I've been obsessed with Keeper of the Lost Cities for several years. You know, some authors just have the ability to compel you and rein you in, and to me, Shannon Messenger is definitely one of them. Contrary to some people, KOTLC has not lost its appeal to me as the story progresses. Yes, the books are rather long, but that's something I take pleasure in. It's a story with a moving plot, though some people may disagree.

I loved the book. Although this may just be me but I HATE cliffhanger. At the end of the book there was a huge one. The book was awesome though. 10 out of 10 recommend.

Oh my god. This book was amazing, as expected, but there was a cliffhanger at the end. A big cliffhanger. A BIG one. But y'know, suspense creates an aura of mystery and intrigue, so yeah. But, SPOILERS AHEAD, this book seems to be pro Team Fitzphie. There are "Fitzphie moments" and everything. Like, what? That is a problem, and we need to fix it right now. TEAM FOSTER-KEEFE FOR LIFE! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! But I also like in this book how Sophie and Dex have gotten over their awkwardness and are now the best of friends again.(This comment wasn't meant to insult or provoke anyone in any way. I won't judge you for having your ship, but in the end I'm hoping that team Foster-Keefe will be victorious. That's my personal opinion, though.)

The two most important aspects of a book or movie for me are: an awesome plot and well developed, Likable characters. Ms. Messenger has created this amazing world with both plot and characters that are not only believable, but down to earth and inspiring. I'm still piecing together certain aspects of the overall plot...she hints at the Neverseen's motives and goals throughout the series, but I LOVE a challenge so I'm excited to see if what I've been thinking are accurate. Since Ms. Messenger is able to tell her story through a series instead of one book, she can use more time to develop her characters and the relationships between them, making them more of a team than a random bunch of characters thrown together, while still moving the plot along.I love this book because it is clean, yes there is some romance, but it's age appropriate for middle grades. Also she might hint that the characters are swearing, but she doesn't include swear words in her writing, which I LOVE because it's hard to find books for my children to read that are this clean. Sophie, the main characters is what every strong willed girl could use as a role model. She's smart and is in control of herself and the choices that she makes, but she's not perfect. She makes mistakes and learns from them. She tries her best to do the right thing even when her choices seem daunting. She cares about others more than she cares about herself, which isn't very popular in society right now. She surrounds herself with friends that help rather than hinder her self esteem, an excellent thing for girls to think about considering how catty girls can be.Overall Flashback is a wonderful book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and can't wait to share with my kids. There is action, friendship, teamwork, drama, and an overall sense of staying true to yourself and choosing to do the right thing over what is deemed popular. I can't wait for the next one.

So yes, we all know that this series is getting really long already. FLASHBACK is the seventh book. Some people have decided to give up on Shannon Messenger and stop reading it altogether-- which they can choose to do quite easily, since these books are always released a year apart-- but I'm still waiting for Sophie's story. Even if it will have to take an eighth and a ninth installment (which the author did admit to certainty). But come on-- the elvin world is so rich and layered and multifaceted that I have no problem spending some time on reading about it. Yes, there were cliffhangers. Yes, there was an insufferably complicated love triangle-that-became-a-hexagon. Yes, there were so. Many. Unanswered. Questions. ... Actually, there still are. However. Reading this made me incomprehensibly ecstatic because the romance finally PROGRESSED. And I loved it so much! And also, even though about a third of the book is confined to the Healing Center at Foxfire (well, I mean, it wasn't bad seeing Elwin again), there was still plenty of progress made on the team. Except for the fact that DexBianaWylieLinhandMarella were seen very, very little. Although it's slightly forgivable because FitzandKeefeandTam were seen a little more. EVEN THOUGH YOU ALL KNOW I WANT MORE DEX. We learned some preeeetttyyyy surprising secrets too, in this book, and yes, the Vacker family plays a huge role in this book. The Vacker family and memory. Also, the Vacker family official portait by Laura Hollingsworth does make an honorable mention in one of the scenes! So, yeah. Waiting an entire year for an 848-page-long, eleven-dollar book was totally worth it in my opinion. And now... I'll play around while I wonder what next year's book will be...