Will def get likened to Dragon Pearl because of who published it, but it was honestly so good. I enjoyed the rich mythological tradition, I also enjoyed how fun the book was. My only critical thought is that the inciting incident - the sister being trapped or killed or whatever - happened too late and also happened at the end of too many inciting incidents. Like, spread it out. Keep the book simple! Let the fun stuff shine through

The Last Fallen Star is an action packed adventure about Riley Oh, an adopted Korean girl who doesn’t fit into her family because she is a saram ( has no magical ability) while her family is part of the Gom clan. Gin’s have the ability to heal. Riley’s sister Hattie loves her so much and knows that her sister wishes to be magical so they hatch a plan to make this happen. Unfortunately, their plan goes awry and leads them on a journey filled with many twists and turns. In the end Riley has some hard decisions to make in order to not only restore her sister and her life back to normal. Love how the author weaves her Korean culture into the story, using their ancient gods and beliefs and giving them a modern twist.

Another excellent entry in the Rick Riordan Presents series. The Last Fallen Star will appeal to a wide variety of young readers. The presentation of Korean and Korean-American culture will definitely be a draw, particularly given the current hallyu wave in the US. Engaging and exciting, this title will especially appeal to young readers who may be reluctant to take on longer fantasy books. Highly recommended.

This is a delight!

The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim is a mythological adventure going from one realm to another. Riley Oh wants nothing more than to be like her family and do magic, but as a saram -- someone who is non-gifted -- she is essentially barred from any involvement. When her older sister conspires a way to share their family magic, Riley is thrown into an adventure to not just understand her family's legacy, but of a prophecy that dooms them all. With angry goddesses, a lost star, a dragon-scooter named Boris, sentient houses, and hungry ghosts, Los Angeles is full of mythological adventures for witches everywhere!

Much like the other books in the Rick Riordan Presents line, The Last Fallen Star has engaging world-building, both whimsical and practical, and an exceptionally strong third act. Riley's stakes are intense, setting things up perfectly for the sequel. What I love most of all is the dynamic between Riley and Hattie. It's wonderful to see such a strong sister dynamic in a fantasy book, and their love for each other is palpable as they would do anything to make the other happy (and safe!). I cannot wait to see how this develops in the next book.

Perfect for young readers who are going through a strong mythology and witch phase!

A copy was provided to me by NetGalley. All opinions are my own!

Graci Kim's The Last Fallen Star is a Korean (American) story written in the tradition of Rick Riordan. Set in Los Angeles among a Korean cultural mythos, the story follows Riley Oh as she searches for belonging as the only non-magical saram among a community of fully-magical witches. When Riley and her adoptive-sister Hattie perform a forbidden spell that puts Hattie's life in danger, Riley must find not only her own form of magic but also her self-confidence in order to save her sister.

The story is perhaps necessarily derivative of Rick Riordan and his Percy Jackson series, but Kim's voice adds freshness to the well-worn framework. In addition, the inclusion of OwnVoices stories adapting Riordan's structure is a wonderful goal. The Last Fallen Star offers a beautiful window and mirror that many students wouldn't have been able to find in this sub-genre of writing. It's a stunning addition to the Riordan-esque collection.

