The KOTLC Club

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood he/him]

1 hour ago, Edema Rue said:

Honestly, I think 8.5 saved it, but 9 hurt it a little bit. Hopefully 10 is better.

9 I think was a large step in the darker area that I want. The flashbacks were nice.

[Edema Rue she/her]

16 minutes ago, Thaidakar the Ghostblood said:

9 I think was a large step in the darker area that I want. The flashbacks were nice.

True, true.

[J. Magi she/her]

I am the only one who thought that (book  9 spoilers)

Spoiler

Keefe's running away and then coming back only a few weeks later was kind of underwhelming?

I totally expected him to run into Amy and for them to have some misadventures going on in the background. 

Sophie just finding him at a random hotel, and then bullying him back home in one night felt disappointing.

 

 

Edited September 22, 2023 by Justice_Magician

[Edema Rue she/her]

7 minutes ago, Justice_Magician said:

I am the only one who thought that (book  9 spoilers)

  Reveal hidden contents

Keefe's running away and then coming back only a few weeks later was kind of underwhelming?

I totally expected him to run into Amy and for them to have some misadventures going on in the background. 

Sophie just finding him at a random hotel, and then bulling him back home in one night felt disappointing.

 

 

YES LITERALLY YES

That’s a lot of why I didn’t like book 9 and did like 8.5, because the end of 8.5 gave me hope and 9 just went and crushed it.

[Immortal Platypus]

55 minutes ago, Justice_Magician said:

I am the only one who thought that (book  9 spoilers)

  Hide contents

Keefe's running away and then coming back only a few weeks later was kind of underwhelming?

I totally expected him to run into Amy and for them to have some misadventures going on in the background. 

Sophie just finding him at a random hotel, and then bulling him back home in one night felt disappointing.

 

 

yeah, i felt serious Star Wars sequels vibes from that. The whole actions don't actually have consequences now theme.

[J. Magi she/her]

54 minutes ago, Edema Rue said:

YES LITERALLY YES

That’s a lot of why I didn’t like book 9 and did like 8.5, because the end of 8.5 gave me hope and 9 just went and crushed it.

 

6 minutes ago, Being of Cacophony said:

yeah, i felt serious Star Wars sequels vibes from that. The whole actions don't actually have consequences now theme.

Exactly. I also felt that it was meant to sort of mirror when he ran away and "joined" the neverseen. Running away the first time was a terrible decision, and it showed keefes relative immaturity. So having him run away the second time would be a great way to show how his character has developed, because this time he's running away because of his maturity. But then it just completely canceled out by him coming home immediately, and whatever thematic point was supposed to be there is completely lost.

hehe I really do enjoy KOTLC but so many parts of it just passionately annoy me 

[Ravenclawjedi42]

2 hours ago, Justice_Magician said:

 

Exactly. I also felt that it was meant to sort of mirror when he ran away and "joined" the neverseen. Running away the first time was a terrible decision, and it showed keefes relative immaturity. So having him run away the second time would be a great way to show how his character has developed, because this time he's running away because of his maturity. But then it just completely canceled out by him coming home immediately, and whatever thematic point was supposed to be there is completely lost.

hehe I really do enjoy KOTLC but so many parts of it just passionately annoy me 

I agree with this. I feel that the only purpose Keefe leaving really had was to provide a cliffhanger in between 8.5 and 9.

[J. Magi she/her]

1 minute ago, Ravenclawjedi42 said:

I agree with this. I feel that the only purpose Keefe leaving really had was to provide a cliffhanger in between 8.5 and 9.

Yeah, it was there for drama points (and perhaps to get Sophie to realize she likes him), and nothing else.

[Wittles he/him]

5 hours ago, Justice_Magician said:

I am the only one who thought that (book  9 spoilers)

  Reveal hidden contents

Keefe's running away and then coming back only a few weeks later was kind of underwhelming?

I totally expected him to run into Amy and for them to have some misadventures going on in the background. 

Sophie just finding him at a random hotel, and then bullying him back home in one night felt disappointing.

 

 

I was really annoyed by that. It would have been a really interesting thing to have be a central plot thread, but of course it had to be shortened.

