I absolutely adored this book! A perfect blend of Korean culture with an urban fantasy setting. I loved the relationship between Riley Oh and her family, both adoptive and biological. A perfect story about acceptance and finding yourself. The ending made me cry, can't wait for the next one!

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

The Last Fallen Star was an interesting middle-grade book about Korean mythology. Since I know nothing about Korean mythology I soaked up every bit of the mythos and the lore that was in the book. I loved the sister dynamic between Riley and her sister Hattie, as well as the family dynamic as a whole. The character growth of Riley was amazing, she's not the same person she was at the beginning of the book. Taeyo had to be my favourite character though, he's cute nativity made him a hilarious bundle of joy. The plot unfolds in a way that keeps the reader entertained and wanting to read more. The plot seemed to be split into two parts which I did not really like, but it did keep me entertained. The Last Fallen Star speaks to the people who question their sense of identity and whether they belong to their identity/culture. I'm excited about the second book and I cant wait to see what else Riley Oh can do.

Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've read almost every story or series from the Rick Riordan presents imprint, and this may be my favorite of all of the stories. It is the start of a strong fantasy series with all the best elements: magic and mythology, friendship and family, and fantastical creatures. Kim brings Korean tradition alive in a story that will capture the heart of any middle grades fantasy reader, whether they are 8 or 38 years old. I am so excited for all the libraries that will add this to their collections this Spring!

The Last Fallen Star centers 12 year old Riley, an adopted saram (a non-magic person) to a family of people that have magic. Magic families exist and each one has their own specialization, her family having healing magic. The book opens with Hattie, Riley's sister, preparing for her ceremony so she can have magic abilities like their parents. When Hattie mentions that it's unfair for Riley to not ever experience magic, the two of them plot to find a spell in their eomma's spellbook that can transfer some magic from Hattie to Riley, and that's when everything starts to fall apart.

Hattie and Riley
While we don't see Hattie for most of the book, one thing is very very clear: she loves her sister more than anything. Secondly, she's stubborn and headstrong and is often the reason Riley is motivated to do what she does. It's clear that they would do anything for each other.

Emmett
Emmett is Riley's best friend. His mother was killed right after he was born, as a result of an attack by the Horangi, a banished clan of scholars. His two biggest wants in life are to 1. see his mom, even for a second, (further exemplified by the fact he wears her ring and never takes it off) and 2. maybe try some magic. The fact that he lends the ring to Riley shows how much he trusts her.

Riley Oh has wanted magic her whole life, but she was born a saram (not magical). She's still very excited to support her adopted sister at her initiation to the Gian Clan, one of the four clans of Korean witches hanging out in LA. Her sister hatches a scheme to perform a spell that will allow her to share her magic with Riley. But the spell goes wrong, and ultimately, Riley's sister gets hurt. In order to save her sister, Riley will need to find the Last Fallen Star...but what even is that?

This is a fun bildungsroman seeped in Korean mythology. I think young readers, especially those that liked Aru Shah, will really enjoy this Rick Riordan presents book. The main character is likable even as she struggles with her origins and hard truths about herself and her parents (both bio and adopted) as she tried to make her way in the universe. I think younger folks are going to love the mythology, especially as it separates folks into clans with different characteristics and types of magic (think of the factions in Divergent, Houses in HP or Districts in HG). The characters are all likable and the decisions they make make sense, the action is fairly non-stop and the book is quickly plotted.

This was a great middle grade read that will be very booktalkable in the fall. If you love Rick Riordan and/or action paced mythological reads, definitely check out the Last Fallen Star by Grace Kim. It'd be a great choice for reluctant readers as well. 3 stars Goodreads, 4 Netgalley.

I absolutely loved this new RRP book by Graci Kim! Learning about the Korean magic system was such an adventure. As with all of the RRP books, our hero is a teen who learns as much about herself as she does about the Gods.

I didn’t realize while reading the ARC, but there’s a complete dictionary of Korean terms at the end. It’ll be super helpful for when I reread it! I’m really looking forward to the full series.

