Shannon Messenger

A New York Times bestselling series A USA TODAY bestselling series A California Young Reader Medal–winning series Sophie befriends the mythical Alicorn and puts her mysterious powers to the test in this enchanting second book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. Sophie is settling in nicely to her new home and her new life in the world of the lost cities. And it helps that living at Havenfield means getting to spend time with rare, precious species—including the first female Alicorn, who shows herself to Sophie and trusts no one but her. Sophie is tasked with helping to train the magical creature so that the Alicorn can be revealed to the people of the lost cities as a sign of hope, and Sophie wants to believe that the recent drama and anguish is gone for good. But the secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memories remain, and before long before she’s back in incredible danger, risking everything to find the answers to questions that could save not only her life, but the life of someone close to her…

Exile

Christine

sophie's still unbearable but the plot is SLIGHTLY interesting so i'll give it that

Turtle in a turtleneck

Okay, since I wrote a review for the first book, might as well spend some time here as well.

I gave the first book 2 stars too and pretty much stated that I hated the book. Now, I shall return to say that...Exile didn’t do any better.

Like seriously, what’s up with this story? The main character is just a bland typical powerful protagonist, her “friends” all just kiss her butt, the adults don’t act like adults and I basically had to drag myself through it. 

You may argue that Sophie is everything a main character should be, she has a shit load of problems (mainly she’s too powerful and everyone treats her differently because she’s so goddamn special), she has a secret past (Basically saw that shit coming from a mile away and a great personality. And even if she’s bad, the other characters are cool, right?

I’m sorry, I just don’t see myself getting attached to these Elvin douchebags. Let’s just agree to disagree and move on.

The plot is way too boring, way to pretentious and I could see the ending from a mile away. Like I said, the characters flat and in my opinion, solely exist to revolve around Sophie. So, we’re left with this series that is neither plot-driven or character-driven, you really expect me to like it?

The only reason I even bothered to give it two stars is for the sake of the best and probably the only thing that will keep me interested: Sandor the goblin.

Julie Janis

I seriously could not put this book down! I think I'm just going to expect that with the rest of the books in this series. The characters are just so amazing and loveable and the plot is so full of mystery! I love it! And everything in the world is so whimsical, fun, and creative! I wish I was an elf now haha! I seriously can't wait to continue with this series! Also, I have to say, LOVED getting to know Keefe more in this book! He's my favorite!

Livia

Since I don’t have that many thoughts about this book other than how conflicted I am before the last 15 chapters of this book, I will start listing off what I liked and don’t like about this book.

- Sophie is starting to grow on me. I used to be really annoyed by her carelessness and her impulse to do something dangerous with weird logic, but I have to keep reminding myself that she’s 12 years old in the first book and 13 years old in this one. She had the trust and wonder of someone so young, and the stubbornness of young teenagers that are always certain that everything they did is justified. She grew a bit and is more understanding nearing the end of the book, and if I’m being honest, I just feel bad for the trauma that will surely stay with her until she becomes an adult

-Fitz… did not act like himself. I understand that elves are not built for guilt, and having it latched into their consciousness might break their mind, hence why he tried to blame everything for what happened to Alden. It still didn’t excuse how he lashed out towards Sophie, and I’m glad he wholeheartedly apologize at the end without even sugarcoating what he did. It’ll be a good character builder for him.

-I love Keefe. Have I said that? I love him so much. The way he uses jokes and bickering as a defense mechanism is relatable for most of us reading this (although sometimes I wished didn’t overdo it because even that grates me). 

-What I am so, so tired of reading is the heavily implied jealousy between Dex and the other 2 boys around Sophie. I really, really wished that boys can be friends with girls without them being annoyed by other boys being friends with the girl. I know that Dex was threatened to have Sophie taken away by Fitz and Keefe, it’s still so annoying to see that. They’re still so young and it felt so pointless to put that sort of drama in this book.

-But that last bit, around the time Sophie tried to fix something that was wrong with herself, it was tense and so fast-paced. And we get to see more of the gray area of the situation, which I find refreshing to read.


  3.75/5 stars

Cynthi

4/5 stars

Sophie and Keefe 4 Life 
BRUHH THE UPS AND DOWNS
Please i was screaming.
Frick this.
GRRRR AGHHHHH
i was so mad while reading this.
The end Maden me kinda sad but I loved it. 
Silveny is my Bestie i love her

Sophie

Fitz is like walking anger from Inside Out.

Cindy Lee

*a copy was provided by Aladdin for review*
this review doesn't contain spoilers to the first book

Keepers of the Lost Cities was one of my absolute favorite of 2012. I couldn't wait to read Exile so I just had to request a copy. Sophie Foster is one of the bravest girls I've seen in Middle Grade books. She is so self-sacrificing that I wanted to give her big bear hugs.

No more notes. No more clues. She'd followed them to this point, and now it came down to her. She wasn't the Black Swan's puppet anymore. She was broken. All she had left was trust. - Exile by Shannon Messenger 

Nothing is ever calm with Sophie. She thought she was safe but the Black Swan wasn't done with her yet. In this novel, she had to go on a risky adventure to save someone close to her heart. I would say the characters are the best part about the series. Each of them were so different and unique in their own ways. Sophie is brave and smart. Keefe is sarcastic and funny. Dex is loyal and loving. Fitz is a great friend and he's sweet. I love how the four people work together and how they all help each other in difficult situations.

