Keeper of the Lost Cities Forgotten Secret #4 with Kenric, Oralie, and Fintan

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set.  Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published.  You've been warned.

Most of this post was written in the summer of 2025.  Months went by, and I read through it again.  The original version was far too confusing.  I reworked the content to make it less confusing, and then I added two font colors to help the presentation.  This post will remain tough to completely understand unless you are extremely familiar with both parts of Forgotten Secret #4.  Even if you don't believe that Forkle is Kenric, this post contains information that has bearing on other interpretations.  

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These posts provide information that will make this post easier to understand:

Forgotten Secret #4 Kenric and Oralie with Fintan
Forgotten Secret #4 Kenric and Oralie at Night

I want to begin with two fresh observations about this memory.

The part with Fintan has an orange crystal, and the part with Kenric and Oralie's private conversation has a blue crystal.  The Forgotten Secret with Prentice also has a blue crystal.  I assume that the blue crystal indicates that Kenric and Oralie's conversation takes place somewhere in the Forbidden Cities.  This could explain why Oralie keeps her circlet covered and why she looks behind her during the conversation.  I've always considered the desire for secrecy to be odd.

Near the end of Kenric and Oralie's conversation, Kenric tells Oralie that he will protect her.  He says, "I'll be right here by your side, even if I have to pretend that things between us are strictly professional."

That remark has always struck me as strange.  Kenric doesn't do a good job keeping their relationship professional.  I'm thinking about the scene right before Fintan's healing.  Kenric and Oralie show affection for each other right in front of everyone else.  That isn't "strictly professional" behavior.  

Could Kenric have been thinking more in terms of Forkle?  Mr. Forkle has undoubtedly protected Oralie, and he has behaved "strictly professional" around her.  This was just an interesting idea that I had.

Before I get into the rest of this post, I must remind you that I firmly believe that Kenric is Forkle.  The books give us sufficient clues to draw that conclusion.  Anything that is true about either Kenric or Forkle must be true about both of them.  We know that Forkle can divide his consciousness, which means that Kenric can as well.  We also know that Forkle has a twin brother.  The same is true of Kenric.  

I acknowledge that much of the content of this post could mean nothing, simply because of this passage about Forgotten Secret #1.

Stellarlune, page 207:  Dex jumped in.  "But I'm confused.  What happened to the first half of this memory?  Shouldn't it have started with the moment Kenric got to wherever that Neutral Territory was—not when Bronte arrived?"  "Caches don't need to contain the entire memory," Oralie told him.  "Only the significant information.  The rest is erased."

Shannon establishes right off that the Forgotten Secrets will be missing certain parts.  That's why this post could be pointless...  but I doubt that's the case due to the oddities found in both parts of this Forgotten Secret.

Both parts of Forgotten Secret #4 are strange.  As Fintan would say, something is missing.  Shannon is hiding something from us.

Note: I used two different colors for my comments about each part of this Forgotten Secret.  I hope that this helps make the post easier to follow.

We were given the "Kenric and Oralie" part of the memory first in #8.5 Unlocked.  We were given the "Kenric and Oralie with Fintan" part of the memory second in #9 Stellarlune.  Presenting the memories in reverse chronological order has helped Shannon to confuse the situation.

Additionally, splitting the memories has added to the confusion.  The secret in Oralie's cache is just part of Forgotten Secret #4.  What's in Kenric's cache is all of it—or so it appears.  Why would Kenric only store part of Forgotten Secret #4 in Oralie's cache?  Why not all of it?  

I suspect that Oralie, Sophie, and Dex make a big mistake when they fail to view the second part of Forgotten Secret #4 from Kenric's cache.  They don't view it because Oralie and Sophie had already seen it in Oralie's cache.  But what if the "Kenric and Oralie" part in Kenric's cache contains more information?

You need have Unlocked and Stellarlune handy as I dive into this.  This will be confusing, and I had to rework parts of the post as more pieces fell into place for me.  I hope you can follow the finished product.  In fact, you might want to stop now and read through both parts of the Forgotten Secret to freshen up your memory.  There's a lot to unpack.

Some of the content from Unlocked must be considered first, even though the portion of the secret from Stellarlune comes first chronologically.

