where the protagonist could just ask for help...and doesn't. Pahua also experienced a significant amount of self-doubt in this, and even before her moments of uncertainty or fear or hesitation became repetitive, they brought the momentum of any scene to a grinding halt. I show more like Pahua the Big Sister and the Girl Who Sees Spirits very much...but I find it a struggle to care about Pahua the Heroine at all. show less

Pahua and the Soul Stealer is the first book in the Pahua Moua series by Lori M. Lee that focuses on Hmong mythology. It was released September 7th, 2021 and is part of the absolutely wonderful Rick Riordan Presents imprint, an imprint that aims to publish diverse mythological works of fiction for children and teens.
Lee's story was entrancing. Pahua and the Soul Stealer features shamans, ghosts, and talking cats! It has strong Hayao Miyazaki vibes (Lee even name drops Spirited Away in the show more story) with a girl entering a spirit realm, a talking cat, etc. but it is very much it's own unique story drawing on the mythology of Hmong culture. The story follows our delightful and sweet and brave protagonist, Pahua Moua. Pahua and her family are refugees from Laos, but her father left years earlier and she spends a lot of her time taking care of her younger brother, Matt. But Pahua can also see spirits and when she makes a mistake involving a ghost, she must journey into the spirit realm to save her brother. Her quest is fraught with danger, but there is also magic, friendship, and learning about her own strength. With the help of a girl named Zhong, a shaman warrior, Pahua risks it all to save her brother.
Pahua and the Soul Stealer was an engaging story that I am eager to read again. Pahua is a great heroine -she is noble, loving, kind, and brave. The world building and folklore is fascinating. And the pacing of the story is quick and easy to read.
I highly recommend this book show less