Karen B. McCoy: The Writer Librarian: Book Review: KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES by Shannon Messenger

Last year, I featured Shannon Messenger and her Keeper of the Lost Cities series, and even though I hadn't read her books yet, I was intrigued by them.

Well. After having read the first one (twice), I can say that this series is so wonderfully addictive that I can't wait to read more of it. The newest in the series, LODESTAR, just came out, and when I saw Shannon Messenger at one of her recent book signings, I found out that the series might go on for awhile longer, which makes me super excited.

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.

Review: This book ensnared me from the very first pages. I immediately cared about Sophie and what happened to her, and I was right there with her, experiencing all her sights, smells, and emotions. I especially felt how potent her Telepathy was, and how she was affected by it. But while there were a lot of elements introduced at once, I never felt overwhelmed as a reader. Each new detail added a new richness to Sophie's experience, especially when she went to Everglen. There were even new tastes, like Mallowmelt. The book's middle didn't sag at all--there was always a new adventure, and a new challenge for Sophie to face. And when her abilities made her a liability, the story picked up even further--I literally couldn't put it down until I'd finished it. The settings are fantastical, but the relationships are real and engaging to read. And the worldbuilding is spectactular. This book would not only make a great holiday gift for middle graders, but for their parents too. It's definitely a series that has potential staying power.

Shannon Messenger graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts where she learned--among other things--that she liked watching movies much better than making them. She's studied art, screenwriting, and film production, but realized her real passion was writing stories for children. She's the bestselling author of the middle grade series, KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES, and the SKY FALL series for young adults. Her books have been published in numerous countries and translated into ten different languages. She lives in Southern California with her husband and an embarrassing number of cats. Find her online at shannonmessenger.com.

To get a hold of the books in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, click the links below:

KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES