Scan barcode
aveldlay's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
litgirliem's review against another edition
2.0
i’m actually very upset.
so, let’s get the positives out of the way: after 8.5 long, long, difficult books, SOKEEFE FINALLY MADE IT. IM SO HAPPY. IVE BEEN HERE SINCE THE START, AND ITS ACTUALLY HAPPENING.
okay. that’s all.
i read this on my kindle. this is important to understand, because when i say i just kept tap, tap, tapping away, waiting for SOMETHING to happen that wasn’t *talk talk talk* *walk walk walk* *talk talk talk* *BORING BORING BORING* i mean it. i kept going, okay, SOON, something is going to happen that isn’t more talking and recapping and people being mad at sophie for no good reason. i was wrong.
this is 95% filler and 5% sokeefe.
and you know what, i could’ve accepted it.
except.
Except.
i think shannon literally doesn’t know how to write a good romance on purpose. because did anyone else feel like Keefe suddenly became a carbon copy of early-book versions of Fitz? as did Sophie’s actions around h? it can’t have been just me.
newsflash, when your audience tells you they like character B over character A, you don’t start writing character B exactly like character A. that’s not what your audience meant.
maybe i wouldn’t be so upset if it weren’t for the fact i have over 5 years of waiting and anticipation put into this. then again, maybe your book should be good enough it doesn’t matter how much anticipation and expectation i have, it surpasses it.
just a thought.
sorry, i’m not normally this negative. i really do love this series, it’s been a comfort to me for years. i just… ah
so, let’s get the positives out of the way: after 8.5 long, long, difficult books, SOKEEFE FINALLY MADE IT. IM SO HAPPY. IVE BEEN HERE SINCE THE START, AND ITS ACTUALLY HAPPENING.
okay. that’s all.
i read this on my kindle. this is important to understand, because when i say i just kept tap, tap, tapping away, waiting for SOMETHING to happen that wasn’t *talk talk talk* *walk walk walk* *talk talk talk* *BORING BORING BORING* i mean it. i kept going, okay, SOON, something is going to happen that isn’t more talking and recapping and people being mad at sophie for no good reason. i was wrong.
this is 95% filler and 5% sokeefe.
and you know what, i could’ve accepted it.
except.
Except.
i think shannon literally doesn’t know how to write a good romance on purpose. because did anyone else feel like Keefe suddenly became a carbon copy of early-book versions of Fitz? as did Sophie’s actions around h? it can’t have been just me.
newsflash, when your audience tells you they like character B over character A, you don’t start writing character B exactly like character A. that’s not what your audience meant.
maybe i wouldn’t be so upset if it weren’t for the fact i have over 5 years of waiting and anticipation put into this. then again, maybe your book should be good enough it doesn’t matter how much anticipation and expectation i have, it surpasses it.
just a thought.
sorry, i’m not normally this negative. i really do love this series, it’s been a comfort to me for years. i just… ah
sofia19_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
runawayalaska's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Mrs. Messenger, please let us have an ending soon.
petra_bpm's review against another edition
3.0
3.3/5 | The devil works hard, but Ro works harder.
She is captain of Team SoKeefe and her efforts, even moreso than the namesake, have truly been Valiant. A round of applause for our strongest soldier!
I am upset with this book. It left me no choice but to race through it so I could see my boy Keefe again, I experience a moment of pure elation at his presence, I blink..... and suddenly the book is over and I am waiting for yet another year.
P L O T
Okay, we learned a lot. But not much actually happened.
There was a fuck tonne of dialogue - entailing a lot of answers (good!) and a LOT of squabbling (bad). No action till the very last chapter, though. This book gives calm before the storm vibes - very much a stand still as [b:Flashback|32762937|Flashback (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #7)|Shannon Messenger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1520545883l/32762937._SY75_.jpg|53353040] was (though, mind you, nowhere near as insufferably boring as that was) to prepare us for the action-packed masterpiece that was [b:Legacy|44150974|Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #8)|Shannon Messenger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1557767041l/44150974._SY75_.jpg|62455294]. I am in good spirits for Book 10!
