Review Detail

What I liked:
Jenna Yoon has created a book with nonstop action, magical abilities, and undercover parents with a Korean flair that made for an exciting middle-grade story. Lia has grown up her whole life being protected by parents who have, as far as she knows, boring desk jobs. She is in training to hopefully join this organization, but she was missing the magic needed to pass the test to get in.
From the first page, you are thrown into the story with a mix of reality and the hidden world, and Lia is quickly thrown into the thick of things when she arrives one day from school to find her parents gone and her house ransacked by shadows.
I liked that you not spoon-fed everything about the organization that Lia parents work for; the author cleverly gives you riddles so that you discover along with Lia what her destiny will soon be.
Final Verdict:
Lia Park is a perfect middle-grade character; she feels authentic, honest, and determined, and her attention to detail from the everyday events in her family lives helps form a genuine connection to her as a character. In addition, I enjoy stories about cultures different from mine, so I get the chance to have a great adventure and learn a little along the way. So pick up Lia Park and the missing jewel for those who love spy adventures, magic, and some riddle-solving.