Legacy

Keeper of the Lost Cities #8

by Shannon Messenger

Illusions shatter—and Sophie and her friends face impossible choices—in this astonishing eighth book in the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities series.

Sophie Foster wants answers. But after a lifetime of lies, sometimes the truth is the most dangerous discovery. Even the smallest secret comes with terrifying new responsibilities.

And Sophie’s not the only one with blank spots in her past, or mysteries surrounding her family. She and her friends are part of something much bigger than they imagined—and their roles have already been chosen for them.

Every clue drags them deeper into the conspiracy. Every memory forces them to question everything—especially one another. And the harder they fight, the more the lines blur between friend and enemy.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Fiction, Young Adult, Romance, Adventure, Magic

789 pages, Paperback

First published November 5, 2019

About the author

Hi! I'm the NYT and USA today bestselling author of the KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES series and the SKY FALL series! And yes, I DO accept friend requests here--BUT! Please note: I *never* check my private messages here, so if you send me one, you won't get a reply. My real contact information is on my website: shannonmessenger.com

Reviews

[Shannon Messenger]

Marking as read, since the book is FINALLY done! Can't wait for you guys to read!

[Regan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Tucker Almengor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Edit: Take a look at this (Timestamp: 30 seconds)

Please take the following rant with a grain of salt.

My friend introduced me to this series a year or two ago and it was one of the first series I added to Goodreads. At first, I really enjoyed it but with every book, I just got more and more annoyed. Nevermind the fact that this series is basically a Harry Potter rip off.

My issue is that this series is, what the YouTube Community would call, a content farm. For those of you who don't know what that means, it is basically a creator that just reposts old content to get more views. For example, 5-Minute Crafts.

This series is just that. Recycled content being published over and over again. The basic plot of every. single. goddamn. book in this series is as follows:
-Sophie and her friends are in trouble
-Sophie has some sort of issue with her powers
-Sophie gets this close to discovering everything and saving the world.
-Sophie is then foiled.
-Cliff hanger.
And that happens again and again. At first, I enjoyed it. I like being kept on the edge of my seat but I soon got really tired of never getting an ending. Beyond wanting to know how everything ends (because god forbid we get a resolution 🙄), I also have to take issue with the fact that this series is scamming people out of their money. That's right. They pay good money just to have to pay for the next book. I mean this series is already on its eighth book with each book being 800+ pages long. Even Harry Potter was able to be a good series at much less than that. I am sick and tired of being lead in circles. It's unfair and despicable. This is not an attack on the author. I think she is a great writer. I just think that she or her publishers or both are taking advantage of people.

Don't waste your money. You've been warned.

Keepers of the Lost Cities,


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[The Bookwyrm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have...mixed feelings about Legacy. It’s definitely better than flashback, but it wasn’t *quite* the concise book I was looking for.

That being said, I’ll have a spoiler-free review right below here, but if you haven’t read Legacy yet, don’t go beyond that.

Spoiler-Free Review:

Legacy was interesting, to say the least. It managed to give the “offscreen characters” more screen time, while also having enough Keefe and Fitz (though notably more Keefe) to keep up the emotional angst of Sophie and Fitz’s relationship.

Biana, Wylie, Marella, Maruca, Dex, and Stina all got extra time to shine, and more than one “mysterious evil secret” was revealed by The Forklenator, and while the middle of the book didn’t always have a clear direction, the end and beginning more than made up for it.

Cliffhanger as always, which is simultaneously more and less manageable than the last one. All in all, it’s a great book. Go read it.

————————————————————————

Spoiler review:

I kinda hate this. As of the end of Legacy, here’s the current situation:

-King Enki was Exiled for high treason
-Nubiti is now the queen of the dwarves
-Glimmer and Tam left the neverseen, so far without any seen consequences
-TAM ISNT DEAD!
-We still don’t know who Glimmer is, other than that she’s a flasher (though I personally think it might be Luzia
-Sophie and Fitz aren’t a couple, although they’re still mostly friends
-Their Cognatedom might be dysfunctional now
-Oralie is Sophie’s biological mom
-Sophie and Oralie’s relationship is...not good
-KEEFE
-IS
-MOSTLY
-ALSLEEP
-AND
-IMBUED
-WITH
-SHADOWFLUX
-TO
-COMPLETE
-HIS
-LEGACY
-The only thing that can save him is whatever is in the cache
-Keefe will most likely gain new abilities/skills for his legacy

WOW.

Anyway, I liked the book. If I had to rate all the books, they’d be something like...

KOTLC - 85-90% (Some underdeveloped characters and some questionable world-building, but exciting and mysterious)

Exile - 90% (Stronger world-building, more developed characters, same mysterious plot)

Everblaze - 85-90% (Not quite as exciting as Exile, but still great. End of series’s Stage One)

Neverseen - 90-95% (Noticeably different from Stage One books. In my opinion, one of the best books in the series. Great plot, a balance between the mystery of the mystery of the earlier books and the stakes of the later books)

Lodestar - 85% (More fluff than earlier books. This book begins the series’s “stumbling around” plot that seems to stem from the Neverseens preparedness. Great ending.)

Nightfall - 90% (Strong plot, just too much filler. The Vespera-Human-Expirimentation situation wasn’t as good as it could have been, as with the Exploration of the Nightfalls. Good end to series’s Stage Two.)

Flashback - 65% (Easily the worst book in the series, and although reasonably entertaining, it does hardly anything for the plot. It was 800 pages long. 800. Pages. Nearly all of it was emotional fluff, and out of the two action sequences that occurred, only one of them was very good. Weak start to series’s Stage Three)

Finally,
Legacy - 90% (A huge leap from Flashback. While it isn’t perfect, it has enough balance between characters and scenes to keep the series’s momentum.)

While there is some stumbling around, it makes up for in heart, and in the ending. Now, I understand that most Sophitz shippers most likely hate it because of the breakup, but it was definitely for the best. There were times where Fitz was almost manipulative, abusive. Now that Dex and Fitz are rules out, we have two options—Sokeefe and NoSoph.

And now...time to see how my predictions lined up with the actual book!



My predictions for Legacy (I came out with these one December 10th at 12:29, so anything I said was a complete guess, and I can now say that both the title and the cover were exactly right) -

Title-- Legacy

Cover--Keefe, Sophie and Fitz (In that order) standing very close, with Sophie enhancing both of them.


Here's generally what I think will happen:

The book starts out with Keefe or Dex talking to Sophie.
They'll have already learned about what happened with the match, and they'll be talking it over with her, or talking about something else so that Sophie doesn't have to bring that up (They know her super well--they'll know which she'll prefer).

It doesn't start with that, but Sophie talking to Keefe about that is one of the first scenes. And they don't talk about match stuff the whole time.

She doesn't know how to tell Fitz about the match, because obviously he's too wrapped up in his awesomeness to notice anything about Sophie, so--SHOCKER--she doesn't tell him at all. When he finally figures it out, he BLOWS UP at Sophie, ranting about why she should have told him. But at the same time, Fitz is hesitant about dating Sophie if it means constant scorn. Between the anger issues and the hesitancy, Sophie realizes she deserves better than Fitz--but tries very hard to break up with with Fitz without hurting him. She starts hanging out with Keefe more, because Dex is gone with Tinker, and they get to be really close friends--nothing more, because Keefe is keeping to his promise about only doing what she wanted.

Sophie not telling Fitz about the match does happen, and he does get kinda mad about it, but it's mostly later when he kept trying to manipulate her into re-registering. And she does try to break up with him without hurting him. But since this happens at the end, its effects aren't shown very much.

Linh is going nuts about how Tam joined the Neverseen. She knows it was necessary, but she still doesn't like it, and asks Sophie every night to reach out telepathically to him and ask him to come back. He's convinced he's found the REAL caches, because as the new Shade they'll have to tell him stuff, like how to access the caches (which probably has to do with something like shadow-conjuring or something, and they might not trust him at first, but he probably is willing to "prove" himself--he's a lot more darkish and willing to do that than Keefe. He finds the caches and during a battle, appears and gives the caches to the Black Swan, but Lady Gisela or someone hits him with a truly lethal sopordine dose. They get the caches, and Linh goes Scarlet Witch on the Neverseen (I don't know, sucks all the moisture out of five people/other sentient species' bodies and uses the water to drown five more people or something. I don't know, sorry for the morbidness.)

Not...even...close. Since Tam can't communicate with Sophie, Tam can't betray the Neverseen. The caches are still unfound, and Tam never died.

Everyone gets back to safety (except Tam RIP) and hold a funeral. Bronte and Tinker disappears with Dex working on making new weapons, and these *real* caches--which they know is real because they manage to find a Secret, and to fit my plot theory, it's an abandoned facility in the Forgotten Cities. It's in the caches because it was originally created by the Ancient Council. Yes, the Council made a facility for testing humans because they were also--but blotted it out from their memories to take away the guilt. Vespera found it, but found it too "inelegant" and made Nightfall in Atlantis. Anyway, I'm off on a history tangent. That was the Forgotten Secret. On with the plot.

Nope. The Nightfall stuff is apparently so last year.

They learn more about the nature of this facility in the Forgotten Cities--the Forgotten secret comes with a handy-dandy Wikipedia link about human experimentation facilities--and so when Keefe realizes what his mom had been planning, hes brane go boom.

Nope.

