Keeper of the lost cities:
Exile
After I had finished with ‘Keeper of the lost cities’ which I had found truly captivating I told my mother to get me the sequel as soon as possible. I just could not wait to get my hands on the next part ‘Keeper of the lost cities: Exile’. It was first published in 2013 and is just a little longer than 550 pages. The genre of this book is fantasy.
Exile is the second book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. The book is written by Shannon Messenger. She is an American author. The ‘Keeper of the lost cities’ series is one of her notable works and was a New York Times Bestseller. She has also written the young adult ‘Sky Fall’ series and ‘Flashback’ series.
The characters in this book are Sophie, the protagonist, Fitz, Biana, Dex and Keefe, her friends, Grady and Edaline, her adopted parents, Alden and Della, Fitz and Biana’s father, Silveny, the first ever female alicorn seen in the Lost cities, the members of the Councill, the teachers at Sophie’s school and some memebers of a group called Black Swan.
Once again, Shannon Messenger gives elves and other creatures of myth her own twist in this captivating sequel. Sophie is in exile and has discovered the first ever female alicorn in decades in the Lost cities and she's going to train this magical creature and reveal this secret to the elves as a sign of hope, to settle their fears and desperation.But her kidnappers were still out there and she discovered some new clues from the Black Swan. She also started malfunctioning as she was not able to control her abilities. In this book, Sophie has to try and find more about the Black Swan and remember some stolen memories and long-lost secrets of her past. In order to save herself and the people she cares about Sophie has to travel into unknown territory, and decide who she can trust to help her succeed.
Will Sophie uncover hidden memories before someone close to her is lost forever? Will she travel to the darkest corners of her world and return safely?
‘Exile’ is an outstanding sequel that will keep readers breathless and glued to the pages. I told myself I would only read a few chapters one night, and somehow found myself up at midnight. Everything was described in much detail and it was gripping till the very end. My favourite parts were when Sophie got new clues and when she was at the Black Swan’s hideout. The characters I loved in the first book are given more page-time in this sequel, and Sophie's adventures take a darker, more emotional turn.
Family and friendship is depicted very beautifully in this series. While Sophie relies heavily on herself, she also leans on her friends (especially Dex and Keefe) and family (the fabulous Grady and Edaline) when she needs some extra support. I even enjoyed Sophie's struggles with her abilities in this book and how she never let that hold her back.
If you read this book and like it, make sure to read its next part, ‘Keeper of the lost cities: Everblaze’.
I give this book 4 marks out 5 stars.