Keeper of the Lost Cities The Graphic Novel Part 2: Volume 1

Keeper of the Lost Cities: The Graphic Novels #2

by Celina Frenn (Adaptor), Shannon Messenger, Valeria Tenaga Romanazzi (Illustrator)

An Aladdin book. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader!

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Mystery

336 pages, Hardcover

First published December 2, 2025

Reviews

[lydia {67} ୨ৎ]

why does she do this to us 😭 all i wanted was book 10

[Abby (Reader of Clean Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The next Keeper comic? Yes please. It was good.

I really like the illustrations! Much better than the first one (those were good tho. Just not as good as these).

As much as I like these illustrations, they did my boy Keefe dirty. He would NOT approve of his hair. He looked better in the first one.

Edaline low-key looks like Ariel lol. She looks gorge (no I don't mean gorge-alicious or gorge-tastic. Iykyk). Biana was so pretty too!

The very first picture of Sandor was hilarious! he's perfect.

I enjoyed it.

[izzy of the hollow †]

i miss kotlc series :)
excited for pt 2 graphic novel <33!!!

[Jaycee Ann ✞ · Rating 3 out of 5]

═══════ ∘◦ ✧ ◦∘ ═══════
This review contains a few random statistics, my personal thoughts, and a content review! ♡
═══════ ∘◦ ✧ ◦∘ ═══════
• Book - Keeper of the Lost Cities graphic novel volume two
• Author - Shannon Messenger 
• Pages - Ebook, 350
• Genre(s) - Middle grade fantasy 
• Published - 2025
• Trope(s) - Found family
• Recommended time to read - Winter
⇢─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───⇠
→ Setting - 4/5
→ Characters - 3/5
→ Writing - 3/5
→ Cover - 4/5
→ Vibes - 4/5
→ Plot - 3/5
→ Romance/Ship - 3/5
→ Overall - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
═════════════════
╰┈➤ My thoughts (spoiler free)

I enjoyed this! I think I like the illustration in this one better than the first volume! I absolutely adored the way Dex, Edaline, and Biana were drawn. Keefe’s hair looked a little goofy though 😂 And Grady looked like a blonde version of Flynn Rider XD

A very quick and easy read, super fun and got me excited again for book ten to finally release soon! (It is soon right? No more delays I haven’t heard about?)

Overall a solid graphic novel and a must read for keeper fans!
═════════════════
╰┈➤ Content review

➸ Age Rating - 12+

➸ Language - None

➸ Romance/Sexual - Some crushing and teasing but that’s it, Alvar mentions he has three girlfriends and Keefe calls him his hero

➸ Violence - Sophie and Dex are kidnapped, Sophie’s arms are burned when she won’t tell the kidnappers what they want, she also accidentally burns herself a couple times, and she has an allergic reaction which causes her to pass out

➸ Religious/Spiritual - None

➸ Magic - None

➸ LGBTQ - None

[BookLoverLily]

The other one was okay, I HIGHLY recommend the ACTUCAL series! Also, WE NEED NUMBER 10, NOT A COMIC!!!!!!!! By the time this is finished, I'm 13!

[lydia {67} ୨ৎ]

tell me porque the copy on amazon is almost $30 💀

[Deacon Haight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not again… I like the idea but well you know

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
I’ve been so excited for this to come out since June *SPOILERS*
This was perfectly adapted from the book! I was reading it slowly cause I didn’t want it to end lol. The scene when the pyrokinetic interrogates Sophie was more intense than I thought they would show. A detail that was realistic was how she drew Sophie’s cape and sleeves being ripped the whole time they were in Paris, I never thought of though while reading the book. All the characters designs are perfect! except Sophie and Dex look a little older than Keefe and Fitz for some reason.

Other little critiques:
Sophie’s eyes look red instead of brown the whole book
Stina’s hair is red in the first chapter, then brown after that??
After sophie fades from the light leap, she’s supposed to be kinda transparent, I don’t know of they couldn’t do that with whatever art program they were using, or if they just decided against drawing and editing that. Also she’s supposed to be really pale when Fitz finds her, why are her cheeks red??


Also my friend pointed out how similarly Sophie and Oralie are drawn…😯

[the_reader]

peread

2026 I CANT WAIT THAT LONG!

[Abby]

Similar to my reviews of the original KOTLC books, I won't be fully giving my opinion on this book because I've read it so many times that it feels unfair to judge (especially considering this series has a special place in my heart, even if there are some parts I really struggle with now). Instead, I'll include a list of the notes I took while reading below, and I also just want to mention a few things that really stood out to me about this adaptation.

