Stellarlune

Keeper of the Lost Cities #9

by Shannon Messenger

In this stunning ninth book in the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie and her friends discover the true meaning of power—and evil.

Sophie Foster changed the game.

Now she’s facing impossible choices:
When to act.
When to trust.
When to let go.

Her friends are divided and scattered, and the Black Swan wants Sophie to focus on their projects. But her instincts are leading her somewhere else.

Stellarlune—and the mysterious Elysian—might be the key to everything. But finding truth in the Lost Cities always requires sacrifice. And as the Neverseen’s plans sharpen into terrifying focus, it appears that everyone has miscalculated. The Lost Cities’ greatest lie could destroy everything. And in the battle that follows, only one thing is certain: nothing will ever be the same.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Adventure, Magic

800 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 8, 2022

About the author

Hi! I'm the NYT and USA today bestselling author of the KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES series and the SKY FALL series! And yes, I DO accept friend requests here--BUT! Please note: I *never* check my private messages here, so if you send me one, you won't get a reply. My real contact information is on my website: shannonmessenger.com

Reviews

[lydia ‧ ia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um, excuse me?

EXCUSE. ME.

WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED.

*takes moment to collect myself*

So… this book had me screaming, crying, giggling, squealing, jumping around, and running around the house to let out the energy it gave me.

I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE BEST KEEPER BOOK YET AND IT’S TOTALLY WORTH WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO PAY TO GET IT.

IT WAS EVEN WORTH THE TWO YEARS I HAD TO WAIT FOR IT.

WHICH IS SAYING A HECKIN LOT.

Because chapter 42…. 🤌🏻🥹❤️‍🔥🦋🤭💞🤧😩💖

IT WAS SOOOOO AAAMAMAAZZZINGGGGG.

SO PLEASE READ THIS BOOK.

I NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO ABOUT ITTTTTTT

PLEEEAAAAASSSEEEEE.

*throws myself across my bed and sobs*

THE ONLY. THANG. IS.

I FEEL LIKE THE ENDING WAS KINDA…. ANTI-CLIMATIC… BUT BOOK #10 WILL SURELY MAKE UP FOR THAT. THERE’S PROBABLY GONNA BE LIKE THIS HUGE BATTLE AT THE ENDDDD…

AND I CAN’T WAITTTTTTTT ⚔️❤️‍🔥🤭

And the funny thing is, yeah, I’ll have to wait a year for the next book, and yeah, that’ll make me slowly die inside, but honestly… I’ve waited two years after the WORST CLIFFHANGER EVER in UNLOCKED….

SO I FEEL LIKE I CAN SURVIVE AAANNNYYYTTTHHHINGGGGG.

💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

ON A SLIGHTLY MORE SANE NOTE….

This book was fun, action packed, and full of twists and turns. It was EVERYTHING I WANTED AND MORE.

AND NOW BACK TO RANTING

TEAM FOSTER-KEEFE!!!!!

CAN I GET AN “OH, YEAH?”

THEY ARE SO ADORABLY ADORABLE WITH A PERFECT DYNAMIC. JUST LOOK AT THIS QUOTE.

”You balance each other. He helps you lighten up, and you help him focus. He boosts your confidence, and you keep his ego in check. You both dive headfirst into danger, but somehow you’re able to help each other play it a little smarter. And you both act more like yourselves when you’re together.” ~Auntie Ro

PRICELESS GOLD.

I LOVED RO EVEN MORE THAN USUAL IN THIS ONEEEE 💛💛

AND SHE’S SO. RIGHT.

I have LiTeRaLlY been FEROCIOUSLY shipping Sokeefe for what. FOUR STINKIN’ YEARS NOW?? And I mean hOuR lOnG rAnTs of why THEY HAVE REAL LOVE and why THEY NEED EACH OTHER and why THEY’RE SOULMATES to A N Y O N E who will listen, INCLUDING my poor mother…. Who I think was quite confused 🥲 AND ALSO MY FELLOW SOKEEFE SHIPPERS HERE ON GR AND IN REAL LIFE.

And NOW????? After CHAPTER GOSHDARN FOURTY-TWO???????????

I died and went to fangirl heaven sO mAnY tiMeS 🥹💖

ALSO FITZ TOTALLY GOT EMOTIONALLY PUNCHED IN THE FACE AND IT GAVE ME L I F E 🤭❤️

ONE MORE THING.

A LOT of Sophie’s friends were jerks in this one, including Linh (which stinks). BUT Sophie’s finally stretching her moonlark-y wings and BECOMING THE LEADER SHE WAS MEANT TO BE.

AND. I. LOVED HER.

HER CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT WAS ON POINT.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

💞💞💞💞

JAJAJAJAJAJAJA

😇😇😇

AAAAND FITZ STUNK AS ALWAYS, BUT WHO’S SURPRISED?????

ALSOOOOO (HEHE), y’KnOw when Sophie is in the Fitzter’s mind and she sees ✨herself✨, but a beautified, perfected version of herself??? And then she sees Keefe’s drawing of her…and it looks like her? Really her?

DO I NEED TO ELABORATE. LIKE REAL LOVE EQUALS WHAT KEEFE SENCEN HAS FOR SOPHIE FOSTER ❤️‍🔥

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭

SO.

IF YOU READ TO THE END OF THIS SENSELESS AND RANTY REVIEW….

ILY. Here’s a lollipop 🍭

Now I shall go into hibernation until book #10

[Nawtay]

Ok literally I just realized that if you mix the letters up in Tiergan you get granite

[Mariam]

I did not have the privilege of growing up with Harry Potter, but I did have the privilege of growing up with Sophie Elizabeth Foster. I have no one to thank but Shannon Messenger for this opportunity. This series is no way near perfect, but the cast of brilliant, loveable characters and the rollercoaster ride of a plot will be something I won't be forgetting in a long, long time.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this series from the publication of book 1 when I was an ignorant, pre-pubescent middle-schooler. 7 years. I've been following this series for 7 years, I've analysed every book religiously and waited painstakingly for the next book. There was a year when I considered giving up on the series since it is no longer exactly age appropriate for me. I am now almost graduating high school. I'm now almost an adult.

This series carries so many memories and so many emotions. I am strangely attached to the characters. Thank you for giving me this experience, Shannon Messenger. But I also beg of you to make this the book that ends the series. It has been dragging on for too long and it is an appropriate and necessary time for the fans to say goodbye to this series.

From a fan that has been with you since the beginning.
Much love.

[Swaraa Iyer]

Please make Team Foster-Keefe a thing pls. I beg of you

[Layla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I basically grew up with this series, and the fact that I have outgrown it makes me so sad. The only thing keeping me reading is the nostalgia.

