Summer Reading Rec: Keeper of the Lost Cities
Summer is almost here! At work, the semester is over. My kid has only a few weeks of school left. The weather is warmer. The days are longer.
Must be time to read!
That’s a joke because it’s always time to read!
For those of you looking for suggestions to fill your nightstands, beach bags, and vacation suitcases, I have a great idea: Keeper of the Lost Cities series by Shannon Messenger. My kid recently tore through all the available books in this long series (nine books and counting) and got me to try it as well. I admit I was skeptical (especially as they warned me about a lot of world-building info in the first book), but I was completely won over by the first book and have a hold on the second at the library.
Our main character Sophie is your average genius — about to start college at age 12, photographic memory, master of all things academic. She is also able to hear the thoughts of others, a talent she’s kept secret. The noise of other thoughts is often overwhelming and leads to headaches and knowing secrets she’d rather not be aware of.
When she meets Fitz, he explains that her telepathy is from being an elf. He takes her to the hidden elf world, where she learns about her heritage and starts developing her gifts at elf school. But some parts of Sophie’s past remain a mystery, especially why she was hidden in the human world for so long.
It’s a familiar premise to those who love Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Amari and the Night Brothers. There’s great fun for the reader in learning about a hidden magical world. Did you know Atlantis disappeared to protect the elves who lived there, and it’s now a thriving hidden elf world?
Keeper of the Lost Cities and its sequels are nice thick books that read very quickly. I was amazed how quickly I zipped through it, almost as fast as my kid! This feels just right for a summer read to me: plenty of pages but the satisfaction of making quick progress.
Are you looking for book recommendation for your summer? Let me know what you are hoping for by emailing lisasbookblog@gmail.com.