This month I read Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger. This is the 10th book in the published series, but is called the 9th book, because there is a book called 8.5, where half of the book is extras, like recipes and secret files, and the other half is the novel. In the 9th KOTLC, Keefe has just run away from the Lost Cities, trying to protect others from the powers his mom infused into him. Sophie and her friends decide that Keefe knows what’s good for him, and focus their attention on other matters. Sophie and Dex work with Oralie to open caches, and when they finally do, they don’t gain much information. They need more information, and with a single puzzle piece more, they finally travel to the elusive Elysian, the land between five rivers, to find out that Elysian might not be a place at all.
If that made you feel suspenseful, it made me mad too, because that’s when the book ended! My favorite character is Glimmer/Rayni (Glimmer is the name given to her by the enemy organization, the Neverseen.) She has good instincts and a good sense of sarcasm and brutal honesty. My favorite quote from Glimmer is “If you break my cat statue, I’m going to be super mad!” This is my favorite quote because even though she’s basically being held prisoner at this point in the story, she still wants to demand that her belongings shouldn’t be touched, and also its funny.
My favorite quote in this book is “No, I mean it. You balance each other. He helps you lighten up, and you help him focus. He boosts your confidence, and you keep his ego in check. You both dive headfirst into danger, but somehow you’re able to help each other play it a little smarter. And you both act more like yourselves when you’re together.” This quote really hits Sophie hard that she and Keefe might actually fit more together than she and Fitz did, boosting her to the moment towards the end of the book when action between them happens.
