Find the best for your family
See what's streaming, limit strong violence or language, and find picks your kids will love with Common Sense Media Plus.
Legacy: Keeper of the Lost Cities, Book 8
Common Sense says
- Shannon Messenger
- Fantasy
- 2019
Parents say
Kids say
Searching for streaming and purchasing options ...
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Get it now on
Searching for streaming and purchasing options ...
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Legacy, Book 8 in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, continues the saga of Sophie Foster, a teen girl who's discovered that she's been genetically engineered by elves for some yet-to-be-determined world-saving task. There's plenty of action, between the visits to locations from the underground kingdom of the dwarves to downtown London. And there's romantic tension as Sophie and love interest Fitz grapple with boyfriend-girlfriend social issues and misunderstandings, while other love interest Keefe provides unwavering support. Part of the plot involves Sophie's quest to find her biological parents, and many of the issues, decisions, and feelings will be relevant and relatable to many adopted kids. Along the way, in a fast-moving plot that takes place over a few days and delivers yet another cliffhanger ending, there's a lot of adventure, magic, and self-discovery as dark forces threaten and harm Sophie's family and friends, and she faces life-changing decisions. Lots of combat, imprisonment, peril, and villains who get their way by threatening their victims' loved ones. The romantic tension involves a kiss that may or may not ever happen. There's also a bit of pee and poop humor.
Stay up to date on new reviews.
User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
Definitely a new favorite of the series!
A couple of big mysteries were solved in this book. Again Shannon wow's us with plot twists and... Continue reading
What's the story?
In the wake of Book 7's shocker ending, Sophie Foster is trying to come to terms with her LEGACY -- which includes being "unmatchable" with any potential elvin partner because her biological parents are unknown,and apparently want to keep it that way. This definitely puts a crimp in her budding romance with Fitz, while other love interest Keefe says it won't matter to anyone who really cares about her. Meanwhile, Sophie's got other things to deal with as the evil Neverseen rally their forces and enslave one of her friends, and she finds herself facing the challenges of leadership, enhanced powers, and new possibilities as the characters race headlong to another cliffhanger ending.
Is it any good?
Book 8 in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series ups the ante with a raft of action, character developments, new magical powers, ethical dilemmas, world-saving, and teen romance. By now we're beginning to suspect that author Shannon Messenger has no intention of wrapping up the series in this lifetime, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. This year's doorstop-size volume brings a satisfying immersion in glitter, cosmic conflict, increasingly complex characters, teen anxiety, new magical powers, moral dilemmas, page-turning plot developments, and cliffhanger endings. Sophie and her friends battle evil, question authority, and struggle to do the right thing in impossible situations yet again, and many peripheral characters from previous installments make return appearances.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about adoption and how it figures in Legacy: Keeper of the Lost Cities, Book 8. Do you know kids who are adopted? Are they interested in finding their birth parents someday, or do they not want to know? How do their parents feel?
Have you ever had to work as part of a team with somebody you didn't like at all, as Sophie sometimes has to do in Legacy? Did you figure out how to make it work?
If you were to become a new character in this series, what would you be like? What would you look like? What powers would you have? Would you be a kid or an adult? What species?
Book details
- Author: Shannon Messenger
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Friendship, Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Aladdin
- Publication date: November 5, 2019
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 816
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: December 02, 2019
Themes & Topics
For kids who love fantasy and friendship
Our editors recommend
Top advice and articles
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.