Riley Oh is the adopted daughter of Gifted Clans Witches and she wants more than anything to be one herself. But unfortunately Riley is a saram, a mortal with no magic who therefore cannot become a witch. Riley has all but given up on her dream but her adopted sister Hattie refuses to accept that. They find a spell that will allow Hattie to share her magic with Riley but it isn't as easy as it sounds. And predictably everything goes badly. Now Hattie's life is on the line and Riley is tasked with hunting down the last fallen star in order to save her sister. Riley doesn't do it alone though. She is joined by her best friend Emmett and along the way she receives help from unlikely acquaintances and...even her enemies? Yeah it's pretty epic.

When I saw this book was about Korean witches I was immediately intrigued. First off, there are not many witch books in general but especially in the middle grade genre. So I was extremely excited when I saw that. On top of that Korean mythology is so interesting and something I know a little bit about from watching, you guessed it, k-drama's. I think it's such a fascinating mythology that is never really portrayed in Western media so I am super grateful that this book now exists so young readers have the opportunity to learn about this culture at a young age. And I am even more happy that young Korean American kids can read this book and see themselves represented.

Now onto the world. Absolutely stunning. The magic system is very cool. It's based off of the elements but each clan has a particular specialty such as the Gom who are healers and the Gumiho who are illusionists. The backdrop to this mystical world is modern day Los Angeles which made the story even more fun to read about. We got to see famous west coast landmarks while also learning about Korean culture within the city. Noraebang's, otherwise known as karaoke rooms, seem like a real fun time and I'm so sad they are not really around where I live! This brings me to another part of this book that I really loved. I was a sucker for all of the k-culture references. As I mentioned earlier I do watch k-dramas (honestly they're the best I highly recommend them) but I am also a fan of k-pop so I got a lot of the easter eggs/references that the author made. There were even some Percy Jackson references! I am always here for references to PJO. There were also some other pop culture references (especially Disney) that I was living for but I won't spoil them all for you!

Next are the characters. I really liked Riley even though I don't think I would have at another time in my life. I have recently recognized the fact that I am an emotional person and therefore also suffer from Riley's "leaky eyeball syndrome" as Emmett likes to call it. I was able to really sympathize with her because of my own recent realization and that really endeared me to her. Emmett is who I am in public aka hating emotions. Riley and Emmett were like two sides of my personality and I really connected with them. Even though I sometimes thought that Emmett was a bad friend because he liked to rub it in Riley's face when she was wrong and he was right, I realized that was probably from fear for her rather than smugness. There were also some side characters that I didn't think were going to be important but they actually played a pretty important role in the story. I really loved that Graci Kim turned pretty much all my expectations on their heads. I expected characters to be a certain way but then they ended up proving me wrong and growing throughout the book. This happened with ALL characters not just Riley. In this growth Kim also taught valuable lessons that I think is extremely important for youths to read about. I honestly wish I had this book when I was younger.

Even though this is a glowing review I do have a few critiques. First off the characters speak in slang that no one speaks in anymore. No one actually says "OMG." It really came off as someone older who was writing this and was out of touch with how the kids speak these days. Honestly it made me laugh (in a good way!!) but I am not going to fault the book for this since it is indeed targeted at a younger audience. And to be fair, I am not from California (I'm a New Yorker) so maybe that is how the youths speak over there. Another thing I wasn't super on board with was how the conflict was resolved. I'm still a little confused about everything. I'm not sure how discoveries were made or how some things are even possible but I imagine I will find out in a future book.

I absolutely cannot wait until the next book comes out. I 100% recommend checking this book out. It was fun, funny, entertaining, and an all around feel good story. Not to mention that I learned a lot from it. Life lessons and Koreans culture things. Please read this book I promise you will not be disappointed.

Thanks to Disney Publishing Worldwide and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Last Fallen Star is about Riley Oh, an adopted 12-year-old living with her Eomma,(mother) Appa,(father) and her sister, Hattie. They are part of the Gom clan, which is one of the five Korean witch clans still part of the council. Riley is sad because she cannot do magic due to her adopted heritage. But, when she and Hattie come up with a plan for Hattie to share her magic with Riley, she finally gets to do magic. But, when the spell goes wrong, and Hattie’s life is on the line, Riley has to join a hilarious cast of characters to find the godrelm’s last fallen star.

Oh my gosh this book was so amazing! Riley Oh is so relatable and funny that it takes you back to being 12. There are so many great things about this book. I love the mystery element Graci Kim added. It makes the characters heroes and detectives, and I think it’s cool that there is this big ominous event that they are piercing together part by part. This book really bends the cookie cutter of the Rick Riordan Presents books. There was no mystical guide in this because the main characters already knew about most of the magical things(emphasis on most…). I really like the characters, they are so true to real people that it feels like you are living the book. They are also so different from each other. I don’t like books where every character is so similar to all of the others that it feels like one person going through a quest alone. They each have defined personalities and there is huge character growth for each of them. I like how everyone mentioned in the beginning has a chance to shine. It makes it feel like no one is sidelined and no one is used too much. One big thing for Riley is her “leaky bladder eyeballs”. This feels so correct because if you are a 12-year-old kid who has to save not only your family, but the world, you would cry a lot too. The glossary is so helpful, but also, it’s great that you don’t need it too much. Everything is explained in great detail and the universe is so much easier to understand because of that.