“Let me guess. Captain Mopeypants told you he’s running away forever, and you’ve dragged Giganator here on a quest to save our reckless boy from his terrible life choices.”
Is what I wish the plot would have been. How cool would it have been to have Sophie and the squad searching the Forbidden Cities for Keefe? So much shenanigans could have gone down as they tried to fit in to the human world! So many golden opportunities for characterisation! What a missed opportunity!
Instead, we spent a whole lot of time dwelling on lowkey irrelevant flashbacks and the doomed love of Kenric and Oralie which, initially, felt like a royal waste of print. However, while it definitely wasn't the most fascinating of subplots, I acknowledge the underlying commentary: they’re a perfect example of product of a flawed society. Not just that, but an immensely hypocritical one such as the Lost Cities. The earlier books in this series contained world-building that came off as so pompous and superior, and I enjoyed watching it being slowly torn down in the past couple books. It still could have been condensed though, to be honest.
C H A R A C T E R S
“I miss you. It’s better when you’re around.”
I could not agree MORE, Sophie. So why the hell was Keefe absent for a solid 85% of this book?! I suffer a two year drought only for it to become a THREE year drought?! I feel cheated, deceived, betrayed, double-crossed, hoodwinked, backstabbed—
Okay, no, for real. I understand. This book was essentially a character study of Sophie, focused entirely on her catching her breath amongst the chaos and unpacking her emotional turmoil. And Keefe’s absence gave her that much needed time to consult with herself and herself alone and, as much as it pained me to have them separated, it was the right thing to do for her character. I can appreciate her as an individual a lot more coming out of [b:Stellarlune|40219200|Stellarlune (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #9)|Shannon Messenger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1645031780l/40219200._SY75_.jpg|62455295] (cuz I won't lie - I wasn't exactly her biggest fan coming out of [b:Unlocked|51481198|Unlocked (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #8.5)|Shannon Messenger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594228033l/51481198._SY75_.jpg|76147960]).
While little happened in terms of plot progression, I feel a lot of characters grew a lot in this book. Sophie especially, but also Dex, Fitz and Ro (Keefe didn’t have to since he’s been immensely developed since his introduction in Book 1).
However!
That being said.
My point still stands that there are too many characters ‘of note’ in this series.
“So now they had Biana, Dex, Keefe, Tam, Linh, Marella, Maruca, Stina and Rayni all crammed into Solreef’s sitting room.
And their bodyguards.
And Tiergen and Prentice.”
Mind you Wylie was there too.
Like damn can I join the KOTLC cast?! I’d make a fine addition - you wouldn’t even notice I was there!
Seriously, sans Ro can we stop with the bodyguards? I understand why they’re there but can we stop trying to portray them as important and interesting characters because they just aren’t?
Truthfully, out of the main squad, the only characters I actively care for are Keefe, Sophie, Tam and Dex. The others? Fitz is fine - he’s a bit of a dickhead but at least he’s relevant and interesting (and I understood a lot of his emotions this time; I feel they were explained well). Marella gets a pass because I see her relevance in the future around Fintan and Pyrokinetic commentary. But the others? Someone please tell me in what conceivable way have Biana, Maruca, Linh or Stina contributed anything significant to the plot in the last three books. And while Wylie had his importance in the earlier books, how is he useful in any way that warrants being part of the main group? I wish I’d be given a reason to care about them—I feel bad for them, to be honest. While Shannon does an exceptional job with characters like Keefe and Sophie and well with Tam, Dex and Fitz, these other characters feel like empty shells that I lowkey want to step on (lmao okay maybe that's harsh).
Hell, I’d choose Ro, Grady and Edaline over them any day, and they’re just the help!
(kidding - I do love those three lots)
Perhaps I’m being harsh. During my reread I’d only managed to get to the first 5 books - perhaps I should read books 6-8 again before I make a definitive ranking of the most irrelevant characters (look forward to that ;) ).
R E L A T I O N S H I P S
"And then she was falling back and back and back, into . . .
. . . a pair of strong arms.
"Easy there, Foster."
