There's so much to love about this series. It's funny smart, immersive, thought-provoking, and even romantic in a tweenage kind of way. The many different creatures and magical powers are captivating and detailed. It's so fun to explore this world. I absolutely love how mental magic is handled. The process of infiltrating, exploring, and damaging other people's minds is explored more intricately in this book than pretty much any other fantasy series I've read. The action is also a whole lot of fun, and Sophie Foster is impossible to dislike, even if she is the most special person in the universe. She's just so kind and insecure and doggedly determined to be good that you can't help but feel for her. She's a sweetheart.Shannon Messenger also has one that special gift that some authors have, and she's only gotten better at it: she compels you to keep reading. I gobbled this book down, eager to get answers to my million questions.Which brings me to my biggest complaint:So. Many. Unanswered. Questions.Can't really explain without getting too spoilery, but Messenger has been dragging out about a dozen plot threads for yeaaaaaars. She's great at tantalizing hints, but I don't want this series to end up like a TV show with too many seasons. It was actually kind of nice to see more progress on the romantic side of the story, even if it wasn't really the relationship I'd prefer. But in terms of the main plot, things have a way of reversing themselves so many times they just go back to the status quo. I'd love to see more development, more answers, and a better view of the finish line (which I'm sure will be amazing.)

FLASHBACK is the 7th book in the KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES series, and it doesn’t disappoint!Sophie and her crew of amazing friends have so many irons in the fire, it’s sometimes hard to remember they’re kids.I love these stories, and FLASHBACK brings us even more adventure, suspense, and a gloriously breathtaking cliffhanger of an ending.Readers everywhere are going to love and hate it. And that’s the best kind of reaction!

Just finished Flashback and I have to say, it will definitely Not disappoint you! So many amazing plots twists and turns! And the ending?... Wow, just Wow! I am a Big time KOLC fan! This is one that I am going to reread many times! Love it!!

I was so happy that something I've been wanting to happen finally did. Then came the last sentence. Shannon better not disappoint me with the next book.

Sadly, I'm losing interest in this series, which I began with great enthusiasm, but which I've begun to find rather tedious. To begin with, I admire the author & her craft, so I don't want to bash her or her work, but I think - at some point - sci fi & fantasy series run on too long, and - for this series - I think we've reached that point (perhaps we reached it a while back, but it's really getting more noticeable by the moment). Here's the problem (SPOILER ALERT): in the penultimate scene, we're reminded that we STILL don't know the cause of the Neverseen (the antagonists). Well, if we don't know their cause, how do we know that they're the bad guys? As it stands now, there's a colorable case to be made that the Neverseen have fought against the Council's participation in and/or its cover-up of illegal experimentation on humans & trolls. Why would they be the bad guys for opposing illegal & immoral experimentation ? What, exactly, did they do that's so awful? Especially when you realize that Fintan may be to blame for most of it, so - really - they could argue they just had a few mis-steps as the result of a bad leader - which, ironically, is the Council's excuse for its own misconduct. And what pray tell is the Black Swan's goal? Their experiments w Sophie are pretty dubious too. In the end, what is Sophie fighting for? If I don't know, why should I care? If she's going to switch sides in the end, why shouldn't I switch sides now? Or wait for the reveal? 7 books in we should know what we're fighting about; at this point, the author is hiding too much & taking too long to get to the real story, whatever it will be. I mean this world makes no sense: who do these militaristic trolls & goblins & ogres fight? And how would a world w 3 militaristic societies count as peaceful? If the Elves are just oppressing everybody else or letting everybody else fight while they stand aloof, why do I care if their "peace" lasts? I just feel like I've been told too little to really care. At this point, I want to know what's really at stake - no more "mysteries" for another book. All of these game-changers just make me dizzy -- I need something to latch onto so I can care about the outcome of these endless fights.