The first big thing I noticed has nothing to do with the story itself: my imagination has no windows? Having read KOTLC #1 upwards of a dozen times, I know these scenes and settings by heart, and seeing them drawn out for the graphic novel was an experience because I realized that my imagined version of the settings has no windows. I'm not sure why, it's just a fact, and it's too late to fix it now.

The other major thing I wanted to highlight was the way the abilities were rendered on the page. I haven't reread the first graphic novel since its release, so forgive me if it was a thing in that one, but most of the abilities were visible on the page. I know this is probably for the sake of adaptation (how else are you supposed to show empathy), but I've been in a glowy magic mood lately, so seeing it rendered in this way was super cool to me. I really like how Sophie's inflicting was drawn because it really reinforced how powerful the ability is and why it's something to be feared. The other abilities we see with glowing are empathy and telepathy, which I liked but didn't find as meaningful, but I just really like the idea of the glowing to visibly render the abilities, especially in a world that relies so heavily on light.

As far as adaptations go, I think it was very faithful to the original and captured Sophie's emotional turmoil from the second half of the book. I found the art to be great and less distracting than book 1 (fish-eyed Fitz, I'm sorry, but I cannot focus on the plot when you exist), and I'm glad I finally have a Sandor to picture that isn't just one of the goblins from The Rainbow Fairy books.

Anyway, here are my notes for the graphic novel. I don't have original page numbers or anything (I'm not that committed). They will contain SPOILERS for the graphic novel and for the rest of the KOTLC series because I'm a nerd and I've read it too many times. So, without further ado:

- they really captured Sophie being in denial every other sentence
- Marella’s hair is kind of giving Maysilee Donner vibes and I like it
- So I didn’t realize the Vacker dining room has windows … that’s on me y’all
- Alvar does not have a straight bone in his body
- Update: none of the rooms have windows in my imagination … I don’t know why
- Apparently one of Forkle’s alter ego is just Legolas
- Having Oralie’s empathy be visible is a choice … I kinda like it though
- The goblins standing beside the councilors is hilarious imagery to me for some reason
- Apparently Terik lives in Oz
- Not the Shannon Messenger star in Hollywood
- Imagine you take your student on a field trip and she just stays trauma dumping and then brings up your situationship from like 20 years ago
- I love the librarian’s design so much
- Yo the Offish is huge
- Guys it’s a mail person they’re real!!!!
- Also its interesting that elves build their cities out of light since they all have blue eyes and blue eyes are weaker to bright light
- I think I’ve said it before … but do elves have anti-depressants?
- Alvar now is not the time for a saucy door lean
- Seeing this illustrated makes the Neverseen look twice as overdramatic
- Forkle really be looking like the disguised king at the beginning of BotW
- Can the elves light leap at night? Am I stupid?
- I love the random shots of Fitz being emo eating breakfast while Sophie is fighting for her life
-I know she was in danger and dex was dying but like if Sophie took a moment to peek under those hoods this series would be 5 books shorter
- Honesty I love the design choice of making Sophie’s eyes glow when she inflicts
- Why is Keefe eating a burger in the middle of the tribunal?
- The way alter-ego Forkle and Tiergan could be twins
- This is the first time I’ve seen an elf with a mustache and it’s a jumpscare

[Nadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of reading and re-reading this series. It holds so much nostalgia for me: once I read it aloud to my kids, now they read it themselves, and seeing these memories come to life in graphic novel form feels like magic all over again.

Watching Sophie’s kidnapping unfold visually pulled me right back to the first time I experienced it. The tension, and the wow of it all. I’m absolutely biased, but truly, Shannon Messenger can do no wrong in my eyes.

A beautiful adaptation of a story I love, and one I’ll keep on the shelf to revisit whenever I need a little hit of elvin nostalgia.

[Jessica Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art was okay! However, I did find myself cringing at some of the internal monologue. I feel like Keeper is one of those series where the thoughts must be properly conveyed, or else things get very confusing, very fast. So because of this, I think they were trying to be able to include all of the important thoughts, while still having the room for the art. Because of this, sometimes the internal monologue seems very cliche or even unfitting because the thoughts of Sophie had to be able to be properly conveyed with little room to fit them into the tiny boxes of space. Even so, I was able to get passed that and still enjoy reminiscing one of the first series that got me into reading!