In Unlocked, Oralie opens her cache, and they begin watching the memory.  Elysian is mentioned, and Sophie asks Oralie about it.

Unlocked, page 524:  "I truly have no idea," Oralie admitted.  "All of this feels strangely... detached.  It's like I'm watching someone else's life instead of my own.  I always thought accessing a Forgotten Secret would be like recovering any other memory, and after a few moments my brain would find enough cues to sync it back into my mental timeline.  But this doesn't connect to anything."

Oralie is struggling because something is missing, and that's why she can't sync it to anything.  Additionally, the memory was likely shattered so that it could not be retrieved.

Unlocked, page 526:  "The truly strange thing is," the real Oralie murmured, "I can't recall any part of the conversation I apparently had with Fintan.  And if the Washers erased it, there should be a second jewel in my cache—or this memory should start much earlier."

At this point in the timeline, Oralie hasn't seen the Fintan memory yet.  Let's go to the very beginning of that one, which shows Kenric and Oralie walking up to Fintan as he tends his garden.

Stellarlune, page 225:  The real Oralie pointed to the hood covering her projection's circlet.  "This must be the missing half of the memory we found in my cache—when Kenric dragged me out of bed in the middle of the night and brought me to Fintan to ask him about Elysian."

The Fintan part of the secret is actually just a portion of the missing half of the memory.  It's not all there.  But before I get to that, here's the very end of the memory with Fintan.

Stellarlune, page 243:  "And I'd recommend putting out these fires before the Washer gets here."  Fintan didn't acknowledge him.  He just stared at his Noxflares, murmuring "something's missing" as Kenric held up his pathfinder and he and Oralie glittered away.  "Let's stop the memory here," the real Oralie said as the scene shifted and her projection now stood facing Kenric.  "This is where the crystal in my case started, and... I can't watch that again."

Let's go back to Unlocked.

The very beginning of the Kenric and Oralie memory shows them facing each other in the moonlight.  Kenric is scowling.

Unlocked, page 523:  "For once, would you please just trust that I know what's best?" he pleaded, knocking back his hood and tearing his hands through his vivid red hair.

Okay, wait...  Kenric tells Fintan to get the fires put out, then he and Oralie leap away.  They appear facing each other, and Oralie shuts down the memory, because they had already seen it.  The other version of the same memory starts with Kenric pleading for Oralie to understand.  

Something is missing. 

We don't have the beginning of the private conversation between Kenric and Oralie, and Oralie clearly doesn't have any of the memory.

The very beginning of the conversation between Kenric and Oralie is likely in Kenric's cache, but Sophie, Dex, and Oralie don't view it.  

Unlocked, page 525:  "You don't get to show up at my door in the middle of the night, beg me to go with you to see a former Councillor—who seemed particularly unstable, by the way—ask him over and over about whatever stellarlune is, even after I told you he wasn't lying when he said he'd never heard of it, and then stand there, gray as a ghoul because you slipped and said something about this mysterious Elysian."

What Oralie describes in this passage is mostly absent from the Forgotten Secret with Fintan.  She mentions Kenric showing up in the middle of the night, but that part wasn't saved in the cache.  Also missing is the part where Fintan is asked "over and over about whatever stellarlune is." 

I wonder who washed the memory with Fintan. 

Stellarlune, page 242:  "I'll send a message to the washer instructing them to preserve that part of this evening."

Considering the nature of the secret and its oddities, I believe that Kenric sent a message to his twin, who then washed the memory, probably while wearing an addler.  Kenric is very secretive and paranoid about anyone learning about Elysian.  His twin is the only elf he would trust to wash the memory.

To recap, we are missing the beginning of the Fintan memory where Kenric wakes up Oralie.  She doesn't have that memory, so it was washed but not included in Kenric's cache.

We are also missing the first part of the private conversation between Kenric and Oralie.  This also must have been washed but not placed in Oralie's cache.  

There are also two other oddities.  

I covered one of them in Forgotten Secret #4 Kenric and Oralie with Fintan (see post):

Stellarlune, page 240:   The projection of Oralie sighed and repeated her question—but halfway through, the words turned muffled and distant.  "Is that the end of the memory?"  Dex asked when the hologram warped and faded.

