Keeper of the Lost Cities Collection Books 1-5 (Boxed Set): Keeper of the Lost Cities; Exile; Everblaze; Neverseen; Lodestar

This book/ series immediately draws its reader into the story. The author did a great job of creating a world where you can feel as though you are there.!

First series of books I've been able to read without falling asleep. I am immersed as 8f I was watching a movie while reading!!!

My kids and I love this series! Shannon Messenger has exceeded expectations with each subsequent book. Keep them coming!

Nice quality paperback books in a box to keep them contained. My son is an avid/advanced reader, 8 yo and is loving these books! He had a copy of the first one an reread it 3 times until I got him this box set with books 1-5. He's enjoying it so much - exciting, engaging story without being too adult or too frightening. It's a fun easy adventure tale that brings you into a bigger world. I've started reading it to my younger daughter and I'm enjoying it along with her.

My 9 year old is an advanced reader who loves fantasy chapter books. She has read all Rick Riordan Books and the Wings of Fire series. We happened to get the first book of Wings of Fire as a reward for a summer reading program she did at Barnes and Nobles, and we fell in love with the characters. Keefe is our favorite trouble maker, and Fitz is my daughter’s favorite golden boy, and my son loves Dex. My daughter loves books with female leads, and they are hard to find. The lead character Sofie is relatable and lovable. The books even though huge in size and an easy and quick read. Each chapter is exciting and full of action. I only have a few issues with these books. My kids aren’t teenagers yet, so maybe this these things are more relatable to older kids. One: Most of the characters have short fuses, especially the boys. Lots of clenched fists, feeling like they want to punch something, and all the male characters feel the need to pull their hand through their hair when frustrated. I wish the writer had taken the time to make each characters angry quirks differently, as not everyone handles frustration the same. Honestly, it got kind of annoying how repetitive these angry quirks were. Two: The writing was just okay from an adult stand point. My kids loved it, and that is what matters, but when I would read out loud to them I would catch a lot repetition in words. For example I lost count of how often the word ominous was used throughout the books. The Wings of Fire series did that a bit too, but not to the extent of the Keeper books. The writing is just not as up to par with Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson books) or JK Rowling (Harry Potter books), but it does read faster then those. We finished the whole Keeper series in a month. Third: The bad guys pretty much always win. Forth: Not really an issue for me, but my husband wasn’t sure how he felt about it since my kids are so young. There is a love triangle in the book between Sofie, Keefe, and Fitz…we’ll a square if you include Dex. They do talk about crushes and there are moments where characters almost kiss, and even a moment when they actually do kiss. Again, not really a problem for me, but some parents may not want to introduce that yet. Overall, we really liked this series. Both my young kids were really invested in the characters and plot. We can’t wait for book 9 to come out.