Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

Fantasy. 496 Pages. 5 Stars

Synopsis:

Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath—someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain.

Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.

Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.” 
There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory—secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for.

In this page-turning debut, Shannon Messenger creates a riveting story where one girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world, before the wrong person finds the answer first.

My Review:

Mkay, y’all. I have been hearing about this series from so many people for so long! One in particular pushed me until I finally said, “You know what, Ima read it!” So, thank you, Catherine, for refusing to let this one slip through my fingers!!!

I absolutely ADORED this book!!! It was really built up by a lot of people, so I wasn’t sure how I’d take it, but honestly, I loved it. It was a pretty easy read, but the plot and the world and the characters were so interesting! I found myself very curious about the history of the Lost Cities and their people. Also, I really wanted to know more about how their society worked. The book gave just enough information at just the right time to both satisfy my insatiable curiosity and provoke more of it. The explanations were solid and we saw the characters livethrough the world, which helped the explanations by giving the reader examples and an overall better foundation for understanding the whole new world that our MC is thrown into. It helped that she was new to the world; I think it gave a great opportunity for the author–who took advantage of the opportunity–to break the new world in while not info-dumping or boring her readers. I still want to know more about the differences between her creatures; thus far they seem quite subtle. I still want to know a little more about the history of the Lost Cities too. I mean, we got a basic premise that sets up the world and the book, but I guess I’m curious about what exactly triggered their separation from our world. I feel like there’s plenty more to learn about the new society we’re introduced too, but I was never really very confused. I learned as Sophie did. The setting varied a little and, along with the new world, we got glimpses of our realistic world (with some slight fantastical variations :D). The combination of the two were well-done and didn’t clash for me. I kind of hope we get to see the two come together a little more in the following books. 

The writing is simple (it is a middle-grade book), but that didn’t deter me in the least. In fact, I hardly noticed it. (Simple isn’t always a bad thing, let me be clear.) The book was well-paced and the nearly 500 pages kept me engaged throughout. I never once wanted to put the book aside and take a break. I was never bored throughout it. 

The plot was really, truly fun. If I had one word to describe the book, I’d definitely say fun. I love stuff that deals with prophesies and chosen ones, special people who are really very ordinary in many ways, but have to make big choices. I love stories about characters who have hidden talents to discover as well as stories about characters who learn who they are along the way. (Character development is one of my favorite things about story!) This plot presented great opportunities for things like this. It also held a pretty good balance of action and down-time. Like I said, I was never bored, but it wasn’t a 100% page turner either. This plot seemed to lay the foundation for a much larger story to be continued in the sequels. I was a little concerned about the way things left off with Sophie’s past in our world, but I have a feeling that’s unresolved and will come back around. I like that the book didn’t feel unfinished or incomplete, but that it left much open for expansion and there were some layered plot elements that we still have yet to unravel. 

The characters in this were so. much. fun! I loved Sophie! I loved the internal struggles she dealt with. She was easy to relate too and I felt like she made me feel special too. I can’t wait to see her grow and see where she goes! I love her devotion and loyalty. I love her integrity. She’s a sweet, fun girl who deals with a lot of struggles that we deal with in our own lives. Fitz. Oh, Fitz. Part of me really wishes he wasn’t the school’s resident pretty boy because I have fallen hard for him! He’s such a neat character and I just know there’s more to learn about him. I want to dig into his past, his family, his character, his abilities, everything! Biana and Alden and Della (and the older brother) are such unique and cool characters. I loved seeing them interact with each other, individually with others, and with Sophie. Love that family! Dex was your classic best friend, nerdy, supportive, and clever character. I really liked him a lot, too. But he and Fitz needa sort stuff out and we needa know exactly what went down! I don’t like them fighting! Elwin! I LOVED Elwin! He reminded me of Doc Brown from Back to the Future just a little bit. I really hope we see much more of him. Edaline and Grady were interesting pieces of the puzzle. I’m curious to see how that develops. Keefe was just downright mischievous and fun. I want lots more of him. The small glimpse into his past/home life will hopefully expand too. The professors were neat, and hopefully we’ll also see those characters deepen as the series progresses. I was seriously emotionally invested in Sophie’s relationships with all of these people. So, that’s a win in my book. There was a very wide cast, but Mrs. Messenger kept their involvement very well-balanced and I had no difficulty with keeping up with who was who, except for some of the professors in the beginning.

Overall, this is an absolutely excellent read and I would very highly recommend it. There is no foul language, very minor romantic content, and some mild violence, though nothing graphic at all. I can’t wait to continue the series!

More:

Book 2 in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series is Exile (5 Stars)

Book 3 is Everblaze (5 Stars)

Book 4 is Neverseen (5 Stars)

Book 5 is Lodestar (5 Stars)

Book 6 is Nightfall (5 Stars)

Book 7 is Flashback

Book 8 is Legacy

Book 8.5 is Unlocked

Click the links above for more information on the books. I’m reading through the series now as I get them in from my library, so you can scroll down and see my reviews for the ones I’ve rated.

This series must be read in order.

On GraceBought

Check out my thoughts on the next book in the series below!

Exile