Kenric tampered with the memory, which means that he shattered part of the memory before storing it in his cache.

Kenric didn't want any record of whatever he found in Fintan's mind, so he shattered it before saving it in his cache.

I found the other oddity in the part with Kenric and Oralie's private conversation.

So that I could analyze that part of the memory, I removed my previous highlights of the conversation in my Kindle book, and then I highlighted every line that is from the memory.  I did not highlight any of the remarks by Oralie and Sophie.  I exported the highlighted lines of the cached memory and then pasted them into Microsoft Word.  I read just the cached memory without the interjections of Sophie and Oralie as they watch the memory. 

I believe that Kenric also tampered with the Kenric and Oralie memory.  I had noticed the odd part before, but I thought nothing of it.  This time, I realized that it probably does mean something.

The conversation begins with Oralie trying to get Kenric to tell her what he knows about Elysian.  He won't say, but he does admit to breaching Fintan's mind.  Next, he mentions a leak.  I originally thought that the leak was Alvar, since he was later discovered to be the Council leak.  

I now believe that the leak is whoever breached Prentice's mind.  That elf is likely Gethen.  I believe that Prentice was compromised by Gethen, and the information about Elysian was taken from Prentice's mind.  That started a chain of events leading to Prentice calling swan song.  Kenric searches Fintan's mind to see if Fintan had information about Elysian that was saved in Prentice's mind.

Unlocked, page 526:  "I'm getting tired of your vagueness and riddles," the projection of Oralie warned.

Next, the real Oralie and Sophie begin talking.  And then:

Unlocked, page 526:  Oralie studied the tiny versions of herself and Kenric, who seemed to have entered into some sort of epic staring contest.

The real Oralie resumes talking.  The conversation between Sophie and the real Oralie lasts 2 1/2 pages.  Then:

Unlocked, page 528:  The two projections were standing so still that the image almost looked frozen.

This is strange.  Oralie and Sophie speak for a couple of minutes, and the image seems almost frozen.  It sounds like the image isn't frozen, but Kenric and Oralie are just staring at each other.  That doesn't make sense.  It took me some time to come up with a possible explanation.

I first wondered if Kenric removed part of the memory and then did a do-over.  When Oralie, Sophie, and Dex view Forgotten Secret #3 from Kenric's readying room, Dex wonders why Kenric erased the memory.  Sophie suggests that he wanted a do-over so that Oralie wouldn't hate him as much.

I thought that perhaps Kenric did a do-over and somehow spliced multiple memories together.  But that wouldn't explain the two figures appearing to be almost frozen, and besides, elves probably can't splice memories together like humans can with recorded media.  Since almost is included in the description, I must conclude that the figures aren't frozen.

I then thought about how Keefe continually makes jokes about Sophie and Fitz staring at each other when they speak telepathically.  Kenric and Oralie could be speaking telepathically during the part of the memory that appears to be almost frozen.  Kenric may have tampered with the memory, removing the mental conversation.  The entire memory including the telepathic conversation could be in Kenric's cache, which was not viewed by Oralie, Sophie, and Dex.

I read through my Microsoft Word document a few more times, and a telepathic conversation doesn't make sense to me either, at least not on the surface.  I don't see what could have been discussed telepathically during that part of the conversation.  Here's how it plays out with the lengthy Oralie/Sophie conversation removed:

"I'm getting tired of your vagueness and riddles,” the projection of Oralie warned.

[about 45 seconds of conversation between Oralie and Sophie]

Oralie studied the tiny versions of herself and Kenric, who seemed to have entered into some sort of epic staring contest.

[nearly 2 minutes of conversation between Oralie and Sophie]

The two projections were standing so still that the image almost looked frozen.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Ora."  He dropped his gaze toward the ground.  "I tried to avoid it. But I didn't know who else to trust."

Oralie's projection reached for his hands.  "If you really trust me, tell me what's going on."

I recited the conversation between Oralie and Sophie aloud, trying to pace it as a real conversation.  I skipped Sophie's interjected thoughts so as not to add more time.  Kenric and Oralie stare at each other for at least around 3 minutes.  That's a long time.  It would be even longer if Sophie's thoughts were included in the timing.  Kenric and Oralie's conversation flows just fine, but the time gap that occurs during the conversation is bizarre.

