What an amazing read!! Following Riley Oh on the road to self discovery had so many layers. Growing up, Riley knew she was adopted by the Gom, healing, clan and believed herself to be a saram, non magical, person and she wanted nothing more than to have the magic of her family. Riley has to make so many decisions about who she is and who she wants to be on the journey to save her sister. With so many decisions at her age being centered around friends/family and discovering who they want to be vs. who others want them to be makes this a great book for middle school students. There were so many great elements to this story, the food, the magic, I loved learning about the magical clans and their origin stories and I especially loved the magic schools entrance being a noraebang, and the temple being in a meat section of the grocery store. This is definitely a book I will be adding to my middle school classroom shelves.
Thanks NetGalley!

All twelve-year-old Riley Oh has ever wanted is to have her own magic and become a true healing witch recognized by everyone in her adopted family’s powerful lineage of Korean witches. Except, she’s a saram—a person without magic—so the best she can hope for in that regard is to watch proudly as her sister, Hattie, is initiated into the Gom clan, one of the six gifted clans. Due to her adoption and being without magic, Riley often feels left out in her family and the gifted community and fears that will never change. But then Hattie comes up with the brilliant idea to cast a spell at her initiation ceremony so that Riley can temporarily share Hattie’s magic. No one will ever treat Riley like an outsider again. Only everything goes wrong, and suddenly Hattie’s life is hanging in the balance. To rescue her sister, Riley will have to team up with her best friend Emmett and complete an impossible quest: find and retrieve the last fallen star. With a ticking clock and more questions than answers that lead to startling discoveries, Riley and Emmett must use all their wits and figure out who they can trust if they want to save Hattie—and the world—in time.

Graci Kim’s debut is at once magical and daring, as well as heart-warming and satisfying. A fiery new addition to the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, Kim has outdone herself with a story that both delights and thrills. I absolutely loved diving into the gifted world, which is described so well that I found myself effortlessly understanding even the most minute details about this extraordinary world within our own. Riley’s journey of self-discovery is so real and heart-wrenching that it even brought me to the verge of tears, especially as she is forced to make agonizing sacrifices. I thoroughly enjoyed her voice throughout, but the other characters also shine on the page. Emmett, Hattie, and Riley’s other friends are brought to life beautifully. I want to join this friend group! As Riley struggles with making selfless choices and uncovering hard-to-hear secrets, readers will be able to recognize and identify with themes of fighting for what’s right, the love between family and friends, and discovering the power that one holds. The Korean representation is superb—even if the descriptions of that delicious-sounding food made me ravenous—and although the glossary in the back was helpful, I enjoyed using context clues to inherently understand what the Korean terms meant. Fans of races against the clock and magic will love this fast-paced middle-grade adventure.

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing us with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

Riley's parents love her just as much as their biological daughter Hattie, but as an adoptive Oh she does not have their healing power. Then the sisters learn there is a spell that will let them share Hattie's gift when she is initiated into the clan on her thirteenth birthday. Their plot goes swimmingly, until it fails spectacularly. Now Hattie's life is in danger, everything Riley thought she knew was a lie, and her quest to find a fallen star could save them both or change everything forever. Riley's adventure blends modern Korean-American culture and ancient Korean mythology, along with some poignant messages about family and belonging.

My favorite part about the novel was the climax--everything was tied together and stakes and mistakes and everything going wrong was handled perfectly by Kim. The relationship between Hattie and Riley is the absolute best part of the book. Their relationship was so real and true. All the side characters felt well developed, as did the world building. There is so much to love in this novel and fans of the Rick Riordan presents series won't be disappointed. I knew a few of the Korean myth, but so many were new to me, and I loved seeing more of the myths, along with the contemporary setting. The melding of technology and magic is a favorite of mine, and it's executed with precision and perfection.

Looking forward to book two!

Riley Oh knows she is a loved part of the Oh family. She often feels separate because she is not only adoped but does not have the magical powers her sister and the rest of the family have. Riley and her sister, Hattie, hatch a plan for Hattie to share her magic with Riley. It is only supposed to last a week, but if their plan works, Riley can show everyone she can practice magic, too.

