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A review by purpleglow2015
Keeper of the Lost Cities Illustrated & Annotated Edition by Shannon Messenger
5.0
*4.5
Content Rating:5/5 Not really any concerns. Some mind-over-matter stuff, dinosaurs and other extinct creatures are real, elves see humans as inferior beings, etc.
Theme Rating: 5/5
Age Rating: 10-11+ It depends on the kid, honestly. Just how strong their worldview is to see the small things that aren't exactly in line with the Bible.
2024 reread
I'm just going to add some brief thoughts here, but I really enjoyed this book... again. It's only, like, my ninth or tenth time reading it... It's really fun and adventurous. These first three books can also be really nostalgic to look back on with the later books in mind, because *minor sorta spoilers* I also really loved the found family trope. I mean, I always have, but I think I just love it more and more every time I read it.
2023 reread
So, I returned to reread this book because I wanted to re-evaluate what I actually thought of it as my reading tastes and worldview have changed and grown.
Despite the fact that I don't read a ton of secular fiction anymore, that I don't read much middle-grade anymore, I still LOVE this book! It is amazing!
I love Sophie, and I relate to her so much. When I discovered this series, I was coming off of being into Harry Potter and really wanted to read another series that was just as good(this one is cleaner but the plot isn't quite as good), and I loved this because it was similar but the main character was a girl about my age. Also, she's skipped grades, and even though she's in a public school environment and skipped multiple grades, I related to her so much because I've skipped one grade so it was grade to see a fictional character who was also ahead.XD But, in general, Sophie is awesome. She's so brave and sweet and just awesome. Dex is great, supportive, slightly ridiculous, but I love him so much because he's so loyal, even when he's angry. Fitz isn't my favorite throughout the series but he is amazing in this book. So is Biana, and I love how we get to watch her grow. And then there's Keefe. He's Keefe. He's hilarious, and I've often described him as a mix of Fred and George Weasley and Han Solo. That's not a great description, but it says a lot about him. We don't see a whole lot of his other sides in this book, but the glimpses we get make him a realistic but hilarious character.
And the storyline blows my mind every time. I have the illustrated and annotated edition, and the author's notes were awesome, but the general story is awesome. I love seeing how the little tiny hints and things lead up to the big reveals. That's actually one of the reasons I reread so much- it's so fun to see foreshadowing and know what it's leading to, and this book has so many amazing little hints and everything is woven so tightly, it is amazing.
One thing I have to note is actually the reason that I cut of half a star. The characters didn't always respect adults, and while I know that that is important to the storyline, the rebellious part of that kind of bugged me, I guess. It's very important to respect our parents, other adults, and authorities, unless they're telling us to do something against God's word, and I felt like the characters could've handled things a little better than they did.
Overall, this was an AMAZING fantasy book, and I still love it after several years and a definite change in reading taste. I'd definitely recommend it as a cleaner, witchcraft free Harry-Potter stand in, and just for anyone who's looking for a great MG fantasy read, probably around ten and up. I love this book so much, and am eager to reread the rest of the series!
Content Rating:5/5 Not really any concerns. Some mind-over-matter stuff, dinosaurs and other extinct creatures are real, elves see humans as inferior beings, etc.
Theme Rating: 5/5
Age Rating: 10-11+ It depends on the kid, honestly. Just how strong their worldview is to see the small things that aren't exactly in line with the Bible.
2024 reread
I'm just going to add some brief thoughts here, but I really enjoyed this book... again. It's only, like, my ninth or tenth time reading it... It's really fun and adventurous. These first three books can also be really nostalgic to look back on with the later books in mind, because *minor sorta spoilers*
Spoiler
these were the days when they would hang out and play base quest, and they were actually worried about school(well, Keefe wasn't...) and there were so many mysteries... things were just so much simpler in the early books!2023 reread
So, I returned to reread this book because I wanted to re-evaluate what I actually thought of it as my reading tastes and worldview have changed and grown.
Despite the fact that I don't read a ton of secular fiction anymore, that I don't read much middle-grade anymore, I still LOVE this book! It is amazing!
I love Sophie, and I relate to her so much. When I discovered this series, I was coming off of being into Harry Potter and really wanted to read another series that was just as good(this one is cleaner but the plot isn't quite as good), and I loved this because it was similar but the main character was a girl about my age. Also, she's skipped grades, and even though she's in a public school environment and skipped multiple grades, I related to her so much because I've skipped one grade so it was grade to see a fictional character who was also ahead.XD But, in general, Sophie is awesome. She's so brave and sweet and just awesome. Dex is great, supportive, slightly ridiculous, but I love him so much because he's so loyal, even when he's angry. Fitz isn't my favorite throughout the series but he is amazing in this book. So is Biana, and I love how we get to watch her grow. And then there's Keefe. He's Keefe. He's hilarious, and I've often described him as a mix of Fred and George Weasley and Han Solo. That's not a great description, but it says a lot about him. We don't see a whole lot of his other sides in this book, but the glimpses we get make him a realistic but hilarious character.
And the storyline blows my mind every time. I have the illustrated and annotated edition, and the author's notes were awesome, but the general story is awesome. I love seeing how the little tiny hints and things lead up to the big reveals. That's actually one of the reasons I reread so much- it's so fun to see foreshadowing and know what it's leading to, and this book has so many amazing little hints and everything is woven so tightly, it is amazing.
One thing I have to note is actually the reason that I cut of half a star. The characters didn't always respect adults, and while I know that that is important to the storyline, the rebellious part of that kind of bugged me, I guess. It's very important to respect our parents, other adults, and authorities, unless they're telling us to do something against God's word, and I felt like the characters could've handled things a little better than they did.
Overall, this was an AMAZING fantasy book, and I still love it after several years and a definite change in reading taste. I'd definitely recommend it as a cleaner, witchcraft free Harry-Potter stand in, and just for anyone who's looking for a great MG fantasy read, probably around ten and up. I love this book so much, and am eager to reread the rest of the series!