[starrynight17 · Rating 1 out of 5]

A book that's filled with too many pages, a drawn out plot, and no answers.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

TEAM FOSTER-KEEFE LIVES ON!

P.S - That Ending?!

-----------

Wow. That cover is amazing, also intrigued by the name!

—————
It’s just dawned on me that this is going to come to an end and we will finally get all of the answers we’ve been wondering about.

I’m also very very curious about the parent situation.

Super worried for Keefe, and I also have a feeling someone is going to die.

WAHHHHHHH

————
Just to reiterate...

I’m STILL rooting for Team Foster-Keefe!
------------
Honestly.

How can I wait for this book. I need to know if people are okay, and what’s happened and just I need answers.

I genuinely didn’t think I’d be this excited for the next (final?) book, but after legacy and how AMAZING that was I have high hopes!

Pretty sure we’re going to be in for a rollercoaster of a ride!

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣]

Seriously? When, oh when's it gonna be out there?

2021??????!!!!! WTH is taking so loooong??? This better be a masterpiece and not the last one in this series at that!!!

PS Jan 22. Looks like the fandom needs to ramp up congratulations to Shannon!
PS Aug 22. We GOT the COVER!!!!! YES! Now that I see the light at the end of the waiting tunnel I'm gonna plan me the reads of prior books. Like, 2-3 last volumes?!

I'm gonna enjoy this so much!

[oli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overall, honestly pretty disappointing. I've been a fan of KOTLC but I feel that every book since book six (nightfall) has been dragged out and disappointing. Writing is really difficult and the world of the Lost Cities is truly thoughtprovoking and interesting, however, recently it really really feels like the story is being dragged out and milked.

This entire book follows Sophie finding out what 'Elysian' and 'stellarlune' is, the book is advertised as a revealer of 'game-changing secrets' but in the end all we get are half-baked truths and even more questions.

It seems like the author herself is getting tired of Sophie's behaviour in the past few books because she just threw Sophie's personality around and shook it upside down. Same with Linh and Tam.

Glimmer's 'big reveal' was not as impactful as it was supposed to be, largely because she turned out to be a character that nobody knew of before and nobody spoke of before. Sure, some characters recognised her after seeing her face, but ... it was never mentioned before, even though it was supposed to be a 'big thing' around the time where Sophie first came to the lost cities. This just makes a majority of Glimmer's storyline seem unplanned. And in the end, her character was just used to point out the flaws in the matchmaking system, one already pointed out by other couples like Juline / Kesler, Livvy / Quinlin and even the MC Sophie and Fitz.

With Shannon Messenger, its curveball after curveball of unpredictable twists, making the 'mystery' and 'intrigue' of the story genuinely tiring. You'll never know what comes next, and when you do eventually find out, you're left with a big WTF. The twists don't reward the reader for paying close attention, it just smacks the reader in the face for even trying to guess what comes next.

In the end, this whole book seemed like it could've been condensed into 5 chapters as it is almost entirely filler. All we find out is that Elysian is a place (until the end! oh no! sudden unpredictable twist, elysian is a PERSON!!!), stellarlune has 3 steps..? and something weird about flowers, fire and a new element. Is it necessarily unimportant to the story; No. But is it not enough content / action for a standalone book in a series; Also no. (Sure, you could argue that there was action with Trix and in the last 3 chapters, but in a book with fifty chapters, that is a paltry sum.)

The opening of Kenric's cache and the one secret in Fintan's cache was also a huge let down. Even WITH context, it doesn't seem huge enough to 'shatter' somebody's mind.

Don't even get me started on all the pointless arguments and relationship drama, sure, she's a teen, but if the narrative that she's a teen is going to stick, it has to stick to her throughout the series. Not just appear when the story has been lacking drama.

Which leads me to . All the boy drama. Yeahhh, feels forced and rushed. While i dont deny the thing with keefe has been ongoning for a while, it feels so sudden that sophie loses ALL feelings for fitz (especially after SW Messenger talks about how her “heart does a flip upon hearing his accent” or whatever) And the love triangle took up SO MUCH of the story. They’re supposedly under a serious time crunch of 10 days, but Sophie spends 5 of those 10 days pondering how to confess to Keefe and how Keefe would take it etc. Severely hyping up “impending doom for Keefe” just to reduce it to… a timer (which inevitably ended up doing jack all since this ends on a cliffhanger (again)) Sure, the kissing scene is cute, its hyped, cool. But remind me again, I thought Gisela was going to harness a LITERAL bomb-rock to kill her Keefe in TEN DAYS. AND FIVE DAYS ARE SPENT KISSING AND MOPING.

I feel that Messenger could afford to raise the stakes of the KOTLC series as a whole as it is mentioned once ever book or so that the 'stakes have never been higher' or that the elven world was 'in grave danger' but we never really get to SEE these stakes or this danger. The amount of deaths that has occurred over the span of 10 books (counting Unlocked and including villains AND characters which were revived through Deux ex Machina twins AND characters that died off screen) the total is a whopping SEVEN (correct me if I'm wrong, but I know the number can be counted on ones hands)

NONE of the main characters have died (out of the zillion MC's now, with the inclusion of Marella, Maruca, Wylie and Stina) and neither has anyone close to Sophie. Realistically I cannot buy the fact that the Neverseen are these big evil villains (secret plan/goal never mentioned notwithstanding) that torture and kill and whatever or the fact that they're losing dramatically and need to make difficult choices because NOTHING has happened. This isn't the war that was advertised, this isn't even action packed in the slightest. I wish authors weren't afraid to kill off MC's or fan favorites because killing off characters that barely - or never - show up (I counted Cyrah Endal in the seven above) does not have any impact in the slightest.

All in all, a dragged out story with little content and even littler stakes. Props to Shannon Messenger for being able to stretch this for seven hundred pages (and ten books - these behemoths are NOT small in the slightest), it truly is a feat, with such little content.

[Troy_Reads]

I'm not ready 😳 Shannon this is your opportunity to make this more epic than all of the others you got this! 🤩📚✨

[chev ۫ ꣑ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
would I give this a higher rating when I was twelve? definitely. but as a teen right now, this book sits comfortably at a 3.5 stars! let me break it down for you all!

╰› info! this book is my childhood . I have grown up to love reading because of sophie foster, so i awarded it some brownie points!