[Katniss Everdeen {Peeta and Keefe’s girl} · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️

Dude I love this book. The art was great, the story was spot on, (or as close as you can get when you shorten it) everything was just amazing.

I loved seeing the characters come to life. The only one I had a problem with was Jensi. His hair was waaaaaaay to tame. Dex was so cute to me. Keefe was... well... Keefe. (He didn’t change much) Fitz... y’all know how I feel about Fitz. 😒 Grady and Edaline where amazing. And Sophie was great.

So, yeah, over all this was a great book, and I will highly recommend to new and old fans.

[✨Abigail Balzer✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art style is different than the first one, and there is another one of the same book by Celina Frenn coming out in April next year. Probably gonna wait for that one, obviously still gonna get this one, but just hopefully that one will be the same art style. This one just looks… wrong.

[Amelia Scranton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just as good as Part 1 of the graphic novel! There is a different illustrator and I like the drawing style better than Part 1. This was the rest of the first book. Keefe's hair is even more amazing than I remember. Loved it!

[&#x1f381;&#x1f384;FOSTERKEEFE&#x1f384;&#x1f381; · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok so the book was Awesome and the illustrations were amazing better then the first one but they definitely did amazing on it and love all the art and Iggy is just adorbes he looks so cute and I like the cover so yeah that is all I can say.

[Maria-Andrea Nivon Galvez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly an amazing experience to ‘see’ the first book. Especially the second half, as it gets pretty dark.

I do, however, wish we’d just get book 10. But this sentiment does not detract from the amazing artist.

Iggy is the cutest puppy with wings!!!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so well done for a graphic novel!

[Cassandra Hamm · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Grady and Edaline adoption bits made me tear up <3 they’ve always been one of my favorite parts of the series. A really great adaptation of one of my favorite series.

[Rebeka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I literally have an obsession with this series and these characters!

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic adaptation of one of my favourite books!!! The scenes came to life so beautifully, especially the ones that take place in Sophie's mind!

[✨Genessa✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was good! The art and everything was better than the first part. And actually seeing some of the scenes, like the kidnapping, was kind of crazy. It was even more intense than I ever envisioned in my head tbh. Anyway, hopefully we get an Exile graphic novel next :)

[Myka Schmucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

For taking a long book like Kotlc and mains it a graphic novel this book was done amazingly!!

[Kaylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very high three stars. It feels a little rude to give this only three stars, but I think I had just a few too many artsy nitpicks and little things that genuinely bothered me to let this slide with four, especially since I gave the first one four stars.

Let’s start with the writing before I get into my real nitpicks. I still seriously applaud the author and adapter for realizing this story works better split in two- the pacing felt so much more natural than many graphic novel adaptations I’ve read. Honestly, the story was just translated to this medium pretty well in general. Even the crazy, high-stakes ending felt like it had more than enough time to breathe, and I think the writers really took their time when they needed to. I’m pretty impressed they managed to do that, especially since KOTLC (the original book) has some occasionally strange pacing in itself.
My writing-related issues are pretty short, though no less annoying than my art-related ones. First off, the loredumps and exposition felt a little condescending and repetitive to read. A lot of times characters, especially Sophie, since she’s the lead, would say something or think something that required an explanation, and instead of letting the reader put two and two together based on the art, it would be unnaturally shoved into the thought or dialogue. A good example of this is when Sophie and Dex are being kidnapped, and Sophie thinks: “No! I think I smell a sedative, and I don’t know how much longer I can hold my breath!” Not only does it read clunky, but it’s completely unnecessary. The picture clearly shows the kidnappers holding a cloth to her nose, and her eyes watering. That is more than enough information for the reader to come to that conclusion without a single word of exposition- that’s the advantage to graphic novels rather than typical books, but it feels like this one doesn’t take that advantage.
The other thing seems even more nitpicky, but again I wouldn’t mention it if it didn’t occur enough times for me to notice and be bothered by it. Sophie’s thoughts tend toward over-dramatic sometimes, specifically when she says “Nooooo!” My issue with this is that it happens too often, and for things of completely different levels of worry. Being kidnapped? Completely warranted response, if a bit melodramatic. Her teacher failing her? Less warranted. It’s specifically the elongation of the word that bothers me, I think. ‘No!’ makes perfect sense in both instances, but making it longer implies a whininess rather than urgency or force, which would be ‘NO!’ So it kind of throws off the tone in both instances, on my opinion. There are a couple other little things like that that really just took me out of the story; I hope to see that improved in future graphic novel adaptations, should the author decide to make the rest of the series in this format.

