Keeper of the Lost Cities

By Shannon Messenger

The first book in the international bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities series. Perfect for readers aged 9+ and fans of Harry Potter, Rick Riordan and Amari and the Night Brothers.

Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret.

She is a Telepath, and has the power to hear the thoughts of everyone around her – something that she's never spoken about, even to her own family.

But everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who also reads minds. She discovers there's somewhere she does belong, and staying where she is will put her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a magical world.

Sophie has new rules to learn, and not everyone is thrilled with her "homecoming". There are secrets buried deep in Sophie's memory, secrets that other people desperately want.

Would even kill for . . .

Don’t miss the brand-new book in the series, Stellarlune, out now!

Books in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series:
Keeper of the Lost Cities
Exile
Everblaze
Neverseen
Lodestar
Nightfall
Flashback
Legacy
Stellarlune
Unlocked

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Feb 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781471189388

Shannon Messenger

Shannon Messenger graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where she learned—among other things—that she liked watching movies much better than making them. She studied art, screenwriting, and television production but realized her real passion was writing for kids and teens. She’s the internationally, New York Times, and USA TODAY bestselling author of the award-winning middle grade series Keeper of the Lost Cities, as well as the Sky Fall young adult series. Her books have been featured on multiple state reading lists, published in numerous countries, and translated into many languages. She lives in Southern California with her family and an embarrassing number of cats. Find her online at ShannonMessenger.com and @SW_Messenger on Instagram, X, and Facebook.

Reviews for Keeper of the Lost Cities

[maaseh · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is my favourite out of all books and i just love it!!!
(I literally give my family good by hog's cus thay know ill d disappear into your book for the next two weeks)
Dos someone know hen the next book (unlocked) is coming out?

[lcarter11 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sophie has spent the last 7 years struggling to ignore other's thoughts. And failing. But when she meets someone else who can hear thoughts, too, her life gets completely reworked. Dinosaurs are nothing like she was taught (plus they still exist in carefully guarded sanctuaries), boys like her, and she's an "anomaly." Aside from her getting kidnapped and frightened--well, and constantly getting sent to the school doctor after accidents--this is really a very light-hearted and non-violent book. Practically perfect in every way!This book was delightful! I kept waiting for it to turn sour, but it was well-written all the way through. I will admit that I didn't really buy the "no such thing as magic," mostly because the characters manifest abilities and there didn't seem to be any real explanation of how telepathy works for only some people. I absolutely loved, though, the fact that the author managed to claim no magic and still have tons of fun, completely impossible things casually worked into the story. I think I saw a little foreshadowing as to who the worst bad guy is, and I seriously hope I'm wrong. Time to read the next book and find out!

[wrightja2000 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoy this book- just read it for the second time. Maybe I'll get around to writing a review. Just wanted to say it did remind me of Harry Potter in the beginning but I like this book way more than Harry Potter, which I thought was meh. Yes, I'm not a fan of Harry Potter but enjoyed this story so much more.

[madamewho · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Super imaginative MG fantasy. I imagine that the pitch was "Harry Potter...but for girls!" The heroine is a Mary Sue, but the real star is the vividly realized setting

[bduke_15 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My feelings about this book are kind of a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Usually when books are billed as being "the next Harry Potter" I end up hating them because they are nothing like Harry Potter and I get mad that someone made me think it was. But this book is very much like Harry Potter, and for some reason that kind of annoyed me at times. Yet that was just a fleeting feeling every now and then, because otherwise I loved this book! There is action, adventure, impressive world building, suspense, and there are some pretty amazing characters. Quite frankly, I loved having a main character who was considered fascinating because she had brown eyes. That has definitely never happened to me. But who to trust?! I kind of wished that there was one authority figure that I completely trusted (like Dumbledore, of course), but I didn't have complete trust in any of them. There are many, many secrets being held onto by all the adults in this book, but in a way that added to the intrigue. I know there are at least 4 books planned in this series, but if the author does one book for every year of the character's school life, then there should be even more coming. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one. This isn't checked out very much in my library so I need to start talking it up because the kids will love it! If you or your student loved Harry Potter, I think you will both love Sophie, Fitz, Dex and Keene. I know I did.

