Middle Grade Review: Unraveled

While his friends faced their own challenges in Stellarlune, Keefe was in the human world. Where did he go, who did he see…and what shocking secrets were revealed to him? - Summary from the publisher

My Thoughts: This book takes place after the last book - but it's from Keefe's point of view during his time in the human world. I like how he struggled with human moments that are different than what elves do. Lord HunkyHair is one of my favorite characters - because of his humor and wit. There are lots of secrets that's required to keep. I loved the ending and I'm eagerly awaiting for the next installment. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: Book sent for review

Library Recommendation: A must have series for your school and public libraries. 

5 Things: Stellarlune

 

It's hard to talk about this one without spoilers, so I made a Five Things Post

Already looking forward to the next book in the series. 

Review: Legacy

* Book 8 in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series *

In order to secure her future, Sophie wants answers. But the answers she desires are not forthcoming. Even though they would make her life much much easier; the same answers would hurt someone else's life.

Sophie gains new responsibilities and is placed into a leadership position - a position she was born to run. But still the Neverseen seem three steps in front of them. Maybe they can anticipate the next move - with the help of some friends.

Every clue and memory makes them question the past, the present, and the future.

 My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book - and that cliffhanger! I liked meeting new characters and visiting with old friends. The responsibility is crushing and it makes my heart ache for these friends. As usual, I love the friendship and the banter. So looking forward to reading what happens next!

Cover Thoughts: Awesome
Source: My library
Library Recommendation: This is a must have series for your school and public libraries.

Review: Flashback

* Book 7 in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series *

Sophie gets herself into trouble - which lands her and Fitz in the hospital for weeks. Sophie's fed up always playing Defense and always being several steps behind the Neverseen. She wants to train a soon as she's able to. She wants to go on the offensive and earn a victory...or two.

My Thoughts: I fell behind in this series, but I'm determined to catch up before November. I loved Sophie's determination to start thinking outside the box and not to always be on the defensive. Of course, I loved the moments of friendship and catching up with favorite characters. I love how everyone is coming together to fight the common enemy. I really enjoyed Ro and Keefe's banter. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Cover Thoughts: Love the throwing star
Source: Purchased at a book event (Signed)
Library Recommendation: This book series is a must have for school and public libraries.

Blog Tour: Legacy

I am super excited to be hosting a stop on the blog tour for LEGACY by Shannon Messenger! I love this series and if you haven't read it yet, you're in luck. Check out the giveaway below.

About the Book:

Title: LEGACY (Keeper of the Lost Cities #8)

Author: Shannon Messenger

Pub. Date: November 5, 2019

Publisher: Aladdin

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 816

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B and N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

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.

Only this first edition includes an exclusive extra scene from Tam’s point of view as well as beautiful illustrated endpapers from Shannon Messenger.

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. 

The series:

My Thoughts:

I've loved this series since reading an ARC of the first book, Keeper of the Lost Cities. Check out my previous reviews. It's a series that I love recommending to middle grade readers. And I love it when they come back and ask for the next book in the series. It's addictive!

I was lucky enough to meet Shannon during her last book tour. She's super sweet.

About Shannon:

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’s studied art, screenwriting, and film production, but realized her real passion was writing stories for children. She’s the 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 series for young adults. Her books have been featured on multiple state reading lists, published in numerous countries, and translated into many different languages. She lives in Southern California with an embarrassing number of cats. Visit her online at shannonmessenger.com and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @sw_messenger and on Facebook @KepperOfTheLostCities.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads

 Follow the Tour:

11/11/2019	The Book Tower	Spotlight
11/12/2019	Lisa-Queen of Random	Spotlight
11/13/2019	Character Madness and Musings	Spotlight
11/14/2019	Sometimes Leelynn Reads	Spotlight
11/15/2019	YA Book Nerd	Spotlight

Giveaway Details:

4 winners will receive FULL hardcover sets of THE KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES Series, US only.