Rating: Absolutely Loved It

In the acknowledgements Graci Kim writes: “To all the adoptees, the diaspora kids, the misfits, To anyone who’s ever felt invisible, or felt like they don’t belong. Real magic lives inside all of us--in the choices we make every single day. This book is for you.” This filled my heart and made me cry; I just loved this book so much. So just bear that secondary dedication in mind as you read on =]

What is it about?
Riley is a Korean-American girl who was adopted into the Oh family as a baby. The Oh family is part of the LA chapter of the Gom clan, which is one of the six clans of Korean witches that exist in the world, each dedicated to one of the patron goddesses. When a witch turns thirteen, she (or he) is initiated into the clan as a full witch and receives her Gi bracelet, which will allow her to channel the gift of her clan. The Ohs are preparing for Hattie’s initiation, and while Riley desperately wants to follow in Hattie’s footsteps when she turns thirteen a few months later, she is not allowed as she is a saram, or a non-witch. Riley knows her stuff backwards and forward, but because she is a saram in the world of the clans, she finds herself feeling on the outside of her family and her community. Hattie and Riley hatch a plan to share Hattie’s magic that results in her life being endangered. Riley must go on a quest with her best friend to find the last of the fallen god-stars in order to save her sister and her family, and escapades ensue!

This was an incredible debut! I had such a good time reading it and am so excited for The Last Fallen Moon next summer!

What I liked:
- Riley is a wonderful protagonist! I loved following her as she goes through her quest. She is a self-professed crier with leaky-bladder-eyeball syndrome who cries with every strong emotion. She also starts out as someone who is very secure of her place in her family and their love for her, but who feels out of place in the world. Her status as an adoptee also caused her to feel insecure within her family despite her security within her family. I don’t know if that makes sense, but I loved watching her find her voice and her confidence of who she was and where she belonged in the world.

- I loved that there was representation of adoption in this series. I am not super widely read in middle grade at this time, but I know when I was growing up, there was not much representation of main characters who were adopted. While I cannot speak to the quality of the representation as I am not part of that group, it fills my heart to see this more and more in literature for young readers as adoption is very near and dear to my heart.

- In addition to the adoption representation, there was incredible integration of Korean myths and fables into the world that Graci Kim created. It was such a rich magic system, and I adored the secret world of the clans that she built within the heart of Koreatown in LA. All the stories and magical creatures who we encounter throughout Riley’s journey was just wonderful, and I am so happy to have been introduced to a new collection of folklore.

- This book had such wonderful themes, and I cried several times throughout due to the overwhelming portrayal of love, family, and sacrifice. There are also lots of storylines having to do with forgiveness, acceptance, and loyalty. It was just so wonderful

What I didn’t like:
- It was a minor complaint, but towards the end, I felt as though Riley as a narrator kept summarizing and repeating the same points too often. It didn’t bother me as much as this usually does in middle grade though because it felt more organic for the character and less like talking down to the reader. Also, I loved Riley, so I was willing to forgive it.

- Something that sometimes gives me great frustration is when characters in middle school do their own thing without telling adults because they think they can do it better. Part of this is because adult me just wants the not fully developed child brain to grasp the consequences, but part of it is also because middle-school-me would never have the guts to do this. Riley does this to a certain extent, but it did not bother me in this particular situation because she believes that there would be big consequences, not only for herself but for her sister and parents if she were to go to her parents.

Overall, there were so many things in this that I loved, and I highly recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and Rick Riordan Presents for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Last Fallen Star is a fast paced story perfect for middle grades readers. The story is full of little plot twists and things are my after what they seem. The twists keep the story interesting and showcases the character development throughout the adventure. The characters are dynamic and fully flushed out and seem like real kids. My son and I both loved this story. I would definitely recommend it to students.

I really adored this read. I really loved how this book was such a fun korean inspired read, with a witch and mythology twist. I found this book to be super fast pace. I loved how the circle of friends increased as the book went on. I also really liked at the heart of this read, was the sisterhood elment. This book had so many of the elements is expected from a mythology read for 2020 culture. I read this book in two days and had a hard to putting it down! Such a great read!!! Can't wait for book 2, def one of my favorite imprint books overall.