I also sense a tone shift in the conversation.  Oralie is angry up until the lengthy period of staring.  After that, Kenric seems contrite, and Oralie is much calmer.

Nothing is mentioned about Kenric touching Oralie's temple to wash her memory, but we don't know that he doesn't.  It's possible that Kenric washes Oralie's memory during the time they appear to be staring at each other, and then he continues along a different vein.  Sophie and Oralie were so involved in their conversation that they might have looked at each other while Kenric and Oralie were silent.  It is possible that Kenric could have touched Oralie's temple without them noticing.

I currently believe that during the lengthy time gap that Kenric washes the entire first part of the conversation from Oralie's memory, and he washes it because he mentioned Elysian.  He then resumes the conversation as if they had just leaped away from Fintan (or immediately after the missing first part of the conversation that must be in Kenric's cache).  He is contrite during this part, so Oralie isn't argumentative.

What we see in the cache is the first part of the conversation, and then we see Kenric and Oralie standing still as Kenric washes the first part of the conversation.  We then see Kenric resume the conversation.

Of course, I'm making an assumption that Kenric touches Oralie's temple, and Sophie failed to notice.

Regardless of what really happened, it's important that Oralie, Sophie, and Dex skip viewing the second part of Forgotten Secret #4 from Kenric's cache.  Kenric's cache likely contains a more complete version of the memory, whatever it is.  We'll learn something important when the rest of Forgotten Secret #4 is revealed.

After another reading of this Forgotten Secret, I drew another conclusion.  Kenric has Oralie query Fintan about stellarlune and then asks her if Fintan is telling the truth.  Oralie tells Kenric that Fintan is uneasy, suspicious, annoyed, and confused.  She doesn't detect a lie.

I read through the other part of the memory, where Kenric slips and mentions Elysian to Oralie.  I suddenly realized something.

I believe that Fintan hadn't yet heard of stellarlune at the time of this memory; stellarlune was part of Lady Gisela's plan.  Fintan told Sophie that Gisela never revealed much about her side plan with Ethan, which appears to have something to do with the prime sources and stellarlune.

Fintan's focus was on the Noxflares, which are found in Elysian.  Fintan knew about Elysian and knew nothing about stellarlune.

I believe Kenric is Ethan Benedict Wright, and he knows something about Gisela's plan.  He probably split his consciousness so that while Fintan was asked "over and over about whatever stellarlune is," the other part probed Fintan's mind for the leaked information about Elysian.  Asking about stellarlune kept Fintan distracted enough that he didn't know what Kenric was doing.  

It's important that the portion of the secret containing Kenric's invasion of Fintan's mind was shattered.  Kenric didn't want anyone to have access to what he was thinking or anything that he noticed.

This Forgotten Secret has many layers and is crucial for multiple reasons.  It is the Forgotten Secret that fascinates me the most.

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

I appreciate those who have commented on my posts.  If you ever want to comment, you can do so at the end of every post using a screen name.  First, click in the text box but don't type anything.  Look right above where you clicked to see a drop-down menu where one option is "Name/URL."  Enter a name (no URL needed), and that name will display on the comment.  

Keeper of the Lost Cities: Why Prentice Called Swan Song

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set.  Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published.  You've been warned.

In this post, I focus on piecing together what I can about Prentice and what happened before his memory break.

I am confident that the books have sufficient clues for us to draw the conclusion that Kenric is Forkle (see post).  When Kenric asks Prentice to be his Keeper in Forgotten Secret #5 in Stellarlune, his true intent is for Prentice to be the Keeper of the Black Swan.  Since Prentice does become the Black Swan's Keeper, we know that he must have accepted.

In Exile, Sophie enters Prentice's mind for the first time and speaks to Jolie (page 242).  Eventually we learn that Prentice uses Jolie to picture himself, because his mind is so broken that he doesn't know what he looks like.