The plot is somewhat interesting, but the writing style is that of a children's book. Which is a good thing, because this is for children. I like that this is basically asian Percy Jackson, I learned a lot about Korean mythology!

~~~~ 3.5 Stars ~~~~

This MG read was a quick, entertaining, jaunt through Cali. It had a very relaxed vibe with laid back, modern dialogue. The premise was awesome with unique mythological creatures and an interesting explanation for their Magic. This Korean tale of Magic, Family (both given and chosen), Friends and Power merged nicely with the modern day backdrop.

The writing was good if not a tiny bit succinct. Although it did tend to be predictable at times, it still was fun exploring this fantastical world. Then there was the foooood! There was a whole lot of eating going on and this foodie appreciated all of the enticing shout outs to yummy cuisine.

The pace was steady but not frantic as the plot... needing to save the quickly diminishing life of a sister... called for (but never really delivered). I felt little to no suspense even though there should have been (strike# 1). There also was no struggle with conflict resolution. Things just simply worked. No pain for the gain = a slightly cranky reader here (strike# 2). BUT I let both transgressions slide (for the most part) because the rest was undeniably entertaining.

Overall:

The world building was the star here AND even though I'm more of a character driven novel enthusiast, I still enjoyed this read. I might not be the exact demographic for this book though... it definitely has a younger (than myself) vibe... but I enjoyed it all the same.

If you're on the fence or just plain curious, you should definitely give this book a shot ESPECIALLY if you like a read with a strong female MC coming of age with close relationships, Magic and loads of mythical creatures and fantastical scenarios happening right smack dab in the middle of modern day California. It is a fun, clean, magical adventure suited for all ages.

~ Enjoy

*** I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***

This book is so much fun!! I adore all witchy books, and this one was fascinating and such a delight. Loved getting to follow Riley on her adventure to claim her own Korean magic--and prove to her community of witches that she does belong and can work a magic that will make them all proud. Loved all the aspects of Korean folklore woven into this story, plus the book has empowering messages of learning to understand others--and ourselves!--with more nuance and compassion. An important new book that MG readers will have a blast reading.

The Last Fallen Star has one of the most innovative worlds and magic systems I’ve read about in a very long time. And the plot was captivating as well! It was action packed and full of unexpected twists and turns.

Hattie and Riley are such interesting main characters, and I absolutely loved their relationship. Many books take two sisters and pit them against one another or have them reluctantly help one another because they’re family. It was a breath of fresh air to see two sisters who deeply care for one another and put the other’s happiness before their own.

My main gripe with this book is the way the kids talk. The – I guess you would call it slang? – they were using was extremely jarring. Every few pages, I’d be pulled out the book by another phrase. Some examples:

“No wayyy,” a few of them exclaim. “You have all the good goss,” someone else says. Jennie smirks. “Yes way.”
“Don’t know any of the deets”
“Jenny is officially the worst”
“Uh-huh, I’m totes obsessed”
“TBH, it’s a bit rich of him to say I shouldn’t need magic when he low-key uses it all the time”

Since no one I’ve ever spoken to talks like that, those types of speech patterns shocked me into thinking about how I’d never hear people talk that way, and therefore drew me away from the story.

I felt like all the right ingredients were present in this book. It has intriguing plot twists, a wonderfully new type of magic system, as well as truly interesting main characters. I really can’t put my finger on why, but despite all these qualities, and despite how well-written I found the characters, I never fully connected with any of them. This meant that much to my dismay, when bad things were happening to the characters, I didn’t much care. Well, to rephrase, I did feel badly, but mostly I just wanted to continue reading to figure out what was going to happen plot-wise. This didn’t ruin the book for me by any means, as there were many other wonderful elements of this book that drew me in instead. I also expect that many others will care deeply about these characters, so take my opinion here with a grain of salt!

Overall, this was a very good first book, and I’ll be looking forward to reading more of Graci Kim’s work in the future.

(https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3809096008)

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 one of my new favorite reads! I adored it. The characters were stunningly done, and the author did a great job making them come to life and making you feel for them and their problems. The worldbuilding was exquisite, and I fell in love with the Gifted Clans and their cool powers! Emmet is my spirit animal. "Emotions give you wrinkles" is my new catchphrase! All in all, I adored this book and the mythology in it, and I recommend it if you enjoy mythology and Percy Jackson-esqe books.

