This is a wonderful series that Graci Kim has created using inspiration from Korean mythology, but also from pop culture and modern technology. Riley Oh is a flawed, interesting, realistic middle school-aged orphan who just wants to feel like she is truly home/part of a family. Her adopted sister Hattie is also one of her best friends, but after the events of the first book, Hattie is not doing great, health-wise, and she's also the only one who actually remembers who Riley is. As you can imagine, Riley starts questioning everything she did and kind of beats herself up over it, no matter what anyone says, and even though she acknowledges that she may have saved the world, she feels that she just didn't do enough and as a result, everything is messed up. It doesn't help that the majority of the Gom clan (healers) blame her for the loss of their powers, so even though it might seem that Riley is just being self-absorbed about her role in all this, it's completely understandable considering how many people (including many adults who should know better) are blaming her. In this book, Riley heads for the Spirit Realm to try setting things right. The people and creatures she meets are highly imaginative and fun and I found myself laughing out loud more than a few times as I pictured what she was seeing and experiencing. Without revealing specific spoilers, I will say that Riley started out trying to solve it all on her own, despite her friends and family trying to tell her they were with her all the way, and with all her experiences, she realizes that she perhaps didn't make the best choice. I loved the imaginative story, the Korean mythology, the Korean snack foods (yum!), the lessons learned, the humor, and the love. While there is much that is resolved in this book, the ending sets you up perfectly for the third book. I hope this ends up being a trilogy because it's already going to be a long wait since this second book is just coming out. I'm not sure I can wait a couple of years for a fourth or fifth book, lol!

I listened to and read this book simultaneously and I thought Suzi Leung did an excellent job. While Suzi doesn't change the voices much for different characters, somehow I never found it difficult to follow who was saying what. This is perhaps because the story is being told as if Riley is telling the story. So the voices change just enough to sound like Riley is doing everyone else's voices if that makes sense. Regardless, I enjoyed the narration and think it would work both as a pure audiobook and for struggling readers to read along with the narration.

Overall, if you enjoyed the first book, you probably enjoy reading this just as much. These books should definitely be read in order, although there is enough summary of the previous book to bring you up to speed if you happen to run across this book first.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A solid installment in the series. The take on the afterlife, and it's "restructuring" was clever and fun. The addition of the moon, no spoilers but it's also extremely obvious, is also nice. Great new characters being added.

What keeps it from a five star for me - there's a lot of "telling" moralizing. Enough so it feels like a fantasy after school special. I don't see this going over so well with the age group. Also, there are wonderful plot points that aren't explored or sufficiently put in context - Riley's crying or not, what's up with Hattie. We need a better thread that introduces these changes and makes the small references more meaningful.

Overall, solid middle book. I'm looking forward to the conclusion!

The Last Fallen Moon is a worthy sequel to The Last Fallen Star. Riley Oh is back - but after the events of the The Last Fallen Star, her family and friends don't remember her, and the Gom clan of healers have lost their healing abilities. Desperate to solve a problem she believes she caused, Riley plans and embarks on a quest to return the Gom's abilities, and maybe - just maybe - find a way for the memories taken in the first volume to be restored. This second novel in the Gifted Clans trilogy follows the first, both in sequence and in theme. Based on Korean mythology, it follows Riley as she journeys to a much-changed underworld, totally unlike what she expected - an underworld she will have to search for the answers she needs. But will she be in time?

This novel fits well into Rick Riordan Presents. It contains enough Korean mythology to be interesting, but not so much that it confuses those who have no background, nor so much that it appears to be a lecture. Readers with no background knowledge beyond the previous novel will enjoy it, but lacking that background will not detract from the story line. Recommended for readers middle school through adult.

I received an advance review copy in exchange for my review, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to Rick Riordan Presents, Disney Publishing, and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
After the events of The Last Fallen Star, Riley is back home but no one has any memories of her. To make matters worse, the entire Gom clan to which her adoptive family belongs is mad at her for killing the Cave Bear Goddess, the Gom clan’s patron and source of healing power. Nevermind that the goddess was going to destroy all the humans! Things come to a head and Riley thinks the best way to help is to go to the Spiritrealm to get help. While there, Riley discovers her sister Hattie is down there looking for her and Riley meets Dahl, a heaven-born boy with pure white hair. He volunteers to be Riley’s guide around the Spiritrealm but Riley’s past will haunt her in hell. But Dahl is hiding something that, once revealed, will change Riley forever.
This book keeps up the same momentum as the first. I really enjoyed reading this, although, as an adult, I could figure out what was going on. Then again, I’m not the target audience. I would definitely recommend this for those who have read the first. The final book will be out next year.
#TheLastFallenMoon #RickRiordanPresents #NetGalley

A fun sequel that lived up to the hype! Pacing was solid, as was the plot. The new characters breathed life into the book!