Naturally, Fitz tries to comfort Sophie, who's freaking out. Fitz realizes how much of a bad friend he had been to Keefe and vows to make it right if he ever wakes up. Sophie realizes she can save him, and immediately goes into Keefe's mind with Fitz watching what Sophie sees in Keefe's mind through their connection, she Enhances Fitz and he sends the energy back. As she's searching for part of him, she sees a gold memory, and realizes just how much he cared about her, and how hard it must have been for him when Sophie and Fitz were kinda-dating. She gets ready to inflict positively, from her heart, and--surprisingly--it was much easier to heal him and convey how much she cares for him than she thought. He comes back, and, between her getting to know him better from the "epic Fitzphie fail" and how easy it was to inflict love to him, and the gold memory, she is REALLY grateful that he's back. Nothing more than that happens because Keefe had already decided to take it slow. Later, when they're fighting, she leans a lot closer to him. Anyway, this is all the shipping stuff that happens for the rest of the book.

Nope, although I still reeeeally wish this would happen. But no, the Queen of Oblivion strikes again.

Climax: They're in the facility in the Forgotten Cities, fighting in Tam's memory (Tam is the first mjor character to die besides Forkle One) and to fight for equality and safety of humans. They take over the hideout, but Lady Gisela and Ruy and Gethen get away. Fintan joins them and agrees to work with the newly formed and newly-recruiting Neverseen in order to get rid of the Black Swan.

Nope, although I'm still holding out hope of Fintan becoming an antihero.

Cliffhanger: I'm not completely sure. Maybe, all things considered, as they're escaping, they bring down the entire city with them.

DUN

DUN

DUN!!!!

Nope. I wasn't really concerned with the cliffhanger when I wrote this.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If anyone has anything to add, or disagrees with it and wants to assert their uniqueness, feel free to comment below.

Because it is free.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mini Review

After what happened with Flashback I genuinely didn’t know if I wanted to continue, however I genuinely think this is my favourite book of the series so far.

Hopefully full RTC (Once again I lied, I left it too late)
—————
I’m rooting for Team Foster-Keefe it’s a no for Fitzphie from me 😂😂

[tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book in a nutshell (and also in my opinion!): spoilers btw
40% - sophie whining about being unmatchable and finding her biological parents (i wanted to make this at least 50% (but couldn't due to math) cause no joke, it's literally what this whole book is about, despite the fact that they apparently have a large war approaching and there's like y'know the neverseen to contend with. although it would've been understandable if they had forgotten since the neverseen was like 5% of this book).
25% - (also wanted to make this number larger since it takes up a significant portion of this book) sophie sulking about how bad they're losing and not doing anything about it, which makes everyone around her constantly praise her (this is seriously a thing in this book and happens like every chapter and is so annoying omg).
10% - team valiant (minus sophie because she's useless) coming in clutch and achieving the only helpful things in this book that actually progressed this series along.
5% - sophie and fitz having relationship problems due to fitz's apparent temper/possessive issues and sophie being a terrible friend.
5% - action involving the neverseen (which i think is generous considering there were only 2 instances where they came up in this book of 816 [816!!!! genuinely unbelievable] pages when they're the sole antagonist).
5% - the Council finally making good decisions and actually helping for once (haha only took them 8 books = 8 years. great job, guys!! keep it up!!!!!).
5% - sophie finally finds out who her biological mother is and then literally yells at her and hates her, which i think is so ridiculous and hypocritical because she wouldn't have found her if she hadn't been seARCHING FOR HER THE WHOLE BOOK. and it's not like she needs another family. also, her biological mother endangered her entire career to help and she didn't even know what it was for and all she got in return was sophie being a whiny brat.
5% - keefe trying to find more of his lost memories,,, spoiler alert: he discovered basically zero (not really a surprise since this series tends to be repetitive and not get anything done. still disappointed though).

and of course this book wraps up nicely without answering any of the major questions and a huge cliffhanger that comes out of nowhere. oh, speaking of random, did i mention how shannon messenger just randomly drops how there's been a global war approaching that will involve all the species, including humans, and it's been apparently a thing since book one but no one saw fit to mention anything until the second to last book and then there was utterly no foreshadowing or anything to show that messenger did not just make it up on the spot. probably because she did just make it up, especially since it's mentioned like only twice in this book despite the fact that this war is apparently a huge, global issue.

okay going back to the 25% part since i just wanna rant about it a lil because it really made me want to break something while reading this book. at first sophie's constant highlight of how badly they are losing to the neverseen (idk how since it's been 8 years and it's not like a group of basically 10 people against the whole world,,, oh wait it is. someone explain how this series isn't over yet??) was kinda fun and fresh since when i'm hating on a book i like to be agreed with and something like this was nonexistent in the previous books (which is surprising since every book they literally achieve nothing and something terrible always happens but they always move on) but then it got annoying (it's really surprising how easily this series can annoy me even when they're agreeing with me, really a testament to how bad this series is). they emphasize their flaws every chapter and then it's always followed by some dumbass saying "no you're amazing sophie". like give me a break! and it really doesn't help how this book was so boring due to... nothing. nothing of importance or interest was gained or lost in this book (we're not counting the last 20 pages since messenger always has some big cliffhanger and event which really did not need 800 pages to build to), so it's practically a waste of time.

what's also so annoying is how the few (very very few) (in fact they're practically nonexistent; the only person i can think of is stina [not bronte, he's not even that mean, sophie's just sensitive] and of course she becomes better friends with sophie by the end of the series because it's like impossible to not be friends with her) people in this series who actually hate on sophie are considered mean bullies when they're really the only people who are obviously thinking clearly. and then those people just get ganged up on by sophie's friends and their opinions don't even matter because this book is so one-sided.

pros of this series (adding this to make this review a little more positive, i'm pretty sure i've just been hating on it this whole time. hard not to though since it sucks so much): the worldbuilding, the alicorns, and linh song.

"the synopsis: sophie a magical not normal completely weird and different whimsical elf kid almost dying and getting whisked into a healing center 900x a day and all of her friends and people she knows exasperatedly going along with it and all of them somehow not being confused as to why one living being can end up almost dying in their young and ~different~ life" - teresa. completely agree.

everyone: *ships sophie and keefe*
shannon messenger: *puts fitz and sophie together*
me: *just waiting for the series to end*

buddy read with rant buddyy

[Ashley Nuckles · Rating 4 out of 5]

That missing star is thanks to all the fitz moments ;-)

Honestly...I’m just confused at this point. That’s really all I have to say here tbh but I’ll go more in depth in my vlog!

[sage (semi-hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5*
i started reading this around 2am. it’s now around 8pm. this book was over 800 pages.

edit: 10-9-19
is the structure repetitive?
yes.
if better planned earlier on in the writing process could some issues have been resolved so that the plot flows in a less hectic manner within a fewer number of books?
yes.
do I still absolutely adore this series and cherish all the ways it has affected me?
yes.
basically the point of this part of the review is books can have flaws and you can able to see those flaws and still enjoy the series. this was brought on by discuss at a bookstore where someone treated me and my opinions very rudely and is not targeted towards Shannon or anyone on Goodreads.

1.) Keeper of the Lost Cities ★★★★★
2.) Exile ★★★★★
3.) Everblaze ★★★★★
4.) Neverseen ★★★★★
5.) Lodestar ★★★★★
6.) Nightfall ★★★★★
6.1.) Nightfall: Keefe Short Story ★★★★★
7.) Flashback ★★★★★
7.1) Flashback: Fitz's Short Story ★★★★

This may not be my favorite series anymore but I WILL NEVER EVER STOP SHIPPING SOKEEFE

[Layla · Rating 2 out of 5]

~ 2.5 stars ~

(Re-read 1/11/21)

"So let's stop being angsty and get it over with."

That quote...is literally perfection. If I wanted to, I could just end the review here, but I'm not, because I like giving my opinions when absolutely no one asked for it. This series means a lot to me, but the more I read, the more major flaws I see. The last two books and the one after this just left such a bad taste in my mouth, and I feel as if my interest has greatly dimmed. I feel like I am giving it an extra .5 just purely from the fact that it was better than Flashback, which it definitely was,but that isn't saying much, since I hated Flashback. It was truly better, but still so many things that annoy me. So let's say, .5 for Ro, .5 for Keefe, .5 for Grady and Edaline, .5 for Councilor Bronte, and .5 for Dex.

all the various aspects that ruined this book for me:

• the plot: it's going around in circles. This was the FIRST book, they won against the Neverseen, and even that win was minor. There are still so many unsolved mysteries and they are continuing to add up. I would list them all, but I don't have the patience. How per se, is all of this going to be solved in one book? Because, isn't there only supposed to be 9 books in the series? (Please be so, it is from what I understand, and I so dearly hope so). It just drags on...and on....and on. I just felt bored. The books have gotten so long, that in this book, the font was decreased but at least 2 sizes. Because I guess 800 pages wasn't enough. I don't mind long books. But it has to be worth it. The length shouldn't be noticable, because the book should be good enough for me to not even care, or even want more.

• the romance: ah ha! I thing I have found the reason to the fact this book is so unnecessarily long and yet it gets us nowhere. The most prominent part of this books was the matchmaking drama and toxic Fitzphie content. Please, don't add a romance into the book, if it is unnecessary and doesn't enhance the book, but instead hurts it, not to mention, makes me a bit uncomfortable to read about. And don't try to shove all the characters together for the sake of it.

• Sophie/drama I don't care for: Well...never thought this would be a negative. I started off the series really liking her despite the fact that so many people dislike her for being a mary sue. But now, I also dislike her, but for different reasons. The whole doubting herself, looking down on herself, and self deprecating manner is not a good look on her. I thought she was improving, but then she just go really annoying about it, letting people push her around *cough* Fitz *cough*, calling herself things like a "freak", and apologize for things that aren't her fault. Not to mention the fact that she acted like an immature child in this book. Like the biggest problem in the world is her romantic life and the fact that she is unmatchable. She goes on a quest to find her biological parents, despite being warned of the problems that would cause and told to not. And then she finds out who her mom is, and throws a fit about it, guilting her mother, even though she knows about the secrecy her biological parents were sworn into. She was so willing to find her parents, but didn't think of the consequences of it, even though she was warned of it. I don't want to judge too harshly as she's like 14/15, but you would think she would have more understanding instead of throwing a tantrum like a toddler would. Like yeah, it sucks, but let's go back to worrying about the fact that there is an organization of EvIl pEoPlE (who's motives are still unclear) that are trying to kill you.