[catiebarber · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sophie Turner is a young girl who finds out she is actually an elf. Her life changes dramatically and she is taken away from the family she knows and taken to where all the elves live. Turns out she has many gifts, more then normal elves, she can read minds, hurt people with her mind, and on and on. She has new friends and many new adventures all centering around where she came from, which is discovered in this first book. It is wonderfully written with many twists and turns and will keep YA readers flipping the pages. I especially liked how the elves made fun of so many human ideas.

[lizardferret · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really loved this book! It was one of the better fantasy books i've read, ( and I read a lot of fantasy...) I think the main reason I liked is book so much is because the main character is willing to do something for others even if it means the worst fir herself.

[rivkabelle_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Review also published on my blog: AWordsWorth.blogspot.comSophie always knew she was different. Aside from being a genius (or possibly even smarter than a genius), she hears voices. Actually, not "voices" so much as thoughts. Sophie can read people's minds. Everyone's mind. There is no off-switch. She has told nobody about it, but when she stumbles into a mysterious - and handsome - boy on a field trip, she discovers that he can read minds also. And that's only the start of an incredible journey of discovery. See, Sophie - and this new dude, Fitz - are elves. Yup. Elves. (Be still my beating heart!) Fitz takes Sophie home, to this semi-alternate world, which is comprised greatly of "mythic cities" in human history (there's a wonderful history to all this, but I won't paraphrase - you need to experience this yourself) - and so begins Sophie's strange and wonderful transition from weird human to extremely talented elf.There are so many awesome elements to this story. Between refraining from complete fangirling and not wanting to totally spoil the reading experience, this review is tricky to write, ha. Let's talk about characters. Sophie is a trooper. She keeps getting thrown curveball after curveball, and keeps finding ways to rise above the obstacles. She's crazy smart too, and adjusts to being an elf in an elven world beautifully. For the most part. She also meets some amazing people, making a surprising circle of friends. Like Dex - goofy, clutzy, somewhat untalented Dex. He's adorable, very much like a long-legged puppy trying to adjust to growing up. And Keefe - the resident Bad Boy of the Academy. He's such a smart alecky charmer too - I can definitely understand why "Team Keefe" has a huge following. I was tempted myself, but had to be true to my heart's first instinct: Fitz. Oh, Fitz. The honorable, trustworthy, also-crazy-smart-and-talented Fitz. He not only finds Sophie, but he plays a huge role in helping Sophie survive. He's swoony.All the characters are well-rounded and intriguing. There's a lot of backstory that you know is going to come into the open sooner or later, affecting character dynamics and explaining the mysteries surrounding Sophie's very existence. There's history and depth and believability to Keeper of the Lost Cities - something sort of hard to achieve in fantasy, but Shannon manages. I could almost fancy myself meeting a handsome elf who could whisk me away on a beam of light to a wonderful world of tasty desserts and fantastic animals... but I digress. For all the fun, quirky details in Keepers, there's a darker thread too - a bit of a mystery, a taste of danger, an element of the Unknown. It keeps the story moving, it helps grow the characters - especially Sophie - and it makes this book kick butt. I inhaled the ARC, staying up way too late, and cannot WAIT for the next installment! Read it people, just read it. You won't regret it! ((Oh, and just because it's technically "middle grade" - don't let that throw you. It's a story anyone can read and enjoy, regardless of how long ago middle school was.))

[taleofnight · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first middle grade book I've picked up in a while (I can't even remember the last time). But the premise seemed so interesting, and it's been compared to Harry Potter, so I had to check it out. I really enjoyed the world. The idea of the lost cities is such a cool idea. The fact that they hide in their own little world away from the humans was so fascinating to me. I mean, they get to Atlantis by jumping into a whirlpool. I pretty much enjoyed everything about the magical world Sophie was thrust into. Now before I read this book, I read a review (actually 2 reviews) saying it pretty much ripped off Harry Potter and that any Harry Potter fans should steer away from this book because it will leave them livid over how similar it is. This made me apprehensive about reading it, but I read it anyway to see what they were talking about, because I am a very big Harry Potter fan.I do see and recognize what they were talking about (because they mapped it out in their review) but I don't agree with them. It is similar in the fact that Sophie was hidden among humans to keep her safe from the magical world she belongs in and is thrust into everything when she's twelve. Sophie is something special (just like Harry). She can read people's thoughts, but others who can read people's thoughts, can't read hers. Her mind cannot be accessed by the most powerful mind reader (I forgot what they were called in the book). There are more similarities, like the school Sophie goes to (all though it's not a boarding school like Hogwarts) but nothing that really made me aggravated enough to hate the book. I just wanted to point out that I am a Harry Potter lover and I still enjoyed this book. There were some instances that made me flinch, but it had nothing to do with Harry Potter. Like when Sophie realizes that she was never related to the family she lived with. She mentions how she should have noticed since she was blonde and skinny and her family was brunette and stocky (I don't have the book with me so I don't have the exact quote, but it was similar to that). I mean, come on. I'd say if you're on the fence about reading this, read it and get your own idea. I'm happy I decided to read it, because I did really enjoy the whole lost cities world.

