Keeper of the Lost Cities: Lodestar

By Shannon Messenger

Wow.  Just...wow.

This book was amazing! I couldn't put it down, though that's how I am with all of Shannon Messenger's books. She is a fantastic writer!

This book picks up right after the 4th book ends, and for those of you who haven't read it, there will be a few spoilers here just to catch everyone up.  At the end of the 4th book, Keefe joins the Neverseen, the evil organization that's bent on ruling the world. It's shocking and heartbreaking, but he feels it's the only way.

In the Lodestar, it is revealed that Keefe is only trying to bring down the organization from the inside. He's working his way in, getting the bad guys to trust him so that he can ultimately defeat them. He does it to help Sophie. I think that he's really doing it because he's in love with her and he wants to save her. But that's just my opinion.  Sophie, of course, is oblivious, but she and Keefe work together over long distances to keep him safe and share secrets.

Sophie is also working with Fitz and the others of the Black Swan to discover what Lodestar is.  The Lodestar Initiative is a plan vaguely mentioned by the Neverseen as their great plan to "save the world" or change and fix it.  Sophie must figure out what it is and stop if before the world around her crumbles. They try to piece together clues hidden along the way, using a symbol they found. Sophie and her friends find out how the Neverseen travels and where many of their hideouts are located.  They also figure out some other secrets too. They get closer and closer just to end up still out of reach of their goal.

In their world of chaos and confusion, peace must be restored according to the Elven Councillors. A Peace Summit is planned, and all the leaders of the other species are invited to meet and discuss terms.  The elves, dwarves, gnomes, goblins, and trolls will all be sending their royalty or representatives to a sit down meeting with the Councillors, and Sophie is invited along with Mr. Forkle, the leader of the Black Swan.

In the end, Sophie figures out the Neverseen's plan a little too late, and someone important dies. Someone VERY important.  (I was so sad!)  Sophie also realizes the the Neverseen also have plans to use her, but they need leverage.  Keefe heard talk that they planned to snatch her family. Sophie thought that meant her new adoptive parents, Grady and Edaline, but she was wrong. They really grabbed her human family! Sophie runs into her little, human sister, who recognizes her.  AND THAT'S WHERE THE BOOK ENDS!

There's really so much more to this book that what I wrote. So much happens, but there's lots of little twists and turns along the way. Shannon Messenger is really good and planting infomration early and throughout the book that, if you're really smart, you piece it together to figure it all out!  Usually you've forgotten a lot of the little pieces until it becomes so obvious that, of course, you need that!  It's phenomenal! I can't say enough fabulous things about this series! I also reading it to my boys, and they beg and beg for me to keep reading.  They love all the characters and the comedic parts (especially Keefe!).

This series is fantastic for upper elementary, middle school, young adult, and anyone looking for a splendid book.  And it's safe! There are no swear words, no sex or drugs, and no graphic violence. It's like Harry Potter, but not as dark. It's so, so good!

Keeper of the Lost Cities

By Shannon Messenger

In honor of the fifth book coming out today, I'm going to talk about the first book in my second favorite series: Keeper of the Lost Cities!  This book/series was recommended to me by a student who was in love with these books (and still is).  She lent me her first book, and after reading it, I knew I had to have it and the next two in the series.  They were fantastic. And not only were they fantastic for me, but I knew my boys would love and adore them too.  Don't worry, they did. And now the fifth book has come out and we had to buy it today!!! We've already started it, that's how great it is.

Keepers of the Lost Cities is a book about a young girl named Sophie Foster. She's twelve years old, but she a child prodigy and is in her senior year at high school. She has no friends, and she feels like she doesn't fit in with her family. Not only that, but she can hear people's thoughts. Not something that endears one to others.

Then one day, she meets a beautiful boy, Fitz, who explains that he's been looking for her. And she's not human. She's an elf! That's why she doesn't belong. Fitz takes her back to the Elvin world, hidden away from humans, where she suddenly has to fit in. Everyone is very suspicious of her. Besides her being able to read and hear others' thoughts, no one, not even their most skilled telepaths, can read hers.  She is an enigma and many don't trust her.

She enrolls at the most prestigious school, Foxfire, and tries not to fail all of her classes. She must relearn many, many things because humans have things backwards at times. She makes friends, for the first time ever, and enemies.  She breaks rules, big important rules, because she knows its wrong not to help. Even though her life and schooling is on the line, she can't just let others get hurt when she knows she can help.

Sophie ends up getting kidnapped, along with her friend Dex. She has help, but in the end she must save herself and Dex, almost dying in the process. When she returns, she finds her friends and family are happy to have her. She finally belongs.

What I love about this book: The characters in this book are awesome! They are complex and diverse, full of quirks that stick with you.  My favorite character is Keefe.  He's always great for a laugh. I also love that this book has fantastic twists and turns. One thing always leads to another which leads to another. They are big books, but things are always happening so there's never a dull moment. My boys beg to listen to this book. I've also read this to 2 of my 6th grade classes and they love it as well, begging me to read the next book to them.

This book is like Harry Potter, but less dark.  There are bad things that happen, but there's always a hopeful attitude in the book.   The author keeps raising the stakes in each book, and they just keep getting better and better. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us in the 5th book!

This series is great for upper elementary, middle school, and young adults. It's also fantastic for anyone who just loves a great book. I can't put them down!