Home Page › Forums › Fiction Writing › Genre-Writing › Fantasy › Help, I Don’t Understand Keepers of the Lost Cities
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October 25, 2023 at 8:15 am #160335
Behold, the pile of thoughts which has no actual importance to anybody 😂😫
“Everything is a mountain”
October 26, 2023 at 8:18 pm #160687@calyhuge @whalekeeper I understand your complaints. I’ve had a few of my own too regarding the series (look back at the last few pages to see them if you’d like) oh, and @caly that’s cool how you took all the things you didn’t like and did the opposite.
But one of the things I do like and will continue to like is the worldbuilding that wasn’t copied straight off Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. I like the way the elves look human until they’re old, and then grow pointy ears. I like the designs of the goblins, trolls, gnomes, etc. I like how all the dinosaurs have neon feathers for now reason except they can. I like how the alicorns can teleport, and a lot of that stuff.
Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.
October 27, 2023 at 9:12 am #160797Yeah, it’s definitely not like a complete copy-paste job. It definitely has its own aesthetic and everything, and that’s why I mentioned I don’t hold to that critique as much anymore. So I agree.
The school itself felt like the biggest “ooh let’s follow the trend” element of the story. Like I mentioned, Prattle’s pins are literally just chocolate frog cards. Keefe’s father gave me big Lucius Malfoy vibes, since they look and act exactly the same. The Alchemy teacher who “hates” Sophie is the Potions master who “hates” Harry. And Dex is a poor ginger with a less than perfect family – who own a kind-of joke shop – and acts as Sophie’s best friend.
Just all of Foxfire gave me wanna-be Hogwarts vibes.
But that’s the only direct HP imitation I can point out, so yeah.
I do like the dinosaurs and alicorns 😂
Oh, do any of the dinosaurs in your fanfics have feathers? Like, a special character?
“Everything is a mountain”
October 27, 2023 at 6:00 pm #160991@whalekeeper I do have Skyraptor and Nyx! Skyraptor is small, light green and blue, and has sky-blue feathers running all the way down her back. Nyx is similar, but darker green with black feathers. she also has a baby who is yet unnamed and is green with silver stripes and reddish-brown feathers.
Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.
October 28, 2023 at 4:21 pm #161338Lol I understand some of this. I’ve never read HP because of the witchcraft, so I didn’t notice a ton of that stuff…. except for I knew there were houses in HP so I thought the whole Exillium splitting into groups thing seemed like she was copying a little.
Yeah, Sophie is annoying sometimes. In the later books there is more character growth, but it’s mostly Sophie becoming more confident and standing up for herself… which can come across as sort of selfish and rude. But overall, it’s a good series. It’ll be interesting to see how Shannon Messenger ends it.
Are you still on Lodestar?
WE ARE REVIVING THE PROTECTION SQUAD! *steals Joseph, Julian, and Sabina from Ellette*
October 28, 2023 at 5:00 pm #161367@whalekeeper Wait a sec, I just realized…
Chocolate frogs???
What in the world?
Is it because they’re funny-looking and have sort of the shape you could stick on a popsicle?
Unless frogs have some kinda magic symbolism, in which case, that’s….kinda dark…..
But still. One chocolatier making choco-frogs and selling them isn’t too strange, but the fact that they’re highly sought after and the sellers took advantage by including trading cards is just an “excuse me, what?” moment for me lol.
Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.
November 7, 2023 at 8:37 am #163495I do have Skyraptor and Nyx!
Cool! I thought you’d have some 🤣
Chocolate frogs???
Lol don’t worry, they’re not dark or anything 🤣 Basically they are chocolate treats enchanted to temporarily hop around when a kid opens up the box. Friends and family will give them to you as a Christmas gift, especially if you collect the wizard cards that come with the frogs (think baseball cards).
There are a bunch of other candies, like Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, Fizzing Whizbees, etc. They’re part of what makes HP so famously cozy.
Lol I understand some of this. I’ve never read HP because of the witchcraft, so I didn’t notice a ton of that stuff…. except for I knew there were houses in HP so I thought the whole Exillium splitting into groups thing seemed like she was copying a little.
I guess it’s a “take my word for it” moment then 😂
Yeah, Sophie is annoying sometimes. In the later books there is more character growth, but it’s mostly Sophie becoming more confident and standing up for herself… which can come across as sort of selfish and rude.
