Rick Riordan Presents: The Last Fallen Star-A Gifted Clans Novel (Gifted Clans, 1) Hardcover – May 4, 2021

First, I'd like to address a one star review that I saw listed which said the book was a disjointed departure from "the first book." This IS the first book in an AMAZING series and the reviewer is obviously confused about this title. Moving on...This book is funny, smart, inspiring and the characters stay with you in the very best way. I read this with my daughters who are 7 and 10, and they became instant Graci Kim fans. The world building, which is one where Korean mythology-based magic exists in contemporary LA among other places , is phenomenal. Graci Kim's inventive take on life as a Korean American kid immersed in a magical society hidden from the "saram" (non-magical people) is so thoughtfully and playfully done. Students enter their secret Saturday School class by signing a BTS song at the noraebang, HMart holds the secret entrance to the gifted temple and so many other special details had my Korean American daughters glowing with pride and recognition. My niece (not Korean American) read along with us and was equally taken with the book. She is now obsessed with Hmart and learning Korean :) It's a fun dive into a world that just makes sense in its quirkiness. The characters are possibly our favorite part. Riley struggles with belonging in her family as an adoptee with a mysterious origin. She is smart, funny and reacts to situations the way you'd expect an almost 13 year old to react. Her best friend, Emmett is the source of my girls' favorite character catchphrase of all time "Holy shirtballs!" and so many interactions between characters had them giggling and discussing them long after we'd closed the book. The fast paced action in the book, the twists and turns in the plot, really took us for an amazing ride. I am not exaggerating when I say we couldn't put it down. For the last 100 pages or so, my daughters and I couldn't wait until our usual bedtime to read, we started before dinner...then in between bites, we kept reading...the sun went down and we switched on the lights and kept reading....it was bedtime, and we kept reading....finally by midnight we'd finished the book! I can't recommend this title enough. My 10 year old has reread it on her own. It's one we continue to talk about in our house as we anxiously await book 2. It's magical.

I took my time to digest the used words But for sure I really love this novel Rick Riordan should keep it up.

This was SO GOOD! Some compared it to THE Dragon Pearl series, but the only similarities I see are they are both based on mythology(1 is Chinese, 1 Korean), & both MC are shunned by the ones they most want to be accepted by..oh, & they’re both utterly amazing lolAnyway, this was a fast-paced adventure from the word Go. The pacing of the story, the world & character building, just EVERYTHING left me stunned at how great this book was done. The author wrote some of the best characters ever. I fell in love w/all of them, even the ones I despised-now that’s talent. Riley was so relatable in so many ways. She was such a great heroine. I loved how the author showed the inner struggle an adopted kid might have w/loving their family more than anything, but at the same time having curiosity, sadness, & love for the family the never got to know. Riley thought she was wronging her family by even entertaining those thoughts-but she wasn’t. It’s only human to want to know those things, & feel those things. What an amazing family she has too, especially her sister Hattie. Their relationship was so great to read. That’s such an amazing big sis. Riley also hit a home run in the best friend department. Emmett is the best. So funny, loyal, brave....& man has he been through a lot. Boris & Areum have my heart though-fascinating & amazing characters.I loved all the different parts that make this book a whole-The Korean mythology, the different clans(including the cursed clan), the story of the suns & moons, the different creatures we see along the way, the plot, the backstory, the characters, the important themes throughout, & the amazing writing..Wow. There are too many stand out scenes to mention(plus no spoilers lol). But the part w/the grandma ghost, & the inmyeonjo(keeping it vague here lol)were soooooo good. I got emotional in all the best ways.Big focus on family, friendship, belonging, believing in & being yourself, & more. This may be a fantasy, but all of these characters were so complicated & just REAL, that the book felt very relatable as a whole. Also, I know so many kids will be so happy to see themselves in the heroine of this story like they couldn’t before-like the author herself mentions in the back she never could, & this book is for all those kids. So awesome. Highly recommend. Now I wait a year for book 2, & try not to go crazy waiting lol Of course , a STUNNING cover by the amazing Vivienne To as well!💜

Riley lives in a magical world but doesn't have any magic herself. When she and her sister devise a plan to share her sister's magic, everything goes haywire. Her sister is in trouble and it is up to Riley to fix everything.OpinionThis is a great magical adventure for young adolescents. It has all of the elements of a great story: identity crisis, someone in peril, mysterious stranger, cute sidekick and adorable animal friend. The journey is captivating and will keep young children interested and guessing what is coming next. What I love most is that the book is left open with the possibility of more books to come.Many thanks to Net Galley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for providing me with an ARC of this book (and many apologies for taking so long to read and review it.)

This book has so many twists and turns! It has great characters and a great plot! The author has a way of describing things so you can see them in your mind. The action will keep you on the edge of your seat as well as not knowing what is coming next! I recommend this book to everyone!

I had to think and think again before purchasing this book because, honestly, I felt the characters and storyline might be too immature for my sensibilities. That was not the case. It was deep, intriguing, genuine, and teaching.As an African born to an oral tradition, this brought me right back to being a child and hearing stories of our native heroes. It was a pleasant and enjoyable read and I at no point found myself thinking it was too predictable or the main character Riley was too whiny which is common for books with characters of this age group. Money well spent. I don't regret a thing!