A heartwarming and deftly plotted tale about self-love and powerful familial bonds. I smiled and ached alongside the protagonist. What a wonderful read.

4.5/5

I just want to give a big thank you to author Graci Kim for writing this book where I, as a mixed Asian adoptee can finally see myself represented on the page. Kim captures all the emotions and struggles that an adoptee goes through. Our main character Riley is adopted into the gifted Gom clan, a clan that has the magical ability to heal. However, Riley has been told she is not gifted she is saram, born without magic. She wants nothing more than to be magical so that she can fit in with her family and community. This desire to belong sends Riley, Hattie, and her best friend Emmett on a quest to find a way for Riley to become magical. This is just a small part of what goes on within this story but I don't want to give anything away. I loved the exploration of Korean culture and mythology with legends and creatures. This is set in present day and Kim adds pop culture references (especially Kpop) throughout the story. I had such a great reading experience I laughed, I cried, I felt very connected to Riley as we have gone through similar fears and desires, especially when it comes to belonging ( I feel that most if not all adoptees struggle with this feeling to some degree). Because I could so deeply connect to our MC it really enriched my experience with the story. I do recognize that not everyone is an adoptee so they may not connect to the characters or the story the same way or as strongly. This is also a pretty young in tone middle grade. There was a lot of slang that may put off older readers like "amazeballs" and "holy shirtballs". My only main critique was the app for finding ghosts. I think this was suppose to be a play on our worlds dating apps as it is structured the same way but I just found it cheesy and cringey and I think Kim could have found another way to find ghosts than an app. However if you are looking for middle grade that highlights and celebrates Korean culture, mythology, being an adoptee, found family, magic, love and acceptance I would highly highly recommend this book! And its from a debut author!

Wow this one was awesome! I loved the family dynamics, the magic system, and the set up for book two is going to be epic. I also love that Riley is already maturing so much as a character from the start of the book to the end. Sometimes character development is gradual but not in this case! I also found the magic system easy to understand which is always a plus for me. I can’t wait to see how the characters develop in book two.

This is another really great story from the Rick Riordan Presents Imprint. I have yet to be disappointed by any of these books and I love that they are all based on different cultures and mythologies, but yet have a familiar feel to them.

Riley was such a wonderful character. She is adopted and really struggled to fit into her adoptive family even though she didn’t think that she had any magical ability. You could tell that her family really loved her and there was a very special bond between her and her sister Hattie. Riley was also pretty smart and brave even when things were not going as planned. She also managed to surround herself with friends who always had her back. Riley’s character grows quite a bit in this book, she really learns to accept herself as she is and knows that she has friends and family she can depend on.

Emmett is one of those friends. He also is an outsider to this magical community, even though his mother was part of it, his father was not, and once his mother died he was unable to access the gifted clans. But he was still a great friend to Hattie and especially Riley, even though he was moody and difficult at times.

I loved the world that was built here. I liked that there were different clans within the community and that each had their special talent or magic to work with. I enjoyed learning about some of the mythological animals that they encountered in their adventures, and also learning about their goddesses. I loved the dragon scooter named Boris, even though he never talked he seemed to have quite the personality.

The story started off a little bit on the slow side, but once it takes off you will find it hard to stop reading. I was certain that I knew what the last fallen star was going to end up being, but was totally wrong when it came to the big reveal. I loved that whole part of the story and all of the different places they went to in LA. It was cool the way the magical word was hidden inside buildings and through magical portals.

Another great book to add to this imprint. There are plans for at least two more books and I can’t wait to see where Riley and her friends will go next.

I received an e-arc of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

I feel like it goes without saying but if you're a fan of Percy Jackson definitely give this book a shot!

The feel of this book reminded me so much of reading a Percy Jackson book especially the first one. There are fun zany characters and a lesson that all ages could use a reminder of. I did find towards the middle of the book that I was feeling a bit slumpy but I think that that has more to do with me than the book itself. However this could be one of the reasons why I rated it 4 stars rather than 4.5 or 5 stars. I just started to feel a little bored even though I was liking the story and I struggled to read a bit.