AS IF HE'S ALWAYS THERE TO CATCH HER WHEN SHE FALLS.
Honestly, the whole of Chapter Twenty-Three felt like being doused in holy water. After 9 books (yes, I do count Book 8.5 and the first half of Stellarlune) of Keefe fawning over Sophie, Sophie finally EXPLICITLY reciprocates his feelings. She UNDERSTANDS.
And Chapter 42. It's happened, friends. It's finally happened. I should be screaming, crying, throwing up but I just feel a tired triumph. A subdued victory. We've waited so damn long that it feels difficult to acknowledge it ACTUALLY HAPPENED. Because this was inevitable (but oh so looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong overdue), I am more than anything RELIEVED that we have a whole book of canon SoKeefe ahead of us! THE HYPE IS REAL.
Last book, I dared to question if Sophie deserved to be with Keefe after everything that he'd endured for her. I was starting to ship it moreso just because Sophie was what made Keefe happy and I desperately wanted Keefe to be happy. But after reading Stellarlune, there is no doubt in my mind that they deserve to be together. The way she fought for him against those who questioned his worth of protection, the way his safety was her top priority and motivation to keep going? I cannot wait for them to join as a Kickass Blond Power Couple next book!
“Fitzphie?” Tiergen asked, then shook his head. “Never mind, I don’t want to know.”
Same, Tiergen, same. But you know what? I was all set to agonise over the latest Cognate extravaganza—the dreaded Inquisition™️—but I was mistaken! Instead of having to sit through yet another round of Sophie getting her feelings confused over staring at a goddamn pair of teal eyes, that Inquisition nonsense allowed (forced) Sophie and Fitz to have such open and mature exchanges. Their friendship, although now hopelessly complicated, finally feels open and honest. I’m happy for them. They will move past this one day to become a badass pair of Cognates!
Since [b:Unlocked|51481198|Unlocked (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #8.5)|Shannon Messenger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594228033l/51481198._SY75_.jpg|76147960], Ro has taken up this new habit of referring to Keefe as “my boy” and I wish to die. Ro is so damn loyal to her charge and their friendship, despite the constant biological warfare, is honestly so wholesome. I am so glad Keefe has Ro who, since her introduction, has always been there for him no matter what.
Speaking of Keefe dynamics that make me want to die:
“So that’s what a mom is supposed to sound like. Good to know."
Edaline hugged him even tighter.”
It’s fine. I didn’t need my heart anyway. Not Grady and Edaline adopting Keefe. It's fine. I'm FINE. I need need NEED (a doctor) an insight into his training sessions with Grady!
"Linh reached across the table and took her brother's hand. Apparently the threat of a deadly troll attack was what she'd needed to finally make peace."
Yeah, what was up with that? I don't vibe with Glimmer at all either, but Linh seemed to be taking it all out on Tam? They're one of my favourite dynamics in the series but she treated him with such unnecessary hostility throughout this book? While I'm glad it gave Linh more of a presence, it didn't really fit with her established characteristics or her relationship with her twin, nor was it rational.
“She just hoped his dimples would always be there when he smiled—and that she’d get to see that smile more often.”
Someone protect Dex and Sophie’s precious friendship at all costs. So gloriously uncomplicated! Bestie goals.
… …
As Grady so advised Keefe, I give myself permission to struggle.
I could die
I could scream
I could cry~
She is captain of Team SoKeefe and her efforts, even moreso than the namesake, have truly been Valiant. A round of applause for our strongest soldier!
I am upset with this book. It left me no choice but to race through it so I could see my boy Keefe again, I experience a moment of pure elation at his presence, I blink..... and suddenly the book is over and I am waiting for yet another year.
P L O T
Okay, we learned a lot. But not much actually happened.
There was a fuck tonne of dialogue - entailing a lot of answers (good!) and a LOT of squabbling (bad). No action till the very last chapter, though. This book gives calm before the storm vibes - very much a stand still as [b:Flashback|32762937|Flashback (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #7)|Shannon Messenger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1520545883l/32762937._SY75_.jpg|53353040] was (though, mind you, nowhere near as insufferably boring as that was) to prepare us for the action-packed masterpiece that was [b:Legacy|44150974|Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #8)|Shannon Messenger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1557767041l/44150974._SY75_.jpg|62455294]. I am in good spirits for Book 10!