[poetrytoprose · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I wish I had read more books like Shannon Messenger’s Keeper of the Lost Cities when I was younger, but I’m so glad to be able to read this now. This book is a winning combination of excellent characters and an exciting adventure, all while also being very heartfelt and touching.To start off with, Sophie is the best type of main character. She was so interesting (she’s twelve, but in high school…WHAT) and I really enjoyed her journey of self-discovery in Keeper of the Lost Cities. Yeah, she does find out about this amazing world where things are so far from the norm, and she deals with it all so well, but ultimately she’s just a girl who cares about her family and friends above all else.The rest of the characters were so great, too, and I was especially taken by surprise by how much I grew to love Grady and Edaline. Shannon Messenger had a strong focus on family and MY HEART GREW ABOUT TEN TIMES because of them. I love how she developed these relationships and how she explored the ups and downs of their situation. The three main boys in this book also had me grinning from ear to ear because they are all so adorable. I do have my favorite, but I’m eager to get to know them all further in the upcoming books.Shannon Messenger’s world in Keeper of the Lost Cities had me going, HELLO WHEN CAN I VISIT? It’s so richly detailed, full of quirks and interesting things, and it was so much fun discovering every new aspect. Really, even if you hated the rest of the book (IMPOSSIBLE), Shannon Messenger’s worldbuilding is good stuff.Keeper of the Lost Cities was such a delightful read and I’m eager for more adventures with Sophie. I hope you all pick this up and love it as much as I do!

[thehidingspot · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I picked up Shannon Messenger's Keeper of the Lost Cities with high expectations. Not only had a heard very positive things about this specific novel, reviewers and readers seemed to extremely excited about her YA offering, Let the Sky Fall. I still haven't read Let the Sky Fall, but I really enjoyed this first installment of the Lost Cities books.My favorite aspect of Keeper of the Lost Cities is the treatment of the characters. For the most part, the reader only knows as much about the characters as the main character, Sophie, who is naive due to both age and because much of her memory has been blocked by an unknown source. Sophie and, therefore, the reader, are never quite sure who can be trusted or what motivates the other characters in the novel. This novel is full of secrets, some harmless and some dangerous, but it's hard to determine which are which.I also adored the entire concept of the "lost" cities, like Atlantis. In Keeper of the Lost Cities the places and beings that are considered fantastical myths by humans are actually real and kept hidden from prying humans. In this first book readers only get fleeting glimpses at these places, but I'm hopeful more in-depth exploration will occur in future installments. Though, for the most part, I liked Keeper of the Lost Cities, I did take issue with a few elements, especially those that seemed a bit too similar to the world of Harry Potter. I'm not saying that I have a huge problem with Messenger drawing inspiration from another fictional world - there weren't any exact parallels or anything like that, it was more the feel or spirit of the ideas - but I just didn't feel like some of things were executed well. For example, Sophie describes the food and medicine in these lost cities as candy-like and sweet. While these details were probably meant to be fun, I didn't feel that they were all that genuine or necessary. In fact, I found them quite distracting! Sometimes it just felt like the novel was trying too hard to be something else, when it would have been wonderful as itself!I'm looking forward to the next book in this series, Exile, which is due out October 2013!

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not my kind of book. I read this to support a young person's love of reading and her attempt to start a book club. We started with both adults and young teens...the idea is that the teens will carry on now that we've helped them launch. So, I read a fantasy novel. I'm no expert on the genre. I did enjoy the writing and was amazed at the highly imaginative world that the author created. I especially liked the manifestation of various abilities. There were universal elements to the story that I could identify with; for example, being the "new girl" trying to find her way in a different environment. And the book even brought a tear to my eye at one point. I began this knowing it was the first book in a series. So, unsurprisingly, the book ends with several unanswered questions. However, it brought just enough closure to stand alone as an interesting read.