• Fitz: jump in a ditch dude. I can't help you hates you more, me or Ro.

• repetition: the problem here was on my end. For not keeping track of the words and phrases that were repeated over and over again mindlessly. Including: oily smile. That definitely provides a lot of scope for the imagination.

There are more, but these are the biggest critiques.


Moral of the story: I will forever cherish books in this series, but disliking a book you once loved is the worst feelings and that is what seems to be happening, so let's hope book 9 can miraculously make up for it all. I feel a bit bad about this, but my annoyance is also through the roof.

[avery · Rating 1 out of 5]

welcome to my ted talk, let’s get right in~

kotlc started off great, good middle grade book, intriguing world building, and elvin POWERS?? and absolute yes for 12 y/o me. however, from the books 2-8 we’ve had a DECLINE, which has made me LOATH these ending books

CHARACTERS:
eight books and almost no character depth of development for any of the side characters such as dex, biana, linh, tam, stina, marella, wylie, etc
they ALL have the SAME mannerisms, speech, and over all vibe. everyone is their for plot purposes, which is honestly ironic because the plot never moves. no one has real tangible feelings. for example they could really focus on the twins and narrow in on how being twins had effected their life and trauma. show some bad side of the elves! i feel like everything is glossed over because our main character is too whiny, when we could have these really diverse characters come into the spotlight. i feel robbed from these connections, because instead we get a pick me

WRITING:
the writing is sloppy and extremely immature and flows like vomit. (AND NO I WILL NOT WRITE THAT OFF FOR BEING A MIDDLE GRADE BOOK. PLENTY OF MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS HAVE /GOOD/ WRITING)
it feels like they add in new world building every book. like we’re 8 books into this series and we’re just now learning this??
and... why.. are all the elves rich.. just- the economy? we don’t know her? obviously this isnt an aspect middle grade readers tend to think about, but when building a whole world you have to make sure its sound and doesnt have many plot holes. and i also understand that this world is supposed to be an elf utopia of sorts, but these books have actively tried to show how the ruling system is corrupt and the world ISNT as perfect as it seems. it has a lot of "human" (does human still apply in the sense of "imperfect" here? "Elvin???") qualities and mistakes. SO, with all that being said, how does the government just throw out money to families like its nothing?! money and gems dont grow on trees! (at least i believe this isnt a quality Shannon has added yet; but then again she likes to thrown in random stuff that wasnt evem foreshadowed anywhere just for fun) money and whatever currency they all use is limited! thats proven to not be effective in socities that depend on the population giving back and keeping the world afloat. anyway, after realizing i just ranted about fictional elvin economics, it just doesnt work that way, and to me, it cheapens the whole worldbuilding.

SOPHIE:
sophie started off good (immature but she was 12 so) but now, she’s 16-17(?) and... still acts the same?
now, there are some scenes where she does act “grown up” which i would enjoy, IF SHE WASNT A WHINEY LITTLE BUTT ALL THE TIME. sophie is extremely forgiving, to the point where it is UNHEALTHY. she must have SOME SORT of self-respect. and in believing everything is your problem and taking everyone’s burdens makes you so self focused that she’s hardly there for the unproblematic people who need it?? (as in tam, linh, keefe, bianca, etc) have the PPL IN THIS WORLD NOT LEARNED ABOUT BOUNDRIES???
we’re CONSTANTLY told how special she is, how she’s a miracle, how she’s the Chosen One. and every single person is in love with her, even though she has the personality of wet cardboard. she says and does childish things and is too busy worrying about herself or the boys in her life to actually do something. why do people look up to her? why do they leave the decisions and plans to her? we don’t know.

PLOT:
ITS EXTREMELY FORMULAIC it all goes:
- neverseen won last battle
- uh oh new problem
- sophie doubts herself
- sophie conveniently gets a new power
- sophie has others hype her up
- *training scenes and battle prep*
- fitz throws a fit and convinces sophie it’s her fault
- sophie blames herself
- new enemy/unplanned for event by the neverseen
- they lose battle
- no one is injured in said battle
- cliffhanger

sometimes repetition in books is nostalgic and easy to read, these books tend to become a comfort read because you generally know what’s going to happen. think of percy jackson & the olympians! they have a very formulaic format: new character, prophecy, quest, battle, end. and i, along with many others, believes this works really well! not only for the audience (middle grade) but also because it reflects the style of old greek myths.
however, i do not believe this is the case for shannon messenger. this series is riddled with mysteries and unknowns, and with that sort of plot line you should be constantly unraveling new secrets in different and entertaining ways! and with the length of each book and the overall series, it NEEDS to have an original plot format to keep readers reading and the overall dignity of the series intact! each book more or less following this format above^ has actually led me to severe annoyance rather than a feeling of nostalgia and content.

FITZ:
now it’s time for the good stuff:
fitz is abusive, manipulative, and problematic. fitz has his designated role of rich boy who claims sophie and throws annual fit. fitz apparently cannot take responsibility for any of his actions eVEN THO HE IS THE OLDEST OUT OF EVERYONE. THIS MANS IS 17/18. and NO ONE HOLDS HIM ACCOUNTABLE??? has n o o n e thought about the fact that she’s 16 and he’s 18 and they’re relationship is so extremely toxic, that it would be VERY ILLEGAL in the US??? it actually threw me off for a hot minute when i realized that this wasnt a 12 year old kid still, fitz is a whole adult (although he doesnt act it)

now, i’m no expert in the cycles of abuse, but i have studied said cycles for school.
while reading these books i can physically SEE these cycles(tho minor) with my own eyes:
- FIRST CYCLE: THE BLOW UP: fitz throws unnecessary tantrums bc of something sophie(rightfully) did that pisses him off. such as: sophie spending time with keefe (bc hE NEEDS SOMEONE THERE), not telling him something bc of the state of his health, literally just sophie and keefe hangin out, sophie not wanting to sign up for the match, etc

- SECOND CYCLE: THE GUILT TRIP: fitz then uses sentences like “you know how that would make me feel” “think about what i want” “think about MY feelings” to guilt and manipulate sophie into BELIEVING it was all her fault, and that she CAUSED fitz to lash out.

- THEN THE THIRD AND FINAL CYCLE: “THE LOVING
CYCLE:” fitz giving sophie gifts, compliments, apologies, “i’ll never do that again, it was my fault”(AFTER he already CONVINCED her it was HER FAULT) AND YET DOES HE DO THIS AGAIN? YESS! overtime, these cycles WILL evolve from harsh words and emotional abuse to PHYSICAL VIOLENCE.
i really just want to strangle sense into all sophitz shippers. WHAT MAKES ME SICK IS THAT SHANNON NEVER PUTS SOPHITZ INTO A BAD LIGHT. UNLESS she directly goes over this in unlocked, she has not acknowledged the abusive tendencies in sophitz.(edit: (after reading unlocked) SHOCKER, she DOESNT) this is a grown adult with a very big fanbase, with a very powerful sway and impact on her middle school reading range. this is very dangerous to promote this kind of relationship to an age group this young, who have not matured enough to understand this kind of abuse. shannon has severely disappointed me. at the very least she should be having fitz apologize and letting sophie and other characters be mad at him. hold fitz and every abusive character accountable. whether or not they’re fictional, the stories and media we consume shapes our mindset and shannon should absolutely not use her platform to make domestic and emotional abuse seem okay or romantic or tragic or anything under that umbrella.
this review has been very passionate, and has probably angered sofitz and shannon stans, but if you’re one of those people, i really challenge you to look at these middle schoolers (9, 10, 11, 13+) and see how this could impact them. no one wants to see these kids eventually get into relationships like this because that’s the example their favorite series set. hold these books and their author accountable for the romanticized abusive behavior. i repeat: MIDDLE SCHOOLERS SHOULD NOT BE LOOKING AT THIS RELATIONSHIP LIKE ITS A POSITIVE ROLE MODEL FOR THEIR FUTURE RELATIONSHIPS.

the only way i /know/ that shannon IS capable of writing a good character is. keefe. i love keefe.
keefe has suffered more than anyone else in that series, and yet- OMG HE DOESNT USE THAT AS AN EXCUSE TO ACT ABUSIVE- gee wizz that’s possible??? keefe has always been supportive of sophie, not because he wants her and fitz together, but he wants SOPHIE to be HAPPY. even if it destroys him. ckeefe has done nothing but try to help sophie and everyone,(fake joining his abusive, betraying mother in the neverseen, sacrificing himself in legacy, etc) and yet he gets a bad rep and everyone treats him like crap. keefe is one of those characters who uses fake confidence and humor to cover up what he’s feeling and i love him. he is a baby and deserves to get away from that place. he needs to find people who actually care and value (bring ro w him). he is one of the FEW characters i’ve shed many tears over.

this whole series makes me a little sad now. i used to really enjoy these until i was old enough to realize all the flaws. im glad i didnt take sofitz's relationship to heart as a good example, but thats not to say that other little kids out there wouldnt. i think this series had really great potential. the elves, the neverseen, blackswan, etc all were decently orginal plot lines. and, as i already said, keefe sencen is a fantastic character. he couldve been even better if he was treated properly and given the tools to really dive deep into his trauma and overall personality. this series' fatal flaw was elongation and repitition. at most, it shouldve ended 3 books ago. and if shannon had trouble coming up with new plot lines, twists, and endings, she shouldve gotten help from editors/ghost writers/ or author friends. maybe even hired a co-author. my only wish now is that it ends in two or less books, with keefe intact and mentally stable.

conclusion: everything sucked except for keefe. anyway, if u made it this far, thank u. and that’s an end to my ted talk.