“Let me guess. Captain Mopeypants told you he’s running away forever, and you’ve dragged Giganator here on a quest to save our reckless boy from his terrible life choices.”
Is what I wish the plot would have been. How cool would it have been to have Sophie and the squad searching the Forbidden Cities for Keefe? So much shenanigans could have gone down as they tried to fit in to the human world! So many golden opportunities for characterisation! What a missed opportunity!
Instead, we spent a whole lot of time dwelling on lowkey irrelevant flashbacks and the doomed love of Kenric and Oralie which, initially, felt like a royal waste of print. However, while it definitely wasn't the most fascinating of subplots, I acknowledge the underlying commentary: they’re a perfect example of product of a flawed society. Not just that, but an immensely hypocritical one such as the Lost Cities. The earlier books in this series contained world-building that came off as so pompous and superior, and I enjoyed watching it being slowly torn down in the past couple books. It still could have been condensed though, to be honest.
C H A R A C T E R S
“I miss you. It’s better when you’re around.”
I could not agree MORE, Sophie. So why the hell was Keefe absent for a solid 85% of this book?! I suffer a two year drought only for it to become a THREE year drought?! I feel cheated, deceived, betrayed, double-crossed, hoodwinked, backstabbed—
Okay, no, for real. I understand. This book was essentially a character study of Sophie, focused entirely on her catching her breath amongst the chaos and unpacking her emotional turmoil. And Keefe’s absence gave her that much needed time to consult with herself and herself alone and, as much as it pained me to have them separated, it was the right thing to do for her character. I can appreciate her as an individual a lot more coming out of [b:Stellarlune|40219200|Stellarlune (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #9)|Shannon Messenger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1645031780l/40219200._SY75_.jpg|62455295] (cuz I won't lie - I wasn't exactly her biggest fan coming out of [b:Unlocked|51481198|Unlocked (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #8.5)|Shannon Messenger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594228033l/51481198._SY75_.jpg|76147960]).
While little happened in terms of plot progression, I feel a lot of characters grew a lot in this book. Sophie especially, but also Dex, Fitz and Ro (Keefe didn’t have to since he’s been immensely developed since his introduction in Book 1).
However!
That being said.
My point still stands that there are too many characters ‘of note’ in this series.
“So now they had Biana, Dex, Keefe, Tam, Linh, Marella, Maruca, Stina and Rayni all crammed into Solreef’s sitting room.
And their bodyguards.
And Tiergen and Prentice.”
Mind you Wylie was there too.
Like damn can I join the KOTLC cast?! I’d make a fine addition - you wouldn’t even notice I was there!
Seriously, sans Ro can we stop with the bodyguards? I understand why they’re there but can we stop trying to portray them as important and interesting characters because they just aren’t?
Truthfully, out of the main squad, the only characters I actively care for are Keefe, Sophie, Tam and Dex. The others? Fitz is fine - he’s a bit of a dickhead but at least he’s relevant and interesting (and I understood a lot of his emotions this time; I feel they were explained well). Marella gets a pass because I see her relevance in the future around Fintan and Pyrokinetic commentary. But the others? Someone please tell me in what conceivable way have Biana, Maruca, Linh or Stina contributed anything significant to the plot in the last three books. And while Wylie had his importance in the earlier books, how is he useful in any way that warrants being part of the main group? I wish I’d be given a reason to care about them—I feel bad for them, to be honest. While Shannon does an exceptional job with characters like Keefe and Sophie and well with Tam, Dex and Fitz, these other characters feel like empty shells that I lowkey want to step on (lmao okay maybe that's harsh).
Hell, I’d choose Ro, Grady and Edaline over them any day, and they’re just the help!
(kidding - I do love those three lots)
Perhaps I’m being harsh. During my reread I’d only managed to get to the first 5 books - perhaps I should read books 6-8 again before I make a definitive ranking of the most irrelevant characters (look forward to that ;) ).
