The ‘Gifted Clans’ saga comes to an exciting conclusion with Graci Kim’s third and final book, The Last Fallen Realm.
Riley Oh is doing well. Her friends and family have their memories back, her sister Hattie, while stuck in the Spirtrealm, seems to be prospering, and her spiritual brother Dahl, has been adopted by her parents and adjusting to life in the Mortalrealm quite well. The one problem is that with Riley and Dahl as leaders, they must recruit an army to stop the goddesses from destroying the three realms and every human being.
In Las Vegas, Riley, with her family and friends including her best friend Emmett, are leading training seminars on how to fight the goddesses, when the sky falls, and darkness descends on Sin City. The goddesses are no longer waiting, they are proceeding with the plan to create a new MegaRealm which will instill fear and respect for the gods, unlike what people have today.
As the action builds, Riley feels like she doesn’t belong as the leader of this resistance army, but she must find a way to awaken the power within her. Friends and family come together to help Riley, but it is the Last Fallen Star who must find the courage within herself to defeat the combined power of the gods, so that humanity can be saved.
It won’t be easy. In fact, it will be almost impossible to do if Riley Oh doesn’t believe in herself.
Riley Oh is a complicated lead character. Of all the middle grade mythology books that I have reviewed, I feel like Riley is the most real character on the page. She is full of contradictions and lack of faith in herself, while at the same time trying to reconcile the unbelievable task that has landed on her shoulders. Riley sounds like, acts like and verbalizes the inner feelings of a teenager.
Besides the fact that author Graci Kim has spun an incredible tale using Korean mythology as the backdrop to the ‘Gifted Clans’ series, she has brought forth a main character that is the realest form of a lead character possible.
There are times when the reader will think that they are peering inside the mind of a teenager, and one would feel empathy for this child, because my goodness there is a lot of stress placed on Riley Oh. Forget the fact that being a teenager is tough in the real world, we see all these teen problems as well as the fate of the world placed in Riley’s hands.
For many moments, I felt like I was sitting on Riley’s shoulder watching her every move. Graci Kim has not only populated her story with the visual spectacle of being set in Las Vegas, but she has made the reader appreciate how truly difficult Riley’s role is. When an author can create empathy for the main character, the reader will route for the hero no matter the anxiety or lack of faith that character has in themselves. Readers will clamor for that moment when we see the main character believe. When that moment happens for Riley, it is spectacular.
Riley is not alone. Dahl, her spiritual brother, is the best sort of partner anyone could want. A mix of family and best friend, Dahl is the light-hearted, loving brother that Riley always needed. Her older sister Hattie is back as well, and while she has been sidelined for various reasons in the previous books, Graci Kim lets Hattie achieve her full potential, and Hattie will make everyone wish she was your big sister.
The Last Fallen Realm is a book that will surprise you. Graci Kim has broken the mold with a creative new ending that made this reader very appreciative of the author’s unique resolution. As much as I enjoyed the story, with Las Vegas lighting up the pages, and the quest for mini golf perfection, the ending of The Last Fallen Realm is incredible.
Riley Oh will believe in herself, and that belief will inspire her to fulfill her potential. For most of these three books, Riley has been your garden variety teenager with a host of social worries that have plagued her from success. Riley’s choice at the end of the book has her make a decision that will show who she really is. I want to talk about the ending, but that would ruin it for readers and that is something one must experience on your own. So, get reading.
The Last Fallen Realm does the impossible by surpassing its previous books and by ending with an incredible act of love. The message as author Graci Kim has placed throughout the series is this, it is astounding what one person can do when they believe in themselves. That’s a message worth repeating and remembering.