Book Review: Keeper of the Lost Cities Collection by Shannon Messenger

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Wonderful characters and world, gripping story

Cons: You aren’t reading the series yet

The Bottom Line:

Great fantasy books

In convenience collection

Don’t wait; buy today

Immerse Yourself in Sophie’s World with this Collection

If I had more time in my life, I think I would enjoy reading more fantasy and science fiction.  I still get the occasional dose of that thanks to some of the middle grade books I read.  One of my favorite series is Keeper of the Lost Cities, and if you haven’t started it yet, this collection of the first three books is the perfect way to get lost in the world.

In the first book in the series, we meet Sophie, a not so typical twelve-year-old.  She is smarter than other kids her age and even the rest of her family.  She has skipped several grades, making it hard for her to fit in at school.  Meanwhile, she is also a telepath, a skill she has hid for years from her family.

One day all that changes when she catches a boy her age watching her.  The boy is Fitz, and he has shocking new for Sophie – she isn’t human.  When Sophie makes the choice to leave her old life behind, she enters a world she never knew existed.  Along with new friends and a new school, Sophie also learns she has more secrets in her – secrets that might help or hurt her new world.  What is the truth of her past?  Can she save her new world?

This is just the set up for the first book in the series, and I’m not going to talk about the plot of books two and three.  Why?  This is an ongoing story that builds on the previous books.  I’m not sure how I could talk about the rest of the series without spoiling things, and I definitely don’t want to do that.

This series is a wonderful ride with twists, surprises, danger, and action.  You won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough to find out what happens to Sophie and her new friends next.  When we do get answers, they usually lead to more questions.

But the stories wouldn’t be anything without great characters, and we have those in abundance as well.  Over the course of these three books, we’ve seen relationships grow and change, and I have grown to love this cast.  Well, there are a few that I love to hate, but I’m supposed to feel that way about them.

Now if you are thinking to yourself, “I’ve read a similar premise before,” I’ll just tell you that is no reason to skip this series.  There are some unique twists on the premise, and once you get into the story, you’ll find that the execution and the world that author Shannon Messenger has created is completely new.

And yes, an entire new world has been created here with some magical creatures and fun abilities that the characters have.  I enjoy revisiting this world in each book as much as I do the characters and finding out what happens next to them.

What do you get in this collection?  Keeper of the Lost Cities, Exile, and Everblaze, the first three books in the series, in paperback.  These are not short novels, clocking in between 500 and 600 pages, each, but those pages fly by.  I never feel like there is wasted pages in them, and I frequently find myself putting the rest of my life on hold to find out what happens next.

If you haven’t started the series yet, I’m honestly a bit jealous.  Reading them straight through is a treat, and you’ll finish all three of them before you know it.  Pick up the Keeper of the Lost Cities Collection today, and you’ll be lost in Sophie’s world tomorrow.

If you want to read my spoiler free reviews of the individual books, here are the links to my reviews of Keeper of the Lost Cities, Exile, and Everblaze.

Once you've read these three books, you'll be anxious to move on to the rest of the Keeper of the Lost Cities book in order.

This review is part of this week's Marvelous Middle Grace Monday, which is hosted by...Shannon Messenger.  And no, that did not influence my review in any way.