[literaryfeline · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I can see why my daughter enjoyed this book so much. Sophie doesn't really fit in among the humans and stands out even amongst the elves. She is insecure and smart. That makes her a very relatable character. Although, she does feel a bit more at home in the elven world ultimately--developing strong friendships and attending a school that focuses on helping her better understand and hone her special abilities. There are life endangering moments, not so well kept secrets as well as some that are tightly kept, interesting creatures, and the typical tween drama (bullying, crushes, and angst). Keeper of the Lost Cities was cute and kept me entertained. There is something to be said about elves with varying abilities--what I might call magic, but they think of more as science. There are gnomes and goblins too. Shannon Messenger put a lot of thought into her world--and it was fun to step into the world she's created. I admit I did laugh when I first came across a dinosaur, and the novel suffers from all the significant characters being exceptionally good-looking, which always makes me cringe. While I might not be as enamored with this book as my daughter is, I did like it and am interested in seeing where this series will take me next.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This series is very popular in our school library so I decided to give it a try. However, by the halfway point I gave up! Keeper of the Lost Cities never grabbed my attention and I couldn't be bothered reading on. I was fed up with the number of times I, the reader, was told how special Sophie was. Not only was she a superstar at telepathy and had a photographic memory, she was also sickly sweet and the prettiest girl around.I found the plot weak, the world building lacked substance and the dialogue was stilted. Then there was the love triangle! Really? They are bad enough when they are in YA and adult fiction without having to add them to tween novels as well.I am glad the girls enjoy reading this novel and all the others in the series but it definitely wasn't for me.

[Roy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book the best as it showed people that I could kinda relate with. Besides, it had an interesting plot that kept me in the edge of my seat! In my opinion, this book is great for people aged 11-15. As a 13 year old, it’s interesting to read about what people think of the world. Sometimes I wished I could go into the book and live a life in a sparkling, exciting place.

