1.13k reviews for:

Neverseen

Shannon Messenger

4.42 AVERAGE

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
adventurous challenging emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

For me reading the Keeper of the Lost Cities back to back to back, Neverseen has been the slowest. Also, if Sophie ends up with Fitz rather than Keefe I'm going to lose my mind. I'm a 34 year old reading the series so I can tell the twists coming and saw the big betrayal from a mile away... But I like to imagine my 14 year old self gasping for air when a supposed friend turns to the dark side.

This is an excellent series that I want to hear more young adults talking about. Why is it flying under the radar?!

Omg 😭 Pourquoi cette fin ?

Ce tome est incroyable. Il se passe tellement de choses. On en apprend de plus en plus sur le Cygne Noir et sur les Invisibles, mĂȘme si de nombreux secrets demeurent. J'ai Ă©tĂ© contente de dĂ©couvrir Exilium et surtout de rencontrer deux de mes personnages prĂ©fĂ©rĂ©s : les jumeaux ! Les Ă©vĂ©nements de ce tome amĂšnent vraiment petit Ă  petit la rĂ©vĂ©lation finale. On peut suivre tout le processus qui amĂšne Ă  cette dĂ©cision.

C'est tellement un plaisir de retrouver ses personnages à chaque fois, d'en apprendre plus sur eux et de les voir évoluer. Keefe est particuliÚrement poignant dans ce tome. Il est touché par la trahison et a dû mal à passer outre. Il se referme peu à peu, il devient plus téméraire que jamais. Il m'a fait beaucoup de peine. J'apprécie le développement de Dex et Biana dans ce tome, ils sont plus présents et peuvent plus s'affirmer en tant que personnage.

Je trouve vraiment cette saga incroyable. Elle est soigneusement développée et elle aborde des thÚmes sérieux et profonds. Les personnages sont nuancés et évoluent au fur et à mesure de l'histoire. Elle est tellement plus élaborée que ce que l'on pourrait attendre d'une saga jeunesse.

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

4.5/5 | I want to scream, cry, rage and throw things all at once. Since I have been warned not to do any of those things, here’s an attempt at gathering my totally calm thoughts.

Before I get started, allow me to explain how it is times like this that I wish I was a more renown book reviewer so that I could preach my adoration for this relatively underrated series to a larger audience and help it gain the notoriety it truly deserves.

*sigh* I'll get there.


P L O T

This was the weak point (and I use weak in a very loose sense seeing as just about everything about this book was far from weak, I assure you).

I wish the adventures in Italy lasted longer because they were really fun! Seeing Sophie’s elvin buddies trying to blend in with humans was a comedy goldmine—from girls gawking at Fitz to Keefe discovering ice cream and Batman. I NEED them to spend more time in the human world! No, I do not care that the elves call them ‘the Forbidden Cities’ for a reason.

Sadly, majority of the book was spent in Alluveterre, which was kind of dull. All portions of the plot spent there were essentially one long training montage mostly focused on Sophie and Fitz’s outrageously quirky bestie bond. Not exciting stuff, I must admit.

I was in it more for the characters because, while we may have been suspended in one exceedingly drab setting over most of the course of [b:Neverseen|22733616|Neverseen (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #4)|Shannon Messenger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1422383369l/22733616._SX50_.jpg|42270645], I was off on a rollercoaster of character emotions so the setting didn’t bother me that much in the end.

HOWEVER, things got a little more spicy once reaching the dreaded Exillium! I much preferred that place to even Foxfire! It has to be revisited! It was not interchangeable for anywhere without the Council like Alluveterre was but was rather defined, captivating and so, so magical.

I cannot go into the few interesting plot developments because DUH SPOILERS! I will say, though, that it kind of sucks that I got spoiled about most of the twists (curse you, Pinterest, and my incessant craving to look up Keeper of the Lost Cities fan art!). I’m still a mess, but I would have been an utter WRECK if I hadn’t known said twists were coming! [a:Shannon Messenger|5265998|Shannon Messenger|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1353026719p2/5265998.jpg] sure knows how to deliver proper, brutal shock value.


C H A R A C T E R S

Sophie who? Fuck that; I’m starting with Keefe!

Keefe. Keefe, Keefe, Keefe. Keefe Sencen. Keefe Sencen, Keefe, Keefe, Keefe Sencen. Why am I crying by just typing his name out several times?

Seriously. I could write poetry about this dude.