╰› plot the fact that i can still remember the plot is crazy, but this book was able to tie loose strings from the previous book and that was what i really liked. the plot was fast paced , and this book kept me to my seat (finished in an hour <3)

╰› characters I have been waiting to introduce to you all my favourite character so keep a lookout no, this is not a keefe fan account
keefe: if the world was nice to me, can they make me become sophie so I can meet keefe! his playful jabs and witty remarks made this whole book interesting. (and the way he says her last namee!!)

we need foster-keefe

sophie: sophie sophie sophie. I loved her character development but just like the previous books, she is so overpowered the fact that she can destroy anyone because of the 1234567890 powers she has made this book so predictable and annoying. but aside from that, I really enjoyed how she was emotionally vulnerable and that spoke to me as a teen.


waiting until keefe whispers huskily into my ear,
chevs ♡

[Naila · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay the 5stars are coming from Sokeefe fans, so I think the author can drop this series and start a Sokeefe lovestory, coz most of them don't care about the plot. The plot? It's always the same. Something new happens near the end of the book and BOOM! Hello cliffhanger!
The only reason I'm forcing myself to read this series because I started it. The world building was interesting, but now (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
This series is only alive coz ppl ship Sokeefe. They hate Fitz who had been done dirty which I hate. He's a flawed elf, everyone is. But Keefe is cool ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and people love cool stuff! ( Dear author, give me Fitz and I will do justice to his character and make him everyone's favourite 😃)
As for Sophie, I've never liked her, didn't have a reason to. This series could have ended like years ago but no, the author's got a fandom of Sokeefe who will read anything even if it doesn't make ANY sense. Disappointed. Again.

[Anna (Taylor's Version) Lantsov-Herondale-Valdez-Munson-Sencen-Parrish-Barnes Fairchild-Lynch-Fahey-Gray-Pevensie-Zenik · Rating 5 out of 5]

0 days Left Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh and The Cover is beautiful. I will protective Keefe with my life 🗡I can't wait

[Makay · Rating 1 out of 5]

I slaved through 728 pages of this (+ acknowledgments) so I could give it a 1 star review. Let me just explain why I am so vehemently against this book and series. If you had asked me 4 books ago if I was a fan of KOTLC I would say yes, and give you a thorough explanation on the world building and the characters.
And I don't even have an explanation of why I hate this series so much now other than it's bad. And I feel so betrayed by all of it that I feel the need to ruin the series for everyone else. And Shannon gives you no other choice than being strung along for the whole series with her endless cliffhangers. This isn't representative of a good author anymore! It's cheap tricks to make her money. A great author doesn't need a cliffhanger to keep you reading the series. And that was what I would have described her like after the first book. I didn't feel like she was bartering for my money and my attention. But now I do, because these books are so wildly unentertaining and stagnant. NOTHING HAPPENS. Nothing happened in this book. And that is why this is nothing but a money grab. Everything in this book was filler and Shannon has the audacity to say she can't finish the series in 10 books. I'm sure her publishers really like that. But do we as the readers? No, not if we have any sense.
I just am so frustrated that she continues to string us along as each book gets worse and worse. And yet somehow people keep groveling at the feet of this series. But I can't be the only one who thinks this way, and it's frustrating to see that underrepresented in the reviews. Probably because people who hate the series refuse to continue on, and I'd be a lot saner if I followed their example.
But without further rambling let's get into the heart of this book specifically.

Stellarlune. Not at a single point in this book did I actually understand what that phrase meant. Nor did I want to. Shannon managed to write nearly 750 pages with so many words and conversations and yet we have answers for nothing. Other than what Shannon assumes is our most fervent desire to see Foster-Keefe thing happen. (I will forever despise books that put the ship name in their actual books, like that makes me want to vomit. That shows childish and narcissistic writing.) Don't get me wrong I do ship Foster-Keefe because as I've said before the most annoying, self-important, and idiotic characters deserve each other. Not that Shannon has let us entertain the idea of Sophie with anyone else, like we should be rooting with Sophie's feelings and that shouldn't be constrained by everyone else suddenly becoming a jerk or quite literally a cousin. You left us with one option, Shannon, that's not fun.
Why is Keefe a plot point? Like was there no other way for you to make us understand that he's important. He's the problem with everything and he has no character building at all. He's whiny and runs away from his problems and is just an idiot. Like how in our right mind do we have to continue to root for this character? I can't be expected to do that, I just can't.
And Fitz is a jerk now, and then suddenly we're supposed to acknowledge that that was in his character this entire time (wrong, or at least I never picked up on that until book 6 or 7 (they're blurring together) when it was shoved down my throat). And we're also supposed to go along with the fact he's acting like this while still liking Sophie and wanting to date her. That's not consistent with how any sane person acts with their crush. Even with insinuating circumstances. It's obnoxious.
But I suppose it is consistent with every character in this book. I didn't like a single one of them. They're not fun to follow along with anymore. Everyone is fighting. Where was the fun in Foxfire like in the first book, the adventures that were exciting that they would go on? Maybe I'm so frustrated with these books because they've taken a turn and it feels like an honest to goodness chore to read and finish these books now. They're stagnant, predictable, and monotonous.
I knew what to expect from this book and I was right. I knew to expect Sophie being a brat and in at least every other chapter I knew I would hear her whine about how she doesn't want to be the leader. Like no dip Sophie no one wants you to be it either so step the heck down. I knew to expect more "subtle" references to feelings with Keefe because there are no other options other than her being in love with Sandor.
Everything in this book is force fed down the readers throat and it's just not effective and I've been choking from it since book 7. Just stop. Just stop for the love of everything holy and for the books that are inevitably coming.
Please make the books fun to read again, make something, ANYTHING, happen in these books again. Because I just read 728 pages and cannot tell you the plot other than a kiss that meant nothing to me, and arguing, talking, and nothing else. Cut it out and make decisions. Make something happen because we're sitting in the same spot they were in in book one with more abilities and dead people.
Stellarlune is a sad, meaningless addition to a series full of whiny characters and where all the fun has been stricken from the record. Bring it back, it's a middle grade series not twilight, we want the fun back. This sucks.
It just sucks.

[Emily(Marauders version)&#x1f3a7;⭐️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theories:

We figure out Lady Giselas secret ability, I think it’s something like a Mesmer or beguiler, but I honestly don’t know

Sophie figures out that she likes keefe, maybe? I know there will definitely be some sokeefe bc I mean, sodex is over and sofitz is done as well so... sokeefe? Maybe 🤔 I’m not 💯 percent sure tho.



I HOPE alvar comes back and maybe? Dies saving fitz!


Keefe comes back, obvi.
AND I REALLY REALLY REALLY want Elwin to adopt him! That would be just so cute and AH!


We find out who blur or wraith is, I think blur is jensi’s older brother, I forget his name 😅but idk who wraith is but since we aren’t given any other vanishers in the series other than biana della and alvar, maybe councillor Ramira, but I think it would be weird to have a councillor in something like the Black Swan, especially since we barely hear about them in the series


The cliffhanger will be BRUTAL bc the tenth book is supposed to be the series finale soooo... AHHHHH!