[Lucy Tonks (the invisible life of a reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is so good. I never get bored while read this series. It has become one of my favourite series of all time so fast. In this review you will most likely read another rant about why Team Foster Keefe is superior, and will always be better that Sophitz, like I haven't talked enough about it in my review for Flashback. Sophitz shippers, please don't take this review too seriously, this are just my opinions (combined with too much sarcasm and sass).


Even though something happened at the end of Flashback that I thought would mean something else for this book, this was such a Sokeefe book! There were so many scenes between Sophie and Keefe in this book and I lived for them! This wasn't my favourite book in the series, despite Sokeefe being quite present. The spot for my favourite series in the book will always be reserved for Neverseen.


The plot was good, it was amazing, I was engaged, but I felt like it was missing something. I can't really put my finger on what it was missing, but I definitely wanted something more.


Fitz annoyed me a lot through this book. I found him soooo annoying. Only at the end of this book, he actually did something that didn't annoyed me. And here comes the rant. Sophitz shippers, prepare for some enlightenment. In this book, everything that was happening to Sophie, that was affecting her, Fitz made it all by himself and how he would affect him. He didn't even really think about how everything was affecting Sophie, he just cared about how that thing would affect him in the future and how that would affect his reputation. Keefe, on the other hand, supported Sophie, he helped her as much as he possible could, unlike Fitz who just got angry at her. Yes, Keefe made mistakes, but firstly, that shows that he is still a person, secondly, everything he did is because he wants to righten everything that he feels is his fault because of his mother and thirdly he just wants Sophie to be safe. Fitz makes mistakes, but his are because of his ego. I hope everything was enlightening!


That ending broke me. I really hope that everything will be alright in the next book. I was so stressed in the last 50 pages and than this book just ended!


I loved this book. I really need to buy Unlocked as soon as possible. Although I am scared to read it since from the reviews I heard that book ends in yet another cliffhanger! Anyway I love this series and you really need to give it a chance if you haven't picked it up yet!

[a · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope Fitzphie will end...

Edit: not me foreseeing into the future, you guys

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 3 out of 5]

...and in this book I learned why fans of this series don't like Fitz. I get it now.

That's not to say I'm completely on Keefe's side (honestly I think I would prefer Sophie to not bother with any romance because there's much more important things to handle).

For the first time in this series, I found myself getting a little frustrated with Sophie--but that was really only about the dating stuff, so does that count? Hmm.

I had actually spoiled myself with part of the ending from when my eye betrayed me and read the back cover of #8.5, so I'm off to go read that one now, ta-ta! 👋


Main Content
Continuing on with basically the same content from the prior books: near death experiences, fighting the bad guys, terrible parents, etc. Nobody dies in this book, though, so there's that. Quite a bit of recalling past events and deaths from prior books.

New content wise:
Fitz is upset at his brother & his brother recalls with extreme anger and hurt about how his little siblings left him to die; Mentions of a murder & the death of a young girl and her father (they were hit by a bus); A mention of a horror movie; A mention of zombies.

Lying, lies, & liars; Language such as "what the--", "gah", "crud", "darn", "screw up", and "freaking" are used up to a couple times each; Mentions of curses (not written out).

More dating/crushes stuff; Touches, Nearness, Embraces, & Hand holding; Noticing & Blushes (including muscles); Mentions of past kisses, almost kisses, & kissing; Mentions of fertility treatments; A mention of Keefe wanting to kick a guy in a sensitive area; A mention of a misunderstanding of it being "intense" between a couple (nothing sexual happened); 'hot' and 'hottie' are used around 5-10 times.

Mentions of evolution-based animals and prehistoric bugs; A mention of an exorcism; A mention of meditation.



(See my reviews with content details of the rest of this series: Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, Book #5, Book #6, Book #7, Book #8, Book #8.5, Book #9, Book #9.5, Book #10, Graphic Novel)

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm dying!!! I want it right away! Ugggghhhhh!!!! Gimme this quirky wonderment of goodness!

I want itttttttt! Now!

[Maddie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/2.75

I have mixed feelings about Legacy. It is undeniably better than Flashback, which is unquestionably the worst book in the series. But it also suffers from the same pacing and plot progression issues as most of the other books in the series, and did not address some of the events from Flashback in a way that I found satisfying. This book was also full of events that either should have happened in earlier books and/or that felt like repeats of better scenes from previous books. Legacy also reads like a book in the middle of a series rather than the penultimate instalment in a series. And seeing as this is book eight out of nine, I think that's a serious issue.



I've said in previous reviews of books in this series that each book is a major step forward and a major step backwards. Because Flashback was more like four steps backwards and half a step forwards, Legacy is a bit...weird. There were times where this book felt like a course-correction and Messenger seemed self-aware of some of the missteps made in previous books -- the beginning of Legacy where we finally (finally) find out the Neverseen's motives being a good example. But there were plenty of other instances where this book felt like more of the same, and as though no lessons from Flashback had been learned -- the overwhelming amount of filler in this book being the case in point. Which brings me to my first point:

1. The filler and the pacing:
While there was less filler in this book than in Flashback, there was still too much. We're on book eight out of nine people! Why are we spending pages and pages on details that don't add anything, attempts at world-building that are too late at this point, and drawn out dialogue? Why are we rehashing conversations about bodyguard arrangements for the millionth time this late in the game? The Regent stuff in particular was just mind-numbing. Listen, I like Dex, but do I need to know (and more importantly, do I care) that he should verify with the Council whether or not he can tell his parents about his work as a Regent? Do I need to know if the Council wants all Black Swan communication to come from Forkle?

Relatedly, the pacing in this book could have better. Like most Keeper books, the first and last 15%-20% were fine, but the middle was too slow and fillery.

While the first four books in this series definitely struggled with pacing from time to time, none of them had the same egregious pacing problems that books five-eight do. And while the later books are definitely more fillery, I think part of the blame also lies with the fact that Foxfire is no longer a prominent setting -- setting your story around an institution that is really structured tends to result in better pacing. Even Neverseen, which is not set at Foxfire, had solid pacing at least in part because of the time spent at Exillium. I don't see why Messenger just didn’t have the Neverseen blow up all of Foxfire in the beginning of Lodestar if she going to completely abandon it as a setting.

Similarly, I was shocked when Sophie agreed to let Biana, Dex, Stina, Wylie, etc etc go and confront her potential parents OFF SCREEN in her and Keefe’s place, but would it really be a Keeper of the Lost Cities book if things that might actually be compelling happen off screen while we’re treating to pages of details, dragged-out dialogue and scenes of Sophie dithering around that add nothing while events that might actually be compelling happen off screen?

This late in the series, we can’t be devoting so much page time to things that don’t add anything to the story or don’t progress the plot.

2. Team Valiant plot point:
My thoughts can be summed up as: (1) do we need this and (2) is there time for this this late in the series?

If she needed a way to bring Biana, Dex and Stina into the forefront while keeping Fitz and Keefe out, setting the book at Foxfire would have achieved that because Fitz and Keefe are in a different level than Sophie, and she could have come up with a way to bring Wylie back into the story. Why are we wasting so much page time on the visit to the Point of Purity, the discussions about what everyone's outfits look like, the endless and tiresome conversations about what ridiculous and unfunny nicknames to give people, etc when there were easier ways to bring the side characters back into the story?

This being said, while I like the side characters, there is a difference between featuring a side character more and actually developing them, and I did not feel like Dex, Biana, Stina or Wylie were actually developed in this book. And when it comes to Dex, Biana and Wylie, I think Messenger has missed her shot at actually developing them. Dex's arc was dropped after Neverseen, Biana should have been developed in Flashback after her encounter with Vespera, and Wylie's entire arc has always revolved around Sophie. It also just seems insulting to Wylie to make him hang out with a bunch of teenagers AND take orders from one of them.

Stina did a complete 180 in about five pages, which I know is par for the course with this series, but I could believe how quickly the others warmed up to her and how Sophie had no issues with telling Stina she was unmatchable.

On the whole I found the Team Valiant arc a waste of time that added very little and only served to underscore that the side characters are so neglected that they could not be intergraded back into the story without the assistance of a convoluted plot point.

3. Fitz:
At times this books feels as though Flashback just didn't happen, and while I have had issues with there not being enough payoff or follow-through in later books for events that happened in earlier books, I do not recall any event in this series as significant as what happened at the end of Flashback being ignored to this extent.

Fitz's behaviour at the end of Flashback was appalling, and was completely ignored this entire book. You're telling me that all of the adults in this series watched the events at Everglen being broadcast during the Celestial Festival and none of them took issue with what Fitz did? Come on now.

Fitz's actions are only brought up twice, once by Alvar and once by Sophie, who tries to make excuses for Fitz:

“She tried even harder not to wonder what it had to feel like to believe you’d willingly killed your traitorous older brother—and then find out later that he managed to get away. It had to be such a strange mix of anger and guilt and frustration and pain. And instead of being there for Fitz, she’d ignored him and avoided him.”

Yes, I feel tremendous sympathy for Fitz and his plight of trying to preventatively murder his older brother whose memories had been wiped in cold blood (twice). Truly, I have never encountered a character more deserving of my sympathy and compassion. How will Fitz ever overcome his self-inflicted trauma?

I just do not see how you can have a character verbally lash out at people they claim to care about and try to murder their brother (twice), in a series with such a black and white view of morality, and never discuss it. From a writing standpoint, you can't have a character do something like that and then there be no consequences for that action.

