The Keeper of Lost Cities series has been growing in both popularity and stature for the past twelve years. Finally on her ninth book: Stellarlune, Shannon Messenger has truly delved into her fantasy world full of elves, goblins, and more, all trying to stay hidden from the human world. A modern-day Harry Potter, some would say, it has followed the storyline of an elf named Sophie with unique powers that make her the perfect protagonist to take down an evil group called the Neverseen trying to bring down society as they know it. Sophie is a teenage elf trying to balance her roles as the world’s most depended upon super-elf and a girl who struggles with crushes and confusing romances. A lot is packed into these volumes, which each exceed 500 pages. But do I think the newest book is worth the hype? I admittedly have a few reservations. Whether or not they negate the advantages of this read I leave up to you.

Cons

Substance: Stellarlune follows a pattern I have noticed with all of the Keeper of the Lost Cities books. It has over 700 pages, and dozens of chapters, yet not much happens. To be honest, most of the book is about Sophie overthinking or arguing with her group of followers over the next plan of action. Very little is actually changed about the situation she is involved in. Eventually, she decides to make a deal with one of her enemies to hurt another of her enemies. We do not even get to the part where she acts on this decision until the very end. We do not get to see the results of this deal or the repercussions. The plot is rather empty and repetitive, a common thread throughout the series.

Climax: The typical story pattern, something every child learns in school, ends with a climax and then a resolution. Messenger’s books have a tendency to end halfway through the climax. While this makes for a big cliff hanger, there are some issues that we run into pretty quickly with this method. For one, we have to wait a whole year (possibly more) to read the rest of the climax. At that point, we have basically forgotten what happened before. Another issue is it makes it very difficult to separate the books from each other and gather together a concise explanation of the plot. Some huge parts of the plot just get forgotten or distracted from because there is no organization, no way to remember when and why they happened. And finally, people finish the book with a sense of confusion or dissatisfaction. They have not gathered anything valuable from the story.

Characters: While not quite as serious, Messenger has accumulated too many characters. Sophie’s following of loyal friends has grown to insane proportions. This makes it hard to hold interest in a character for a long time. It is also incredibly confusing. I mean, why do all of the girls have M names? The lack of the ability to sympathize with characters and get to know them puts quite a damper on a book so heavily geared toward young, hard-to-engage audiences.

Pros

There are a few things that the book has impressed me with. See if you agree.

Suspense: Messenger does a great job with keeping me invested. I find myself reading hundreds of pages, even though it is merely page upon page of Sophie and her fellow elves debating among themselves. Truthfully, it is shocking how much base enjoyment the book offers. It is a novel full of cliffhangers and drama. You feel that every bit is exciting and you cannot put it down. This is a skill she excels at.

Perspective: Written in first person, this book gives you a close look inside the head of a fifteen-year-old girl during a very intense time. While that is a very annoying perspective to hear (I remember those days), I find it very accurate in the book. How Sophie goes from one minute thinking about wars, disasters, and the bad guys she will have to fight, to the next minute debating between liking Fitz and Keefe is quite a good representation of the mental craze teenagers have. A realistic perspective is always appreciated, even if it is of an angsty adolescent.

SPOILER ALERT!!! I have been waiting the entire series for Keefe and Sophie to get together. Keefe is my personal favorite character. I love the way he is portrayed. He is funny and mischievous. He lightens up some serious or very repetitive moments. And now they have finally realized their feelings for each other. This was a great way to make up for his running away, which I found quite disappointing. Now maybe we will get a short rest from Sophie’s confusion over the state of her romantic life.

In summary, while Shannon Messenger’s newest book keeps the reader in suspense, it lacks direction and organization. This book is perfect for simple entertainment purposes but if you wish to read something with sustenance you will have to look elsewhere. The popularity this series offers I do not expect to last. While it may not go up on your shelf next to Lord of the Rings, if you have an inexpensive way to acquire this book or are looking for a quick pick-me-up, it may be worth the read.