Shannon Messenger

Shannon Messenger
Messenger at Arizona State University Young Adult Authors Panel in 2016
Occupation	Author
Nationality	American
Genre	Fantasy
Notable works	Keeper Of The Lost Cities series, Sky Fall series
Website
shannonmessenger.com

Shannon Messenger is an American author. She writes the middle-grade series Keeper of the Lost Cities, which was a New York Times bestseller; Unlocked, the ninth book in the series (dubbed "8.5"), reached number 8 on USA Today's list in 2020.^[1][2] She also wrote the young-adult Sky Fall series. Her books have been published by Simon & Schuster.^[3]

Personal life[]

Shannon Messenger was born in 1981 in Southern California. She graduated from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. She is an American author of a well-known fantasy book series by the title of "Keeper of the Lost Cities". Messenger was divorced in November 2018,^[4] but still goes by Shannon Messenger, as she started the series with that name. On May 3, 2021, she announced that she had a son.

Bibliography[]

Keeper of the Lost Cities[]

Keeper of the Lost Cities is an upper-middle-grade fantasy series that has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. The first book in the series was an Association for Library Service to Children tween recommended read in 2013.^[5] The seventh book in the series, Flashback, had a first printing of 150,000 copies, and Messenger's three-week tour to promote the book drew crowds of 200–700 people per event.^[6][7]

The series tells the story of Sophie Foster, a twelve-year-old high school senior with the ability to read minds. She has always felt alone, until a mysterious boy named Fitz Vacker shows her that there is a place where she belongs, and staying where she is will put her in terrible danger. She is forced to leave behind everything she has known and start a new life in the Lost Cities. Only then does she realize that she was given extraordinarily powerful abilities — and deadly secrets hidden in her subconscious—that some may kill for.

The story has continued over eight books as of November 2019, with one book released each year, as well as three short stories in limited editions. It is confirmed that there will be a ninth book. Shannon Messenger has not signed a contract for the tenth book yet, but was offered one.^[8]

1. Keeper of the Lost Cities (October 2, 2012)

2. Exile (October 1, 2013)

3. Everblaze (November 4, 2014)

4. Neverseen (November 3, 2015)

5. Lodestar (November 1, 2016)

6. Nightfall (November 7, 2017)

7. Flashback (November 6, 2018)

8. Legacy (November 5, 2019)

8.5 Unlocked (September 18, 2020)

Unlocked is book number 8.5 in the series and is a departure from the writing style of the previous books, with chapters alternating between Sophie and Keefe's perspectives. Unlocked also includes a series guide and extras like recipes and official art of the characters, drawn by Laura Hollingsworth.^[9]

The Barnes & Noble special editions of Nightfall, Flashback and Legacy include short stories from the perspectives of Keefe Sencen, Fitz Vacker, and Tam Song, respectively. The paperback edition of Flashback includes another short story from Keefe's perspective.

In an interview with Denise Davidson of the San Diego Union-Tribune, she answered questions about book 8 of the series, Legacy. There she talked about her characters, as well as saying she tries to let the characters drive the plot.^[10]

An illustrated and annotated trade paperback edition of the first book was released on August 25, 2020.^[11]

On January 11, 2021, it was announced that Ben Affleck would be directing an adaptation of Keeper of the Lost Cities for Disney.^[12][13]

Sky Fall series[]

The Sky Fall series is a young adult fantasy series about seventeen-year-old Vane Weston, who learns he is a sylph, a wind spirit. He is betrothed to Solana, heir to the throne, but falls in love with Audra, who had been assigned to protect him. As the last remaining sylph with the power to speak to the Westerly winds, Vane must use them to defeat the evil and power-hungry Raiden. He struggles through many challenges, and while trying to defeat Raiden, he also must protect Audra and their relationship, even though most others are against it. Can Vane, Audra, their friends, and army save the world as they know it before Raiden overpowers them all?

The series is a trilogy.

1. Let the Sky Fall (2013)
2. Let the Storm Break (2014)
3. Let the Wind Rise (2016)

Awards[]

Keeper of the Lost Cities won the 2017 Middle School/Junior High California Young Reader Medal.^[14]

Critical Reception[]

Reviews of Messenger's works have been mixed. Kirkus found Keeper of the Lost Cities to be “wholesome shading to bland,” but with “exotic creatures and locales, plus an agreeable cast” and described Exile as a "cumbersome coming of age tale".^[15][16]

The Publishers Weekly review of Let the Sky Fall did not like the story's pacing and said that the “novel works best when Messenger’s characters are left to explore her vividly imagined world of wind, rather than just talk about it.”^[17] Kirkus was more positive, stating that "Characterization elevates this romance over similar offerings in a crowded genre".^[18] Kirkus remained positive about Let the Storm Break, writing, “Witty, romantic and filled with personality — after the slow start.”^[19]

References[]