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Review: Nightfall

* Book 6 in the Keeper of the Lost City series *

Sophie's parents have been taken, but her sister remains behind as she was able to stay hidden from the elves. Now Sophie's ready to do whatever it takes to rescue them - even if it means joining forces with their enemies. With so many questions to answer, Sophie's frustration grows as time ticks away. Luckily, she has more than enough to occupy her time, but time for her parents is running out....

My Thoughts: Oh my god, I Love this series! I love the friendships, the action, the danger, the banter between the characters, learning more and more about the elvin world, and Sophie's sister.  Another magical chapter in this series. And of course that makes me need to next book ASAP!

Cover thoughts: Love it - captures the moment in the book
Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: If this series isn't in your school and public libraries - what are you waiting for? Get it now!

Tween Tuesday Review: Lodestar

 * Book 5 in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series *

Sophie and her friends might have saved the battle from being fought, but the war isn't over yet. Plus now the elves have split down the middle and the ones Sophie loves are in danger. Once again, it's time for action.

The Good:
The plot twists
The action and the danger
The friendships
The possible romance
The betrayals
Learning more about this world.

The Bad:
That ending! (It was a good ending but a huge cliffhanger)
And waiting until the next book.

Final Thoughts: Rush to the library if you haven't read this series yet, it's amazing!
Cover Thoughts: Love it!
Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: This series is a Must Have for public and school libraries.

Review: Neverseen

 * Book 4 in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series *

With her world in upheaval, Sophie and her friends chose to leave home to finally figure out some answers. As they start to settle into their new lives, bigger problems come into light.

Their world is in grave danger and the secrets they uncover leave them questioning who to trust. One wrong step could bring the destruction of everything they know.

But Sophie and her friends aren't about to back down.

My Thoughts: God I LOVE this series. I love how Sophie and her friends taken matters into their own hands. I love how they stick together and leave no one behind. I like how each of them has their own set of talents and contributes to the cause. 

I love their out of the box thinking. And the crazy plans they make that no one would ever really imagine working, but somehow they work.

I really like their new friends from the alternative school and how that school changed in during the book. 

I love the relationships, the plot twists, the danger, the action, and how one wrong move could change everything.

My mind reels at the betrayal! Plus that ending threw me for a loop, and I hope it all works out the way I think it might. I simply can't wait for the next book in the series. 

Cover Thoughts:
Source: My Library

Final Thoughts: If you're a fantasy fan, get these books immediately.

Tween Tuesday Review: Everblaze

* Book 3 in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series *

Sophie's tired of not knowing what's going on. She wants answers and she's not afraid to start looking for them.

She starts digging into clues and information that no one else seems to care about. When Sophie's ordered to perform a questionable task, it divides the elvish population. Everyone starts talking about her powers and her lack of both knowledge and control.

Then two disasters change everything - including Sophie's position in the elvish world and the way she sees her powers.

My Thoughts: I love this series - it's SO good. I love the action, the friendships, the loyalty, and learning more about Sophie's new world. 

Sophie's an amazingly strong character - she cares about people deeply, she cares about doing the right thing, and she cares about knowledge. She has amazing gifts that help her uncover the truths about her world, clues that other people aren't taking seriously. More than anything, she wants t take back control over her life and not let others use her.

Her band of friends are also smart, strong, loyal, curious, and not ready to back down from a fight. Together they ask questions that no one wants to answer or think about.

The truth isn't always pretty or clean or what you thought it was going to be. But Sophie and her friends don't back down. I loved the ending to this installment of the series, even though I wanted the next book in my hands immediately. 

Cover Thoughts: Love
Source: My Library

Final Thoughts: If you haven't read this fantasy series yet - get yourself to the library or bookstore - it's SUPER good!

Tween Tuesday Review: Exile

*Sequel to Keeper of the Lost Cities* 

Sophie's talents lead her to find an Alicorn - a winged unicorn. It's the first female of this kind in years. The council's happy to have the Alicorn, but some of the members don't want Sophie training her. They see the creature as a symbol of peace and hope for the future.