The characters were interesting and I felt like they were pretty accurate for the ages that they were meant to be. I loved the mythology and the ending did a great job of keeping me curious and excited to read the next book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim. I was excited to read this latest Rick Riordan Presents title that centers around Korean mythology and it did not disappoint. Full of magic, Korean mythological beasts, witty humor, and enduring friendships, The Last Fallen Star keeps the reader engaged at every twist and turn. Riley, the main character, is a saram, a non magical person, adopted into a family of magical healers. Her sister, Hattie, has the bright idea that she will cast a forbidden spell to share her powers between the two sisters. A spell, that has serious consequences, spinning things out of control for Riley. With Hattie's life hanging in the balance, Riley has to figure out who to trust among the many Gods, beasts and humans she meets. I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

A delightful read that delves into the fascinating realm of Korean traditional stories and lore. I am a fond fan of Rick Riordan and his quest to give a platform to unique stories. The Last Fallen Star is truly one of the best from the Rick Riordan presents series. It delves into and explains quite well the mythology of Korean lore, the characters are engaging and believable, and the story develops in a suck-you-in-sort-of-way that even made me re-read parts to ensure I fully grasped what was happening. It was a book that upon completion, I was sad the second was not available to read immediately. I will definitely be looking forward to the continuation of this series.

Rating: 4.5 stars

This was a very fun read, and it is a book I would highly recommend for children and young adults who loved the adventures of Rick Riordan, JK Rowling, and Tamora Pierce. Grounded in Korean mythology and culture, this adventure story follows a young Korean-American girl, Riley, as she tries to find her place in her society, despite seemingly not having the magic that her adopted family has.

One of my favorite things about this book is its reiteration that family is important, but it is also not limited by blood. Riley is adopted, and while she shares the Korean heritage of her adoptive family, she does not share their magical gift. She desperately wants to prove herself to her community who, when she was very young, ruled that she did not fit in, and this leads her on a journey to find herself, save her beloved sister, and reunite two communities that had been at odds since she was a baby. The tight bonds between Riley and her sister Hattie, their friendship with another child on the outside, Emmett, were highlights in the book.

Another thing that I really enjoyed was how young the main characters felt. They felt like young children who think they know everything, think they can solve everything, with all the confidence and innocence of youth. Does this get them into trouble? Absolutely. But I really enjoyed reading about children being children.

If there is a downside, I would say that the ending was a little too abrupt? It ends at a place that very clearly sets up the next book, and I would have liked to see the climax be a little longer with more of a conclusion to *this* story.

Despite that, I enjoyed this book, the mythology, the characters, the world building. I can't wait to read the next book!

There is just something about a Rick Riordan Presents book that is so magical and transportive. I am truly a sucker for urban fantasy, and Graci Kim does an excellent job of blending Korean mythology into the modern world. Not only does Graci serve us with an amazing magic system, but our main character's internal growth and friendships make this story extra special. I am obsessed with this book and I already cannot wait for more to come.

Also, I would like to send my thanks to Disney-Hyperion, Rick Riordan Presents and Netgalley for sending me this e-ARC to review!

I really enjoy the Rick Riordan Presents books and this is one of my favorites so far. The magic system is excellent and I really enjoyed the ways the magic community hid in plain sight. The secret H-Mart entrance to the temple is amazing. It definitely helped inspire some cravings for my favorite H-Mart snacks. Throughout the book the descriptions of the food are so well written. I can see readers who aren’t already familiar with these flavors being encouraged to try the foods in the book.

In addition to the great food descriptions the characters are also written so well. Riley’s longing to belong and dedication to her family drives the plot and the reader really understands all of her decisions. I personally related most to Emmett’s character, Riley’s best friend and baking king. His grief with having lost his mother so young was well done and I particularly admired how he went beyond his own discomfort with the magical world to support Riley. The book is full of strong characters and I appreciated the depth given to even the more minor characters. It really helped show how tight their community is. The plot is wonderful with well done twists and so many great details exposing the magic in Los Angeles. All around this is a wonderful book.