The fact that so much of what happened in Flashback was ignored made a lot of this book feel like damage control/backpedaling, which I kind of expected because of how many people didn't like Flashback and how many people couldn't believe the way Fitz acted. But again: you can't have a character do something like that and then just not address it. If you don't want to address it, don't write it.

I also noticed the backpedaling on the Vacker legacy. The trolls were a really disappointing reveal, but for once I wish this series would commit and stick with the choices it's made rather than backtracking for the sake of suspense or because people didn't care for a particular plot point.

4. Keefe:
As usual, I liked Keefe's parts, and was glad we got to see more of him than we did in Flashback. I was really nervous that we were heading towards a situation where he'd head back to the Neverseen, and am immensely grateful that plot line was avoided.

5. The biological parents search:
One of my wishes for this series has always been that Sophie would never find out who her biological parents were, because I didn't think there was enough time left in the series to devote to a search, and there were more important and pressing mysteries that needed focus. I didn't completely mind the biological parents search in this book, however I wish Sophie had been the one to confront potential parents rather than Biana and Stina (again, off screen). I am also happy with the Oralie reveal, as she has been my top choice for Sophie's mom since Jolie was debunked. I'm just relieved that Messenger picked the option that made the most sense. I am hoping that we don't find out who Sophie's father is, because again I just don't think there is enough time at this point, and Sophie seems content to not open that can of worms.

I also like Bronte so I enjoyed getting to see a bit more of him when Sophie thought he was her father.

6. Matchmaking and the love triangle:
I did not have a problem with the Match when it was introduced in the first few books because it was presented as something that was bad, and Sophie was clearly against it. But in the later books we're made to believe that Sophie is uncomfortable with this custom just because she grew up in the human world, which isn't consistent with how the Match is presented in earlier books. And then in the beginning of this book, Sophie continues to express discomfort with the Match:

“Maybe,” he agreed. “But that won’t matter to anyone who cares about you. It won’t,” he insisted, before she could argue. “And honestly… don’t you think that’s how it should be?”
Yes.
She really did.

And I can't help but feel that the matchmaking nonsense might have been worth it if the Oralie reveal had happened and Sophie had come to realize that the Match didn't matter, and that she was fine being unmatchable. She kind of accepts it, but wouldn't it have been great if Sophie had rejected the Match outright as something that was wrong and embraced being unmatchable?

And while it seems like the love triangle has been put to rest, I did roll my eyes when Sophie asked Fitz to just be friends "for now". Come on now. They have irreconcilable differences, and we are definitely heading for a Sophie/Keefe or Sophie/No One ending at this point. If we were going to suffer through this matchmaking plot point, use it to definitively sink Sophie/Fitz.

7. Tam:
I was really opposed to the Neverseen taking Tam at the end of Flashback, but was willing to give this plot line a chance. I didn't end up completely hating it or feeling like it was a waste of time, but it felt like a diluted version of Keefe's time with the Neverseen, and really would have worked better if Sophie had been able to be in touch with Tam as much as she was in touch with Keefe during Lodestar.

Glimmer betraying Lady Gisela would have made more sense and felt more compelling if we'd gotten to see some of her through Tam's perspective in the actual book, not in the Tam-narrated short story at the end of the book that we're treated to after Glimmer has already left the Neverseen.

8. Miscellaneous thoughts:
- I actually kind of enjoyed Lord Cassius's parts. I've never had particularly strong feelings about Cassius because he's always felt like Bootleg Lucius Malfoy to me, but I actually think I'd like to see more of him.

- This book was all “see, Sophie and Dex are best friends! See, Fitz and Keefe are best friends! Ignore the past five books where it hasn’t seemed that way!” Fitz did such a complete 180 on Sophie and Keefe being so close, which is something he was shown multiple times in Flashback to not like, because he suddenly realized Keefe needed Sophie during such a difficult time? Hasn't Keefe been having a difficult time for the past seven books?

- Why did I have to read so many anachronistic and dated human expressions (RAWR, epic fail, awesomesauce) in a book about elves published in 2019?

- According to my ebook, the word drama was used 35 times.

- Dex felt out of character during his interactions with the Councillors, and his dialogue reminded me a lot more of things Keefe would say.

- Why would Fitz ask Keefe to help him make a present for Sophie, someone who he clearly knows Keefe has had a crush on for years? Why would you do that to your alleged best friend? Why would Keefe agree to help? Does no one in this series understand what boundaries are?

- I was told that my theory about Alden having suggested to Keefe that bowing out so Sophie and Fitz could be together would help mend Keefe's friendship with Fitz was confirmed in a short story included in the paperback edition of Flashback. I expected to see some trace of that plot point in this book, but nope.

- The ending of this book felt so rushed. So much is skipped over and happens off-screen. And of course Lady Gisela got away. Of course.

Overall: As you can see from my reading progress updates, I was really optimistic that this book could help get this series back on track after Flashback, but finished feeling somewhat disappointed. This book is definitely better than Flashback, but it stumbles a lot in the middle and only has a few scenes that I would consider good or memorable. In terms of where this book sits in comparison to the rest of the series, it's tied with Nightfall for my second to least favourite.

This book also underscored for me how little happened in Flashback and how Flashback added so little to this series. You could go straight from Nightfall to Legacy and probably be a little confused, but you'd be able to understand what was happening. Legacy feels like the next book after Nightfall, rather than the next book after Flashback, while Flashback feels like this weird fever-dream standalone that doesn't really have a place in this series.

I am also very concerned with how Messenger is going to wrap everything up in the final book (assuming this series doesn't get extended, which I know is a possibility). The list of unanswered questions from previous books is very, very long, and with the way Messenger writes I don't think she can address all of them in one book.

[Linnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

**I've written a bunch about KOTLC on Wattpad. (NOT FANFIC!!! All non-fiction, some theories, some fun facts, basically like extra super long versions of this kind of review.) I am
KOTLCexclusive @VivienMRyder

NEW SECTION TO MY REVIEW AT THE BOTTOM... I'm gonna explain to y'all something very important.

Original review--->WOW! Ok... so to all the fans who were afraid the series would drag on to long, and never solve any problems, this book was definitely the answer. I was pleased with the way that the book soved some of the side problems. What follows is a review that is partially spoilers, but nothing severe. It's more of an overview meant to convince skeptical fans that it is worth reading, and for fans that have read it and need to get their thoughts together and explain everything.

BOOM-- Here it is.

The very FIRST chapter, Mr. Forkle reveals what he suspects to be the Neverseen's next target. The theory is very satisfying, and ties the books together. My brain was spinning in circles already from having the new book in my hands, and it was very calming to know a concrete and crystal clear idea of what in the world the Neverseen were doing.

One of the MAJOR questions about the book is the title-- Legacy. How does it tie into the story? Which legacy is it talking about? We know that there are at least THREE legacies that have been running through the series as ongoing themes and we all had different theories as to which one the eighth book highlighted. A legacy that was not brought up was the Vacker Legacy, though a certain slightly large discovery was made about the eldest Vacker brother, Alvar. Sophie's legacy was a huge part of the book-- she was trying to find her parents for a good portion of the book. She does find out who her mother is-- which turns out to be a bad thing rather than a good thing. NEXT: the most important legacy in the book, and reason for the title, is Keefe's Legacy. Keefe's legacy is revealed, and it's............ NOT.......... what you were expecting. It's not as general as I was expecting, that's for sure. It seems Gisela has a very specific plan for her son.

Those are the major things. I'll be adding more specific things in the comments so that people who don't want slight spoilers don't see them.


NEW INFO HERE: After Flashback, KOTLC fans struggled with the promise that book nine would be the last. With the Neverseen still unbeaten and in Legacy, readers are wondering how Sophie could possibly beat the Neverseen. Here is a detailed explanation complete with quotes and references proving that Sophie is closer to it than she seems. Back in Flashback, Keefe is upset about how he has messed everything up. Sophie starts to list all the reasons that they had made progress, and she is shocked by how little had been done. In that same conversation Keefe sums up the feelings of the entire fandom by noting that he used to be able to imagine the day they would beat the Neverseen, but can't anymore. back in the first half of Flashback, the future seemed dim.

Arguably this means that no progress was made in the seventh book, but it is just not true. As Mr. Forkle tells us on page 20 of Legacy, the Neverseen's broadcast of the Everglen battle backfired. We were all worried about the effects on the reputations of the kids, especially Fitz's. Actually it seems that Sophie and her friends only gained positive viewpoints from the public. Bronte tells us on page 153 of Legacy, Sophie is gaining a lot of "support and respect" from the elven kind.

Additionally, the Neverseen's hasty departure made them seem weak. Mr. Forkle made it clear to us the the Neverseen need a majority of the elves to support them to take over. Because of Flashback's cliffhanger we didn't have enough time to see the long lasting effects of the broadcast at the festival.

Next piece of evidence for Everglen's battle to have backfired is that all the negative effects on Sophie's friends were reversed. The major problems caused by the battle were Alvar's escape and Tam's capture. SInce Alvar is dying and Tam has come back, this doesn't matter to Sophie's friends anymore. However the negative effects to the Neverseen are still there. Ruy is injured, Umber is dead, and they all looked like fools. This is big progress.

Flashback still could've used some more progress plot wise, but some WAS made. This is just the small part, but there's much more in the next paragraphs.

**LEGACY SPOILERS**

In the final battle at Loamnore, we learned more about the Neverseen realized. Sure, the battle was a battle and it was hard and scary and had some negative effects, but it had more positive ones. This quote is from Biana, page 776.

"Biana thought Vespera wanted her plan to fail-- at least a little."

