This was a fun read. I enjoyed learning about a whole new family of folklore, and Pahua was a very lovable heroine. The strong themes of family and true friendship, along with the importance (and power) of self-acceptance, will give readers a lot of food for thought.

The Rick Riordan Presents label never misses! This is another fantastic story in his line, about a Hmong girl who discovers she's actually a Shaman warrior. I'm so glad this story was able to be told, and I'm positive my students are going to love it!

I just loved the characters, especially Pahua and Miv. I guessed a certain twist but I'm also an adult reading a middle grade story so I can't fault it for that. I definitely sobbed at certain moments (I was heavily pregnant and this is a story about siblings after all). I really love the Rick Riordan Presents imprint and I plan to buy and read them all eventually! I'll definitely be continuing this series. I really hope Octavia grows up to read all these awesome books with me! I gave this one a full ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Full disclosure: I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher and NetGalley, however, I didn’t get to read it before it was archived. I checked the book out from the library to read it.

You can never go wrong reading any of the books from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint. Pahua and the Soul Stealer is no exception. This book is based on Hmong mythology and culture. You do not need to have any background knowledge in this culture to enjoy this book. I know I knew nothing. There is a glossary in the back of the book that provides pronunciation and information on the various characters and words used throughout. While I did get a little confused with some of the different spirits and realms mentioned in the book, I do believe this is one of my favorite books of all the RRP books. It was very well written, and the pacing was very fast. It was easy to sit down with the intention of reading a couple of pages and all of a sudden I was 30 pages in.

I highly recommend this book.

Much middle grade mythology follows the same formula. Pahua adds enough unique elements to stand out. The traditional tales felt like heavy handed exposition at times. This eARC was difficult for me to get through because of the format. Lots of random line and paragraph breaks.

Rating: 3.5, Enjoyed It

This book tells the story of Pahua, a young Hmong girl who accidentally unleashes a bridge spirit who then steals the souls of children to the Spirit Realm, causing them to fall into mysterious comas. This would be bad enough, but Pahua's brother is one of the children whose soul is stolen. We follow Pahua as she teams up with a shaman warrior in training to journey to the Spirit Realm and send her brother's soul back. Along the way she comes to terms with her own magic.

This book was a lot of fun. It was a great adventure, and I loved the Hmong mythology that was the backbone of the story. I thought that it was a magical and transportive adventure. I love the Rick Riordan Presents line for introducing so many new cultures to children and also providing heroes and heroines who can present underrepresented groups with a character on the page like them.

I will say that the humor in this fell a little flat for me and it felt a little bit too long/drawn out for the story that was being told. But even then, I think this is an important story and I definitely enjoyed it. I look forward to checking out the author's YA series as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing/Rick Riordan Presents for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun fantasy adventure book based on Hmong mythology and magic. It is more of an urban fantasy. Padua goes on an adventure in the spirit realm. She deals with the loss of her father (he abandon the family), bullies who make fun of her for the way she dresses and speaks,
She encounters the spirit of a dead girl and decides to confront this spirit. During this adventure she and her friend encounter gods and goddesses and saves her brother. She is a strong female lead and will appeal to many

Another winner from Rick Riordan Presents! Pahua is so relatable, from her imaginary worlds to her deep love for her brother. Supporting characters and the magical world were also a delight.

This book was phenomenal. The Southeast Asian mythology, cat spirits named Miv, warrior shamans, nature-based magic and amazing main character all tied together to remind me exactly why I love reading. I would read a million and one books about Pahua, and I hope eventually I do. Amazing middle grade debut -- Lori M Lee has found herself a new fan.

Pahua is a Hmong girl living in a non-Hmong area, but that’s not the only way she stands out—she can also see and speak to spirits, a gift not many have. One day, she accidentally unleashes an evil spirit, which causes her brother to fall ill. On her quest to save him, she meets a fellow shaman, and together they set out on the mission to save her brother’s soul.

As this book’s target audience is middle grade, this was a pretty quick read. I think that this can be enjoyed across older audiences as well, though. Although my knowledge of Hmong mythology is limited, it wasn’t difficult to immerse myself in the story and understand what was happening. Highly recommend for mythology fans!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was beautifully written, from the relationships to the worldbuilding. The ralationships, especially between Pahua and her brother. The culture was interwoven so beautifully throughout the story. It was a amazing addition to the Rick Riordan Presents series, and Lori Lee is definetly an author to watch.