I had high expectations going into this read and I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. The Last Fallen Star follows Riley Oh, a young Korean-American girl who happens to be the only non-magical member of her adoptive family. When she and her sister, Hattie, attempt a spell to share Hattie’s magic, things go horribly wrong and Riley is launched into a series of adventures and revelations in order to save her sister.

The Last Fallen Star begins as a story about being the outsider and wanting nothing more than to fit in, but slowly becomes a story about discovering who you are and where you belong in the world. The characters are fun and well-rounded, their personalities shining through each interaction. Their motivations are clear and remain central to the plot. The action is nearly non-stop with fun twists and reveals that draw you in and make it difficult to put the book down.

I also appreciated how the mythology was presented throughout the story. Each figure, creature, and object was explained in an easy to understand way while also fitting in with the narrative tone. Since the story is told from Riley’s perspective, the explanations are simple and straight forward (how a kid would explain something that’s simply part of their life), which makes everything easier to understand for those who don’t know Korean mythology.

The Last Fallen Star is a fun and exciting novel from start to finish. As someone who loves mythology of any kind, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and hope to read more from Graci Kim in the future.

I HAVE TO WRITE THIS REVIEW IN ALL CAPS. WHY, YOU ASK? WELL, IT'S BECAUSE I WANT TO SCREAM HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS STORY. MAGIC. WHO DOESN'T ENJOY A STORY WITH MAGIC? I FOUND THE CHARACTERIZATIONS REALISTIC AND RELATABLE. THE PLOT HELD ME THE ENTIRE TIME. I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THE BOOK IN ITS ENTIRETY. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT TO LOVERS OF YA.

Riordan does it again! I absolutely love this imprint! The Last Fallen Star is a wonderful book I would recommend to anyone. Especially kids of the same background, and teachers to bring into their classroom. I loved this heartfelt story of adventure.

I grew up reading Rick Riordan's works, but this is the first book I've read that was part of Rick Riordan Presents. While I like the platform that it gives to multicultural mythologies, I can't help but compare it to Riordan's Percy Jackson series.

Overall, I found that this series fell a bit flat. The Korean mythology wasn't fleshed out enough, and terms that I'm not familiar with were thrown around without much explanation. Also, I found the characters were underdeveloped. So many side characters were kind of just there. Sure they serve some sort of purpose at one point, but a majority of them weren't interesting. The plot itself was also just okay and a lot of the conflict was resolved rather quickly. Despite the flaws that this had, I'm glad that this series is a good step for introducing people to Korean mythology.

Riley is surrounded by magic but despite it being her greatest desire, none of it is coming from her. Luckily she has a champion in her sister who has found a way to share her magic with Riley. Only, things don’t go quite as planned.

Wonderful look into Korean Mythology with exciting characters.

CAWPILE Rating: 9.29

What a ride! I absolutely fell head over heels for this heartfelt, adventurous, and magical debut middle grade from Graci Kim. This is 100% an author to watch and I can't wait for the next book and the continuing adventures of Riley, Emmett, and the rest of the squad!

Think you NetGalley for this eARC!

In this Rick Riordan Present series, we’re introduced to Riley- a Korean-American almost-13-year-old. She was adopted into a family of magically gifted healers, though she is ‘saram’ (without magic). Riley and her sister, Hattie, come up with a plan to share Hattie’s magic... but things to not go as planned.

Honestly, this was a DNF for me. I tried.
This book differs from other RRP books I’ve read in that we start with a protagonist fully versed in the mythological world. That means there is a LOT of exposition needed to get everyone up to speed. In the other books, readers get to learn alongside the characters, which allows it to not be ‘so much.’ I was able to get about a third of the way through, and just struggled with being invested at all. I’m sure that some people will really love this book. It definitely has a great plot line, I just personally couldn’t get through the extra long exposition.

This book was really cute! I don't often read middle grade books, but I really love the rick riordan presents line. I love learning about different mythologies, and it's so refreshing to have stories that focus on non-western mythologies as well. The writing was funny and easy to get through, and I really enjoyed all of the main characters. The plot was intriguing, and the ending left me very excited to see where the story is going to go from here.

When the publication of THE LAST FALLEN STAR was first announced, I was indescribably excited — I mean: the book promises witches, Korean mythology, heritage & magic, and themes of family and belonging. What more could an Asian-American girl ask for? After reading, I'm pleased to announce that I was not let down, not even a single bit. THE LAST FALLEN STAR exceeded each and every one of my expectations, and has reached it's way into my heart as one of the best middle grade fantasies I've ever had the honor to read. Yes, it's really *that* good.