The Last Fallen Moon by Graci Kim is the second book in the Gifted Clans series and it takes off shortly after the first book. The character building was great. I really liked the further development of Riley in this book. You really see her start to mature and figure out who she really is. One thing you can count on from the first book is the humor. Its still there, its still silly and it will still be enjoyed by kids everywhere. I absolutely loved the portrayal of the Spiritrealm. The author did a great job describing it and I felt submersed in the lore even if it had a modern twist. I think that the modernization of the lore was brilliant making it more accessible to younger readers today. Sometimes it can take a complicated concept and make it a little easier to digest. Cant wait for the next book in the series!

The Last Fallen Moon is everything you want in a sequel. Riley’s adventure continues with an exciting foray into a new spirit realm. Kim’s worldbuilding creates a realm filled with new characters who challenge, support, and encourage Riley. Once again, the love of family, sense of duty, and learning to forgive are woven throughout Riley’s experiences. The plot is fast paced and filled with enough twists and turns to keep a reader hooked. Once again, Korean mythology is masterfully used to create a story easily understood by people with little to no familiarity with Korean customs or beliefs.

The ending chapters are a nice blend of old and new, with beloved characters from The Last Fallen Star meeting Riley’s newest friends, events from both realms melding together, and everyone ready for one last adventure to save the mortal realm from the Goddesses. I’m excited for book three and finally understand why my students reread books. The Last Fallen Moon is that good!

Riley may have saved the world from an angry goddess, but her actions caused her adoptive clan to lose their healing powers. Also, everyone but her sister Hattie has forgotten her. She comes up with a stellar plan to fix the former issue: all she has to do is die, travel to the underworld, and convince a kindly spirit to sponsor her clan. Hell has recently updated its image to be a lot less torture-y, but it still has plenty of peril. Riley wouldn't get far without the help of Dahl, a cheerful local. Riley continues to grow into a great hero against a background of updated Korean mythology.

If you enjoyed Riley Oh's journey in The Last Fallen Star, this continuation of her story will not disappoint! As a result of Riley's actions in seeking to become magical like her adoptive family, her sister Hattie's health has suffered, and her family's clan has been stripped of their magic, and Riley ends up traveling to the underworld to try to make things right. Graci Kim once again creates a winning cast of characters, led by the relatable and appealing Riley, and a series of events that are both exciting and enlightening. The Korean mythology woven throughout adds wonderful depth and color. I can't wait to be able to offer this title to young patrons, and am very much looking forward to the final volume of this trilogy!

Graci Kim does it again! We’ve missed Riley Oh, her sister, her friends and her amazing world. Graci Kim brings us right back into this contemporary vision of life as a kind-of magical Korean American girl, with new realms to explore and new characters to encounter. Kim’s unique ability to mix daunting supernatural problems with quirky humor make The Last Fallen Star and now The Last Fallen Moon impossible to put down. In the second book of her trilogy, Riley is faced with the guilt of having caused some serious damage to her clan and her family. Riley must go on a personal journey to not only try to right some wrongs, but also forgive herself and accept the love and support of her friends and family. Throughout her adventures in the spirit realm, Graci Kim builds a realm like none I’ve ever experienced before as a reader who has experienced many versions of “spirit realms.” The versions of heaven and hell run parallel if slightly askew to places readers will recognize in creative, nuanced and often hilarious ways. One of my favorite sections is a visit to a banquet akin to a Willy Wonka type edible world, filled with Korean goodies like tulip cups filled with hobak-juk (pumpkin porridge) and baby scallion grass made of green tea flavored Pepero sticks…I didn’t know I needed to read a scene like that, but I did. Riley’s character is funny and flawed. She makes mistakes, takes risks, doubts herself, but ultimately remains a heroine we route for. While it would be easy to wave a magic wand, or in this case rub some magical gifted marks together, to make everything ok again, the struggle and the journey are about more than that. Ultimately Riley shows us that putting things neatly back in place isn’t always the way forward. Change can bring growth. My only disappointment is that I will have to wait for book 3! This is a wonderful series for all young readers.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Disney Publishing Worldwide, and Rick Riordan Presents in exchange for an honest review.

Riley Oh may have succeeded in bringing her sister Hattie back, but it came at a price. Now she's determined to go into the Spiritrealm to find a new patron to restore her clan's power. In doing so, she ends up working with a boy with bright white hair and facing off against some powerful names in the Spiritrealm.

While this second book in the Gifted Clans series is setting up how the series will end, there is a lot that happens in THE LAST FALLEN MOON that builds on the first book and adds another layer to Riley's story.

An author's note at the end of the novel provides readers with more background knowledge and understanding on Korean beliefs about the afterlife and what happens when a person dies.