R E L A T I O N S H I P S
"And then she was falling back and back and back, into . . .
. . . a pair of strong arms.
"Easy there, Foster."
AS IF HE'S ALWAYS THERE TO CATCH HER WHEN SHE FALLS.
Honestly, the whole of Chapter Twenty-Three felt like being doused in holy water. After 9 books (yes, I do count Book 8.5 and the first half of Stellarlune) of Keefe fawning over Sophie, Sophie finally EXPLICITLY reciprocates his feelings. She UNDERSTANDS.
And Chapter 42. It's happened, friends. It's finally happened. I should be screaming, crying, throwing up but I just feel a tired triumph. A subdued victory. We've waited so damn long that it feels difficult to acknowledge it ACTUALLY HAPPENED. Because this was inevitable (but oh so looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong overdue), I am more than anything RELIEVED that we have a whole book of canon SoKeefe ahead of us! THE HYPE IS REAL.
Last book, I dared to question if Sophie deserved to be with Keefe after everything that he'd endured for her. I was starting to ship it moreso just because Sophie was what made Keefe happy and I desperately wanted Keefe to be happy. But after reading Stellarlune, there is no doubt in my mind that they deserve to be together. The way she fought for him against those who questioned his worth of protection, the way his safety was her top priority and motivation to keep going? I cannot wait for them to join as a Kickass Blond Power Couple next book!
“Fitzphie?” Tiergen asked, then shook his head. “Never mind, I don’t want to know.”
Same, Tiergen, same. But you know what? I was all set to agonise over the latest Cognate extravaganza—the dreaded Inquisition™️—but I was mistaken! Instead of having to sit through yet another round of Sophie getting her feelings confused over staring at a goddamn pair of teal eyes, that Inquisition nonsense allowed (forced) Sophie and Fitz to have such open and mature exchanges. Their friendship, although now hopelessly complicated, finally feels open and honest. I’m happy for them. They will move past this one day to become a badass pair of Cognates!
Since [b:Unlocked|51481198|Unlocked (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #8.5)|Shannon Messenger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594228033l/51481198._SY75_.jpg|76147960], Ro has taken up this new habit of referring to Keefe as “my boy” and I wish to die. Ro is so damn loyal to her charge and their friendship, despite the constant biological warfare, is honestly so wholesome. I am so glad Keefe has Ro who, since her introduction, has always been there for him no matter what.
Speaking of Keefe dynamics that make me want to die:
“So that’s what a mom is supposed to sound like. Good to know."
Edaline hugged him even tighter.”
It’s fine. I didn’t need my heart anyway. Not Grady and Edaline adopting Keefe. It's fine. I'm FINE. I need need NEED (a doctor) an insight into his training sessions with Grady!
"Linh reached across the table and took her brother's hand. Apparently the threat of a deadly troll attack was what she'd needed to finally make peace."
Yeah, what was up with that? I don't vibe with Glimmer at all either, but Linh seemed to be taking it all out on Tam? They're one of my favourite dynamics in the series but she treated him with such unnecessary hostility throughout this book? While I'm glad it gave Linh more of a presence, it didn't really fit with her established characteristics or her relationship with her twin, nor was it rational.
“She just hoped his dimples would always be there when he smiled—and that she’d get to see that smile more often.”
Someone protect Dex and Sophie’s precious friendship at all costs. So gloriously uncomplicated! Bestie goals.
… …
As Grady so advised Keefe, I give myself permission to struggle.
I could die
I could scream
I could cry~
samiilg's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
lady_bookish's review against another edition
5.0
YOU CAN'T DO THIS SHANNON MESSENGER! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME HANGING FOR YEARS!! JUST WHY? WHY? WHY????
Now that's taken care of, I LOVE KOTLC SO MUCH!! OMG!!! CHAPTER 42!!! TEAM FOSTER-KEEFE!! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!
Now that's taken care of, I LOVE KOTLC SO MUCH!! OMG!!! CHAPTER 42!!! TEAM FOSTER-KEEFE!! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!