Riley Oh has got to be one of the most relatable protagonists I've ever met. Almost 13, Riley is a lot of things: cautious, a rule-follower, has a leaky eye bladder (long story short, read the book), and loves her family and friends more than anything else in the world. Despite having virtually nothing in common with Riley — I'm not Korean, adopted, or living in a gifted society with divine elemental powers — Riley's character truly spoke to me. The idea of feeling not-fully-integrated in a society, and wanting so desperately to just *fit in* is a theme that I think many diaspora children & teens, including myself, can relate to. Other than that, I'm overly emotional and a goody-two-shoes all the way, so I was truly just cheering Riley on the entire time.

While Riley is undeniably the star (hehe) of the book, THE LAST FALLEN STAR is a story that belongs equally to all the side characters — which, frankly, is a huge feat. From characters who accompany Riley along her journey, such as her best friend Emmett, to characters who only get a little page time, such as Riley's Eomma and Appa, and her sister, Hattie, each character is fleshed out so incredibly well. I may or may not have gotten inexplicably extremely attached to each and every one of them.

My favorite part of the book, though, would be the worldbuilding. Graci Kim managed to catch my excitement, weaving a world that I desperately wish younger-me could explore. The magical world is seamlessly embedded within normal LA society, and I just know that so many younger readers are going to swept away by the portals, magical creatures, goddesses, illusions, and all the magic hidden in plain sight. Paired with a plot that is genuinely twisty, THE LAST FALLEN STAR is an exquisite debut not to be missed.

**3/5 stars**

[eARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]

What an adventure this was! The Rick Riordan Presents team has certainly mastered its brand... While I do enjoy diving into multicultural mythologies, and I am a firm believer in their importance to young, multicultural readers, I am beginning to lose confidence in the RRP formula. I think what has made previous RRP books successful is not how well they are able to mimic the charm, wit, and adventure of the PJO series, but rather how they stand on their own with the strength of their characters, stories, and worlds.

Unfortunately, The Last Fallen Star fell short in those respects. Very little time was spent building the Korean mythos world, and I feel even less was spent establishing the characters. Riley is a perfectly lovable protagonist, though somewhat flat. She is lovable to a fault in that there is nothing to improve about her: she has no flaws, nothing complicated or interesting. She is outspoken and brave, always making a selfless choice— even when it is an absolutely devastating one. While strong characters are important, especially young girls, I think this book could have been improved with a little more development of its protagonist. That Riley is a sort of outcast in her community is not quite enough, because it is not a character trait. I applaud her confidence and her sense of self-worth, and I hope it inspires young readers. Still, though, she would be a stronger character if there was room for growth, beyond just “growth” in the magical sense, as in the growth of her powers.

Riley’s supporting cast are also rather weak and uninteresting, which was a disappointment. No one in particular stands out, nor would I be able to explain to anyone what makes each character unique. They all seem to run together.

The world building is also something that needed a little bit more care and time. I think there were some attempts to make up for the lack of world building with some “info-dumps.” But even after finishing the book, I still feel like there is a huge gap in my understanding of how this world of Korean myth and magic operates. The glossary helps, but I do not think that the reader should have to rely on the glossary to understand the world. The natural order of the fantasy world should be woven into the narrative, not heaped around the book haphazardly. I believe this is a series, so I definitely see room for growth here!

As for the plot, it seems underdeveloped. Some of the dialogue, especially towards the end, is suspiciously convenient. Major plot points and issues get resolved in as little as a few lines of dialogue. As a result, the stakes never seem very high. The pacing played a role in this issue, too. Too much happened in the last 20% of the book, and too many really intriguing questions set up in the first act all got answered at once. Why not leave a few questions for the next book? Though I am sure that Graci Kim will weave another lovely sequel regardless, as a reader was not left wanting much more, since everything I wanted to know was resolved.

At the end of the day, I am just a knit-picker who picks up on things young readers will simply overlook. I am confident that The Last Fallen Star will be successful in its mission to empower young Korean readers to write their own stories of magic and myth, and to love who they see in the mirror— just like how Riley loves herself for who she is! This book is also an opportunity for non-Korean readers to learn more about Korean myth, culture, and identity in an appealing adventure context. Educators will hopefully see the value of this opportunity and include it in their multicultural curriculums.

So, a solid read, though not as satisfying as I would have liked. 3 stars for having lovely writing, being inspiring, and for being fairly imaginative. Graci Kim can only improve.