Blog Tour + #Review: PAHUA AND THE SOUL STEALER by Lori M. Lee! (w/ #giveaway)
Welcome to Book-Keeping! I’m thrilled today to be part of the Rockstar Book Tours blog tour for Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori M. Lee! This is Lori’s middle grade debut, and I had so much fun reading it! This book releases tomorrow, and I just want to put it in everyone’s hands. I’ve got all the details for you below, my review, and a great giveaway, so make sure you read all the way through!
About the Book
title: Pahua and the Soul Stealer
author: Lori M. Lee
publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
release date: 7 September 2021
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… .
With its unforgettable characters, unique nature-based magic system, breathtaking twists and reveals, and climactic boss battle, this story based on Hmong oral tradition offers everything a fantasy lover could want.
Add to Goodreads: Pahua and the Soul Stealer
Purchase the Book: Amazon | Kindle | Audible | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | TBD | Bookshop.org
About the Author
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)
Sign Up for Lori’s Newsletter!
Connect with Lori: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
My 5-Star Review
I learned about the Hmong people when I took a summer class on Immigration Law during law school, when our professor assigned a book titled The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. I am not a big nonfiction reader, so I went into the book feeling very meh about reading it, but it turned out to be so good that I ended up loving it. So when I saw that the main character of Lori M. Lee’s middle grade debut, Pahua, was Hmong, I was even more interested in reading it than I already had been. I absolutely loved learning more about the mythology and culture of the Hmong, and I am really hoping that this is the beginning of a series and we get to go on more exploits with Pahua and delve even deeper into these traditional stories. Rick Riordan wrote the introduction to the book, and he suggests reading the author’s note and glossary at the end of the book before starting the story, and I definitely agree. I spent quite a bit of time with the glossary before starting, trying to sound out the Hmong words and phrases, and then continued to flip back to it when needed throughout the story. I enjoy learning even bits and pieces of other languages, and I love that so much of the Hmong language was included in the story. I think it makes for such a rich reading experience!
Pahua is a great main character, and I immediately fell for her. Her personality really shines through and she is so dynamic, and I love her dry sense of humor! One thing she said at the very beginning made me laugh out loud: “Some would say I’m too old for imaginary games. But some people also like olives, so folks can be just plain wrong” (p. 8). A bit later she has another zinger as she’s trying to psych herself up: “I was a master hunter going after her greatest prey. I would be an elf assassin with perfect, deadly aim (an elf like from Lord of the Rings, NOT Elf on the Shelf, which was creep city–so glad that wasn’t a Hmong thing)” (p. 178). At the same time, Pahua’s ability to see - and talk to - spirits that no one else can see has kids at school thinking she’s weird; on top of that, she’s the only Asian kid in her class. As she says, “…being the only Asian kid in my grade already makes me an outcast. Even though I’m surrounded by a world filled with spirits, sometimes I can feel pretty lonely” (p. 9). I think there are going to be a lot of kids who identify with what Pahua feels and who will see themselves in her (even if they can’t see spirits!). I love that the Rick Riordan Presents imprint focuses on exactly these types of stories, so that MG readers either can be introduced to other cultures and mythologies or can (finally) see themselves on the page as the hero of a story.
I feel like I’m rambling because I enjoyed the story so much, so I’ll stop there. Suffice it to say, this is definitely a great read and one I want to shout to the skies about and get into the hands of readers, especially young ones. I encourage everyone to pick up this story of courage and bravery in the face of overwhelming odds, of dedication to family and culture, and of great adventure.
Rating: 5 stars!
**Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of this blog tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review of the book.
About the Giveaway
Three (3) lucky winners will each receive a finished copy of Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori M. Lee! This one is US only and ends 4 October 2021. Enter via the Rafflecopter below, and good luck!
About the Tour
Here’s the full tour schedule so you can follow along with all the great content.
Week One:
9/1/2021 - Kait Plus Books - Excerpt
9/2/2021 - YA Books Central - Excerpt
9/3/2021 - Nerdophiles - Review
9/4/2021 - Bibliosini - Review
Week Two:
9/5/2021 - Rajiv’s Reviews - Review
9/6/2021 - Book-Keeping - Review **you are here!
9/7/2021 - The Bookwyrm’s Den - Review
9/8/2021 - booksaremagictoo - Review
9/9/2021 - Sometimes Leelynn Reads - Review
9/10/2021 - Log Cabin Library - Review
9/11/2021 - Books a Plenty Book Reviews - Review
Week Three:
9/12/2021 - Lifestyle of Me - Review
9/13/2021 - Emelie’s Books - Review
9/14/2021 - #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog - Review
9/15/2021 - Locks, Hooks and Books - Review
9/16/2021 - More Books Please blog - Review
9/17/2021 - Discover Elysian - Review
9/18/2021 - Don’t Judge, Read - Review
Week Four:
9/19/2021 - @pagesofyellow - Review
9/20/2021 - TLC Book Nook - Review
9/21/2021 - Fyrekatz Blog - Review
9/22/2021 - The Momma Spot - Review
9/23/2021 - Lexijava - Excerpt
9/24/2021 - hauntedbybooks - Review
9/25/2021 - BookHounds YA - Excerpt
Week Five:
9/26/2021 - A Court of Coffee and Books - Review
9/27/2021 - YA Book Nerd - Excerpt
9/28/2021 - PopTheButterfly Reads - Review
9/29/2021 - @fictitious.fox - Review
9/30/2021 - Two Points of Interest - Review