GLIMMER!!! I love her! And I hope that she will be coming back into this book bc she is just so quIrKy and funny! AND I saw a Theory that she is a secret triplet of tam and linh. Bc it was said that she had black hair, and can’t u see the song parents not wanting to face the scorn of twins let alone TRIPLETS, so just hid her. I think it’s possible!


I think, I HOPE someone dies, I’m not an evil psychopath! I just think that these books aren’t really realistic bc Sophie’s been through a lot and NO ONE notable has died. Even the ppl who DID die came back soooo.

Ships I want to happen:
Tiana
SOKEEFE
Dexella
Lylie
And I think fitz will become a councillor bc his name LITERALLY MEANS COUNCILLOR


That’s all I’ve got for now, tell me some of your theories!!!!

Ps. Am I the only person who never shipped sofitz? Even in the first book and flashback? Tell me if u never either cause I feel like I’m the only one lol
-edit
Guess who just found out the book was postponed until 2022?!?! I legit am about to cry...

-yet another edit
YAYYYY NOVEMBER 8th 2022 WE WILL FIND OUT IF SOKEEFE BECOMES CANON! I AM SO PREORDERING THE BOOK!!!!!!!!

-ANOTHER EDIT
THISSSSS


THIS COVER


IS HEAVENLY

also does anyone know who the redhead is? Bc idk

-anddd another edit

i read the little snippet SM gave us and… the sokeefe in this book is going to be ✨heavenly✨

[Book - Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave it three stars but this is more like....

2.5 honestly.

Am I surprised? No.


ALTHOUGH~
Once you get to chapter 40 the rating gets pushed up to a 3.5

Am I amazed I had the patience to read that far considering how I felt about the other 39 chapters before it got good?

Yes.
Very yes.




°•LET THE SPOILERS COMMENCE, SINCE I DON'T KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN WHY I DIDN'T LIKE THIS SO MUCH WITHOUT DETAIL•°























[note: I read this months ago so my memory is a tad rusty]


Ahem...
*shuffles note cards*

Let's start off with the-

CHARACTERS
_________________

I have never liked Sophie Foster as a main character and according to this recent addition to the series...

I never will.

The girl just....

Grrr....

First off, ZERO character development.
Unless you want to call 'becoming tougher, more demanding, and awoken to her feelings about Keefe', character development.

I don't, by the way.

She was NOT meant to be a leader.
I don't care if she's the Moonlark with special powers and a grudge against every villain in the book.
That doesn't change the fact that her over-thinking-ness and not-thinking-before-she-does-something-stupid-ness, hinder her leadership abilities.
Sure, she may have a charisma about her that brings people to her I guess, but she...
SHE CAN'T LEAD.
SHE JUST PLAYS FAVORITES AND DOES STUPID THINGS THAT ALMOST GET HER AND HER FRIENDS KILLED.

Not to mention the whining about being left out of the loop on info with the adults, and then whirling around and keeping things from her friends because they just CAN'T know about XYZ! I must keep them away to protect them!


....do you really not see it, Sophie?
Do you not get it?
Do you not see what you and the adults are doing?

Oh my goshhhhhh, don't even get me started on her having a crush on Fitz for ages even though he WAS A VERBALLY AND EMOTIONALLY ABUSIVE FRIEND/BOYFRIEND WHO WANTED TO MURDER HIS BROTHER AND CANNOT DEAL WITH ANYTHING LESS THAN PERFECTION.

The whole 'match scandal' thing?

CAN YOU GET MORE SELFISH AND UNABLE TO CARE ABOUT YOUR GIRLFRIEND'S FEELINGS?

Which brings me to everybody else~

Fitz: I hate him, always will. I'm not even kidding when I say that if Shannon kills of a character, I desperately hope it's him.

Plus.

I hated him even more in this book.
Like...
I didn't think it was even possible, but my hatred towards him has ACTUALLY MULTIPLIED WHAT IS THIS?
DOES THE AUTHOR REALIZE HOW AWFUL AND HATE WORTHY A CHARACTER SHE'S CREATED?
I ACTUALLY HAVE HIM JUST UNDER DOLORES JANE UMBRIDGE ON THE LIST OF FICTION CHARACTERS I HATE, AND SHE'S NUMBER ONE ON THAT LIST.

Biana: The ONE character in this whole book series who had decent development.
..but only for the first book then *poof* none in sight.
I actually didn't like her in this book.


Truthfully I didn't like anybody in this book, except Keefe.

Oh! And my girl Lihn!
She's fine.

But everyone else?

Tam? Furious at him. Author-nim is letting some serious development slip through her fingers, man.

Heck....she's letting good development for ALL OF HER MAIN CAST SLIP THROUGH HER FINGERS!

I have ROLE PLAY CHARACTERS THAT I WAS ABLE TO DEVELOPMENT MORE THAN THIS CREW.

So yeah,

Dex? ...did he even exist in this book?
I CAN'T REMEMBER BECAUSE HE IS USED SO FRICKEN LITTLE.
He is literally just there for tech support!!!!
I LOVE HIM, SHANNON!! HE'S A GREAT CHARACTER!! WHY AREN'T YOU USING HIM MORE!!

..is the whole triplet and family issues a ploy to keep him busy and away from the others?

I smell a theory forming.

Stina? Never liked her, never really will. I'll admit she's gotten better but her attitude needs adjusting.

Maruca? Bland incarnate.

Marella? Started off great in this series and actually got worse.
I don't like her at all anymore.
The girl is the epitome of 'rebellious teenager and parent issues who wears black and is emo, plus is also an outcast because of something that's different with her.' ((her pyrokinesis))
She also needs an attitude adjustment.

Wylie? Not as bland as Maruca, but close.

though I still ship him with Lihn~

New girl?
What's her name?...I've forgotten it already....
...we'll just call her Glimmer here.

Hate her too :D

I have since she first show up and ALWAYS will, for two good reasons!

1. Am I not ashamed to say I have a crush on Tam and him defending her all the time is just grating on my every last nerve.

2. I just do, because she's annoying and sO mYsTeRiOuS and seriously didn't get super red flags from Lady Gisela???? THE WOMAN SCREAMS 'I AM EVIL AND ABUSE MY SON FOR HIS "OWN GOOD".

HOW DID GLIMMER THINK IT WAS OKAY TO CUFF TAM IN THOSE STUPID LIGHT CUFFS??? LIKE, THAT DIDN'T SEEM WRONG TO YOU AT ALL????

And lastly....
Keefe.

((because I couldn't care less about the adults in this book.
I really couldn't.