In later books, Prentice uses Cyrah to represent himself in his mind (Nightfall, page 584).  Since Cyrah is important to Prentice, I assume Jolie is also important for some reason.  According to Forkle, Jolie was working "deep undercover" for the Black Swan (Everblaze, page 460).  We also know that Prentice was investigating something during the time just before he was arrested (Nightfall, page 43).  Prentice and Jolie might have been working together.

Forkle believes that Prentice's mind contains something crucial (Neverseen, page 107).

The Lodestar symbol is retrieved from Prentice's mind (Lodestar, page 95).  Sophie obtains pieces of the symbol after transmitting "swan song" to Prentice.  Prentice uses Jolie to tell Sophie that the phrase has "a pull, like an anchor."  This implies that the Lodestar symbol has something to do with the reason why Prentice called swan song.

Livvy discovers that Prentice was drugged with soporodine before he was handed over to the Black Swan (Nightfall, page 493).  The characters believe that the Neverseen probably drugged Prentice due to fear that Prentice would reveal something.  It is assumed that a dwarf loyal to the Neverseen is responsible, but no one knows for sure.

Lodestar, page 349:  She explained about the disk in his cloak, and how Prentice's memory of the symbol seemed to be connected to him calling swan song, and how they found the shadowprint of the symbol on the floor of the abandoned hideout in Paris.

I assume that Prentice discovered the Lodestar symbol during his investigation. 

Nightfall, page 43:  "We didn't know you'd caught on to Prentice until it was too late," Livvy said quietly.  "Even when he called swan song, I thought it had something to do with what he was investigating, not that he was about to be arrested.  "What was he investigating?" Sophie asked.  "Honestly?  I have no idea," Livvy admitted.

I suspect that Prentice had no idea he was about to be arrested and that he called swan song for some other reason.  If Prentice was investigating the Lodestar symbol and the Neverseen, he could have found out about Nightfall.  

The first chapter of #10 Elysian was published in the paperback edition of Unraveled.  I noticed some familiar descriptions.  From Chapter 1 of Elysian:

Gisela flashed a smile..., "I thought I was hunting down a place—not a person.  Following clues scribbled on the tatters of a long-forgotten map to 'whispering rapids' and 'butterflies kissed with red'..."

Kenric uses the same phrases in Forgotten Secret #6 in Stellarlune:

Stellarlune, page 261:  "By following a convoluted trail of evidence that I've slowly pieced together over the last several months."

Stellarlune, page 262:  "Something had mentioned 'whispering rapids,' so when I found this river, I followed it here."

Stellarlune, page 263:  "But see how they have red on their faces?  I found a mention about that, too—'butterflies kissed with red.' "

Clearly, Kenric and Lady Gisela had the same information source.  But how could that be?

Kenric likely learned the clues about Elysian sometime prior to Prentice becoming his Keeper (butterflies kissed with red, etc.).  It is apparent that Kenric's clues about Elysian were saved to Prentice's mind.

In Exile, Sophie enters Prentice's mind.

Exile, page 240:  There was a fountain in the center of it all, two golden figures standing in a round pool, holding hands as colored streams of water showered them from every direction.

The description is of the Unity Fountain in Atlantis, featured in Nightfall.  The Unity Fountain is the entrance to Nightfall.

Sophie also sees this when she enters Prentice's mind.

Exile, page 239:  Glowing eyes peeked through bushes covered in blue ears, and butterflies with bright red lips whispered sounds like mush. 

That part describes the place, Elysian.  If Kenric stored that information in Prentice's mind, then surely he stored everything he knew about Elysian in Prentice's mind, including the phrases "whispering rapids" and "butterflies kissed with red."

What if Gethen got to Prentice?  Gethen might have probed Prentice's mind and retrieved the information about Elysian.  An event like that would have caused Prentice to call swan song.  I believe Shannon hints at something like this in Forgotten Secret #5.

Stellarlune, page 254:  "Even if your plan works," Prentice said, noticeably not agreeing, "the Keeper would be a target for anyone seeking privileged information."

Kenric insists that only he and Prentice would know.

Stellarlune, page 254:  Prentice shook his head.  "We all know how easily information can leak."  "Not if you and I are the only ones who know we're working together."  

Stellarlune, page 257:  Instead he stepped closer and told Kenric, "No amount of talent will ever make me infallible."