Sophie and the Alicorn have bonded, and parting them would be havoc to the unicorn. For now, Sophie's allowed to train her. 

She's worried when she finds clues from the Black Swan near the Alicorn's pen. First she has a bodyguard that follows her everywhere, but now she has to deal with the Black Swan. She knows they rescued her from the kidnappers, but why are they still so mysterious. 

When she tries talking about it with Grady, he shares his insight to the group. It's not what Sophie expected at all. She doesn't want to let Grady down, but she can't stop thinking about the Black Swan. When an accident occurs, she thinks her stolen memories might be a way to save someone. 

Sophie actively searches for the Black Swan, hoping to find answers about herself, her past, and her future. 

My Thoughts: I really liked the sequel - it's full of intrigue, danger, and runs high on emotions. I love Sophie's curious nature and how she wants to help those she cares about. She deals with some tough issues in this book, but they do make her stronger. I like watching her uncover more about her past which helps her understand her future. I'm looking forward to finding out more about the Black Swan and Sophie's powers.

Cover Thoughts: Love it!
Source: My Library;

Keeper of the Lost Cities Blog Tour

Sophie's not normal. She doesn't belong in her family, she hears thoughts of everyone, and her photographic memory combined with her natural intelligence makes her stand out. She's a child prodigy (12) who will attending college next fall. During a field trip to a museum, she meets a boy. He's just like her -a Telepath. He's as surprised as she is, until he realizes that she's the girl he's been searching for.

He shares a bombshell with her, neither of them are human. Sophie's an elf, living in a human world. Fitz takes her to see their world. When Fitz shows up the next day, he's there to take her back to the city for testing. The powers that be don't believe that her abilities are possible. They're dumbfounded to witness them. They know one thing - she needs to learn control over her powers and to see how deep they reach.

Sophie must leave her world behind. She has just enough time to say goodbye to her family before she agrees to this upheaval. She must navigate through school, keeping her powers a secret from her new friends. She must learn to forget her previous life including her family. Most of all, Sophie's told not to think about humans. How can she help it when fires are burning brightly through cities. Sophie knows those fires aren't natural. How can she prove that they're magical if she's not allowed to ask questions? The answers she discovers bring up more questions. Is it possible that the fires are someone connected to her secret past?

My Thoughts: As I started reading this book. I was soon hooked, although the discovery of being an elf threw me for a loop too.  I quickly devoured this book. I loved uncovering Sophie's secrets along with her. I found her new world fascinating and liked finding out it's quirks. I liked the jumping. I enjoyed inventiveness of the lockers and how they opened.  I grew frustrated along with Sophie at the lack of answers and how the simplest question only seem to bring up more answers. It made me want to read faster to uncover the truth.
I enjoyed her interactions with her new friends, especially Dex. The moments between Sophie and her new foster parents were bittersweet, heart wrenching, and charming. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. Keeper of the Lost Cities is a magnificent fantasy debut novel that I know patrons at my library will gobble up as fast as I hand it to them.

Cover Thoughts: Great cover - it drew me in right away
Source: BEA

By: Shannon Messenger

Published by: Simon & Schuster

To Be Released on: October 2nd, 2012

Purchase from:

• Simon & Schuster 
• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Books-A-Million
• Indiebound
• iTunes
• The Book Depository

About the Author:  SHANNON MESSENGER graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts where she learned that she liked watching movies much better than making them. She also regularly eats cupcakes for breakfast, sleeps with a bright blue stuffed elephant named Ella, and occasionally gets caught talking to imaginary people. So it was only natural for her to write stories for children. Keeper of the Lost Cities is her first middle grade novel. Let the Sky Fall, a young adult novel, will follow in Spring 2013. She lives in Southern California with her husband and an embarrassing number of cats.

Follow Shannon: Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Facebook | GoodReads | Pinterest

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