...

EXCEPT FOR ELWIN, JULINE, AND KESLER! I LOVE THEM!))

Keefe is...
....literally the only reason why I'm still reading these.

HE is the ONLY character who has had REAL development and IS ACTUALLY LIKEABLE!

GOOD JOB ON HIM SHANNON! THANK YOU FOR GRACING ME AND THE OTHER READERS WITH HIS WONDERFULNESS.

Really,

THANK YOU.

Because without Keefe I would have burned all my copies of this series and DNFed it ages ago.

Seriously.


Hmm...anything else?


This was the most boring book in the whole series.


How....

I can't even....

SHE HAS A HUGE CAST OF CHARACTERS, OVER TWENTY PLOT THREADS TO WRAP UP, AN ENTIRE ELFY WORLD, AND VILLAINS I WOULD LIKE TO BURN AT THE STAKE-

and this book was,
fudging
boring.

I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW DEPENDENT I AM ON KEEFE'S CHARACTER, BECAUSE WITHOUT HIM THIS STORY S U C K S.

I had to FORCE myself to get through it.


And I'm sorry fellow Sokeefe shippers.


....but chapter 42 was just okay to me.

I know, I'm sad at myself too.

WHY WAS I NOT EXCITED?

Possibly because....I didn't really like the way it was executed.
It was...underwhelming almost.
Probably because I've daydreamed about it too much and my expectations were too high XD

Plus...
Sophie almost....annoyed me when she finally realized about how Keefe felt and she felt...
It was weird and....forced? I think that's the word I'm looking for.

Yeah.
Sad, man.

SOOOOO, WHAT ELSE?

RO IS STILL AWESOME.

...


That's about all I've got.


....


OH OH, THE ENDING XD

RIIIIIIIIGHT.









WHAT THE FUDGE MAN!? WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO US? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? WHY WHY WHY? I'M CONFUSED AND
PREPARING TO ME EXTREMELY ANGERED AND FRUSTRATED WITH THE NEXT BOOK.


OH ANDDDDDDD-

Kenric's cache opening?

...just added to all the loose ends and was...

It wasn't even that cool to me.

Like....wow man...mm hm....important to the plot I guess...

A secret library though.....
I SO WANT THAT XD

At least now the cover of the book makes sense ((even though they got Marella's hair color wrong~)).



All in all.
I'm glad I punched that wall after finishing this book.


Peace out ✌

[Sarah Book Dragon]

11/07/2022
TOMORROW PEOPLE IT'S COMING OUT TOMORROW AFTER 2 YEARS AND A STUPID FUCKING NOVELLA EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE IM SO EXCITED

11/05/2022
ONLY 3 MORE DAYS PEOPLE AND WE GET TO SEE OUR PRECIOUS BABIES ONCE AGAIN (don't kill anyone shannon im begging u)

06/13/2022
I had a dream last night that the book already came out and I forgot everything.
this is my sign from the universe to re-read.

03/29/2022
ngl I pre-ordered this 2 years ago, WHERE IS IT!? WHERE IS THE BOOK!!?!?

03/15/2022
IF ANYONE SO MUCH AS LAYS A HAND ON MY PRECIOUS KEEFE I WILL CUT THEM INTO TINY PIECES!!! NO ONE TOUCHES HIM. NO ONE.

02/16/2022
OH MY GOD A COVER I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR SO LONG!!! WOW THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL!!! MARUCA AND MARELLA FINALLY GET A COVER!!! Also, is this a new cover artist? It seems different from the other books 🧐

[Cady · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sad to give 2 stars because this series has been my all-time favorite since middle school and it’s been about SEVEN YEARS since I first started reading them and anxiously waiting for the books to come out each year.

That being said, this series should have ended 4 years ago. I don’t know how the author continually manages to stretch such a little amount of information into so many 700 page books. There are too many characters and I don’t know why she insists on trying to cram every single one of them into these books anymore — it’s like she lists out all ten million of them every scene she can so that the fans who like each individual character will be satisfied.

She also repeats a lot of the same themes over and over again that have literally been around since the 2nd book. Yes, we know Sophie doesn’t want to bring her bodyguard with her everywhere and that he always threatens repercussions if she does, yet she always does, and he always lectures her. This happens literally every single book. Along with the whole, “We have some mission to go to, I’m not bringing any of my friends because I don’t want to put them in danger!” But then they all want to go. And then they argue about it. And argue more. And then some convenient group of 4 or 5 goes and it’s basically always Fitz and Keefe and whatever characters haven’t had as much screen time in the past books. I don’t know why but this is always so annoyingly insufferable to read as it definitely takes up a whole chapter every single time. Just figure out another way to set up your plot instead of recycling the same old cliches.

The entire first 3/4 of the book was so boring and it never ended. Definitely could’ve hit all those points in half that. I consistently find myself not the slightest bit interested in the repetitive dialogue.
Maybe it’s because I’ve definitely aged out of the demographic, but the childish humor is so so bad. I mean it’s always been bad, but I was so annoyed at every mention of farts and poop and burps and all that. Maybe a 6 or 7 year old might be entertained by that, but like this books are marketed for 12/13/14 year olds? I can’t be the only one who thinks this.

I will absolutely be in the minority for this, but I hate the way Shannon has treated Sophie, Fitz, and Keefe. It makes no sense based off the prior books. I will admit I’ve always liked Sophie and Fitz though I could probably see why some people liked Keefe too. But Sophie’s feelings in this book made NO SENSE. Sophie has basically been in love with Fitz since the first book, and we’ve seen her feelings along the way. She admitted to herself very early on that she liked Fitz and honestly their relationship was so good up until Legacy. Was he a jerk in Legacy? Absolutely. It’s annoying he’s so hung up on the unmatchable thing for sure, but all characters have flaws and it’s obvious being a bad match is very uncommon in their world. People say Fitz was worse in this book, but I disagree? He had a lot of progress in telling Sophie about his insecurities and being honest with her. He told her he still cares about her a lot. And no one wants to talk about how in his subconscious she is literally the center of his life. I didn’t think it was that bad that he told Sophie she was being reckless at the beginning. Him and all her friends had a point about her going and BURNING DOWN AN ENEMY HIDEOUT without at least talking about it to anyone first, especially like Fitz said there could’ve been information hidden there. Sophie was lowkey a prick to all of her friends about that.

But no one will talk about how Sophie’s feelings about Keefe literally FLIPPED A SWITCH just because Ro told her he liked her. There has never been any indication that her worries and feelings about him have been anything other than friendship until this book. Until she’s all of the sudden like, “Hmmm, I should give it a try.” Nothing near the level of love she had for Fitz. And the whole, “Fitz sees me as perfect, but Keefe sees me as flawed and I like that better” is BS.