Prentice was probably investigating something that had to do with the Lodestar symbol and the Neverseen.  Perhaps he came to the attention of the Neverseen in some fashion, so Gethen probed his mind.  In fact, Gethen might have tried different trigger words that would have then revealed important secrets, like the information about Elysian.

Gethen might then have washed Prentice's memory so that the Black Swan and Prentice would have no way of knowing that he had probed Prentice's mind.  

Stellarlune, page 249:   Everyone assumed he'd used the Black Swan's code for imminent danger because he'd somehow uncovered the Lodestar symbol and feared the Neverseen would be coming after him.  But the explanation didn't totally make sense, as Prentice could've told someone what he'd learned—both to help prove his innocence and to make sure the information didn't get buried if he ended up in Exile.  Instead, he had kept everything to himself.  Almost as if he hadn't known who he could trust.

Gethen might have washed enough of Prentice's memory that it caused him not to know who he could trust.  In fact, Gethen might have wiped out almost everything in Prentice's mind that pertained to the Black Swan.  I suspect that Prentice's mind was already broken to a significant degree before his mind was completely broken by Quinlin and Alden.

While I'm sure that I don't have it quite right, I feel that I'm on the right track.  If Gethen retrieved Kenric's clues about Elysian from Prentice's mind, he might have shared that information with Lady Gisela.  Lady Gisela followed the clues to Elysian sometime after Prentice was exiled.  She didn't find anything, and then her starstone was lost.

Kenric didn't know what Elysian is, and Lady Gisela is quite surprised to learn the truth in the released first chapter of #10 Elysian.  This makes sense.  If Kenric didn't know the truth, then the truth was not placed in Prentice's mind.

I have had several theories about why Kenric searches Fintan's mind.  In my post about Forgotten Secret #4, I wrote that Kenric learned about Elysian from Fintan's mind.  I now think differently.

Kenric learned about Elysian from some other source, possibly Fallon Vacker.  That information was saved in Prentice's mind, and I believe that it was retrieved by Gethen.  Lady Gisela then used that information.

We know that Gisela was in contact with Ethan Benedict Wright, who I believe is a Forkle identity.  Forkle/Ethan could have heard information about Elysian from Gisela and then realized that a leak had occurred.  

I believe the leak is Prentice via his mind being probed by the Neverseen.  But Kenric didn't know that had happened.

Kenric might have entered Fintan's mind to see if Fintan was connected to why Prentice called swan song.  Kenric was checking to see how much of the information stored in Prentice's mind had leaked.  He was checking to see if Fintan had the information.  Kenric shattered the portion of the memory from while he was in Fintan's mind to avoid anything about Elysian from spreading further.  

Alvar showing up in San Diego searching for Sophie has always bothered me.  He was ostensibly searching at Alden's request, yet the Neverseen chided him for making the mistake.  Even though Alvar was searching for Sophie at Alden's request, he was actually helping the Neverseen find Sophie.  

I believe Alvar knew to search in San Diego because Gethen probed Prentice's mind and learned Sophie's location.  That is why the fires were set in Keeper.  Alvar had failed years before, and then the Neverseen set fires around San Diego to try to flush Sophie out.

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

I appreciate those who have commented on my posts.  If you ever want to comment, you can do so at the end of every post using a screen name.  First, click in the text box but don't type anything.  Look right above where you clicked to see a drop-down menu where one option is "Name/URL."  Enter a name (no URL needed), and that name will display on the comment.  

Keeper of the Lost Cities: Thoughts on Chapter 1 of Elysian

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set.  Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published.  You've been warned.

These are my thoughts on the first chapter of Keeper #10 Elysian.  The first chapter of Elysian was published late last year in the paperback edition of #9.5 Unraveled.  By the way, Shannon Messenger pronounces the name as "eh-LEE-see-an" (see post).

On the first page, Shannon immediately identifies Elysian as a female and uses two female pronouns.

Who was this strange, gray-cloaked female who'd appeared out of thin air and announced in a dark, melodic voice that her name was Elysian and she was the power source they were all looking for?