I’ll have to find out then, lol. Right now she is pretty annoying.
But overall, it’s a good series. It’ll be interesting to see how Shannon Messenger ends it.
I am definitely interested in how she ends it 😂 Just… I don’t know how! It seems like such a huge thing to wrap up. It will be hard to satisfy fans.
“Everything is a mountain”
November 8, 2023 at 3:32 pm #163637@whalekeeper ok, the chocolate frog idea is actually so cute, but a little sad too because then I wouldn’t want to eat it lol. Also it’d probably get dust on it anyway from hopping around. If those were real, I’d probably buy them just to watch them hop around….I could care less about baseball-wizard-whatever cards lol.
Also, who was saying the love interest in the books was introduced too early? because (sorry for spoilers) Fitz isn’t Sophie’s primary love interest for the entirety of the series……
Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.
February 5, 2024 at 10:08 pm #175341@keilah-h @whalekeeper @hybridlore
Guys I just finished Lodestar and I came across this topic…and I was like YESSS!
To be honest…I’m kind of getting sick of these books…but like Whaley said, for some weird reason it’s like my comfort book, even though I know it’s not that good?
I keep getting so mad when Sophie keeps refusing to tell Fitz that she likes him! LIKE GIRL HURRY UP!!! And ugh…she needs to hurry up and choose Keefe or Fitz and it makes me so mad…
Anyways…I would love to rant about this series if you guys do too!
I guess that’s all…
Lukas&Livia
#Lalbert
Sef&Chase
#HOTTOLINE
LEFSE FOREVER!!!!!! <333February 6, 2024 at 2:23 pm #175376@savannah_grace2009 Same!! The books aren’t the greatest I’ve ever read, but I love some of the worldbuilding.
oh btw, book 9 is when she finally makes her choice, if you don’t mind the spoilers. I won’t tell you who she chooses though.
Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.
February 6, 2024 at 4:45 pm #175386@savannah_grace2009 @keilah-h @whalekeeper
Hmm… interesting… Just read your rant Whaley and I can see these things even in the first book!!
Although I’m gonna try to keep reading them, I was a little confused at the end of the first book… Maybe I missed something earlier on, but why are these people trying to contact her and why did these other guys kidnap her? Like what? I either wasn’t following the plot or she lost me at some point.
I totally see the HP similarities tho. Which I don’t mind, but yeah it seems like she was almost trying to copy it. I can kinda see the LotR similarities too, but for some reason that doesn’t bother me as much.
The love triangle…
Ok…
I’m going to admit it….
I’m a sucker for love triangles. Even if they’re kinda cringy.
🫣
Like, the cringe part bothers me, but I like the love triangle concept. I don’t even know if that makes sense. XD
I just started the second book, and I’m not sure what I think. I wanna keep reading cuz I have a friend who is literally in love with these books, lol, and I want to be able to have my own opinion on them.
I’ve heard that the plot keeps repeating itself too… is that right?
Idk… I’m interested to keep reading, tho and see what she does with the story. (Even though I’ve already read y’all’s opinions XD) I feel like the story had so much potential, and then from what I’ve heard, it didn’t reach its full potential. So yeah, we’ll see what happens.
And do any of y’all know anything about the newest book? (Or the one supposed to come out, idk.) I thought I heard from someone that it had some questionable things in it content-wise.
Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
February 6, 2024 at 11:37 pm #175408I just got books 6 and 7…AHHH I NEED TO SPEED READ SO I CAN FIGURE OUT WHO SHE LIKES!!!! (I mean obviously she likes both of them…WHY DO WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL BOOK 9?!?!)
I kind of think it will be Fitz?
Just a hunch…
But then Fitz is kind of annoying to me, and in my opinion, Keefe is WAY better looking (from the animated art I’ve seen, Fitz is UGLY!!!) and he’s also someone I would totally have a crush on in real life.
I DON’T KNOW!!!!
Okay…you’re talking about the Black Swan right? Or the Neverseen (have you met them yet?)
Spoilers: Black Swan=good guys, Neverseen=bad guys.
Yeah, the love triangle….oh my gosh…the guy who was literally drooling over her made me cringe so bad…
And poor Dex…I felt so bad for him!
(but then they’re cousins by adoption so he’s out of the picture for romance, XD)
I’m still trying to decide between Team Fitz or Team Keefe. IT’S AN IMPOSSIBLE DECISION!