I have a couple theories on this. One, Shannon based Fitz off of her ex husband. I remember reading somewhere that she got divorced around the time she was writing Legacy, so she projected her feelings about her ex onto Fitz and changed his character completely from the way it had been the last 5 books and made him unlikeable so Sophie would have a reason to not like him. Sounds a little far fetched but how can you explain Fitz’s complete change in character.
Second, she once had a poll on her Instagram of like ice blue or teal or something. Obviously every knows what this means. It’s obvious she hasn’t had a complete plan for her books anymore since she originally meant it to only be 3 books, so she relied on the fans to choose for her just so she could satisfy them. F this because its obvious Shannon originally liked Fitz.

The only thing I liked about this book was that ending supposedly seemed to be getting somewhere. And I only knew that because she put in her acknowledgement that the cliff hanger was something she’s been building to forever. I wouldn’t have known otherwise! I didn’t even know who Elysian was until this book so how should I know that this was apparently a huge series point.

I really hope the next book is finally the last. But I wouldn’t be surprised if she announces in the next couple months that there’s going to be an 11, even 12.

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so the cliffhanger wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I mean, it's still harsh. But not totally harsh. I think Book #5 had the worst cliffhanger, in my opinion.

I’ve really enjoyed the friend group aspects of the prior books in this series and this book really highlighted the phrase “too many cooks in the kitchen” with the friend group shifting and new members (who have strong opinions) being added. So while I wanted to go back to the everything’s-fine-and-we-all-get-along parts, it was realistic for opinions and tempers to flare. Especially as Sophie is getting to be done with Neverseen and their evil plans (same, girl, same) and taking a more...proactive approach to ending this war.

Speaking of Sophie, it annoyed me how quite a few of the group ganged up on her about a certain action/decision she made when it was a good move—though it should have been thought through a bit more, I’ll admit. But I can’t blame her because the villains need to be taken down already.


Main Content
Basically the same content from the prior books: near death experiences, fighting the bad guys, terrible parents, etc. Someone dies (up to semi-detailed). Sophie is much sassier and more rebellious in this book (though it's due to her being completely done with the Neverseen). Sophie also has to prepare herself for taking down--killing--the bad guys (Ro talks to her about it being "me or them" and Sophie repeats it a few times. Which is true for self-defense, especially when there are crazy evil adults that are willing to kill teenagers for this goals.). Sophie uses one of her abilities to knock out enemies (described as a blast of red lightning coming from her palms and forehead); Recapping past events (kidnappings, fights, major injuries, being drugged, etc.) and deaths.

Continuing mentions of butts, poop, burps, etc. Someone is called the Gossip Master and it's looked upon as good because she can find things out about others.

A couple mentions of Sophie questioning her place in the universe & the universe being against her plans (because things kept interrupting).

A bit more of the romance element in this book that book #8 (because Sophie realizes her feelings for a certain boy); Touches, Hand holding, Embraces, & Noticing; A kiss (during the kiss, Sophie thinks that she's always wondered if kissing could really be as great as everyone always claimed, but kissing a certain boy was So. Much. Better.); An almost kiss; Mentions of kisses, kissing, & wanting to kiss; Sophie asks Edaline if she's allowed to date and Edaline says "If it's what you want to do--and you think you're ready for it--of course you are." and adds "You’re a teenager, Sophie. You’re trying to figure out who you are and what you want. And that means you’re absolutely allowed to spend time obsessing about crushes if that’s what’s on your mind. These feelings are new and complicated and huge and intense—and you’re supposed to ask questions, and try different things, and change your mind if something doesn’t seem right." Edaline then tells Sophie to listen to her heart (Sophie is 15/16 in this book); There's a few mentions of the bonds of a pair of Cognate being like a bond like a marriage and two guys almost being Cognates (not meant to be sexual or romance-based at all, but I thought I would note this).



(See my reviews with content details of the rest of this series: Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, Book #5, Book #6, Book #7, Book #8, Book #8.5, Book #9, Book #9.5, Book #10, Graphic Novel)

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

People tell Shannon to slow down, take her time, and I agree. But the people that say the books after nightfall keep getting worse? I completely disagree. I loved this series from the start and I cant wait for #9. Take as long as you want and write as many books as you want.

[Zoe Wynns]

BE BRAVE, SHANNON MESSENGER.
TAKE RISKS-- WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE MAD AT YOU IF YOU KILL PEOPLE. (Well, only maybe a little mad. But it's killing me to see everyone in "mortal danger" 24/7 in the books but we all really know in the back of our heads nobody is going to die.)
DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN YOU HAVE WITH THE PAST THREE BOOKS, PLEASE!
If this is the last book, it needs to go out with a BANG! And I hope it is the last book, personally, because if Sophie doesn't resolve everything soon, I genuinely can't see how she ever will. The conflict will grow too large for her to handle. IMO, it already has gotten out of hand and I can't see how she can realistically save the day at this point. But she's The Mysterious Lady Foss-Boss. She'll find a way to handle it.
This series may be a little cliche. And a little predictable. And a little unrealistic. But I still love it with all my heart and I'm so excited for book nine!
We all believe in you, Shannon Messenger! All your fans are behind you! You can do this!

[b ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"you sound like a real leader."

oh. my god.

i cannot promise there won't be some sort of spoilers ahead, so here's a warning. i'm only not marking this as a spoiler review because anything i spoil, it's not intentional. click away while you can!

first things first... i am loving sophie's attitude shift. stellarlune is the first book where i have truly ENJOYED sophie foster as the protagonist. she feels so much less like the "not like other girls/special/helpless babie" she was kind of painted as in the first few books. sophie is done waiting, done playing nice, and finally standing up for herself, all things i have been waiting to see from her! she's really come into her own, and it's been so great to see her grow and mature through the series.

i've seen a lot of complaints in regards to the characterization of everyone, especially fitz, and to an extent i kind of understand the complaints, but at the same time, it makes sense to me. fitz has always been tempermental and grumpy, and it's just starting to show more, especially as he and the other characters age. i do wish we'd seen more of the side characters though, because this was kind of just the sophie show with sandor and ro (and i don't like ro.).

