Keeper of the Lost Cities is an absorbing, read which has a richly imagined world, an intriguing plot full of complexity and twists, and a wonderful cast of characters.
Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster is unpopular with her peers, is a child prodigy and has the ability to hear the thoughts of those around her, all of which make her life difficult. However, her life is changed forever when she meets Fitz who takes her to one of the Lost Cities where she makes the life-changing discovery that she is not human. She is an elf who has been brought up by a human family in one of the Forbidden Cities, but why has she now attracted the interest of the elves … and why are white fires burning in her City?
So begins her incredible journey … a journey into discovering more about herself and her amazing abilities; into finding true friends and a new family; and, into danger, intrigue and heartache. It was just wonderful to follow Sophie into her new life …
She is tested before an Elven Council, and qualifies to go to the prestigious Foxfire Academy where her rare telepathic ability can be nurtured, but must also be kept hidden from all but a few. Once there, she makes some wonderful new friends – Fitz, Dax, Marella, Biana and Keefe - who are ready to support, tease and welcome her – even if there is some friction between them! Despite where the friendships start and any difficulties and awkwardness within them, when it matters, they are all there for Sophie.
Sophie soon finds herself in the heart of an intrigue as she discovers that she has hidden memories, that secrets are being kept from her and that she may unwillingly be involved in a conspiracy between rival elven factions: a conspiracy that makes her break the law, seek out secrets, find her strengths and puts her life in danger as she fights to help the family she has lost.
This is the first book in the series and is just perfect for older middle-grade readers.

This book was an absolute delight and is perfect for anyone who is looking to scratch the Harry Potter/magical world itch. It tells the story of Sophie, a 12 year old girl who has never really fit in, with her peers or her family. The reason becomes clear when she meets Fitz at a museum and is transported to the Lost Cities - the realm of the Elves, where she really belongs.

The Positives: The world building is fantastic, without ever being too info-dumpy. Following Sophie, as an outsider in a magical realm, allows for the reader to discover things at the same time as the protagonist, which works really well. I loved Sophie as a character. She is vulnerable and emotionally mature while very much still a 12 year old girl and her reactions to things seem authentic and believable. I also really enjoyed the friend group dynamics we get in her class. The school setting cannot help but prompt comparisons to Harry Potter, but Foxfire is a school all of its own, with its own wonderful and magical classes. There is a lot of intrigue here, with conspiracies and kidnappings and rebellions, but there is also a lot of discussion about the importance of family, and what family actually means, which was very welcome.

The Negatives: Although it was necessary for the plot, there were a lot of instances where vital information was withheld from Sophie, or Alden, which was a little bit frustrating for me. There were also a couple of instances where the book (which clocks in at 512 pages) felt a little bit long and could have been streamlined slightly.

Overall, I found this to be an immensely enjoyable read and will definitely continue on in the series. This will work for anyone who loves a magical, fish out of water story!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Do you see the sticker on the cover that says “Perfect for the fans of Harry Potter”? Well, that’s one of those stickers that are actually true! This book is perfect not only for the fans of Harry Potter, but it’s also perfect for everyone who is looking for:
- a new magical world,
- school setting,
- classes in magical subjects, and stressful exam time,
- friendship, and
- a lot of mysterious things (that we aren’t allowed to know until the later books in the series!).

I’m completely smitten with Sophie and her group of friends, and I hope that every single one of you also picks up this book sometime in the future!

«Keeper of the Lost Cities» reminded me just how much I love reading about magical schools! And it’s not only the premise, I also love the mundane, day-to-day things - from getting up to studying and attempting not to fail exams. Sophie discovers her heritage when she is already twelve years old, which means that those 12 years that she could have spent in the magical world, she spent with humans, learning things that are useless (and at times completely wrong!).

Even though I’m much closer to my 30s than to my early teens, when I was reading this book I felt the same tug that I used to feel when reading Harry Potter - the wish to be a kid again, to find out that I actually belong in another world and study in a magical school.

Now that I keep mentioning Harry Potter, I just have to say that «Keeper of the Lost Cities» does have a similar structure to Harry Potter books. The first book began early into the second year at Foxfire academy and ended with the summer holidays. Our main heroine, Sophie, only found out about her real heritage when she was 12. The mysteries unravel during the school year, just like in HP.

Besides the nostalgia, reading «Keeper of the Lost Cities» brought me so much joy!

I’m very excited to discover more details about this world. Shannon Messenger is an amazing writer. Her stories flow so well, and little details that she adds helpt to build a vaster, more interesting world. The first book left a lot of unanswered questions, many different ways the plot could explore, and introduced us to a very large cast of characters. There are a lot of things to learn still, and I’m planning to read «Exile», the second book in this series, in March.

I loved this book!
I really wish i had had it when i was a child as its exactly the right sort of adventure i would have wanted to go on back then.
The characters are amazing and i cannot wait to pick up the rest of this series.

A fun, fast-paced children's book.
I think I'd have enjoyed this more had I read it when I was the intended age - although I often enjoy children's books as an adult, sometimes they read a bit too young for me and this is the case here.
The beginning is definitely the weakest part- there seems to be a desperate rush to get the character out of their starting place and into the magical new world and adventure. The main character, Sophie, finds out she's not human but an elf and must leave her family behind. This is obviously upsetting and she spends a large part of the story worrying about them, but she's whisked away from them so quickly at the start that it's difficult to care much about that particular plot point.
The rest of the book improves with lots of fun, interesting characters to get to know, strange magical creatures and different types of magic to learn at Sophie's new school for elves.
There's a mystery that needs to be solved, although this is clearly and ongoing plot thread for later books to properly resolve. Also, there's lots of scope for the story to develop more depth later on.
Despite the fairly long page count, it was a quick, easy and engaging read. Perfect for ages 8+ and fun enough for less keen readers to enjoy as well.

I really dont even know where to start. This story was beautiful. The relationships in this book are just amazing. Family and friendship in my opinion is central to this entire story.

The story is heartbreaking in places and I was in tears but throughout the whole thing there was always a sense of hope.

I loved every character. Sophie, Fitz, DeX, Keefe, Biana, Grady, Edaline, Alden, Della, Biana, Elwin and Tiergan. I'm sure I'm missing loads but I really felt an emotional connection to them all.

I understand people saying you will like this if you liked Harry Potter but to me this stands on it's own. I would go so far as to say for an opening book to a series this is superior to Harry Potter. I cannot wait to carry on with the series and think Shannon Messenger has just become a favourite author!

I cant recommend this more and hope it does well for its release in the UK. I promise you wont regret giving this a try.