*unleashes the confetti cannons*
I know some of you have already gotten your copies at my pre-launch events--and thank you in advance for not posting spoilers in the comments on here if that's the case. But for the rest of you, TODAY IS THE DAY where once again, Sophie's story becomes yours.
I've held onto it for all these months, refusing to answer your spoilerish questions, and now I hand it over to you--all 688 pages! (!!!!)
I've done my best to do the story justice, and I truly hope you love the book as much as I do. I hope you laugh and cry and want to throw the book across the room and then hug it and reread again. It has some moments you've been waiting for--and maybe some you were even expecting--and probably several others you never saw coming. But whether you're surprised, or thinking I KNEW IT, I hope you're just as excited by the possibilities as I am.
And yes, I know that because of [redacted for spoilers] you're all going to be EXTRA impatient for book 5--and yes, you DO have to wait another year. I wish there were a way to pour the story out of my head and onto the page. But since I'm stuck wrestling it out the old fashioned way, thank you for your patience.
And thank you for reading. And for buying my book, or requesting it at your library, or posting about it on your social media, or posting reviews on amazon and goodreads and Barnes and Noble, All of those things are the reason this series keeps on growing. It's also why I dedicated the book to you:
I hope to meet as many of you as I can while I'm on the road. If you're in Seattle, San Jose, Tempe, or Idaho Falls, I'm coming to see you--here's where you can find me (you can also find a full list HERE):
And I still have some awesome giveaways and whatnot in the weeks ahead. (Oh, and if you took part in the pre-order swag giveaway, don't worry, your swag will be in the mail as soon as I'm home from touring!)
Okay, I think that's enough Shannon-rambling for one day--especially since you guys have a VERY THICK BOOK to read. Keep the tissues handy. And for those having to wait, here's a word cloud with the most commonly used words in the book (once you read, you'll understand why I made it shaped like a tree)
Happy reading!!!
Yay!!! I can't wait to read it! I pre-ordered the book... when will it be shipped? :)
ReplyDeleteClara
SO EXICTED FOR NEVERSEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ever since I found found the first book a couple of years ago, I have had to wait a year for every one. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!!! I have to tell you, these are my favorite books in the whole wide world and I am 14 years old. I have been fangirling about how excited I am for Neverssen for the past month! I am literally tracking my Amazon order right now trying to figure out what time my copy will get here......... Trying to finish school early so I can read the whole afternoon!!! Guess who will be a hermit today...... ;)
ReplyDeleteAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot believe that Neverseen is finally here! I am so crazy excited to read them! Thank you Mrs. Messenger for writing this AMAZING series! I love it!
ReplyDeleteAbby
Congratulations, Shannon! It's a beautiful book on the outside, and I'm sure the inside is even more excellent. :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats! I've reached the half way point, and I'm enjoying it (not that I'm at all surprised.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your work writing Neverseen !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (can't wait to read - I heard there's a cliffhanger!!!!!! x__x AHH)
ReplyDeleteAw, love your name Ms. AGdoll! And agreed about Neverseen!!!!!!!!! XD
DeleteI am so excited for Neverseen! My mom and sister love it too. I just can't wait. The cover is so beautiful, and thank you for dedicating it to me *takes a silly bow*. I hope my copy comes soon!
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to read it. *Nose will be in book the second it arrives.*
- Libby
Congratulations, Shannon. That sure is a beautiful cover.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Shannon! Hope you have a fabulous tour! Hope my copy arrives soon!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!!! I can't get the book yet because I'm waiting until Thursday for your tour stop, and I am so excited!!!
ReplyDeleteI began to cry happy tears when it came in the mail today. So excited!
ReplyDeleteIs that a......... PAPERBACK you're holding???
ReplyDeleteProbably not; it looks like the regular hardcover copy. It's either that or her ARC.
DeleteYeah, my friend just got the hardcover and it looks like that.
DeleteWhy is Dex's name so small? :( I love Dex. I always feel like he's overshadowed by Fitz and Keefe even though he's Sophie's best friend. Will we see more Dex in book 5?
ReplyDeleteBTW im super excited for Neverseen no matter what!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love Keeper of the Lost Cities! I wish this series could have an infinite number of books! You're an amazing writer Mrs. Messenger! :)
DeleteI finished Neverseen! I can't wait for the 5th book!
ReplyDeleteSO MANY TWISTS AND TURNS!!!! LOVE IT!!!!! I finished it late at night and was all like, I WANT TO SCREAM, CRY, JUMP UP AND DOWN, AND HOLLER AND HOOT WITH JOY!!! Loved the ending. And hope we find out about what happens next with the neverseen...in the meantime...HOW COULD YOU MAKE MW WAIT ANOTHER YEAR FOR THE NEXT ONE??? THIS IS GONNA KILL ME!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't have Neverseen yet. :( But, today, I was in the school library. I saw two books very close to each other. One titled "Pathfinder". The other titled "Three Black Swans". I immediately think OMG Keeper! I need to read Neverseen xD I'm so excited!
ReplyDeleteWhat is The Great Gulon Incident?
ReplyDeleteI've been wondering that too!
DeleteOMG!! I can't wait until I get my hands on a copy!! I just read the excerpt on Barnes and Nobles and I want to read MORE! This series is amazing and I don't understand how you have not broken into a million pieces writing this series. Please come to NJ!! :)
ReplyDeleteI really like your books, but I'm kind of disappointed because almost all the characters are white. I'm Indian, and it's incredibly rare for me to see my own culture reflected in books, media, and anything, really. Sigh. Ah well. Maybe that's something you can change in your future books; please consider it. We need more diversity.
ReplyDeleteDiversity is actually very important to me, and while I have honestly been working hard to include as much of it as I can, I do also realize that it's something I can always improve upon. But it does get a little tricky when it comes to "culture." I'm not writing about human characters. In fact, I'm writing about characters who find humans...kind of unworthy. So elements of "human" culture don't fit in the world. (If you'll notice, the elves don't follow any human traditions or holidays. They eat different foods. Have their own clothes and style of architecture. Even their own language)
DeleteAs I said, I have been working harder to be clearer with my descriptions of the characters to make sure readers understand the cast is definitely not all white--and never has been. But I won't be including any elements of human cultures in the elvin world because it simply isn't consistent with the world of the story (with the exception of the culture Sophie experienced while she lived with humans, and even then, only in brief mentions. Or perhaps if they visit a human "forbidden city", there would be mentions of the setting and their reactions to it and observations)
I would also recommend checking out http://weneeddiversebooks.tumblr.com. The team there does an AMAZING job of helping readers discover new books they might not have realized existed.
Lack of diversity is probably the only complaint I have with the Keeper series. I read Neverseen and I loved it. I'm Vietnamese and while I love the new characters, (not sure if this is a spoiler, but)
DeleteSpoiler Warning
Their last name is Korean. I don't know how to explain this but I always feel like authors make an Asian character Chinese or Korean because it's easier(?) not sure if that makes sense I don't know how to explain the way I feel about it.
Again, diversity is something I am always striving to be better about. But again, I do also want to remind you guys that I am VERY intentionally avoiding attaching my elves to any human "culture." There is no such thing as an American elf, or a European elf, or a Chinese elf or an Indian elf or Vietnamese or Korean or any of those things. Those are human cultural terms that do not apply to the world of the lost cities, and things like names and last names are chosen--NOT to connect the elves to any particular culture--but because the meaning or feel fit the character. The name Sencen is not meant to attach Keefe to any form of white culture. It's a name I invented because it felt appropriate for a family with a heritage of Empaths. (given that it has the word "sense" in it). I chose the name Song for the same reason. It has a connection to their family. Additionally, I picked it because--in my research (which admittedly was limited to the internet) it was a name that was attached to several asian cultures, including Korean, Chinese, and actually Vietnamese. And I chose it to make it clear that Tam and Linh do not belong to any particular human culture. They are simply *elves*
DeleteI'm not explaining that to try to argue I've handled diversity perfectly. Obviously I'm a work in progress on the issue (it's also an issue where it's impossible to make everyone happy). That being said, I really really hope that my readers understand that my characters are NOT human, and are intentionally separate from human categories of culture and race. They have ONE race. Elf. And they all have blue eyes (except Sophie). But that does not mean they all look like caucasians.