Everything goes wrong. First, they are stopped from completing the spell. Second, Riley finds out she has always had magic and she's also been lied to her entire life. Third, as if that wasn't enough, eithe Riley must leave the community or her family will have to give up their magic, healing powers, to keep her.

Riley and Hattie decide they must go ask for help from the creator goddess. Not only does this go wrong, but Riley finds herself going on a journey to help save Hattie before she is gone forever.

I was given the opportunity to read this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Riley knows her family's healing spells by heart, knows them better than her sister does. The only problem: Riley is adopted and can't do any magic. When Hattie, her sister, finds a spell that should enable them to share Hattie's magic and finally give Riley a place among their magical community, their plans go drastically awry. With Hattie's life in danger, Riley must hurry to complete several tasks to save her. On the way, Riley will need to make some tough decisions, uncover secrets, find help from her friends and family, and hardest of all, choose between her heart's desire and the people dearest to her.

Riley's journey was one of self discovery and sacrifices. While her original goal was to obtain magic and truly become part of the Korean magical community, the secrets she and her friends uncovered, and the steps they needed to take to save Hattie meant making some sacrifices. Riley's story is magical, very creative, and also a fantastic emotional and maturing journey.

I was going to say that what separates this book from others is that there's no Chosen One hero or overpowered world savior. However, those cliches did show their faces a bit towards the end, along with a saving the world plot, which I thought wasn't the case either. But those were only small moments and weren't the focus at all. Mostly, this book was about two sisters trying to help each other, two friends learning about their deceased parents, enemies becoming friends, making mistakes, uncovering secrets, and the importance of family & friendships, with lots of magic & Korean myths sprinkled throughout.

The story introduces a lot of creative magical ideas and Korean myths that are fluidly interwoven with the modern world. (Think along the lines of using an app to communicate with ghosts, or a magical equivalent of an electric scooter.) At the same time, it doesn't lose its focus on the plot and the characters' relationships, such as between Riley and her friend, Emmet. Between finding out about their deceased birth parents, unraveling the mystery behind an excommunicated clan and the events leading to their respective parents' deaths, and trying to fulfill the task they were given, the story still took the time to focus on Emmet and Riley's emotions and on the impact certain events had on their friendship.

Family and sistership were a major focus here. I loved Riley and Hattie's sisterly relationship, the way they kept sticking out their necks for each other, and also her friendship with Emmet, who had his own side plot. Her relationship with her parents was tested as well after Riley uncovered some long buried secrets that forced her to make some tough decisions between her birth and adoptee families.

Every page introduced new ideas in Korean culture and mythology. The world building was fantastic. It presented a nice mix of myths and modern Korean-American teen culture that flowed perfectly with the story, and was clear enough for anyone to understand and appreciate, no matter how familiar they are with Korean culture. From k-pop and k-drama to magic and myths, there's something here for every reader to enjoy and relate to.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review

An absolutely riveting and moving middle-grade novel, The Last Fallen Star utilizes Korean mythology and magic to discuss family, friendship, and the subject of belonging.

Like wow. Wowie! Wowzers. This was a great read. I got this as an ARC from NetGalley because I am a simple woman; I see Rick Riordan Presents Imprint - I click request. I love seeing how authors take their own cultures' histories, cultures, myths, and legends and roll them into, what always seems to me to be, coming of age stories.

In The Last Fallen Star, Riley just wants to fit in. #relatable, is it not? Not only does Riley feel like she doesn't fit in with the gifted community, but at times she feels like she doesn't even fit into her own family! Although she knows her Eomma, Appa, and sister Hattie love her to bits, Riley remains painfully aware of the differences between them. But when her and her sister, Hattie, make a plan to share Hattie's power between them, things - uh - don't quite go to plan. Adventure and revelations ensue. Boba tea is had. Secrets discovered. Families reunited-ISH. The whole shebang! And no, I'm not crying, you're crying! Can't wait for the sequel.

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.