I do think the plot repeats itself a little bit. She still adds tons of plot twists, though, and they still remain my comfort books even though they’re not the best writing…they always cheer me up after a bad day, kind of like really good ice cream…*thinks of moose tracks*
That was a really weird analogy but it’s true XDWAIT THERE’S A NEWEST BOOK?!?!?!
Also, guys, I’ve seen so many things about the inappropriate jokes about the romantic stuff, and I really don’t think they’re that inappropriate. Like not at all. (Like, guys in my class say, way, way, worse.) I actually think it’s SUPER mild and somewhat innocent.
Maybe I’m just used to it?
Highschool boys can be really weird…*shudders*
Lukas&Livia
#Lalbert
Sef&Chase
#HOTTOLINE
LEFSE FOREVER!!!!!! <333February 7, 2024 at 2:17 pm #175423Okay…you’re talking about the Black Swan right? Or the Neverseen (have you met them yet?)
Umm… I think I’m talking about the Black Swan. XD
Spoilers: Black Swan=good guys, Neverseen=bad guys.
Ok… I think that makes a little more sense now.
Yeah, the love triangle….oh my gosh…the guy who was literally drooling over her made me cringe so bad…
And poor Dex…I felt so bad for him!
(but then they’re cousins by adoption so he’s out of the picture for romance, XD)
Wha, wha, wait!! Dex is her cousin??
Oh… oh my word. 🤦🏻♀️ I didn’t notice that until nowww… ahhhhh 💀 Apparently I was not paying attention. 😂
I’m still trying to decide between Team Fitz or Team Keefe. IT’S AN IMPOSSIBLE DECISION!
Ikr?! I would personally choose Keefe, but I don’t know which is better for Sophie. Her author better made a good decision for her!!!
I do think the plot repeats itself a little bit. She still adds tons of plot twists, though, and they still remain my comfort books even though they’re not the best writing…they always cheer me up after a bad day, kind of like really good ice cream…*thinks of moose tracks*
Yeah, I get that. No judgment here! XD
WAIT THERE’S A NEWEST BOOK?!?!?!
I think sooo… but don’t take my word for it. I think she’s coming out with a tenth book or something like that and it’s supposed to be the last book in the series. I don’t know, I only briefly looked it up.
Also, guys, I’ve seen so many things about the inappropriate jokes about the romantic stuff, and I really don’t think they’re that inappropriate. Like not at all. (Like, guys in my class say, way, way, worse.) I actually think it’s SUPER mild and somewhat innocent.
Maybe I’m just used to it?
Highschool boys can be really weird…*shudders*
Is any of that in the first book? Cuz I didn’t notice anything…
Amen girl! And I don’t even really go to school 😂😂
Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
February 7, 2024 at 2:24 pm #175426@esther-c @savannah_grace2009 Inappropriate stuff?
Nothing I’ve seen that’s really bad. Worldbuilding wise, some things they say can get weird if you look too close at it……For example someone mentions “star and planetary alignments” in one sentence, but tbh that’s been so overused in so many fantasy stories, I shrugged it off, not really taking it literally, and it was in the context of a stone absorbing starlight to be used as a power source, so it was more pseudoscientific than astrological in origin. Also, the Shades, who manipulate shadows, mention some strange things–shadow echoes, and a shadowplane (some kind of darkness dimension u can track people through?), and that kind of thing, but I think that stems more from our tendency to believe shadows are a symbol of dark and evil, and less of what the author actually wrote about.
Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.
February 7, 2024 at 6:07 pm #175452Okay, so the Black Swan basically tries to rescue Sophie, and they’re the ones who created her. They are the ones leaving notes in her locker and notes in her room, etc etc.
The Neverseen are the people who kidnapped and tortured her and Dex. We still don’t really know why or what they’re trying to accomplish even in book 6…so I guess we’ll have to find out XD
If you look further back in this thread (or maybe it’s another thread about the same thing…?) some people complained about how the inappropriate stuff bothered them. In my opinion, it’s really not bad and I’m completely fine with it.
@esther
I don’t think any of it was in the first book? There’s maybe one joke per book, if even that, and none of it makes me uncomfortable, it just makes me laugh because it’s really not bad enough to be really even considered inappropriate, at least where I stand.
Lukas&Livia
#Lalbert
Sef&Chase
#HOTTOLINE
LEFSE FOREVER!!!!!! <333 -
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