Lodestar - SHannon Messenger [Review]

Title: Lodestar [Keeper of the Lost Cities #5]

Author: Shannon Messenger

Genre: Middle grade, Fantasy, Fiction

Publisher: Aladdin

Publishing date: November 1st 2016

Pages: 688

Rating

★★★★★

Previous reviews:

Keeper of theLost Cities

Exile

Everblaze

Neverseen

I finally get to write this review! Lodestar is the fifth installment in the Keeper of the Lost Cities Series, a middle grade book series about elves and high fantasy.

Sophie Foster

The protagonist of the series is Sophie Foster, a girl who lived a human pseudo normal life in San Diego, the only difference between was that she was in high school despite being 12 and she could read people’s minds. One day a mysterious boy appears and tells her that she is an elf, and that’s the reason behind her intelligence and ability. But that’s not everything Sophie discovers, she is a genetically modified elf created by an organization named Black Swan. Soon Sophie will be in the middle of a conflict in the Elvin World (Lost Cities), a conflict with three sides. The Black Swan, a misunderstood organization that wants to acknowledge the flaws in the Elvin World. The Neverseen, a rebel group that opposes the rule of the Council, and wreaks havoc on the Lost Cities to make their presence known to everyone. And the Council, the rulers of the perfect Lost Cities. The Black Swan and Council share the same mission of defeating the Neverseen, but the council is against the Black Swan because they use methods they don’t approve.

As this is the fifth book, I can’t really summarize it without spoilers so I’ll leave here the goodreads summary:
Sophie Foster is back in the Lost Cities--but the Lost Cities have changed. The threat of war hangs heavy over her glittering world, and the Neverseen are wreaking havoc. 

The lines between friend and enemy have blurred, and Sophie is unsure whom to trust. But when she's warned that the people she loves most will be the next victims, she knows she has to act. 

A mysterious symbol could be the key--if only she knew how to translate it. Every new clue seems to lead deeper into her world's underbelly and the Black Swan aren't the only ones who have plans. The Neverseen have their own Initiative, and if Sophie doesn't stop it, they might finally have the ultimate means to control her

Keefe Sencen

To me, this has been the best book in the series yet. The book has become so much more complex of what I expected when I read the first book, there is mystery, intrigues, betrayals and so much action.

The writing is wonderful, descriptive but not overwhelming. Messenger lets the reader immerge themselves in the Lost Cities. Shannon Messenger has created very well fleshed characters, you get to love them or hate them. This series works because of the characters, the plot has been growing as the story continues, but even if there is not action, the book is still enjoyable thanks to the characters.

In this book there is less character development in most of them, but in one or two characters we can see parts of them never seen before, which makes them more deep and grown. These characters have been evolving so much along the way, it’s lovely to remember the first book and compare how they are now.

The story is not focused on romance, but for some time there’s been hints of it and of a love triangle, in this book, this aspect of the story shows a bit more, and I dare to say I suspect who will end up with Sophie, even if for now she remains oblivious about it.

There is much more action and revelations in this book compared to the previous one. The

Fitz Vacker

book is long but it’s so past paced it’s easy to finish it really fast.

There were things that definitely surprised me like the death of an important character, the plans of the Neverseen, and the new revelations. It’s hard to know what to actually expect of the plot, I find it unpredictable and I love that, it keeps my curiosity.

Lodestar is a wonderful fifth installment that shows how much a series can be long but still interesting. It has everything, wonderful characters, original setting, action, hints of romance and friendship. If you have started the series, you totally should continue, it gets more and more interesting with each book. If you haven’t started this series, you totally should if you are looking for a fantastic adventure with mystery, lovable characters and a well-built fantasy world.