Sophie regards the theory as a good one, pointing out that Gisela forced Vespera into the Neverseen. Vespera is a solo player and never ever wanted to be in the group. "Vespera nodded. "I suppose I can respect that. Very well. Consider me your reluctant new ally." (747, Nightfall) Vespera is powerful-- she knows how to elude and trick elves as a second nature. She only accepted Gisela's offer because otherwise she could have been sent back to prison. "The last thing Sophie saw was Vespera's cold smile-- a promise of all the havoc she planned to wreak with her freedom." (753 Nightfall) Time and time again she has shown that she is clever through her elaborate and genius plans, and her performance in the Dwarven Capital just didn't tie in. As Sophie tells us, "Vespera and Gethan had shown up, triggered every single alarm, said a bunch of half-truths to get everyone riled up, and then fled, leaving the dwarves to fight for them" (776 Legacy) If there's one thing Vespera isn't, it's weak and stupid. She is a master of disguise and illusion. It isn't like her to set off alarms.

Gisela again showed her weakness when she needed to know if her son was OK, even when she had just ordered the most painful ordeal ever on him. She won't last much longer as the leader according to the previous books' patterns. As Vespera says on page 752 of Nightfall, though Gisela sees her son as vital to her plan, "He is not. You [Gisela] need to see that. Otherwise, you're just as useless as him."

For The Black Swan, this battle was a victory. The Neverseen lost their Shade and their Flasher, and possibly one of their assistant leaders because of Vespera. The Black Swan however managed to get their Shade back, convert a Neverseen member, and escape with Keefe.

That's all for this chapter but this progress is more than it looks like. Even so, the biggest and final evidence is in the last section.

It's easier to show than to tell. Here is a list of all the known Neverseen members and their currents states, Reading this will show you how weak the rebel team actually is.

Fintan-- In an ice prison where he admits he will end.

Brant-- Dead.

Gisela-- Side tracked by her son's legacy and leading the team in circles.

Vespera-- Hating the leadership and sabotaging Gisela's plans on purpose.

Gethan-- Possibly siding with Vespera.

Ruy-- Abilities broken and on bed rest.

Alvar-- Abandoned and dying.

Umber-- Dead.

Glimmer-- Defected when Gisela betrayed her.

As you can see, the Neverseen is literally crumbling to pieces. They're not going to be attracting any public approval with their current state.

That concludes my report on why the Neverseen won't be hard to beat in the future ninth book.

That concludes my reasoning... more to come at a later date possibly.

EVEN MORE INFO:

I originally put this in the comments but its time to put it here.

Ok here's a short list of all the characters we saw in the book and which ones were expected.

So... the most exciting surprise for KOTLC fans is hands-down Dex's inclusion. Though it did dwindle towards the end, Dex had a much larger part than he had in the past. In the first half of the book, we see Dex more than we see Fitz, Biana, or Linh combined. Another character getting the spotlight is one not many guessed-- Maruca. You may think I meant Marella, but I didn't.

Remember wayyyy back in the beginning of the first book when Biana was the worst person ever? She had a best friend named Maruca, who also turns out to be Wylie's younger cousin. This same Maruca manifests a very special ability that attracts The Balck Swan's attention. Sadly, Wylie doesn't want her involved, because he wants to keep what he has of his family safe. She makes her first appearance on page 384, though that's not her first mention.

Which characters with previously major roles are not prominently included? First off is Tarina. The troll isn't ever seen in the book, and is only mentioned once. She's been removed from her body guarding duties thanks to the troll-baby scandal in the last book, and we're not sure if she'll be back anytime soon. Next is Luzia. Can't say I'm surprised, but Luzia too, was only mentioned once and didn't make an appearance. She has had at least one tribunal held for her already-- hopefully her Vacker heritage will help her out.

That's all for my summary of the character's roles... let me know if there's any other characters you want to know about, and I'll write some more.

[Troy_Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own three copies of this book already...

This book was long, but filled with amazing adventures through Sophie's revelations about her past and the terror of the Neverseen's next big plan taking place in the dwarven city, Loanmore. I absolutely loved snuggling up in a mountain of blankets and devouring this book with my eyes!

Sophie Foster needs answers. After the big red words displayed to her at the matchmaking office haunt her dreams of being in a happy relationship with Fitz, Sophie is determined to fight back against the scornful title of "Unmatchable" by vigorously searching for the answers to questions she would prefer to be secret. And in the mean time, tension is rising as a new plan from the Neverseen focuses on the dwarven city, Loanmore. Sophie must lead her new team and balance emotions with war in the newest installment of Keeper of the Lost Cities.

This book was such a redemption of the last book, Flashback by Shannon Messenger. I really disliked that installment. But with such a quick and emotionally-gripping plot this time around, I can give this one a 6 out of 5 stars. I always love Shannon's cliffhangers at the end of each chapter, it really makes you so consumed and time will just fly by while reading!

And I feel like I should say...the ship war continues. The triangle evolves. I love the romance in this book, but Sophie really needs to become less oblivious to this triangle! And I will just leave you on that....

I am super excited for the next book and am super excited to discuss this book for a whole year before book 9 on my YouTube channel, KotLC Fanbase! We have hundreds of videos all related to the KotLC series, if you're reading it and not already subscribed, go check it out!

AMAZING BOOK. BYE. XD

[LW · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've finally figured it out. Keeper of the Lost Cities is my favorite series out of the 823 books I've ever read.

Here's how I know:

-I don't like romance, but I swoon every time Keefe walks into the room.
-I couldn't stop smiling.
-I actually screamed at some of the twists. (And there was lots of gasping at the many big reveals.)
-I told everyone that would listen (and many that wouldn't) exactly what was happening in whatever chapter I was reading.
-I don't think I'm capable of waiting a year for the next book.

This book is perfection. I love EVERYTHING about it.

[sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I HAVE FINISHED THE BOOK!!!

Spoiler free part: This was a definite upgrade from Flashback. Legacies (shockingly) are very important. Dex gets some screen time!!!!!!

Spoiler warning!!!! I’m definitely going to ruin the book on accident if you aren’t careful.

Last chance!

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Review:

I am in absolute shock! Shannon Messenger has definitely redeemed herself after Flashback. Okay, so shippy stuff first and then plot. I have high hopes for Keefoster! Fitzphie is broken up. Done. Over. I hope it stays that way, honestly. Keefoster actually seems promising! They were being super sweet at the end of the book, so I hope the possible foreshadowing bodes well.

Now, onto the plot!

I think that the plot definitely moves better than the last one. They actually do stuff with Team V and Loamnore, so that’s good. I’m glad they found out something about Sophie’s biological mom!! I kind of hoped it was Oralie and am SUPER glad it’s not Lady Gisela.

Also.
The ending.

Why is Keefe unconscious?!! What did Lady Gisela DO? She sucksssssss. Also. Glimmer? Do I trust her? Nope. Do I want to know more about her? Absolutely. I am appalled. Flabbergasted. Baffled.

Book nine, watch out for my demonic fangirling!

(This has been a crazy post book rant)————————————————————-
My pre-book ramblings:

I wish I had a time machine to see this book sooner....

Keefoster better work out.

Update 2/3: I know I’m super late, but it has a title, “Legacy.” A lot of people called it, but I’m curious to see what it means. There are a lot of possible meanings... like the Vacker legacy and Keefe’s legacy.

Update 5/13: Well it’s about darn time!!! The glorious cover is now here! Sophie, Fitz, and Keefe—Shannon Messenger might be trolling us. And also, are they in the human world?????????? COME OUT SOONER PLEASE.

[Mariam · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Now you have a separate legacy? Is anyone else getting really sick of that word? Because I swear, every time I hear it, I wanna stab something.”

Rating Keeper books are so complicated. On one hand, I love and appreciate Shannon Messenger for all the hard work she's put into her characters and the elven world. She blessed us with Sophie who has matured and gone through an immense amount of character development- and though I used to hate her for the oblivious brat she was, I'd be lying if I didn't say I was proud of her. On the other hand, the repetitive nature of this series is driving me INSANE. I can't deal with it anymore- this journey has lost its excitement and makes me want to scream with frustration. Just quit reading, you say- but can I? I've invested so many years into reading this series (since 2013?) and I would be a fool to stop now. So excuse me if my words are a little harsh.

It's true Messenger has answered a ton of our questions in Legacy. But how many pages were truly needed to do so? How many books? There is so much unnecessary build-up that it takes away the thrill the older books used to have. Despite this, I enjoyed learning more about Keefe and Lord Cassius' missing past, but the one thing that bothered me was Fitz.

But Fitz’s face still crept into her dreams.

Fitz Vacker, the Golden Boy. Just like Sophie, he underwent an enormous character arc. He went from being the precious, little Wonderboy to someone who I adored. Throughout the course of this book, though? He was awful. His personality went downhill, he is an immature, selfish jerk, and I don't know if this was intentional on Messenger's behalf, but it hurt. At this point, I just feel betrayed.

[Aqua · Rating 2 out of 5]

So 8 books in to a 9(?) book series and it feels less like there's been any actual plot progression and more like I'm sitting through my local theater's annual 24hr marathon of the movie Groundhog Day. Legacy is undeniably better than Flashback (low bar), if only because of the shift of focus to Keefe over Fitz, but I'm still so frustrated with this series. This doesn't feel like a late-in-the-series book. We just go through the same paces we've gone through in the last 7 books in which Sophie and her gang attempt to investigate things and 800 pages of filler later are outsmarted at every turn and the overall plot goes nowhere.

I was far more forgiving of this lack of plot progression back in book 3 or 4, but we are on book 8 now!!! Sigh... let's be positive for a minute. We have an interesting conflict set up here. In the very beginning we are finally, finally, given a general overview of the Neverseen's overarching plan. I like what the author is trying to say, that holing up in isolation based on nationality is not a long-term solution to anything. Every scene Keefe is in is still awesome as usual. I won't deny my boy Keefe is really the shining star keeping me in this series, and I need to see him get his due. I still like the side characters when they are actually given anything to do (oh, poor Linh) and Stina also becomes a member of the Sophie gang in this book as well, which I enjoyed. The author also deftly reminds you of relevant plot points throughout the novel as they come up in case you've forgotten over the last 4714 (yep, I counted) pages in this incredibly convoluted plot, and it's much appreciated. I thought Sophie's scenes with Oralie after the whole mother reveal were very well done as well. It's an understandably complex relationship shown in a complex way.