I just... my heart is shattered. He goes through such a range of believable, truly conceivable emotions and that is what hurts most of all. It all feels so fucking REAL. Going into [b:Keeper of the Lost Cities|12842828|Keeper of the Lost Cities (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #1)|Shannon Messenger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1326469854l/12842828._SX50_.jpg|17993650], getting such a raw but somehow complex character out of the series was absolutely unfathomable to me. I could not have begun to guess at Keefe Sencen’s emotional journey and the fact that I am quite literally getting pretty damn emotional by just vaguely glossing over it, several days after finishing Neverseen, just goes to show how impactful his storyline is. And I have to praise Shannon Messenger’s writing here because it is one thing to have a brilliant character concept (as Keefe does) but it is quite another to execute it in such a sense where it is this ridiculously hard-hitting.

Keefe legitimately made the book for me. Without him, I honestly think this book would have been a 3 star read. Then again, I can’t even imagine this series without him.

(Gods, if I keep at this high as hell praise for this character every Keeper review, I am going to run out of coherent things to say.)

So Sophie. I love Sophie. While she may be a “Special Sophieflake”, as her ingenious human classmates put it (and I truly appreciate the self awareness there, Shannon XP), my List of Things Sophie Gets That No One Else Does Because She’s Special is SO MUCH SHORTER! It goes as follows:
Sophie can follow someone’s thoughts to their source, Sophie can age 9 months in a day, Sophie has 1711101927378911 powers.

But that’s it. I consider this massive progress.

In all seriousness, I can’t not adore her. She is so down to earth, so supportive, so selfless and just and grounded. Everything she does for all of her friends—especially Keefe—is just... so admirable. She is a truly lovable protagonist, even more so in a supporting role.

Fitz Vacker. The Gryffindor of Gryffindors. The Gryffindoriest of them all. I really don’t know what else to say. I’m trying to like him, I really am, but he’s so booooooooringgg. I know he’s got it in him! Just because Pyrokinetics are forbidden don’t mean Shannon gotta forbid Fitz from showing his own lil’ fire!

It’s official: Biana takes the title of most boring Vacker. That is quite an achievement considering her competition. The only remotely interesting Vacker is Alden and he just so happens to be the only member of the family that isn’t present in Neverseen.

I am impressed and frankly thrilled that Dex is still in the picture. If anything, I’m surprised! I really like him. I think it says a lot about Dex that he takes the time to learn underrated skills like advanced thermoregulation and holding your breath for extended periods of time. He’s genuinely really clever and works for his abilities rather than just having them handed over to him (cough Sophie cough cough). No shade.

The second most prominent source of my excitement: Tam and Linh. They have a fascinating backstory, really defined characteristics and AMAZING powers. Describing Linh as a fragile bird while her brother, Tam, is the prowling tiger is a perfect encapsulation of their characters and paints a striking contrast. These two could bring so much to the table!

Their look may just be the best thing about them because, first of all: Hello there, Representation! I was wondering where you went off to for a second! Of course, combined with their silvery-black-hair-twin-dynamic-anime-character-Kpop-star look, it’s a recipe for greatness!


R E L A T I O N S H I P S

So instead of a girl choosing between zoophilia and necrophilia (in infamous [b:Twilight|41865|Twilight (The Twilight Saga, #1)|Stephenie Meyer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1361039443l/41865._SY75_.jpg|3212258] fashion), we have the sweet love story of an adorable Hufflepuff breaking the hearts of millions of loyal readers (such as myself) by being into a Gryffindor and also a Slytherin. There is no Ravenclaw in the equation as their logical mind would be able to deduce in an instant that the Slytherin is the obvious choice.

Okay. No more stalling. This is serious. Let’s get to Sokeefe.

Sophie. And. Keefe. Are. O. T. P. The amount of moments they have in this book is fucking unreal and I cannot begin to comprehend how, exactly, one does not ship them.

“The sharpness in his tone made Sophie reach for his hand.
“I’m fine,” he promised. But he didn’t pull away.”


Keefe and Sophie ARE SO FUCKING CUTE. MY HEART MELTED WHEN HE WAS GRIEVING AND SHE WAS GOING OUT OF HER WAY TO MAKE HIM FEEL BETTER, IGNORING EVERYONE’S WARNINGS TO KEEP HER DISTANCE. SHE KEPT HER DISTANCE WHEN FITZ AND BIANA WERE GRIEVING IN BOOK 2 BUT SHE REFUSED TO LEAVE KEEFE ALONE. This girl treasures Keefe’s smiles and laughs and, Jesus Christ almighty, I completely understand why Keefe would have a thing for her. She’s the one that cheers him up but is also his shoulder to cry on.