The Last Fallen Moon balances emotional exploration - as Riley struggles with her own guilt - and almost non-stop action. Let me begin by chatting about the action. The world building explodes in color and detail in this sequel. Kim delivers a Spiritrealm that felt atmospheric and multi-dimensional. I can see middle grade readers absolutely falling in love with it! Not only that, but Kim's sense of humor and little clever touches is another added bonus!

The Last Fallen Moon is a book that I ended up finishing much sooner than I thought. I had to find out what happened. If Riley was going to be able to patch the holes she made. And that leads me to what may have stolen my hear the most - Riley's exploration of responsibility. She feels so strongly that everything is her fault. That her loved ones hate her and feel like she's at fault. But I loved how in The Last Fallen Moon Kim introduces the idea that Riley isn't alone.

Riley Oh is trying to adjust to a life where no one except her adopted sister Hattie has any memories of her. The Gom Clan is angry with her for killing their patron goddess and are taking it out on her family. Then she gets the brilliant idea to find a replacement patron goddess. The only problem is that she has to die (go to the underworld) to talk to him. How far will Riley go to fix things and have them go back to normal?

After bonking the Cave Bear Goddess, ruining her clan's ability to do healing magic, and losing her memories to a demon, Riley comes up with a foolproof plan to fix everything: a little trip to the underworld. In a stunning turn of events, things aren't as easy as they at first appeared, and Riley has to team up with old friends and new to solve a conspiracy much bigger than she had imagined.

There were a few points where I found it difficult to connect with this book, mostly because I don't love Riley as a character, but overall, the excitement and cultural references were enticing. It's remarkable in how deep the consequences are for these characters–there aren't any quick fixes here, and everyone has to work hard to fix what they've done, even if it means losing family and comfort. This book has just the right combination of silliness and heart I've come to expect from a Rick Riordan presents book and I'll be looking forward to the next one.

Thank you to Disney Hyperion, Rick Riordan Presents, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this awesome book! This is book 2 in the series and was initially somewhat confusing due to the rebranding of spirit realm. While I prefer classic legends of book one, I still enjoyed Riley’s adventures in book 2 and am already looking forward to more adventures in the conclusion, published next year. I’m very excited to share this book with my upper elementary students.

Riley Oh while trying to help her sister she ended up hurtng her clan by killing the patron saint, now her whole clan has lost their ability to heal and those close to her, except her sister Hattie who now has a mysterious illness, has lost all memory of her. Riley feels it is her obligation to fix what she broke and in order to do this she must go to the underworld to get a new patron saint for her clan and she has two days to get everything done before the heart stopping potion she took to get the underworld wears off. But she gets into a lot more than she ever thought down there.
This was an awesome second book in the series and like the first it left me wanting the author to hurry with the next book so we can find out what happens next. Riley is the kid who is trying to do the right thing all the time but most of the time it just doesn’t work out that way. It makes it easy for kids to see themselves in Riley and find empathy. Riley is adopted and this series shows some of the feelings and life events that only adoptees can dream about or actually have happen to them at points in their own lives. I really like this series and think it is wonderful addition to any library.

This review will appear on my blog on June 7th

I received an electronic ARC from Disney Publishing Worldwide through NetGalley.
Kim continues Riley's story in the second book in this series. The book picks up shortly after the first one ended and readers see the complications that have happened since Riley saved the clans from the goddess. She struggles with her guilt and sense that she has caused harm to everyone she cares about. Middle grade readers will connect to her thought processes though, obviously, not her particular circumstances.
Riley is committed to working alone and not pulling in anyone else as she is afraid they will be harmed. She concocts a scheme to get to the Spiritrealm to find a new patron god for her clan. While there, she meets several new characters who will be important to her quest. In the end, she gains a brother and has to leave her sister, Hattie, behind. They are successful in finding a new patron god but it comes as other clans lose their divine powers. The set up for the coming war with the goddesses works well.
Kim weaves Korean myths and legends into this adventure. She takes complicated connections and uses language middle grade readers will understand. Readers see powerful beings and very human responses from the mythical beings. The glossary at the end offers further information and provides a springboard for those who want to learn more.

Thank you, Disney Publishing Worldwide, for allowing me to read The Last Fallen Moon early!

The Last Fallen Moon was an exceptional sequel to Graci Kim's The Last Fallen Star. Kim has a way with words that will enchant each and every reader who will happen upon her words.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

Part 2 of the Gifted Clans series. It can be read as a stand alone but you might get confused. We pick up not long after the reveal of Riley's and we're thrust into action again. This time witches threaten everyone. The gang is all back with new characters and foes. Some you will live and others you will love to hate. Can't wait for book 3.

I loved this book and it was a perfect sequel to the first one! It is bridging the gap from middle school to freshman year in the concept of maturity and finding out who you are. My students get hooked with Rick Riordan and his "presents" books, so this is great to see that the characters are relatable from 6th grade and up!