Overall though... it's just same old, same old. It feels like I'm reading the same book and writing the same review over and over again. There's enough entertainment and Keefe to keep me going, but the same things that annoy me continue to annoy me. There is still a lot of potential in this series, but it doesn't feel like the author's writing is growing and it's frustrating. I really want to like this series more. I just wish it would pick up the pace.

Ok, so now... well there's a lot to unpack here.

First of all, THEY GET OUTSMARTED BY THE NEVERSEEN AT EVERY TURN AGAIN ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!

*DEEP BREATHS*

Why do the heroes suck?
One of the major issues is even 8 books in we're still following the formula of our heroes investigate some stuff, find out very little, and then just react to whatever the Neverseen throw at them while being outsmarted. Despite all the allies Sophie has accumulated, they only succeed at saving Keefe in the end because of Deus Ex Glimmer. All they do is react to the Neverseen and we spend most of the books not taking any action against them. At one point I had hope for Linh's plan to find them, but then they just dropped it. It's frustrating.

Self-aware?
The author frequently throws in this meta-commentary about how little our heroes have accomplished and how often they lose, so it seems like she is self-aware, but then it all leads nowhere. By the climax all they've managed to learn in 700ish pages is that Gisela took some kind of treatment and that the dwarven magsidian is involved in the Neverseen's plot somehow. And then they just get their asses handed to them yet again. Sophie doesn't even use a single ability during the "climactic fight," if you can even call it that.

We also, hilariously, get meta-commentary on how much talking these characters do. Which is just really ironic considering this conversation takes place over 700 pages of filler in.

Sophie hadn't been paying attention, since it was basically the same conversation they'd had before the Celestial Festival - in that exact same room, no less - with everyone fighting over who should and shouldn't go, and trying to anticipate what the Neverseen were planning.

They'd had an equally long debate before their venture into Nightfall - and before the ogre Peace Summit in Lumenaria. And before they'd headed into Ravagog. And before they'd tried to ambush the Neverseen on Mount Everest.

Even the night Sophie had gone to have her abilities healed had taken all kinds of discussion. That's what they did. Overanalyze. Overprepare. And it never worked. We can't keep doing this.

We really need an editor in here to pick up the pace. It would be one thing if that page time was spent on developing the side characters, but instead every scene is just riddled with so much filler. The vast majority of the first 30% of this book is spent on this stupid regency stuff along with endless discussions about clothes and cloaks and pins and crowns and makeup and team names. There is no reason we had to spend over 200 pages on this. This book has no excuse to be this long.

How many more times must I be subjected to scenes like these:
1) Fitz walking in on Sophie and Keefe in a compromising(?) situation.
2) Conversations about whether or not Sophie should be allowed to go somewhere (she always does end up going wherever is under discussion so these are pointless)
3) Conversations about which bodyguards should accompany Sophie. (Who fucking cares)
4) Conversations where characters get mad about being left out of something. (This is like twice a chapter for goodness sake)
5) Conversations where Sophie hypocritically tries to convince one of her friends that they shouldn't take a risk, even though they will of course proceed to do exactly that without fail.
6) Conversations where Sophie feels like a freak or a failure and the 5 million people who love her reassure her how loved and special she is.
7) Sophie finding out about another hidden or malfunctioning ability or getting a new gadget or piece of jewelry to control one of her many abilities.
8) Sophie having to convalesce for ages after an injury/ability reset.
9) Characters teasing Sophie about the love triangle or commenting on her obliviousness.
10) Good guy joins the Neverseen against his will and the good guys doubt his loyalty (can't believe this happened twice!)

Why are we still introducing new world-building?
It's one thing to explore a new city, but a lot of pretty crucial world-building elements are introduced here, and it is far too late for that. It's weird none of these things came up before and it leads to further plot convolution and dropped plot threads. Shadow flux was introduced in the previous book and in this book we get ethertine (which is actually introduced DURING the climax, don't even get me started on how clumsy that was). We even have a new villain introduced in the climax, because that's exactly what we needed at this point. *eyeroll*

So shadow flux and ethertine are important, fine. But we're also introduced to a whole host of other things that just drop off a cliff (not even including all the plot threads from previous books that have been dropped).
1) The King's Path: Sophie just sidesteps it in the final escape.
2) Sophie's new inflicting powers: She uses them once and they accomplish nothing. Why does Sophie need to get a new/upgraded ability in every book?
3) All the Team Valiant stuff: It changed nothing for the overall plot and we spent hundreds of pages on it. The relevant characters didn't even get any development out of it.
4) The primary sources info dump.
5) All the London stuff: Literally nothing added to the plot except a pointless confrontation with Gisela.

I hate Fitz
I must say I really hate the trope of the main character being oblivious to everyone being in love with them. How could Sophie not figure out Keefe likes her? This is past normal humility and just plain stupidity. And don't even get me started on this conversation with Keefe: "You really think Fitz would be bothered by us working together?" Oh come on Sophie. Did you also somehow miss all of Fitz's jealous rages in the previous book? She even attempts to defend (excuse me while I vomit) Fitz's attempted (and apparently successful on a slower scale!) murder of Alvar. Not that he faces any consequences. But wait...

Keefe did seem to have a way of helping Fitz keep control of his temper.

OH ARE WE ACKNOWLEDGING IT NOW?! ... Except no, of course we're not. Fitz's obvious anger issues are still glossed over by everyone except the villains for some reason. Fitz also at one point makes Keefe paint a picture of Fitz and Sophie professing their love. I love how we're continually reminded that Fitz and Keefe are best friends when Fitz obviously doesn't care or give a shit about getting to know him.

The damn love triangle
The best part of this book was how little Fitz there was in it. And of course, my absolute favorite scene definitely has to be when they break up after Fitz refuses to accept Sophie as unmatchable. Real upstanding guy. But of course, instead of Sophie reflecting on how she deserves better in a partner, she makes up with Fitz at the end just because they "miss" each other. They agree to stay friends instead of dating, but of course the author still just can't let this damn love triangle go and has to throw a "for now" out there for all the Fitzphie fans. Ugh. At least it seems pretty obvious we're past the Fitzphie nonsense and on trajectory to Sophie realizing Keefe has been the partner she needed all along (although Keefe really deserves better).

Who needs principles when you have cute boys?
So I am still pissed about Sophie dropping her principles and signing up for the match in Flashback.

"Am I supposed to be a poster-girl for the dark side of matchmaking?"
"Of course not. Though as I recall, you have had quite a few issues with the system. You even considered not participating"
She had. Matchmaking was disappointingly unromantic and inherently problematic. But that was before... She couldn't think about it without wanting to throw up. And yet her mind still flashed to a pair of beautiful teal eyes.

Oh gag me. Hey girls, cute boys are worth giving up your principles for! Except, no, wait that's a horrible message to send!

It does at least lead to the Fitzphie break up, which made me very happy. But unfortunately Sophie doesn't decide to stay unmatchable because she doesn't want to participate in a broken, judgmental system, but rather because of the chaos Oralie's reveal would cause... So we still never get a conversation about how unfair it was of Fitz to pressure her into it and how horrible the system is.

Bullying
So most stories trying to send a good message that include bullies would at some point have the main characters have a conversation about how they shouldn't stoop to the bully's level and should rise above and be kind, right? Not here.

"Right, and you guys weren't already looking at me like you'd rather work with a muskog," Stina countered.
Dex flashed his most wicked grin. "A muskog would smell better." Grady coughed through another laugh - and Sandor's shoulders shook like he was holding in a fit of goblin giggles.

So we're promoting bullying now? How else am I supposed to read this? Why are the adults laughing at such a stupid, juvenile joke? The books have set Stina up as a bully since the beginning, but it's highly concerning how the author seems to justify all the horrible things Sophie and her friends say in return with things like the adults laughing at jokes or no one pointing out that maybe they could try being the bigger people and be nice to Stina. I just felt bad for her in every scene she was in as Dex kept hurling insults her way

"Why would you pick these losers for something so important?"
"Uh, because these losers have taken on the Neverseen how many times now?" Dex snapped back.
"And lost how many times?" Stina countered. "Oh, that's right - all of them."

Stina speaks the truth though. I actually like her character and would like to know more about her, but you know...

The poor neglected side characters
I would gladly give up the endless pages upon pages spent upon pointless things that unnecessarily inflate these books to 800+ page tomes for a scene where Linh gets some development or is shown dealing with her brother's absence (she gets one scene for the first 95% of this book and doesn't show up again until the climax), or a scene where Sophie and Biana actually act like the friends we are told they are (or maybe Biana could even be allowed to focus on herself and talk about her crush on Dex), or scenes where Biana deals with the trauma of being horrifically scarred, or Marella deals with being an illegal pyrokinetic, or Linh and Marella bond over their powerful elemental powers (happens off screen), or Wylie and Linh talk (happens off screen), or... anything!!!

We never get to have any scenes where the side characters' development or worries are the focus because the book is so focused on detailing every tiny worry that Sophie has. So when Maruca and Stina join the already incredibly large cast... I just... WHY!? Why do we need more characters that will just be ignored?

Humans
Still not a fan of how everything is just the stupid humans fault in bringing the planet to war/extinction. I mean, in reality, sure, that is 100% true, but in this world the elves have done plenty of horrible shit. At one point Dex comments on how silly it is that the humans divide themselves up into nations when they could be so much stronger together. Oh those silly humans. Why can't they be more like the special, oligarchical elves who enslave gnomes, split up the magical world by species, and maintain a rigid class structure based on special talent manifestation, noble status, and match status!