In Exile, we see a lot of Keefe and Sophie together in the second half of the book. I'd like to shamelessly say, I really loved that. I really did. Keefe is so close to my heart. Instead of Dex with Sophie this time, it's Keefe and Sophie! They go on a quest to save someone very important. Seeing more of the Elven world with them was a blast!

Oh, and how can I forget the alicorn? It's that thing that looks like a unicorn on the cover. It's unicorn with wings, so it's an alicorn. The alicorn was a big part of the book. They have to train it and it's one of the two alicorns in the world. It's actually a big part of their adventure and is crucial to their success.

Basically, Exile was a wonderful addition to the series. I still love the series to pieces and now I absolutely can't wait for the next book! 

Rating: A

P. S. Now that Sophie has gone on an adventure with both Dex and Keefe, I want it with Fitz next time! And Fitz on the cover would be nice too :3

Tasked with training the magical Alicorn so that it can be revealed to the people of the lost cities as a sign of hope, Sophie is dismayed by a renewal of the dangers she believed were past, forcing her to risk her life for answers.

soph

i have a very elaborate plan for how i'm going to kill fitz

laura

I really loved the sequel book to this series. I really loved how this book added different characters to our mini group of characters. I also loved how this book focused on harder topics like grief and guilt. I also loved how this book expanded the world and really suprised me. I am still loving the school elements of this school but also the various other mysteries and elements that are capturing the leads attention. I am still loving the dynamics between the kids and the guardians in this novel. I am so excited to dive into book 3. Such a strong middle grade series.

Ashling Brown

Well, I thought book one was the best, but then I read book two and poof. I love it just as much!!

Exile is pretty much taking us on another epic adventure. Still, this time with a flying, sparkly alicorn, yes you heard me right and yes I believe you should stop what you are doing and read this book immediately if you've already read book one of course.

If you haven't yet read book one, what are you doing, and why are you looking at reviews about book two?!?

“It was a dangerous world for a sparkly flying horse”

Again I fell in love with Sophie's character, and my heart once more ached for her as she struggled to piece together the mystery of her life. I feel like in this book, we got to see Sophie truly become herself, and I can't wait to delve deeper into the series and see Sophie grow more and more with every page. I may note that I feel as if Sophie is the strongest young girl ever, I'd truly be a wreck at this point if I were in her situation! 

I am still on team Keefe with the whole love triangle/square dilemma, and no one can change my mind as of yet.

This story's ending was absolutely wonderful, and it made my heart swell with so much love. It was nice to see Sophie accept herself and show her true nature to all, it was wonderful, and I smiled like a fool as I finished the last page.

Nickie Mohler

I loved this book! I think it was even better than the first one. Definitely one of my favorite middle grade series.

Julia

Tasked with training the magical Alicorn so that it can be revealed to the people of the lost cities as a sign of hope, Sophie is dismayed by a renewal of the dangers she believed were past, forcing her to risk her life for answers. By the author of Let the Sky Fall.

Corrie White 

Really enjoyed this one too. I'm loving all the characters. Especially Keefe.

I still think my only issue is the repetitive phrasing like 'strangled her with a hug' and the constant crying.

Wendy M Holt

Kathryn

** spoiler alert **
           “You are normal, Sophie. That doesn’t mean you can’t also be exceptional”. 

I will be honest, I thought the sequel would play out very differently, almost following the HP series’ formula but I’m very happy it didn’t. 

I loved all of the emotional, mental and situational challenges faced in this book. The ONLY thing I didn’t like is how people were telling Sophie she needed to be “fixed”. 
She’s an insanely gifted 13 year old who has been through so much that we as the reader don’t even know about everything yet. So that kind of negative language just amplified all of her own insecurities (which should have been squashed more by the adults in her life). BUT in the same breath I saw the importance of that plot line, that we saw her struggle with her gifts/general opinions/acceptance too. So as much as I didn’t love that aspect, it felt relatable and realistic (especially for a teenager). It was, as much as it is heartbreaking to read, important to see people question and doubt someone in Sophie’s position. 

Shannon Messenger continued to plant clues while unearthing more questions about the past and future of this story and it made me even more curious than I was before. The dark undertones, the multiple key players, the overall mystery woven together is so well executed I’m surprised I don’t see more people my age reading it! This book left me asking, “What does it all mean?! How will it end?!”

Overall I’m hooked, obsessed and so excited to see what happens next! 

4.25/5 ⭐️

Tianna Kelly

As we continue on the Keeper of the Lost Cities series [marathon] I literally have no thoughts as my head is empty aka I am speechless. In the course of two weeks Sophie's world has changed and she is finally starting to ask the right questions to get some answers: who is the Black Swan, can we trust them, we can Fitz transmit, and why is Keefe so annoying? Check out a fuller review on my youtube channel https://youtu.be/XKBPIBST_P0

Wendy Stonegood

Priyank Vora

Maryam Farooqi

In the second book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie must uncover hidden memories as long-buried secrets rise to the surface . . . Sophie Foster thought she was safe. Settled in to her home at Havenfield, surrounded by friends, and using her unique telepathic abilities to train Silveny – the first female alicorn ever seen in the Lost Cities – her life finally seems to be coming together. But Sophie's kidnappers are still out there, and before long before she’s back in incredible danger, risking everything to find the answers to questions that could save not only her life, but the life of someone close to her. . .

Exile

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