Now, let’s talk about the art for a bit. This book has a different artist/colorist than book 1, which I don’t mind, though I really enjoyed the first book’s style. This artist did a pretty good job staying similar to the first books in character designs, and I do like this style, too. The cover also, thankfully, doesn’t drown out anyone’s features with too-bright light (looking at you, book 1 Fitz), so that’s always a bonus!
But I definitely have some critiques. The first one is kind of my personal preference, but I think it really attributes to my general preference for the first book’s style: there’s no lighting in this one. To be more specific, there’s no color harmony or environmental lighting. The first book had a very distinctive look due to its use of muted colors, giving each frame a filtered appearance the really added to the cohesiveness of each frame. Everything looked washed in a cool blue tone, and it really brought the whole book together. This book does not do that. The colors are vibrant and pretty, yes, but they don’t look distinctive. These frames could be from any graphic novel, and the book feels less cohesive because of it.
Ok, here are some actual issues that aren’t just my personal preference. The character designs, satisfying as they are, aren’t the most consistent. Stina’s hair is a completely different shade in her first scene than her later ones, to the point where she looks like a different character. Due in part to the lack of mood lighting, a lot of hair colors look the same on each person, too. Stina matches Biana in her later scenes, and Edaline in her first one. A lot of background props are given different levels of detail inconsistently. For example, the Pyrokinesis book has exactly nothing on the cover until one random frame, where it has the title and an image. That sort of inconsistency is very noticeable when you actually view the frames, and it’s really disappointing that it wasn’t caught. Similar to the “Noooo!” issue, the book cuts to single frames of Sophie’s eyes way too often, even if it doesn’t match the gravity of whatever revelation she has. And these frames are noticeably almost the exact same, with every so slightly shifted shading to make them not a 1-1 copy. It just feels like the artist cut corners because she didn’t know what panel to draw in that space. Similarly, the characters’ poses don’t always match the tone or gravity of the moment, either. Lots of characters take very melodramatic poses for scenes that could have been better conveyed with simple expression changes. And having telepaths always dramatically touch their own heads when, again, concentrated faces would be just (if not more) effective was just cringey to see.
Maybe that last one is also just my opinion, but I am pretty disappointed in the amount of small art issues in this book. The overall art style is very well-done, and you can tell the artist is talented. But it does feel like a step down from the first book’s quality.

Ok. I’ve critiqued this book a lot in this review, so let’s end on a good note. Here are a some things I really liked about this adaptation! The character designs, as I mentioned before, were all pretty distinct and recognizable compared with the first book’s interpretation. The artist’s style in general, specifically their way of drawing characters, was a very satisfying, unique style. I loved all the little bonus content at the end; those are always the most special pages of graphic novels for me.
And as a sidebar, I really loved the whole sequence of panels where Sophie is interrogated and tortured. The way it was handled had just the right emotional weight. Her expressions were heartbreaking, and I LOVE that the book didn’t shy away from showing burns. It really added to the realness of the scene. I honestly think that whole sequence is more visceral and painful to read in this book than in the original; the artist did a phenomenal job with it.

So overall, this book had some incredible scenes and was overall a very smart adaptation. But I don’t think it lived up to the first one.
I am curious if the rest of the series will be made into graphic novels, and if so, I hope they keep switching between these artists. I do like both their interpretations of the series, and I’d love to see improvement in both in the future. If this is it, though, I’m glad the book 1 was finished anyways- it was still an enjoyable read.


SERIES RATINGS:
KOTLC Part 1: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
KOTLC Part 2: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[charlotte ☆]

i didn't rlly like the art in the last one but i hear theres new art ???
no matter the art im getting it bc i genuinely can't survive without owning all keeper books
also its the only way i can get my brother to read it 3

ALSOOO ITS RELEASED RIGHT AROUND MY BDAY HAHHA

[Wolfburrito95]

I didn’t like the last one, or the series in general, so let’s see how this turns out!

[Harper]

Omg Dex is actually on this cover!!! I thought for sure it would have Fitz on it again.

[Annalise · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't expect me not to give this book five stars, really! 😅 I dare say it's better than the first one, and not just for the reason that the cover is absolutely gorgeous.