Edited September 22, 2023 by Wittles of Shinovar

[ecjhtheedgedancer]

On 9/22/2023 at 1:01 PM, Justice_Magician said:

I am the only one who thought that (book  9 spoilers)

  Hide contents

Keefe's running away and then coming back only a few weeks later was kind of underwhelming?

I totally expected him to run into Amy and for them to have some misadventures going on in the background. 

Sophie just finding him at a random hotel, and then bullying him back home in one night felt disappointing.

 

 

Y E S

[J. Magi she/her]

well . . . this thread has been inactive for a while.

Does anyone have thoughts on Unraveld (9.5)? I believe it comes out in November.

[The Honorable One he/him]

1 minute ago, justice magician said:

well . . . this thread has been inactive for a while.

Does anyone have thoughts on Unraveld (9.5)? I believe it comes out in November.

I like Keefe, so I'm excited to get more of his perspective. At the same time, I just want 10. Get on with the story, y'know?

[J. Magi she/her]

4 minutes ago, The Honorable One said:

I like Keefe, so I'm excited to get more of his perspective. At the same time, I just want 10. Get on with the story, y'know?

Yeah . . . it's been so long, that at this point I feel like I've forgotten half of the clues/mysteries the plot is about. I do love Keefe, though so that's exciting.

Spoiler

Fun fact back when 8.5 was the latest book (my middle school days) I had 'fan fiction' about what this book is gonna cover so it's gonna be interesting to see what really happened. I'll probably be biased to my version, though lol

 

Edited May 8 by justice magician

[Kajsa she/her]

3 minutes ago, The Honorable One said:

I like Keefe, so I'm excited to get more of his perspective. At the same time, I just want 10. Get on with the story, y'know?

EXACTLY

SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS ME

[J. Magi she/her]

Just now, Kajsa said:

EXACTLY

SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS ME

Keefe is literally the best part of the series lol

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood he/him]

*enters*

Keefe looks like fitz in a wig on the new cover

*exits*

[J. Magi she/her]

5 minutes ago, Thaidakar the Ghostblood said:

*enters*

Keefe looks like fitz in a wig on the new cover

*exits*

*sigh*

I've always disliked the official illustrations . . . Keefe looks like a captain-of-the-football-team-jock

It doesn't help that I don't really care for that art style as a whole though.

[Kajsa she/her]

6 minutes ago, justice magician said:

*sigh*

I've always disliked the official illustrations . . . Keefe looks like a captain-of-the-football-team-jock

It doesn't help that I don't really care for that art style as a whole though.

HE DOES OMC

i feel like keefe's hair should be more... chunky than how he's represented in the official art (which, btw, i personally feel they all look a little uncanny)

not like chunky

but like clumpy and just overall more coherent with a more defined shape (aka *iconic*)

because on the covers, it's just... it's just hair

*cries*

No hate ofc i completely respect both Laura Hollingsworth and Jason Chan, these are just my personal thoughts 

Edited May 8 by Kajsa

[J. Magi she/her]

6 minutes ago, Kajsa said:

HE DOES OMC

i feel like keefe's hair should be more... chunky than how he's represented in the official art (which, btw, i personally feel they all look a little uncanny)

not like chunky

but like clumpy and just overall more coherent with a more defined shape (aka *iconic*)

because on the covers, it's just... it's just hair

*cries*

No hate ofc i completely respect both Laura Hollingsworth and Jason Chan, these are just my personal thoughts 

YES

His hair is supposed to be messy, granted, in a stylish way but still. I agree with the uncanny thing too, sometimes the faces just feel . . . weird.

But yeah, the art is fine, and I think it works for the audience it caters to. It's just not my favorite. (says the girl with the anime pfp lol)

[Part Of The Narrative she/her]

On 5/8/2024 at 5:39 PM, Kajsa said:

HE DOES OMC

i feel like keefe's hair should be more... chunky than how he's represented in the official art (which, btw, i personally feel they all look a little uncanny)

not like chunky

but like clumpy and just overall more coherent with a more defined shape (aka *iconic*)

because on the covers, it's just... it's just hair

*cries*

No hate ofc i completely respect both Laura Hollingsworth and Jason Chan, these are just my personal thoughts 

I AGREE

I think the girls were represented well. AND TAM OH MY GOSHSHHHH

but

but KEEFE

I completely agree. His hair just cannot be captured by mortal art.