They are made of comfort and loyalty. There is so much of it here and, once again, it hurts my heart because, on one hand, they are so perfect and cute and good for each other but, on the other hand, MY HEART, because the reason for this comfort is painful as fuck.

Sophie and Keefe are adorable, precious and perfect. They need each other. They are ALWAYS there for each other.

What a fucking OTP.



(Can you tell I’ve chosen a team?)

Okay, I realise I keep taking the piss out of Sophie and Fitz being pushed together for the plot, but I suppose I understand the general purpose? It’s just that her interactions with Keefe were all them; there were no other players obligating them to spend so much time together. Sophie and Fitz are... fine, but I don’t see the spark. They just don’t interest me.

Fitz and Keefe have absolutely zero chemistry. I actually can’t believe they’re best friends seeing as they never even talk. Dex and Keefe are a faaar superior combination, in my not so humble opinion. It’s great when they team up.

Tam and Linh’s relationship is amazing! Right from the get-go, I adored their twin dynamic! The edgy emo who hates everything but will literally do ANYTHING for his sweetheart sister. Also, I like that Tam wasn’t thrown by Sophie’s beauty or uniqueness or whatever. That alone is enough reason to respect him. No, Tam has eyes for Biana and THANK GOD FOR THAT. GOOD. FOR. THEM. Biana deserves more appreciation! She may not do anything but she’s got to have something going for her!

And why do I love that Fitz has a thing for Linh so much? See, Fitz, who knows he’s Mr Perfect, making goo-goo eyes at a humble, genuinely insecure girl who doesn’t know she’s breathtaking? I can ship that.

Biana’s crush on Keefe, once again, only got literally one sentence of mention. Why should Sophie feel bad about growing so close to Keefe when Biana doesn’t do anything to convey her feelings for him? More so, why doesn’t Biana do ANYTHING AT ALL? Ugh. It bothers me how useless she is.

... ...

The casual mention of ship names like Sokeefe, Fitzphie, Dophie, etc, elicited plenty of eye-rolls from me. These kinds of things shouldn’t be acknowledged in canon material! That’s a fandom thing, Shannon!

Neverseen is a Young Adult Portal Fantasy novel book 4 in the series.

Book Cover: 5* - And we are back with another amazing cover with a scene that definitely felt spot on hehe. Sophie, Keefe, and what I would assume is Biana on a bridge about to be engulfed by water. Yes the scene tuned out a lot more chaotic than you'd think haha! It's amazing, this book was gut punching and we are just gonna jump into this before I ramble.

Summary/Tagline: 5* - Alright we are 4 books in and as usual, yup! I'm still hooked and desperately needing to know what's going to happen next in this book. Game changing and world shattering miiiiight be an understatement haha . . . *goes to cry in a corner*

Characters: 5* - Oh MAN! We continue to follow Sophie only and the amount of gut punching, needing to hug every character, raging, and crying I've done was just astounding. We meet new characters and old ones have expanded, and even surprised the heck out of me and my husband. I'm not going to go into it because of spoilers, but I had a lot of crying moments and it will hurt . . . a lot. Enjoy!

World Building: 5* - Oh wow I was not expecting the world lore to expand in this book, but we were able to learn about the Orcs and their city, the gnomes and their history, and Exillium the school of banished kids. We even got to learn more about certain abilities too. It was both exciting, surprising, and sad to learn about the information given to us in this book, and I can't wait to see what we learn in the next book.

Story: 5* - Phew! Okay, so this book takes literally and hour after book 3, and I was mostly at the edge of my seat. My husband and I were doing a lot of theorizing while I was doing a lot of crying. I mean, it got so bad that my husband had to read for a chapter haha! I'm actually not going to explain much this time, because spoilers, I'm serious, but I need to hug Keefe like right now!

Over All: 5* - This book seriously punched in the gut and I wasn't expecting most of that! I really hope Sophie can figure out what to do next, because WOW! The Neverseen, the Black Swan, Sophie, Keefe, Fitz, Exillium, the Council, the gnomes, the tension. It was all crazy, exciting, and heart wrenching almost at the same time. Seriously, I need the next book like right freaking now!
adventurous emotional funny medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
adventurous challenging funny inspiring tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes