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2.3/5 | I feel like the novella and the book deserve different ratings.
The novella was a solid 3.5 because it was all about Keefe now that he is single-handedly carrying the entire series. It’s the rest of the book that I have issues with.
The best part 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] for sure HAS to be the Iggy colouring page! Or the pages usefully detailing each and every characters’ first line! Or the descriptions of Team Valiant’s fucking outfits! Let’s be real, though: the quiz that lets me know whether I should adopt a murcat or a gorgodon is for sure the coolest!
When [a:Shannon Messenger|5265998|Shannon Messenger|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1353026719p2/5265998.jpg] said on her Instagram that this book would be full of exclusive extra features, I didn’t think there’d be THIS much of it. I don’t understand why 70% of this 700 page book had to be about stuff every fan already knows? I don’t think it’s been so long since [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] that I need a fact file about every single character and a textbook of pre-established world building to catch me up.
Since the novella is literally tiny, let’s talk about the other 500+ pages of this book.
I’ll just quote Keefe:
”[AND DON’T TELL LORD BORINGPANTS I READ HIS DUMB BOOK! I MOSTLY SKIMMED.]”
The highlight of the first 300 pages was:
”Black clothes are my life.” -Tam Song
And maybe Keefe’s detention records.
All the art is generally really pretty. It always has been. If only the artist had remotely as pretty a personality.
P L O T
Well.
That was underwhelming.
I get that there needed to be some events that couldn’t be conveyed through Sophie’s point of view, but I wish more had been done with Keefe’s perspective? All that turmoil just for him to run away again? I just feel like we’ve been here before.
Grady sees him with a cobalt blue crystal which means Keefe’s gone to hide in the Forbidden Cities somewhere, and that is an interesting development, no doubt, but that will only pay off in Book 9. It doesn’t really affect [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], and the reasoning behind it is also kind of weak. What reasoning does Keefe have for leaving the Lost Cities? All he keeps saying is ‘I have to go’ which, in light of the fact that all these physicians, technopaths and mentors are willing to get his power under control, what could he possibly achieve alone in a Forbidden City that would be more effective? I get that he’s scared shitless and not thinking straight, but I feel like he should know better by now? Unless he has something up his sleeve that I’m overlooking...
Until I know for sure, this just seems like unnecessary drama shoehorned in to prolong the series. Hasn’t Keefe figured out by now that the best place he could be is by Sophie’s side? I feel like we’re going in circles, that we’ve just gotten [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] 2.0, but a watered down version.
I won’t lie. Keefe’s awakening, a moment that should have been monumental, was disappointing. That it happened so quickly and off-screen, that we didn’t explore his mental evolution while he was in the coma at all... The set up in [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] prevented the novella from being bad (in my opinion), but my grievances with it stem from the fact that it could have been so much better.
I also can’t bring myself to care that much about everything that happened in Sophie’s POV. Like, okay, it happened—she listened to an ex-Neverseen member and burned down a hideout full of critical plans like a bloody idiot in the interest of looking threatening. Yay! And what now? Sophie learned a valuable lesson to not be reckless?
I feel like we could have just condensed the Keefe chapters into another one of his short stories like the ones in [b:Nightfall|32762917|Nightfall (Keeper of the Lost Cities #6)|Shannon Messenger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1488996054l/32762917._SY75_.jpg|53353021] and [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] (both of which are amazing) and then stuck the Sophie POV into the beginning of Book 9.
However, Keefe’s power is really intriguing! Very mysterious, very scary. Like, what the fuck IS it? I really like the ambiguity that still surrounds it! It’s like a mutant Beguiler-Descryer-Mesmer-Empath-Polyglot thing. How do all these powers fit together? We learn so many crazy new things about his ability as we went and I’m thinking that’s mental and amazing, but where does it all converge? What do they all have in common? How does Gisela plan to use it?
Well, if there’s anything I learned from the first 500 pages of the textbook, specifically in Keefe’s art commentary, it’s that Keefe will always come back for Sophie... which is what makes Keefe’s departure that much more redundant.
I swear I’m not merely a Keefe fangirl, but I genuinely feel like he was the only notable character in this novella and had the only remotely interesting character interactions. Therefore, let’s alter the following title a bit:
K E E F E... AND HIS RELATIONSHIPS WITH EVERYONE
”He wasn’t ready to feel optimistic—not when his throat hurt from the words he’d choked back, and his stomach hurt from all the failed medicines, and his head hurt from the constant emotional overload, and his heart hurt worse than anything.”
I loved [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], but this really does give me [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] vibes. Namely, the quality of consistently reminding me that I’m only really reading this book for Keefe. I’m really happy I love him so much, but at this point I really wish I loved more than just him.
But I did like that we saw so many other sides to his character, and on a much deeper level, too. Up until now we have gotten subtle instances of his discomfort, but he was always able to mask it. In his perspective, despite his best efforts, he cannot hide it from the readers, and I found that super interesting.
We see his thought process as he goes through denial, his deflection mechanism (humour), him finally confronting the sick reality of his situation, and when confronted with these major developments, he’s terrified. He just stops talking and, for someone like Keefe who hardly ever shuts the fuck up, that’s so scary to me as someone who has seen him smile and joke through his turmoil since he was fourteen.
We also get to see a little bit of Keefe’s selfish side. Boy’s been through too much like, fuck, let him be a little selfish. For instance, when he says he’d never wish for two people special to him to be going through a rough patch, but that he’s not exactly sad that Sophitz didn’t work out. It’s nice to have someone to relate to on that note. :P
"You are?” a new voice interrupted.
A beautiful voice.
Keefe’s favourite voice—even when it was all squeaky with worry.”
Keefe’s blatant crush on Sophie is awesome. We finally get some outright romance instead of Sophie’s ambiguous thoughts.
UGH HIS LOVE FOR HER IS SO PURE.
It’s good to see Sophie blatantly longing for Keefe for once, even if it STILL isn’t romantically. I kind of wish Sophie would recognise how much Keefe loves her already, and that she’d realise just how much he sacrifices for her. And, you know, maybe realise that she’s clearly into him as well? Yes, she longs for his company in this novella, but it’s so brief it makes me wonder... Dare I say it? Does Sophie even deserve Keefe at this point?
I feel dirty for saying that. Don’t get me wrong: I am devoted to SoKeefe and have been since [b:Exile|13260670|Exile (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #2)|Shannon Messenger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1365178949l/13260670._SX50_.jpg|18462176], but if Sophie doesn’t start reciprocating at least some feelings soon then, I don’t know... I wish it’d be a little less one-sided. I can only wait so long for some kind of relationship progress (you’d think 8 books would be plenty of time).
Keefe not knowing how to handle everyone worrying over him because he was starved for affection for the first thirteen years of his life is killing me. Dex, Elwin, Kesler, Ro—all going out of their way to help him cope. As much as I fucking adore Sokeefe more than almost anything else in this universe, it’s so gratifying to see others care so dearly about him.
"...as the rest of him collapsed into Ro, clinging to her as hard as he could.
“Uh, I’m not much of a hugger,” Ro warned.
But she also twisted Keefe’s head so it rested on her shoulder, away from the spikes on her armour. And mixed with her surprise and awkwardness was a tangle of anger and concern so tightly woven together that they felt almost solid.
Protective.”
This newfound Dex-Keefe friendship is precious, Fitz and Keefe also had some solid interactions (how alien!) and Ro consistently referring to Keefe as ‘my boy’ and Elwin practically adopting him HURT ME.
Also, I don’t remember Glimmer being such a boring brat. Maybe my memory’s rusty, but I thought she was kind of cool in Book 8?
ALSO, does Biana have a thing for Tam or not? Because last book she was literally holding hands with Dex. I swear to god if this is going to be another damn love triangle...
... ...
Whatever, it’s a novella. Those have a reputation for being crap anyway, right? And this wasn’t even crap—just kind of a let down (especially considering the wait for actual content turned out to be two years instead of one. It’s that deception that annoys me).
The novella was a solid 3.5 because it was all about Keefe now that he is single-handedly carrying the entire series. It’s the rest of the book that I have issues with.
The best part 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] for sure HAS to be the Iggy colouring page! Or the pages usefully detailing each and every characters’ first line! Or the descriptions of Team Valiant’s fucking outfits! Let’s be real, though: the quiz that lets me know whether I should adopt a murcat or a gorgodon is for sure the coolest!
When [a:Shannon Messenger|5265998|Shannon Messenger|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1353026719p2/5265998.jpg] said on her Instagram that this book would be full of exclusive extra features, I didn’t think there’d be THIS much of it. I don’t understand why 70% of this 700 page book had to be about stuff every fan already knows? I don’t think it’s been so long since [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] that I need a fact file about every single character and a textbook of pre-established world building to catch me up.
Since the novella is literally tiny, let’s talk about the other 500+ pages of this book.
I’ll just quote Keefe:
”[AND DON’T TELL LORD BORINGPANTS I READ HIS DUMB BOOK! I MOSTLY SKIMMED.]”
The highlight of the first 300 pages was:
”Black clothes are my life.” -Tam Song
And maybe Keefe’s detention records.
All the art is generally really pretty. It always has been. If only the artist had remotely as pretty a personality.
P L O T
Well.
That was underwhelming.
I get that there needed to be some events that couldn’t be conveyed through Sophie’s point of view, but I wish more had been done with Keefe’s perspective? All that turmoil just for him to run away again? I just feel like we’ve been here before.
Grady sees him with a cobalt blue crystal which means Keefe’s gone to hide in the Forbidden Cities somewhere, and that is an interesting development, no doubt, but that will only pay off in Book 9. It doesn’t really affect [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], and the reasoning behind it is also kind of weak. What reasoning does Keefe have for leaving the Lost Cities? All he keeps saying is ‘I have to go’ which, in light of the fact that all these physicians, technopaths and mentors are willing to get his power under control, what could he possibly achieve alone in a Forbidden City that would be more effective? I get that he’s scared shitless and not thinking straight, but I feel like he should know better by now? Unless he has something up his sleeve that I’m overlooking...
Until I know for sure, this just seems like unnecessary drama shoehorned in to prolong the series. Hasn’t Keefe figured out by now that the best place he could be is by Sophie’s side? I feel like we’re going in circles, that we’ve just gotten [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] 2.0, but a watered down version.
I won’t lie. Keefe’s awakening, a moment that should have been monumental, was disappointing. That it happened so quickly and off-screen, that we didn’t explore his mental evolution while he was in the coma at all... The set up in [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] prevented the novella from being bad (in my opinion), but my grievances with it stem from the fact that it could have been so much better.
I also can’t bring myself to care that much about everything that happened in Sophie’s POV. Like, okay, it happened—she listened to an ex-Neverseen member and burned down a hideout full of critical plans like a bloody idiot in the interest of looking threatening. Yay! And what now? Sophie learned a valuable lesson to not be reckless?
I feel like we could have just condensed the Keefe chapters into another one of his short stories like the ones in [b:Nightfall|32762917|Nightfall (Keeper of the Lost Cities #6)|Shannon Messenger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1488996054l/32762917._SY75_.jpg|53353021] and [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] (both of which are amazing) and then stuck the Sophie POV into the beginning of Book 9.
However, Keefe’s power is really intriguing! Very mysterious, very scary. Like, what the fuck IS it? I really like the ambiguity that still surrounds it! It’s like a mutant Beguiler-Descryer-Mesmer-Empath-Polyglot thing. How do all these powers fit together? We learn so many crazy new things about his ability as we went and I’m thinking that’s mental and amazing, but where does it all converge? What do they all have in common? How does Gisela plan to use it?
Well, if there’s anything I learned from the first 500 pages of the textbook, specifically in Keefe’s art commentary, it’s that Keefe will always come back for Sophie... which is what makes Keefe’s departure that much more redundant.
I swear I’m not merely a Keefe fangirl, but I genuinely feel like he was the only notable character in this novella and had the only remotely interesting character interactions. Therefore, let’s alter the following title a bit:
K E E F E... AND HIS RELATIONSHIPS WITH EVERYONE
”He wasn’t ready to feel optimistic—not when his throat hurt from the words he’d choked back, and his stomach hurt from all the failed medicines, and his head hurt from the constant emotional overload, and his heart hurt worse than anything.”
I loved [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], but this really does give me [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] vibes. Namely, the quality of consistently reminding me that I’m only really reading this book for Keefe. I’m really happy I love him so much, but at this point I really wish I loved more than just him.
But I did like that we saw so many other sides to his character, and on a much deeper level, too. Up until now we have gotten subtle instances of his discomfort, but he was always able to mask it. In his perspective, despite his best efforts, he cannot hide it from the readers, and I found that super interesting.
We see his thought process as he goes through denial, his deflection mechanism (humour), him finally confronting the sick reality of his situation, and when confronted with these major developments, he’s terrified. He just stops talking and, for someone like Keefe who hardly ever shuts the fuck up, that’s so scary to me as someone who has seen him smile and joke through his turmoil since he was fourteen.
We also get to see a little bit of Keefe’s selfish side. Boy’s been through too much like, fuck, let him be a little selfish. For instance, when he says he’d never wish for two people special to him to be going through a rough patch, but that he’s not exactly sad that Sophitz didn’t work out. It’s nice to have someone to relate to on that note. :P
"You are?” a new voice interrupted.
A beautiful voice.
Keefe’s favourite voice—even when it was all squeaky with worry.”
Keefe’s blatant crush on Sophie is awesome. We finally get some outright romance instead of Sophie’s ambiguous thoughts.
UGH HIS LOVE FOR HER IS SO PURE.
It’s good to see Sophie blatantly longing for Keefe for once, even if it STILL isn’t romantically. I kind of wish Sophie would recognise how much Keefe loves her already, and that she’d realise just how much he sacrifices for her. And, you know, maybe realise that she’s clearly into him as well? Yes, she longs for his company in this novella, but it’s so brief it makes me wonder... Dare I say it? Does Sophie even deserve Keefe at this point?
I feel dirty for saying that. Don’t get me wrong: I am devoted to SoKeefe and have been since [b:Exile|13260670|Exile (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #2)|Shannon Messenger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1365178949l/13260670._SX50_.jpg|18462176], but if Sophie doesn’t start reciprocating at least some feelings soon then, I don’t know... I wish it’d be a little less one-sided. I can only wait so long for some kind of relationship progress (you’d think 8 books would be plenty of time).
Keefe not knowing how to handle everyone worrying over him because he was starved for affection for the first thirteen years of his life is killing me. Dex, Elwin, Kesler, Ro—all going out of their way to help him cope. As much as I fucking adore Sokeefe more than almost anything else in this universe, it’s so gratifying to see others care so dearly about him.
"...as the rest of him collapsed into Ro, clinging to her as hard as he could.
“Uh, I’m not much of a hugger,” Ro warned.
But she also twisted Keefe’s head so it rested on her shoulder, away from the spikes on her armour. And mixed with her surprise and awkwardness was a tangle of anger and concern so tightly woven together that they felt almost solid.
Protective.”
This newfound Dex-Keefe friendship is precious, Fitz and Keefe also had some solid interactions (how alien!) and Ro consistently referring to Keefe as ‘my boy’ and Elwin practically adopting him HURT ME.
Also, I don’t remember Glimmer being such a boring brat. Maybe my memory’s rusty, but I thought she was kind of cool in Book 8?
ALSO, does Biana have a thing for Tam or not? Because last book she was literally holding hands with Dex. I swear to god if this is going to be another damn love triangle...
... ...
Whatever, it’s a novella. Those have a reputation for being crap anyway, right? And this wasn’t even crap—just kind of a let down (especially considering the wait for actual content turned out to be two years instead of one. It’s that deception that annoys me).