I hope we get to see Hattie a lot in the next book. I was a little sad that we didn’t meet Hattie enough in the first one, but honestly that’s a good thing. Hattie is such a great character that I want to get to know her a lot. One thing that is worse about this book is all the twists. They aren’t all bad, but there are so many of them that they kind of undermine everything we learn in the first 3 quarters of the book. It feels like you can’t trust anything you learn. Something that surprised me about The Last Fallen Star is that according to her website this Graci Kim’s first book! This was really surprising considering that it was so good!

Graci Kim hits the ground running with this hilarious and meaningful book that will charm readers everywhere.

I'm a huge fan of the Percy Jackson series. My own kids just finished the first book and loved it. But they will love this one even more. My kids are half Korean and they know nothing about Korean mythology. I'm guessing most people don't! Not only is it fun to learn about another culture but the characters Graci Kim introduced us too are lovable. They are kids you wish you could be friends with. It does follow the familiar formula (kid thinks they're nothing special, chaos ensues, kid finds out they are the key to unlocking something big) but nothing else is the same. This was such a fun read. I can't wait for my kids at home and my students at school to read it. I will definitely be recommending it to teachers and librarians.

**I received an ARC from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My first read of 2021 and it was a great book to start the year off with. The Last Fallen Star is wonderfully written. I loved all the characters and learning about Korean mythology. It's definitely a must read for fans of Rick Riordan. I can't wait for the next book to come out.

Readers of the series will enjoy the book. A good choice for libraries with readers who enjoy fantasy.

The thing Riley Oh wants the most in the entire world is to be a real Gom, to have healing magic like her adopted family and to feel like she belongs. Riley and her adopted sister Hattie decide to use a forbidden spell during Hattie's ceremony to join the clans that will allow Riley to share Hattie's magic for a period of time. However, when they are about to complete the spell in front of the elders and their family, the head of their clan stops them and reveals life-shattering news to Riley: she is not a saram, a person with no magic, she is a Moraji, a member of the exiled clan of witches that tried to destroy the other clans. Worse than that, Riley's adopted mother, father, and aunt knew who she was. Now that the clan knows, they give Riley's adopted mother, father, and aunt a choice: they can give up all of the magic or disown Riley. Not wanting her family to lose their magic, Riley flees to her house to pack her bags, but before she can Hattie and Riley's best friend Emmett catch up to her and refuse to let her leave. Hattie decides that they should attempt another forbidden spell to summon a goddess to give Riley magic. The spell doesn't work as planned, and in order to save Hattie, Riley and Emmett must find the last fallen star. In the process of looking, they discover the exiled Moraji clan, Riley's powers, Emmett's lost mother, new friends, and Riley discovers her place in the world.

Another strong contender in the Rick Riordan Presents stable, this one focused on Korean mythology and magic with a strong female protagonist of middle school age. The story moves quickly and the world building seems natural with enough explanation that readers unfamiliar with Korean culture can understand what is happening but no so much it begins to feel like a lecture. This volume is set in the mortal realm (specifically around Los Angeles), with strong final chapter indicators that the next volume will be set in the spirit realm. There's even a cute reference to Riordan's Percy Jackson series that implies the characters of this series occupy the same world as Percy and Co.

Graci Kim adds another cultural layer to the Rick Riordan Presents series. Kim draws on Korean mythology to weave a story of identity that is fun, engaging, and that helps us learn more about stories passed down.

I recommend the Rick Riordan Presents books to teachers and students whenever I can — and The Last Fallen Star comes highly recommended.

Before this, I had read all of the Percy Jackson books and one of the Rick Riordan Presents (Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky). I haven't met a Rick Riordan ( or Presents) book that I haven't liked. I loved this The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim. What I will say is that there's usually a template for these books: average teenager (usually an outcast) finds out that they're actually a god (or gifted), joins other teenage gods/gifted, and together they go on a multi-step quest to solve the conflict.

The template is a little different in The Last Fallen Star; Riley Oh, the main character, is NOT gifted, and her quest starts with an effort to join the gifted clans who have adopted her. The book includes Korean myths (like Gumiho and Dokkaebi) and BTS lyrics and mentions of Korean food and Kdramas, With the awesome action-filled plot that comes with a Rick Riordan book and the K-Culture, I think this book is going to appeal to a lot of people.

If you enjoy stories by Rick Riordanyou will love this book. This is the first book and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.
I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the myths, and the food of Korea. The author did a great job linking family and friends to the heroines task. I raced through the book so fast I may have to reread it.
The author mentioned wanting to see themself in a book, and I would love to see more inclusive books written. We need to know everyone’s stories and every person should be able to see themself in a book.
Excellent middle schooler read.

This book was received as an ARC in exchange for an honest review . Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Reading this book felt like a mystery joyride full of mythical creatures and so much adventure that this book will definitely leave you finished when you are done. Published with the creative mind of Rick Riordan, I was not disappointed with this book. The family sister bond between Hattie and Riley was nothing like I have ever read before . Being inspired by the magic Hattie will receive when becoming a Gi and finding out that Riley was adopted with no magic inherited, Hattie shares her new magic with Riley and while adventures await them we all know that magic does come with a price. This book will be extremely popular with our young readers and definitely a potential battle of the books nomination.

We will consider adding this title to our JFICTION collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars .

Just finished reading this book, where should I start? The storyline was great. Touching story about two sisters. One born into a family, one adopted. Do not want to give away the story. So here are some keywords. Sisters, loyalty , mythology, betrayal, family. A must read for 2021.

My kids are big fans of Rick Riordan, but they have not really enjoyed many of the RR Presents books...this one included. As a teacher, I appreciate that he's trying to be inclusive of every culture, but some of them just don't work as well, and it's beginning to dilute the brand.