So what have we accomplished?
So 800 pages later, 2nd to last book in the series, outsmarted at every turn, what have we actually accomplished towards bringing this series to a conclusion? Well Keefe may or may not have a new ability and... our heroes are no closer to stopping the Neverseen in any way, shape, or form. And yeah they've destabilized all the races, but it doesn't seem like the world is that unstable that a war would be brewing. The dwarves lost their king, but instantly replaced him. I'm just so confused where this series is going or how it intends to get there in only one more book (I guarantee it'll be extended). But, honestly, it really needs to start ramping things up here. The formula is getting old, and I'm so, so tired of the heroes being idiots.

[lydia ‧ ia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is definitely better than Flashback, but the Fitzphie content still makes me want to tear my hair out and the disgusting way Sophie treats [REDACTED] shreds any of the love I was starting to have for her. And it’s still a bit too slow. And what Keefe goes through left me in tears. Breaks me every time *pounds heart*

ANYHOW I HAFTA GO REREAD THE UNLOCKED NOVELLA BECAUSE STELLARLUNE COMES OUT TOMORROW— EEEEEEEEEEEEK 🥹❤️🤌🏻

[LostElements · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just wanted to write something, so ignore the stars.

I may have... hated... Flashback but I am still super excited for this. I bet the title is Legacy (have to wait one more day for the confirmation, though.)

I hope that Keeper 8 restores my love for everything. Ah! Can't wait.

#MoreDex
#MoreKeefe
#MoreEveryone
#ExceptFitz

(P.S. In the published part of goodreads, it says October 11th... So not November? I really hope this is true.)

EDIT: WE HAVE A TITLE
IT'S LEGACY
I WAS RIGHT
AHH!
ALSO: OFFICIAL RELEASE: NOVEMBER 5

Edit 2: We have a summary! Yay! Now we need the cover and the actual book. xD

Edit 3: Yay, a cover! I am simultaneously so happy that my favorite character (Keefe) is on the cover and also irritated that my least favorite (Fitz) is on the cover. Oh well, what can ya do? I really like this cover, except Sophie seems to be drawn oddly. The expression, along with the angle, make Sophie's face look distorted. Still really beautiful, though.

Edit 4: Just got the book in the mail! Ugh, it's gorgeous. I can't wait to read it. I read the first chapter a few days ago when Shannon released it. The plot seems to be moving forward!
Real review to come soon!

[EllieJellyBean :D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled with this one. Like, struggled struggled. My blood pressure was sooooo high reading this, and that’s not a good thing.

The romance drama was…..unbearable. I really didn’t like it. But, I’ve kinda come to the conclusion that Sophie is the problem with all this drama. And it’s very realistic cuz she’s like what, 14?? Yeah, she’s not gonna be very mature in this area. So, in my opinion, Sophie is the reason why my blood pressure was definitely raised for about 50% of this book. And the other 50% was frustrated because half the book is very unbelievable. Let’s also not forget that this book is like 800 pages long.

The story was fine. It was nice to finally get some answers about stuff and will be interesting to see how some of them play out in the future books.

Over all, the book was just fine. But, I am definitely loosing interest in this series. So the main reasons I’m gonna keep reading are some of the characters and some of the plot. But, thank the Lord there are only two more left. I don’t think I could make it if there were more. 😅 So anyway…..sorry for the rant! I’m sure my sister is very tired of me ranting to her, so I thought I’d get some of it out in a review. 😂

See ya later!✌️


P.S. Sophie definitely does not deserve Fitz. 🙃

[Charlie ~ Happy Pride Month! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non spoilers:

OKAY I NEED THE NEXT BOOK!
Obviously I know a good hang as pain. I'll be recording books. That's all I need to say. But I still hate them so much! It's just so hard to have to wait for another book. Truly despise Cliffhangers.
Fitz was a dirtwad. Sophie deserves better. Like a certain blonde dude with daddy/mommy issues and a sarcastic personality and a name that begins with K.
IF YOU GET WHAT I'M HINTING AT
Either way, this was a great book.
I was very conflicted. Fitz looks so hot on the cover, but he's acting like a jerk.
KEEFE! I'M SCARED! CAN'T SAY ANYTHING CAUSE SPOILERS BUT YEAH

Spoilers: (MAJOR SPOILERS)

Rant: OHMYGOD KEEFE! HE HAS TO LIVE! HE HAS TO! PLEASEEEEEEEEE!!!
AND FITZ! JUST SHUT UP. I DON'T CARE. YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT SOPHIE OR YOU WOULD TAKE BEING A BAD MATCH WELL, LIKE KEEFE TOATALY WOULD. CAUSE HE ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT HER.
AND ORALIE IS HER MOM? DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!

Sophie Character Analysis:

Yes. I have completed my promise for now of what I will say about Sophie. She. Is. A. Freaking. Queen. No explanation needed.
Obviously she makes a few bad choices in the romance department, but I still love her. And now she has time to rethink those choices. As she says, she doesn't think that she'll ever be able to forgive Fitz and enough to be in a relationship with him again.
Just everything she has to go through astounds me. And what she seen by this age make me feel very an accomplished. Everything she's had to suffer through, all the emotional trauma, all the physical trauma! Just breaks my heart to see this character that I love so much be hurts so much. She deserves a break, in fact all of these characters do. Except for Fitz. I don't care about him.
Her powers have developed so much, and she in general has develop so much. It just shocks need to think that I hated her at 1st. Then I hated any of you characters. They've grown so much and I'm so proud of them.

Fitz Character Analysis:

Here's the deal. If it were Keefe in his position care. He would just be like I love you, and I don't care if being a bad match will be what happens to me if I stay with you. I love you and that's all that matters. He wouldn't throw a tantrum, and be an absolute selfish jerk.
In the past few books Fitz has just a completely destroyed all the love that I've build up for him. And it honestly breaks my heart. I have cared about him so much. And gone through so much with him. And it just makes me really sad to see all the character development that he went through just go to the wind. I don't know if I'll be able to forgive him like I did after Exile.

Keefe Character Analysis:

YAS! Keith my finally get a chance at being able to be with Sophie. My ship actually might come through now. Just seeing everything that he's had to go through, really hurts me. I don't remember the last character that I felt this emotionally attached to. This character that I just feel like I get that I understand. He's definitely a comfort character, and I just feel like I know him. In my never seen review you can see how much it really hurt me of his child. I was actually crying because he just meant so much to me, and I felt like whenever I was going through something he was there with a joke or smile. Because he just means a lot to me. It really hurts me to know that he might not make it. He might not be there at 1 point. Let's just hope that Shannon isn't that cruel.
I feel like I am just need to explain how much and how deep my emotional attachment to Keefe goes.
He hide his feelings with jokes and smiles which I get. He has been through a lot of emotional trauma, which I also get. He grew up thinking that no one care about him. Now, I do have an amazing family. But I also get just being super insecure and thinking that no one could ever love you.
Yeah I just really love him, and yeah.

Thoughts On Plot:

I really love Tam and Linh's sibling bond. I just love seeing those things and books. It's nothing I loved about cinder, and the hunger games. And it makes me really happy to be able to see it and this book is well. Obviously the planet is itself was again enticing and I was an emotional wreck . Obviously the planet is itself was again enticing and I was an emotional wreck through a lot of it. So that was real nice.

Final Thoughts:
I need the next book now. Like, right now! That cliffhanger was not the worst she's givin us *coughneverseencough* but still bad!

[Nicole Dust · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um so I AM DECEASED AND WILL NEVER RECOVER.

[Khadija · Rating 5 out of 5]

OOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMGGGGGG BEST BOOKS EVEEEEER
also Fitz SUUUCKKKS
and KEEFE is AMAZING
ALSO, Sophie DESERVES KEEFE and FITZ DESERVES TO BE LONELY FOREVER...

[Jillian B. (School Hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darn you Shannon 🥲

TW: ~Trauma, abusive parents, hospitalization, F*tz~
Genre: Romance, Fiction, YA, Fantasy, Middle grade
Age: 11+
🌶️: 1/5
🔫: 3/5
🤬: 0/5
⭐️: 5/5

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've loved this series. I've cried with it and laughed with it. I started the first book in 2013. Just when the second book came out. I started it in 6th grade or 7th grade. I'm graduating from high school next year.

It's been 6 years. Please give us the ending that fans who have followed you endlessly deserve. Before I give up on this series once and for all.

[frau.gedankenreich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endlich wurden tatsächlich mal ein paar der großen Geheimnisse aufgedeckt, nachdem in den Teilen davor, für jedes noch so winzige Geheimnis, was gelüftet wurde, gefühlt zehn Neue aufgetaucht sind.
Abgesehen davon reiht sich auch dieser Band in die Liste meiner absoluten Lieblinge der Reihe ein. So herzig, charmant, lustig, warmherzig, packend und liebevoll!
Keine Ahnung wie Shannon Messenger es schafft, den Plot, auch nach so vielen Büchern, immer noch so absolut stimmig zu halten, großes Kompliment dafür!
Und nein, ich fange jetzt nicht wieder an, über die Charaktere zu schwärmen, wie so eine alte, zerkratzte Schallplatte...Keefe, Keefe, Keefe...okay, lassen wir das! 😅
Lest diese Reihe! Der Vorteil von "middle grade" ist wohl, dass Autorinnen und Autoren gefühlt viel freier schreiben, als es zum Beispiel bei YA-Fantasy der Fall ist, was sich oft so liest, als wären bloß bestimmte Bausteine aufeinander gestapelt worden.
Mit ein Grund warum ich die Reihe so arg liebe!