Keeper of the Lost Cities
2012
- ability
- fiction
- fantasy
- psychic ability
- identity
- memory
- foster parents
- elves
- children's fiction
- fairies, fiction
The story
Twelve-year-old Sophie has never quite fit into her life. She’s skipped multiple grades and doesn’t really connect with the older kids at school, but she’s not comfortable with her family, either. The reason? Sophie’s a Telepath, someone who can read minds. No one knows her secret—at least, that’s what she thinks… But the day Sophie meets Fitz, a mysterious (and adorable) boy, she learns she’s not alone. He’s a Telepath too, and it turns out the reason she has never felt at home is that, well…she isn’t. Fitz opens Sophie’s eyes to a shocking truth, and she is forced to leave behind her family for a new life in a place that is vastly different from what she has ever known. But Sophie still has secrets, and they’re buried deep in her memory for good reason: The answers are dangerous and in high-demand. What is her true identity, and why was she hidden among humans? The truth could mean life or death—and time is running out.
What it’s like
Bright, bookish middle-grade fantasy with a brisk, chatty third-person voice that keeps close to a curious twelve-year-old's head, so the prose moves quickly through school hallways, dreamy glimpses of a hidden world, and small bursts of telepathic eavesdropping that feel like overheard secrets. The sensory world leans on luminous, colourful imagery: sparkling elven cities, glowing gardens, and tree-lined streets that feel both ordinary and faintly enchanted. Chapters end on hooks, and the rhythm is energetic without being frantic. The vibe is wonder with a current of unease, the feeling of a settled life quietly tilting underfoot. It suits a rainy weekend afternoon, a long train ride, or a comfort reread for anyone who loved a plucky outsider finding her place. Violence is mild and infrequent, with peril and sharp moments of fear rather than gore; romance stays a light, innocent crush. For young readers and adults who enjoy warm, accessible, found-family fantasy with secrets to unravel.
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