And that's intentional because one of the themes I wanted to explore in the books is the idea that it's never right to separate people. The elves only have one race: elf. So skin color or appearance does not make a difference to them. They also only have one culture and one socio-economic class. They all start with the same amount of money. But they DO still discriminate. They discriminate based on talent--something they feel is fair, because someone with more abilities (in their opinion) should naturally have more power and responsibility. But it's still unjust. And their world is slowly crumbling because of it.
So again, while i definitely consider myself a work in progress when it comes to diversity and always appreciate feedback and guidance to help me do better, olease please please also understand that there are no human cultures being represented in these books very specifically because I am not writing about human characters.
Oh, also, as I said--my research on the last names came from google, so I do realize it's possible some of it was inaccurate. I do strive to find at least five websites verifying something before I decide to trust it, but still, I *am* aware that the internet can be wrong. But I also was specifically trying NOT to pick a name that was limited to only one culture, so all I was truly googling was surnames attached to multiple asian cultures so that no one could claim Tam and Linh belonged to any particular one (just as I strive to never have elvin last names belong to any specific European cultures or American cultures).
DeleteI also love when I can find a name where all or part of it is a word that means something to the characters. I haven't told you much about Tam and Linh's family yet, but we will learn more as the story goes and perhaps then you might see why the name especially appealed to me.
Just wanted to shed some further insights on the naming process. Honestly, I spent an entire WEEK reading websites and baby name books and trying to find names for Tam and Linh that fit with both the elvin world and their characters. For instance, I chose the name "Tam" because it has multiple meanings. According to the websites I found, In Hebrew and Scottish, it means "Twin." In Vietnamese, it means "heart". So it had meanings that matched his character in multiple cultures and therefore felt properly disconnected from all of them, matched the pattern of the elvin names I use, and fit his personality.
For what it's worth, I like the names, and the diversity, however much or little there is.
DeleteNeverseen has been the best one so far!!! (which is saying a lot considering how perfectly amazing the other three were!) I just finished it... and wow am i excited for the next one! How am I supposed to wait a whole year...? I literally could not put down this book. It was so intense and i loved the character development! The ending was very surprising and makes me anxious for what the next book will bring! Happy writing Shannon Messenger!! I have faith that this next book will be even more amazing than the others combined!!! (:
ReplyDeleteMe. Messenger, I saw the flower books and can't help but wonder is it the panakes blossom or Keefes necklace on those covers?
ReplyDeleteActually, it's the same. The flower Keefe painted on the bead he made for Sophie was a Panakes blossom.
DeleteI am sorry for the typo, I meant Ms. Messenger! Thank you for responding.
DeleteSokeefe forever, seriously how can you not love them together
DeleteI cannot wait for the next book! I finished it in five days . . . could not put it down!! How am I gonna wait another year???? Neverseen was my favorite book so far!!
ReplyDeleteWow, Shannon! Your books are amazing! I've read all of the books so far in KOTLC, and it is one of my favorite series ever! This is just an idea, and it totally depends on the plot of the 5th book, but I think Swan Song would be a great title for your next book. I can't wait tell it comes out!
ReplyDeleteReasons for team foster-keefe. I mean, yes, he is everything sophie needs. Funny, gentle, uplifting, friendly, serious when needed, and so much more. But let's think about what Keefe needs.he also needs a shoulder to cry on, which he can't do with biana, fitz, or dex. Sophie is someone who is there for him-always-she was the one who knew about his father first *hope that's not a spoiler* and she comforted him. She was strong for him during the ambush. Well anyways..........................................................................................................................................................................
ReplyDelete...............................
TEAM FOSTER-KEEFE FOR THE WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( yep, needs th st much !'s)
*I was super deep there :) so proud of myself*
Perfect title! I've been wanting that to be a title since I read Everblaze!
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