Book: Unlocked (book 8.5 in Keeper of the Lost Cities)

Author: Shannon Messenger

Genre: Fantasy

Page Count: 640

This book was split into two sections. The first half of the book, which had things like how to pronounce characters’ names, artwork, recipes, etc. I was really excited about one recipe specifically, Lushberry Juice, a drink the characters enjoy multiple times in the books. I hope to be able to make it myself, once the weather is warmer.

The second part was a novella, taking place after Legacy. The POV in this story alternates between Sophie and Keefe. Sophie is the main character in this series, and Keefe is one of the main supporting characters. I liked the alternating point of views because I thought it was interesting to see Sophie from someone else’s perspective. I also liked that we got to see more of Glimmer, Bex, Rex, and Lex, who we had not seen much of earlier in the series. I also want to see Bex, Rex, and Lex in future books because they are very funny characters. However, they are vastly different from Keefe or other comic relief characters because of the elves’ prejudice against multiple births, and they are triplets.

I thought that this novella was better than Legacy (Book 8) on many levels, the most notable being that what happened in it was new, while in Legacy I felt a lot of it was repetitive. If you have read the first eight books, then you should definitely read this one.