i also really wish shannon would have kept the dual pov between keefe and sophie that we saw in unlocked. it would have been super, super interesting to see what keefe was up to while he was away from the lost cities. hopefully shannon will give us a bonus short story or something. (also... SOKEEFE CANON SOKEEFE CANON i will scream this from the rooftops, i didn't like keefe all that much my first read in the series, but after my rereads, i've grown to appreciate him, and he's definitely the best fit for sophie. i don't like fitz all that much, but i do think he was valid in how he felt when him and sophie tried out a relationship. they're just kids, and in fitz' pov, his family already has so much pressure on it. it definitely wasn't wrong for him to want to do what he thought would make his family look better, but i hate that it came at the expense of sophie's feelings, and that it made her feel not good enough. the way fitz placed her on a pedestal in his brain too... i think genuinely they just don't work for each other. both of them would have to change too much about themselves to be able to truly match, and that isn't healthy. with keefe, he cares less about him and his family's reputation, and more about sophie, which is what she deserves.)

i don't think i'm spoiling anything by saying this, since shannon posted it herself, but that cliffhanger was BRUTAL. i do not think i can wait another year (or two) (update it is two) to find out what happens next. i was hoping she would be nice to us since we waited so long, but no. i was also hoping it would be longer, because although shannon wrapped up plenty of questions, there are still a lot left that i doubt she'll be able to answer with one last book. still curious to see how she does it, though!

it was so nice to finally read one of these books for the first time again. this world, as dangerous and scary as it is now, is still so magical to me, and i could spend hours in it. shannon has poured so much love and effort into this world and characters, and i'm excited to see the payoff with (hopefully) the final book. yet another addicting, can't-put-down addition to this series, and i cannot wait to see whats next. it's been amazing to (read) sophie grow and mature, and really, truly fall into the role of a leader. i cannot wait to see how her journey ends <3

"be bold. be brave. be honest. and be you. you're sophie foster."

5/5 stars

[stu]

⋆ ✦ . •| February/19/2022

My friend just emailed me that the cover of this out. I'M SO HAPPY SHE DID.
THE COVER IS BOOTIFUL. SO BOOTIFUL.
I LUV ITTTTT.
i should totally buy the book when is comes out just so i can see the cover everyday :0

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
⋆ ✦ . •| February/02/2022

omg there is finally a title for this
after me waiting since 2020

Stellarlune. . . . . . interesting 👀

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
Hopefully this is the last book in the series! I mean I love the series but I think it’s too long! I also hope this book is better then 8.5 that one was ehhh!, especially considering how long it was! THIS BETTER BE GOOD!, IF ITS GOING TI BE AS LONG THE OTHER BOOKS!

ALSO HOPEFULLY SOKEEFE WILL HAPPEN IF NOT 🔪
I ALSO NEED A COVER RELEASE SOON!, LIKE VERY VERY SOON!

[tappkalina]

Are you kidding me?

This cover is GORGEOUS !!!! And finally, after 8 books I'll be able to differentiate Maruca and Marella. I still don't understand what was the point of giving them almost the same name, but if I decide to reread the whole series in the future, now at least I know they are two different person and I can picture them properly.

[Page-Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

YOU CAN'T DO THIS SHANNON MESSENGER! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME HANGING FOR YEARS!! JUST WHY? WHY? WHY????

Now that's taken care of, I LOVE KOTLC SO MUCH!! OMG!!! CHAPTER 42!!! TEAM FOSTER-KEEFE!! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!! 💕😍❤‍🔥🥰😻🫶💕😍❤‍🔥🥰😻🫶💕😍❤‍🔥🥰😻🫶💕😍❤‍🔥🥰😻🫶💕😍❤‍🔥🥰😻🫶💕😍❤‍🔥🥰😻🫶

Ahem...
Let's all calm down.

NOPE CAN'T DO!! GAHHHHHHH! SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOD. YAY. BUBBLES. FAIRIES. LOVE HEARTS. CUPCAKES. RAINBOWS. FOSTER-KEEFE ON THE ROLL. YEAH!! 🫧🧋🧚🔮💕🫶🧁🎂🌈💖💕😍❤‍🔥🥰😻🫶🫧🧋🧚🔮💕🫶🧁🎂🌈💖💕😍❤‍🔥🥰😻🫶🫧🧋🧚🔮💕🫶🧁🎂🌈💖💕😍❤‍🔥🥰😻🫶🫧🧋🧚🔮💕🫶🧁🎂🌈💖💕😍❤‍🔥🥰😻🫶

Let's just pretend that never happened. Hehe...
Stellarlune was a great continuer (If that's a word) to the series. Jam-packed with adventure, romance and mysteries. It kept me binge-reading it. Great book Shannon Messenger!

It made me go through some serious mood swings! Gotta say, Sophie is developing some serious attitude! Not sure if I should love it or hate it but... Let's just say she's a great leader. It's true though! She's finally growing up as the leader she was meant to be.

Argh. Now I sound like Ro.

Who cares! I get to fan-talk about KOTLC if I want to!

KOTLC FOREVER!!

[samantha aly · Rating 1 out of 5]

The i'm finished button has never, in my entire life, felt so good.
First for the spoiler free. please someone tell me why everything has to be repeated 600 times!? I skipped to over halfway through the book and understood EVERYTHING. It felt like rereading the former books just with slightly different objectives. Ok, now for the part that makes me so mad. Why Keefe? why did you pick Keefe. Ok, so i'm in the minority here. I have been Team Fitz for the entire series, and although after Legacy, I knew it wasn't going happen, she threw him under the bus. (I mean if you don't want him, i'll take him.) Also, the Sophie Keefe kissing scene was just a no for me, thank you. Just those reasons though, wouldn't have made it a 1 star. It was more of the fact that after reading 10 books, I feel as if this series could have been perfectly wrapped up in 3. Unfortunately, I doubt I will be continuing this series.

[tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

absolutely insane amount of dialogue (like probably 99% of this book).. sophie needs to stop yapping and make some actual progress because it's ridiculous that after 9 700-paged books, we're practically at the same point as the first book. like how is it even possible for each book to get so much worse

[BrooKe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.3/5 | The devil works hard, but Ro works harder.

She is captain of Team SoKeefe and her efforts, even moreso than the namesake, have truly been Valiant. A round of applause for our strongest soldier!

I am upset with this book. It left me no choice but to race through it so I could see my boy Keefe again, I experience a moment of pure elation at his presence, I blink..... and suddenly the book is over and I am waiting for yet another year.

P L O T

Okay, we learned a lot. But not much actually happened.

There was a fuck tonne of dialogue - entailing a lot of answers (good!) and a LOT of squabbling (bad). No action till the very last chapter, though. This book gives calm before the storm vibes - very much a stand still as Flashback was (though, mind you, nowhere near as insufferably boring as that was) to prepare us for the action-packed masterpiece that was Legacy. I am in good spirits for Book 10!

“Let me guess. Captain Mopeypants told you he’s running away forever, and you’ve dragged Giganator here on a quest to save our reckless boy from his terrible life choices.”

