Keeper of the Lost Cities
#54.44 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 11 books Status Ongoing 2012–present Reading commitment High Shannon Messenger Last reviewed 2026-10-27
Overview
Shannon Messenger’s bestselling upper-middle-grade series follows Sophie Foster, a twelve-year-old telepath raised by a human family in San Diego, who learns she is an elf and is brought to the Lost Cities, a hidden world of elves, gnomes, ogres, trolls, goblins and dwarves. Enrolled at the elite Foxfire academy, she discovers that a secret rebel order, the Black Swan, engineered her abilities, and is drawn into its long struggle with the extremist Neverseen. Nine novels have been published since 2012, and the series is still in progress.
Portal fantasy, Urban fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (11 works) counts toward ranking
Keeper of the Lost Cities Shannon Messenger
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Keeper of the Lost Cities | 2012 | 1 | core | 4.39 (123,214 ratings) |
 | Exile | 2013 | 2 | core | 4.46 (80,102 ratings) |
 | Everblaze | 2014 | 3 | core | 4.46 (69,698 ratings) |
 | Neverseen | 2015 | 4 | core | 4.55 (65,023 ratings) |
 | Lodestar | 2016 | 5 | core | 4.48 (59,023 ratings) |
 | Nightfall | 2017 | 6 | core | 4.52 (55,090 ratings) |
 | Flashback | 2018 | 7 | core | 4.32 (50,292 ratings) |
 | Legacy | 2019 | 8 | core | 4.43 (46,582 ratings) |
 | Stellarlune | 2022 | 9 | core | 4.43 (36,722 ratings) |
 | Unraveled; Numbered 9.5 by the publisher. Registered as Core because it is a full-length novel that advances the main story. | 2024 | N/A | core | 4.25 (16,291 ratings) |
 | Unlocked; Numbered 8.5 by the publisher. Expanded because it mixes story chapters, alternating between Sophie and Keefe, with a series guide, recipes and character art. | 2020 | N/A | 4.23 (35,763 ratings) |
The numbered novels following Sophie Foster in the Lost Cities, 2012 onward.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Keeper of the Lost Cities? Keeper of the Lost Cities's Core Canon is 11 books.
- What is the reading order for Keeper of the Lost Cities? Publication order, starting with Keeper of the Lost Cities. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Keeper of the Lost Cities finished? Ongoing (2012–present).
- How much reading does Keeper of the Lost Cities take? High reading commitment (estimated from 10 Core Canon books).
- How is Keeper of the Lost Cities ranked? #5 in this site's official ranking, based on 602,037 reader ratings across 10 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #5?
Ranked #5 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.44 across 10 core books.
- Backed by 602k reader ratings.
- 0.02 behind #4, Cosmere.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 10 books · Ongoing · 602k ratings · Ranks #5 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running portal fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (10 Core Canon books)
- Keeper of the Lost Cities (2012)
- Exile (2013)
- Everblaze (2014)
- Neverseen (2015)
- Lodestar (2016)
- Nightfall (2017)
- Flashback (2018)
- Legacy (2019)
- Stellarlune (2022)
- Unraveled (2024)
Documented internal/story order: 9 of 10 Core Canon books
- Keeper of the Lost Cities (2012)
- Exile (2013)
- Everblaze (2014)
- Neverseen (2015)
- Lodestar (2016)
- Nightfall (2017)
- Flashback (2018)
- Legacy (2019)
- Stellarlune (2022)
Internal chronology is documented for 9 of 10 Core Canon books; the remaining 1 are not yet mapped onto the same ordinal scale.
Awards (verified)
- California Young Reader Medal (Middle School/Junior High), 2017: won: Keeper of the Lost Cities
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Suggestions computed from what Keeper of the Lost Cities and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
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- Nevermoor Portal fantasy / Cozy fantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.39
- The Land of Stories Portal fantasy / Fairy-tale retelling · Complete · High commitment · 4.36
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.44 across 602,037 ratings on 10 Core Canon books. 1 additional Core Canon book hasn't been rated yet, so it isn't counted here. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: Keeper of the Lost Cities (Shannon Messenger, 9 books) accepted 2026-10-27
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-10-27
Rule: Core Canon = the nine numbered novels, Keeper of the Lost Cities (2012) to Stellarlune (2022), and Unraveled (book 9.5, 2024), a full-length novel narrated by Keefe that advances the main story. Unlocked (book 8.5) is Expanded: it combines story chapters with a series guide and extras. The graphic novel adaptations are not registered.