[a_reader_of_fictions · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

For more reviews, gifs, Cover Snark and more, visit A Reader of Fictions.True friendship can sometimes be indistinguishable from rampant cruelty. Case in point: Gillian (Writer of Wrongs) encouraged me to read my ARC of Keeper of the Lost Cities, which has been sitting around since I got it at BEA 2012. Okay, fine. To be entirely fair to Gillian, she did say “don’t do it” more than she said “read the thing,” but still. I never would have made this poor life choice if Gillian’s reviews of the series weren’t so FUCKING. FUNNY. Keeper of the Lost Cities was even more ridiculous than I could possibly have imagined and reading it was fun but also dear Gansey what the fuck did I just put in my brain?That’s how my brain feels, Haldir.I’m honestly at a bit of a loss in what to say about Keeper of the Lost Cities. I’m just still unable to believe that this book exists and was written by an adult. Everything about Keeper seems like it was devised by the mind of a child, which I suppose could be seen as a bonus, depending on the audience. My jaw dropped over and over as new heights of ridiculousness were achieved. Seriously, this has to be some kind of record for silly. That did make Keeper a fun read in a way, especially with Gillian sitting by (because standing is exhausting) for me to chat with about every new development. Following are some ridiculous details from Keeper of the Lost Cities:-All elves have blue eyes, except for Sophie, who has brown eyes.-Sophie pulls out eyelashes whenever she’s tense.-All dinosaurs are vegetarians.-Gnomes basically work as house elves, but it’s okay because they too like it. Keep your SPEW, Hermione.-In elf school, kids lick their lockers to open them. They have a new Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans flavor every day.-WHAP means “wash hands and present,” as everyone knows.-Purple vegetarian glop tastes like a cheeseburger.-Yeti pee cures burns.-“It wasn’t until her lungs burned that she realized she’d stopped breathing.”There are a lot of crucial failings in Keeper of the Lost Cities, but let’s start with the most obvious: this book hardly has a plot. The reader meets Sophieflake as she’s finishing up her senior year in high school. At age 12. She’s a genius with a photographic memory, which of course earns her the jealous hatred of her classmates. But then, lo, a hot boy appears to tell her that she’s an elf, not a human, and that he’s an elf too.Of fucking course, right?Sophie’s whisked off to the elf kingdom where it’s promptly discovered how special of a Sophieflake she truly is. Without any training, she’s the most skilled telepath that ever was. She attends (Mozilla) Foxfire (*cough Hogwarts cough*), the school for noble and gifted elves (judging people on their class: it’s not just for humans!). There she dominates about half the subjects and barely gets by in others, especially alchemy (Potions).As Sophie attends Foxfire, the reader gets to enjoy such highlights as: Splotch ball, Sophie putting the mean girl in her place, and mundane details on every teacher in the place. Prepare for a whole lot of characters, many of whom probably are not going to matter in the slightest, at least in this book. Everyone who meets Sophie will either love or hate her; there is not other option with the Sophieflake. Prepare also for Sophie’s descriptions of everyone’s beauty and/or failings; girl is shallow.If Jensi’s friends were human, they wouldn’t been skinny, with acne and braces. Since they were elves, they were fairly good looking—or they could’ve been if they hadn’t slicked their hair into greasy ponytails. They stared at her like they’d never seen a girl up close before. One of them even drooled.These boys will continue to drool and be disgusting, even though all elves are hot. Such fun, right? So far, they exist solely for others to judge and ridicule them. How can we understand how special the main characters are if other people aren’t nasty?She was extremely petite, and her uniform looked like it spent the night balled up on the floor, but she still looked pretty. Maybe it was the way she’d twisted some of her hair into tiny braids, or her huge, ice blue eyes.Marella comes off much better through Sophie’s judgment filter, but it’s still so frustrating how she’s evaluating the attractiveness of everyone she meets, be they peer or teacher. Also, not exactly nice that she’s judging petiteness there. Or there’s this one, to describe her new guardian/father figure, which just creeps me out:Grady laughed beside her, and she whipped around to get a better glimpse of her new, dinosaur-riding guardian. With his chiseled features and feather-covered tunic, she couldn’t decide if he reminded her more of James Bond or Robin Hood—which felt wrong. He was so unlike her chubby, balding dad she wasn’t sure how to relate.What you cannot expect for most of this massive book is any sort of plot. Sophie will go to school and be the most special Sophieflake, constantly discovering new abilities and constantly bitching about how hard things are for her. She will remember that she misses her human family about once every hundred pages, which I find to be a truly realistic reaction of a middle grader to losing their family they supposedly loved. There’s also a lot of foreshadowing about what the eventual plot might entail, but mostly it’s just Sophie doing things and meeting people without any sort of plot arc whatsoever.You’ll go lots of places for no apparent reason. Haldir wouldn’t do that to us.The plot, such as it is, appears on page 395. THREE HUNDRED AND NINETY FIVE PAGES INTO THIS BEHEMOTH. That’s when Sophie finally get her mission and finds out that only she, Sophie the Bear, can prevent forest fires. Sure, it’s obvious that’s what her mission’s going to end up being, but there’s no pressure. The timing is relaxed, and Sophie doesn’t think of the fires raging in the human world until people remind her. That whole thing is set on the back burner, as it were. Mostly the plot’s an excuse for View Spoiler » Well, okay, to be fair, the plot also allows Sophieflake to level up to Sophiesnowfall; she’s not just one flake now!Sophie, special brown-eyed elf, attracts immediate male attention and female loathing. She’s warm for the form of Fitz, school golden boy with the teal eyes and boring personality. Rare are the times she encounters Fitz without literally falling on him or bumping bodily into him. Then she blushes. Every damn time. Even though she’s twelve and he’s fifteen, which is rather icky.Sophie’s got it bad, much like Haldir.Boyfriend possibility number two is Dex Dizznee (do not get me started on these names, because they’re a fucking essay in and of themselves). Dex is an awesome Weasley twin sort of kid, pulling pranks. For approximately two chapters. Then he morphs into JealousMan. He wants Sophieflake with all the wanting a twelve year old can muster, and he gets pissed every single time she talks to Fitz or anyone in his family. That doesn’t get old at all. Darling Dex hasn’t figured out that jealousy is totally not going to win him fair lady, but he’s never going to stop trying.Finally, there’s Gillian’s favorite, who isn’t really a love interest yet, but is definitely the best potential elf boyfriend: Keefe. Frankly, I feel like Keefe’s too awesome for this whole book. He’s this snarky, witty, rebellious elf boy, who makes fun of all the others. He’s desperately needed because everyone else takes life so fucking seriously. Thankfully, he’s not pining for Sophie’s love at this point either. Bless Keefe for existing and mocking everyone. If only he could get some better friends. And a better book.Curse this book and series. Keeper of the Lost Cities isn’t good by any means, but I’m totally reading the rest of them, joining Gillian in the madness. Even worse, I’m now curious about Messenger’s YA series, because I’m so curious if it’s like THIS. I’m going to try to resist, but I don’t know if I can.