Is what I wish the plot would have been. How cool would it have been to have Sophie and the squad searching the Forbidden Cities for Keefe? So much shenanigans could have gone down as they tried to fit in to the human world! So many golden opportunities for characterisation! What a missed opportunity!

Instead, we spent a whole lot of time dwelling on lowkey irrelevant flashbacks and the doomed love of Kenric and Oralie which, initially, felt like a royal waste of print. However, while it definitely wasn't the most fascinating of subplots, I acknowledge the underlying commentary: they’re a perfect example of product of a flawed society. Not just that, but an immensely hypocritical one such as the Lost Cities. The earlier books in this series contained world-building that came off as so pompous and superior, and I enjoyed watching it being slowly torn down in the past couple books. It still could have been condensed though, to be honest.


C H A R A C T E R S

“I miss you. It’s better when you’re around.”

I could not agree MORE, Sophie. So why the hell was Keefe absent for a solid 85% of this book?! I suffer a two year drought only for it to become a THREE year drought?! I feel cheated, deceived, betrayed, double-crossed, hoodwinked, backstabbed—

Okay, no, for real. I understand. This book was essentially a character study of Sophie, focused entirely on her catching her breath amongst the chaos and unpacking her emotional turmoil. And Keefe’s absence gave her that much needed time to consult with herself and herself alone and, as much as it pained me to have them separated, it was the right thing to do for her character. I can appreciate her as an individual a lot more coming out of Stellarlune (cuz I won't lie - I wasn't exactly her biggest fan coming out of Unlocked).

While little happened in terms of plot progression, I feel a lot of characters grew a lot in this book. Sophie especially, but also Dex, Fitz and Ro (Keefe didn’t have to since he’s been immensely developed since his introduction in Book 1).

However!

That being said.

My point still stands that there are too many characters ‘of note’ in this series.

“So now they had Biana, Dex, Keefe, Tam, Linh, Marella, Maruca, Stina and Rayni all crammed into Solreef’s sitting room.
And their bodyguards.
And Tiergen and Prentice.”

Mind you Wylie was there too.

Like damn can I join the KOTLC cast?! I’d make a fine addition - you wouldn’t even notice I was there!

Seriously, sans Ro can we stop with the bodyguards? I understand why they’re there but can we stop trying to portray them as important and interesting characters because they just aren’t?

Truthfully, out of the main squad, the only characters I actively care for are Keefe, Sophie, Tam and Dex. The others? Fitz is fine - he’s a bit of a dickhead but at least he’s relevant and interesting (and I understood a lot of his emotions this time; I feel they were explained well). Marella gets a pass because I see her relevance in the future around Fintan and Pyrokinetic commentary. But the others? Someone please tell me in what conceivable way have Biana, Maruca, Linh or Stina contributed anything significant to the plot in the last three books. And while Wylie had his importance in the earlier books, how is he useful in any way that warrants being part of the main group? I wish I’d be given a reason to care about them—I feel bad for them, to be honest. While Shannon does an exceptional job with characters like Keefe and Sophie and well with Tam, Dex and Fitz, these other characters feel like empty shells that I lowkey want to step on (lmao okay maybe that's harsh).

Hell, I’d choose Ro, Grady and Edaline over them any day, and they’re just the help!
(kidding - I do love those three lots)

Perhaps I’m being harsh. During my reread I’d only managed to get to the first 5 books - perhaps I should read books 6-8 again before I make a definitive ranking of the most irrelevant characters (look forward to that ;) ).


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

"And then she was falling back and back and back, into . . .
. . . a pair of strong arms.
"Easy there, Foster."

AS IF HE'S ALWAYS THERE TO CATCH HER WHEN SHE FALLS.

Honestly, the whole of Chapter Twenty-Three felt like being doused in holy water. After 9 books (yes, I do count Book 8.5 and the first half of Stellarlune) of Keefe fawning over Sophie, Sophie finally EXPLICITLY reciprocates his feelings. She UNDERSTANDS.

And Chapter 42. It's happened, friends. It's finally happened. I should be screaming, crying, throwing up but I just feel a tired triumph. A subdued victory. We've waited so damn long that it feels difficult to acknowledge it ACTUALLY HAPPENED. Because this was inevitable (but oh so looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong overdue), I am more than anything RELIEVED that we have a whole book of canon SoKeefe ahead of us! THE HYPE IS REAL.

Last book, I dared to question if Sophie deserved to be with Keefe after everything that he'd endured for her. I was starting to ship it moreso just because Sophie was what made Keefe happy and I desperately wanted Keefe to be happy. But after reading Stellarlune, there is no doubt in my mind that they deserve to be together. The way she fought for him against those who questioned his worth of protection, the way his safety was her top priority and motivation to keep going? I cannot wait for them to join as a Kickass Blond Power Couple next book!

“Fitzphie?” Tiergen asked, then shook his head. “Never mind, I don’t want to know.”

Same, Tiergen, same. But you know what? I was all set to agonise over the latest Cognate extravaganza—the dreaded Inquisition™️—but I was mistaken! Instead of having to sit through yet another round of Sophie getting her feelings confused over staring at a goddamn pair of teal eyes, that Inquisition nonsense allowed (forced) Sophie and Fitz to have such open and mature exchanges. Their friendship, although now hopelessly complicated, finally feels open and honest. I’m happy for them. They will move past this one day to become a badass pair of Cognates!

Since Unlocked, Ro has taken up this new habit of referring to Keefe as “my boy” and I wish to die. Ro is so damn loyal to her charge and their friendship, despite the constant biological warfare, is honestly so wholesome. I am so glad Keefe has Ro who, since her introduction, has always been there for him no matter what.

Speaking of Keefe dynamics that make me want to die:

“So that’s what a mom is supposed to sound like. Good to know."
Edaline hugged him even tighter.”

It’s fine. I didn’t need my heart anyway. Not Grady and Edaline adopting Keefe. It's fine. I'm FINE. I need need NEED (a doctor) an insight into his training sessions with Grady!

"Linh reached across the table and took her brother's hand. Apparently the threat of a deadly troll attack was what she'd needed to finally make peace."

Yeah, what was up with that? I don't vibe with Glimmer at all either, but Linh seemed to be taking it all out on Tam? They're one of my favourite dynamics in the series but she treated him with such unnecessary hostility throughout this book? While I'm glad it gave Linh more of a presence, it didn't really fit with her established characteristics or her relationship with her twin, nor was it rational.

“She just hoped his dimples would always be there when he smiled—and that she’d get to see that smile more often.”

Someone protect Dex and Sophie’s precious friendship at all costs. So gloriously uncomplicated! Bestie goals.

… …

As Grady so advised Keefe, I give myself permission to struggle.

I could die
I could scream
I could cry~