[The Honorable One he/him]

18 hours ago, Part Of The Narrative said:

I AGREE

I think the girls were represented well. AND TAM OH MY GOSHSHHHH

but

but KEEFE

I completely agree. His hair just cannot be captured by mortal art.

He is Lord Hunkyhair, after all

[Part Of The Narrative she/her]

2 minutes ago, The Honorable One said:

He is Lord Hunkyhair, after all

Exactly

We must give respect to those who deserve it

[LightRinger he/him]

Hi. Controversy ahead, so be warned.

 

*takes deep breath*

I stopped reading the books after 8.5 because I thought the writing was getting better and the plot was getting worse. I'm not a huge fan of authors writing guides to their books, especially when it just compiles things we already know. I loved the first few books, but after Neverseen everything got too confusing with the bigger bosses and halls of mirrors. I liked Keefe until he turned into a whiny boi. Personally, I think Keeper has become the Hunger Games but longer and doesn't hide that it's for middle schoolers. They both started strong but became too romance heavy after a few books IMNSHO. (lmk if y'all want a comparison chart for characters and plot) However, I think there is still a lot of potential for the series, and I might read Stellarlune if y'all recommend it. 

*takes another deep breath*

I think Kenric is def still alive, and likely a member of the Neverseen, and probably Gethen. I love Elwin more than anything in the series. Flashers are freaking cool, and I'd love to talk about multiple Ability resonances, to borrow a Shard term. 

*Steps down from soapbox*

Thanks. I'll be here more. I'd love to know if y'all think I should read Stellarlune, especially if I'm not the biggest fan of the series's progression thus far.

I read the tags (be, nice), and I hope y'all realize my opinions are here for the sake of conversation and not to be mean. I'd love to read some of y'all's theories, so sorry if I say/said anything already on this thread, but now I'm going to read it all. 

[Kajsa she/her]

6 hours ago, LightRinger said:

I stopped reading the books after 8.5 because I thought the writing was getting better and the plot was getting worse.

i agree with this!!! i feel like after Neverseen (just like you said), the plot (in my brain, at least) started to kinda fall apart. I got pretty lost around Legacy, and I was also confused at why Shannon would interrupt the series to write 8.5 instead of saving it for the end, since i’m sure we’ll learn more in the next books that she may have wanted to include in 8.5. The series definitely has become more romance-heavy, but I would personally be okay with that if it wasn’t bogging the plot down. 

As for Stellarlune, the plot really slows down in that one, and it’s basically Sophie trying to figure out how to get somewhere important to the Neverseen while also figuring out her romantic feelings. Disclaimer: that is definitely not all it is, but that’s the majority of what i remember, thus what i found to be the most important/prevalent aspects of the novel. 

i both agree and disagree with your keefe statement.

Personally, i’m going to continue reading the series because i’ve come this far, and i’d like to see how it ends. plus, i want to continue to support shannon since i’m an aspiring author myself and want to do my best to support other authors. this is especially because she clearly knows how to write if she can just solidify plot before she jumps in. that’s my personal opinion, and i hope nobody is offended as i’m not aiming to be mean or rude. thanks for letting me share!

[Immortal Platypus]

8 hours ago, LightRinger said:

I think Kenric is def still alive, and likely a member of the Neverseen

YES! BROTHER! FINALLY ANOTHER PERSON WHO THINKS THIS!

*ahem* 

anyways, i'm gonna keep reading the series because of the time I've put into it. I don't expect it to get so good that I'll be like, I would've regretted not reading this, but I also don't expect it to get so bad that I'm like, I wish I hadn't read this (for a long time at least). I think the series is ok, but I definitely wouldn't call it great, or even good. The same plot tends to get reused (imo) so I'm not a huge fan, but at least things are starting to change. maybe it'll be good, and I'll be pleasantly surprised.