I received an ARC of Pahua from Netgalley and was so excited to learn more about the Hmong culture and traditions. This book follows Pahua as she interacts with spirits and journeys through the spirit realm to save her brother. I love the strong female main character- I can't wait to read about more of Pahua's adventures in the future!

Fantastic follow-up to the first Pahua book. This story is a deep dive into friendship and family and how the two intersect. It's an incredible read and I happily bought a copy for my daughter when I was done with mine.

I really enjoyed this novel. It has a few great lessons for middle grade (and older) individuals. There is so much about belonging and new friendships. The love that Pahua has for her brother is beautiful, and the relationships in the book are incredibly well-written.

Not only would I recommend this to students (especially because I work in a school where we have many cultures, belief systems, and family dynamics), but I also bought myself my own copy while I was still a only a few chapters in. I think this is a great book for young people to read to improve inclusivity and to help them develop a sense of self.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for providing a copy of this eARC for review.

Pahua and the Soul Stealer is a great first book in a new series about Hmong culture and mythology! I learned so much and the characters were funny and charming (we love a snarky cat sidekick)! I also loved how fast-paced this book was and how things were constantly happening!

This was such a great middle grade story! It is a heartwarming story about self-acceptance, identity, Hmong culture and mythology.

I have not read a book by Lori M. Lee before but I have read several books under the Rick Riordan presents line and like I predicted this did not disappoint! I loved the exploration into Hmong culture and mythology. This is a culture I know nothing about and I loved how Lori weaved in her identity upbringing into the story. Sinc this is a story that is centered around the mythology with spirits, shamanism, and lore there are "info dumpy" parts throughout the book but I didn't mind it as I found the information to be very interesting. I also really enjoyed that Lori used Hmong words within the text, there is a glossary at the back of the book to help you understand how the words are pronounced.

I would say this is aimed for older readers, on the upper end of the middle grade age range as it does deal with topics of grief, some violence and with the demons could be a little scary for younger readers.

If you enjoy a fun, adventurous story full of rich mythology, lore, spirits, gods, demons, an animal companion, and strong family bonds I highly recommend you try this book!

Despite some of the heavier themes, the book was still exciting with a lot of action and adventure as Zhong and Pahua journey into the spirit realm and back again. I loved meeting all the different kinds of spirits while they were traveling. it was such an action packed story with tons of adventure and friendship. I loved learning about the Hmong culture and folklore through Pahua and Zhong’s journey. It made me laugh super hard and root for these girls to save the day.
Full review to come on YouTube.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori Lee. The story follows Pahua, a sixth grader who goes on an adventure deep into the Spirit Realm. I enjoyed the story and the characters. I don't read middle grade books often, but this one was interesting and fun. I recommend this read for anyone. This story is based on Hmong oral traditions, and I'm really interested to research more about their traditions. Pahua was a fun, kind, weird, sweet character to follow. 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Honestly any Rick Riordan Presents book gets an automatic 5 stars from me. This one is more of the same. The synopsis drew me in immediately and I am so impressed with the writing and storytelling from this one. Definitely recommend.

The current trend of writing novels based upon the mythology of various cultures has created some great novels, and this one is an exemplary representative of the genre. Eleven year-old Pahua is Hmong, and like so many immigrant and first-generation children, there is no one like her in her immediate area. Her parents are divorced, her mother works a lot to support Pahua and her younger brother Matt, and therefore Pahua spends a lot of time watching Matt and wishing she had friends, while trying, like so many children of divorce, to figure out what she did to drive her father away.

All of this relative normality is complicated by the fact that Pahua can see the spirits that the Hmong revere - and she sees them everywhere. When her family moved to an apartment after the divorce, she was the "new kid" and had no friends, so she talked to the spirits; because she spoke to them out loud, the other kids decided she was weird and won't go near her. When June, even newer than Pahua, invites her to walk in the woods with several girls, Pahua goes along with them, meets a bridge spirit whom she accidentally releases, and begins an adventure that includes several of the senior deities in the Hmong pantheon.

In the tradition of the best fantasy novels, this volume has magic, a quest, danger, and new friends. That such a wonderful story includes pieces of a mythology that many people are unfamiliar with helps bind it together and gives it a depth and richness that is often lacking, making for a wonderful, engrossing, and entertaining story.