by Jenna Yoon
ASIN/ISBN: 9781534487987
Publication: May 30, 2023

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DESCRIPTiON

Perfect for fans of the Gifted Clans and Aru Shah series, this thrilling second book of the middle-grade fantasy Lia Park series sees Lia and Joon on a mission to protect important magical objects—and themselves—from a mysterious enemy.

Twelve-year-old Lia Park and her best friend, Joon, are now full-time students at International Magic Academy after defeating corrupt diviner Gaya, and their first assignment is an ambitious one. The evil nine-headed monster and King of Darkness, Jihaedaegukjeok, wants to destroy the three Heavenly Heirlooms that create fire and light to plunge the world into darkness and destroy humanity.

The heirlooms can only be destroyed if they are all together, so over time, they have been hidden carefully with magic. Except now, one of them is missing. Lia, Joon, and their classmates have been tasked with recovering the lost heirloom and bringing it to IMA for safekeeping. They expected the task to be difficult, but the number of obstacles the magic trainees run into makes Lia start to wonder if the sabotage could be coming from someone inside the school.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jenna Yoon studied Art History at Wellesley College and received her master’s degree in Korean art history from Ewha Womans University. She’s lived about half her life in both Korea and the United States. When she’s not writing, Jenna loves to travel, find yummy eats, play board games, and take skincare very seriously. Currently, she lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two kids. LIA PARK AND THE MISSING JEWEL is Jenna’s debut MG book and will be published by Aladdin/Simon & Schuster in Summer 2022.

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REVIEW

Lia Park and the Heavenly Heirlooms is a fun, fast-paced adventure. Lia is navigating a new school and friendships. She is dedicated to becoming a hwarang even if things start out rough for her. Despite wanting to be the best, she is supportive of others and values her friendships.

One of the best parts of the book is having it set in South Korea. Locations are described with some historical information. The food scenes also made me hungry–the jjamppong and the jjajangmyeon sounded delicious. I would also like to attend this amazing international magical school where Lia is meant to be honing her skills.

While the book is fun, it is plot-driven and a lot is going on. From starting a new school to being sent on a mission to retrieve one of the heavenly heirlooms, it is non-stop action. While this made for a fast and often entertaining read, relationship-building between Lia and her new friends was somewhat missing. I missed more interaction between Joon and Lia.

Readers who like middle-grade adventures and magic schools will enjoy Lia Park and the Heavenly Heirlooms. If you enjoy this series and are looking for similar books, I would recommend Wildseed Witch by Marti Dumas (magic school), Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori M. Lee (adventure), and The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim (magic school and adventure).

**Thank you to Colored Pages tours for allowing me to be part of the tour. Remember to check out the schedule and visit more posts. Also, thank you to the publisher and author for providing an copies of the book and an eARC.**

Favorite Quotes

**The too late quote seems a bit strange out of context, but it was perfect for the situation. I needed to add it here.**