[the_hibernator · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the first book of the Keepers of the Lost Cities series, Sophie is a brilliant 12 year old with the ability to read people’s minds. She doesn’t understand why she feels so different and alienated from other people, even her family, until she discovers she is an elf. She spends the whole book learning to be an elf.I read this book because I needed to help my stepdaughter (who adores this series) to write a book report. I promised her I would read the rest, or I would have abandoned the book and read a synopsis for her report. It has a watery plot that ebbs and flows over the setting’s beach. It was all scene setting for future books, and didn’t get exciting till the last couple chapters.And what’s with the huge holes of unreality in the plot? Really? There has to be a tribunal for her breaking a law that literally no one but the high council knows exists? That’s ridiculous.

[Chithra · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

OMG
THIS BOOK IS AMAAZING !!!!
I HAVE NEVER SEEN A BOOK SO ENTHRALLING!
I JUST WANTED TO KEEP READING.
I SPENT 2 HOURS READING EVERY DAY.
I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!!
I CAN'T WAIT TO START THE SECOND BOOK!!!!

[kewpie83 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

'Fablehaven' by Brandon Mull. 'The Emerald Atlas' by John Stephens. 'Vampirates' by Justin Somper. 'Harry Potter' by JK Rowling. 'Knightley Academy' by Violet Haberdasher. These are all great juvi (middle grade) titles that entertain kids 8 to 108. After sailing through this amazing read, I must add 'Keeper of the Lost Cities' to that list!

'Keeper of the Lost Cities' by Shannon Messenger is a fantastic book. You don't want to miss out on the pure enjoyment found in this debut novel. 'Keeper of the Lost Cities' follows Sophie, a 12 year old girl with incredible smarts and the ability to hear peoples thoughts. She's a bit of an outsider, being a 12 year old high school senior and never really feeling like she fit in completely with her family, either. Until, that is, she meets a mysterious boy who tells her that she is far more than an ordinary human.

I won't lie-- I loved reading 'Keeper of the Lost Cities'. It was the most enjoyable read I've had in a long time. Everything from beginning to end was perfect. 'Keeper of the Lost Cities' literally had a little of everything-- awesome characters, a well paced plot, inklings of future romance, a very cool world and an addicting writing style.

The plot's pacing was perfect. I've found since starting this blog that one of my biggest pet peeves is when the plot is uneven (fast here, slow here, etc), but 'Keeper of the Lost Cities' was perfectly paced.

Another great thing about pacing? There is a complete story told in 'Keeper of the Lost Cities', even though it is the first of three novels. While there are still unanswered questions and there is clearly something happening in Sophie's new world we don't know about, there are other ideas and themes that do come full circle within the 500 pages of this debut novel.

The characters? Love them. Sophie was a 12 year old lead with a voice that was completely readable to readers of all ages. The secondary characters are equally as fantatic as Sophie. Fitz and Keefe, two of the three guys who may or may not find love in future volumes, made my favorite characters list almost instantly after they were introduced. And the good doctor (whose name I am forgetting at the moment)? I found myself looking forward to Sophie getting hurt just so we could have some of that quick witted dialogue between her and him. He might just be one of my favorite adult characters in a juvi novel!

I have no complaints about 'Keeper of the Lost Cities'. It deserves high honors. I guarantee you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll fall in love, and you'll have a blast while reading. It's a fantastic read!

'Keeper of the Lost Cities' gets five stars from me (surprise, surprise!). If you like contemporary fantasy tales with heartfelt characters and great plots, you need to add 'Keeper of the Lost Cities' to your 'to read' list. You won't regret it!