○♡ SUMMARY ♡○
After living with elves for quite a while, Sophie still has so many unanswered questions about why she was sent to live there in the first place. Who are her biological parents? Does she really have a secret crush on Keefe? Will she be able to pass her final exams? Things are, unfortunately, getting more complicated by the minute, and there's no time to answer those questions. Sophie is rapidly developing new abilities, needs to decide who she wants to live with, and almost gets killed with Dex by a band of rebels!! As crazy as all these things are, they're helping her become the true elf girl she was meant to be after all those years.

○♡ OPINIONS ♡○
Like I said, you can't expect me not to have loved this; I mean, the cover is insanely gorgeous!! 🩷 A quick and timeless 2 day read; I was so excited for this to come out, and once I got to the scene of the kidnapping in Paris, I was completely hooked to this thing!! 🤣 Tbh I'd forgotten some of the things that happened in this, so it was nice to have a very action-packed and colorful refresher on the wild events of the lost cities. Can anyone agree: when you're rereading a book or something like this and think to yourself, "Nope, I know what's gonna happen before you do!!" Also, all of us big time KOTLC fans have to admit that the colorist did an amazing job on the cover; possibly better than the first!

And I just wanted to put this in here: Shannon Messenger; I know you very well probably won't see this, but I just wanted to THANK YOU for all the work you put into books like these to make your readers happy. I am so #TeamSoKeefe, lol I may have only read the first 6 books in the series, but you've become one of my favorite writers of all time, because of this whirlwind of a story you're creating. LOL I physically can't name all the emotions; from hysterics to suspense to confusion; that I've felt reading your books, it's wild. I was at your virtual event for book 9.5b and it was the third but most surreal author meeting of my life; the excitement that ran through me the whole time is indescribable! In short, if you do see this, I just wanted to thank you for creating the amazing Lost Cities, for girls like me to enjoy. 😄💫🩷

[Sloan Norment · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is part two of the first book and it just came out so I bought it for myself as a Christmas present😙 Actually also peak and I love my babies. I can’t stop thinking about how keefe is Sophie’s future husband like first book him is crazy compared to book 10. Fitz is still lurking and his anger issues haven’t emerged yet so having every time he appears on page be surrounded by hearts is just amazing😀😛 get me out. Like baby that’s my BROTHER, like I know dada, and he would NEVER do something like that (be nice). Also I forgot how pmo everyone is in the first book like I love you edaline but respectfully sybau. And Dex is lowk rage bait like stop acting like you’re five😟 Also biana too and Alden is weirdly secretive and Mr forkle is distant and mysterious and Bronte hasn’t had his character arc yet and alvar is still part of the fam and makes subtle foreshadowing ah comments and keefe isn’t emotionally damaged enough to open up to Sophie like💔😩😢 Grady and Sophie lowkenuinely were my only stans like thank you🙂‍↕️ And Sandors last minute intro was peak. Also how did I completely forget Sophie manifested as an inflicts in only book 1 like I swear it was at least book three!! Anyways I finna spend the whole second half of winter break rereading Kotlc so watch out🫡😁😁❣️👊

[✧ myra ✧]

so I lowkey have no idea what to rate this book (it’s not even a book actually it’s a graphic novel) so I’m just not gonna at all hehe

NOT CAUSE IT’S LIKE BAD OR ANYTHING IT WAS ACTUALLY RLLY GOOD like i think the fact that i read it all in one sitting proves it

the art was done well and some of those scenes were just like how i had imagined it in my head when i first read the series at 8 years old just more cartoonish and kid-friendly (cause dang my mind conjured up some pretty serious and scary stuff)

also THEY STUCK WITH THE PLOT RLLY WELLLLL YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAUAYAYAYAUAY
like they included a lot of exact lines from the book (i’ve read the series 12 times ok some of those lines got engraved into my brain) which made me SO HAPPY

also seeing some of those scenes come to life was JEKCKKSXKSLLZLSALALLALA

like the finding out abt the cancelled adoption scene BROKE ME and so did the kidnapping scene where she’s getting burnt cause IT WAS NOT THAT INTENSE IN THE BOOK

anyways this graphic novel was rlly good but idk how to rate it because i don’t read graphic novels and there are too many aspects to take in when it come to rating IF YK WHAT I MEAN CAUSE I DON’T RLLY KNOW WHAT I MEAN TBH