A review by clumsyqueenie
The Last Fallen Moon by Graci Kim

5.0

“Looking up at the sky used to make me feel sad. But today, the big, wide expanse makes me feel a strange sense of calmness instead. Almost like I’ve been reunited with an old, well-loved blankie that has been through the wash and smells a little bit different, but still feels just as comforting.”

Rating: 5/5
★★★★★

read the full review on my blog, and also check out my interview with the author!

Sequel to The Last Fallen Star, The Last Fallen Moon is a wonderfully complex tale about change and family all the while with a captivating story of its own. I thought I wouldn't like it as much as the first book but no?? Rest assured I will be reading anything Graci Kim puts out in the following years!!

It’s been a couple days since I finished The Last Fallen Moon and I must say that this novel has all the family feels and I’m not even sugarcoating it! There were albeit a couple ( more!) times I teared up while reading because the relationship and portrayal of love was just so close to home. Going into the book, I definitely had high hopes for this since The Last Fallen Star was one of my favourite reads last year, and though the book starts off paler in comparison to the rest of the story, the plot picked up soon after and I wasn’t able to put the book down!

This year has really been such a great year for middle grade novels and I will not stop saying so! One of my main reasons for growing out of middle grade fantasy (other than actually growing up, of course) is because after a certain point, I felt like all the books just blurred into one single story recycled repeatedly. The Last Fallen Moon does not fall into that, thankfully! A perfect blend of exploring emotional relations and Korean mythology, Graci Kim creates a truly magical world for readers to get sucked into.

This novel follows our protagonist Riley Oh after finding out that she’s the Godrealm’s last fallen star. It picks up about a couple months after book one. Riley’s loved ones now have no recollections of her and Riley is a shell of the person she initially used to be. Things get worse when she recieves threats from unknown witches, leading her into the Spiritrealm, in hopes of restoring peace to the Gifted Clans, where she also meets new characters and creatures.

Also if you’re asking me to pick a favourite character relationship, let it be known that I just can’t! That’s how beautifully it’s written in here—Riley’s sisterly bond with Hattie and her unconditional love towards her parents and friends is just so heartwarming!! Starting off, to be honest, Riley was a teeny bit annoying but it was all worth it because her charcter arc goes through a huge development, especially with her befriending more people and figuring it all out slowly but steadily.