I suspect that Shannon makes Elysian's gender very clear because of how many fans somehow missed the word "she" at the end of Stellarlune.  It has astonished me how many fans have thought that Elysian is male.

I wonder why Elysian hides her face.  Her hood falls away partway through the chapter, revealing that she has "pale, freckled skin" as well as "round checks and a snub nose."  Elysian also has long, pointed ears, so we know that she's an ancient.

Some fans believe that Vespera is somehow alive.  I don't think that's possible.  In Elysian, Vespera is described as "a lifeless, twisted red-stained spire."  In Stellarlune on page 383, Forkle says that Brumevale was destroyed by one of Gisela's rocks.  The lighthouse "twisted into a whole other form" and "took on the shape of the energy."  The same thing happened to Vespera.

Sophie wonders about their missing abilities.  She thinks:

Abilities couldn't be switched off—everyone knew that.

I laugh each time I read that line.  Keefe makes nearly the same statement in Unraveled on page 141:

Abilities couldn't be turned off once they'd been activated.  Everyone knew that.

Ha, ha.  Keefe then manages to turn off his own abilities in Unraveled.  Sophie can do it to her own Enhancing.  And now we know that Elysian can zap everyone's abilities away.

The Elysian debacle is foreshadowed on page 538 of Lodestar:

"I'm not going to be like Rogue, right?...  She's a character in these comics my sister loved, where some people have genetic mutations that give them superpowers.  Hers makes it so she can't ever touch anyone without absorbing their power—and if she touches them too long, she'll kill them." "Humans and their wild imaginations," Mr. Forkle said with a small smile.

The elves have said that human stories and legends have their roots in the elven world.  Rogue's characteristics appear to be similar to Elysian.  Rogue's hair color varies depending upon the adaptation, but it's often been red, just like Elysian.

We learn that Gisela has another means to track Sophie and her friends.  Gisela reveals that Keefe is no longer the one with a tracker.

We see that Elysian has long red hair.  I have a theory that Elysian has a twin sister who is possibly Tinker.  Tinker keeps her hair piled on her head, possibly to hide long ears.

Gisela admits that she has been to Elysian's island before but found nothing.  Gisela reveals the clues she followed:

"I thought I was hunting down a place—not a person.  Following clues scribbled on the tatters of a long-forgotten map to 'whispering rapids' and 'butterflies kissed with red,' where there was supposed to be a source of world-changing power—but apparently that was a mix of half-truths and outright lies, buried under illusion after illusion.  All to hide you."

I have been trying to figure out how Gisela and Kenric had the same clues to Elysian.  The source appears to have been an old map with statements scribbled on it.  But who had the map?  Did Kenric find it, save the clues to Prentice's mind, and then Gethen retrieved the clues in a memory break on Prentice?  Or did Gisela find the map, and Kenric somehow obtained the information?  I feel like one party had the information first, and then the other party learned it.

Gisela says that Elysian is a prisoner while Elysian says that she is not.

Gisela laughed.  "In my experience, you don't get trapped in a custom-built prison and wiped from history unless you've done something truly horrifying—by the Council's definition, at least."

"This is my home—not a prison," Elysian corrected.  "You just cannot see the true wonders of it... What matters is that I stay here because I choose to."

"Ah, but that's the funny thing about choice."  Gisela cut in.  "You can think you're dong exactly what you want—and all the while you're being manipulated."

I believe that Gisela is correct.  Elysian is a prisoner, but she's been manipulated into believing that she's on her island by choice.  In fact, we see evidence that lies have been told to Elysian.

"I don't care who she was—or who any of you are!"  Elysian stepped closer to Gisela.  "I just want to know where you found that stone."

A moment later:

"So now you will tell me where you found that rock," she ordered Gisela.

"Tell me why you care so much about it, and I will."  Gisela countered...

Several silent breaths crawled by before Elysian murmured, "Councillor Fallon assured me that every shard had been destroyed."

Gisela clapped her hands... "How shocking!  Another lie from the Council!"

"It is more than a lie," Elysian said quietly.  "It is..."

Fallon lied to Elysian about the rocks.  I believe he also manipulated her into staying on her island, when in fact she was a prisoner—for thousands of years.  I believe she's the prisoner referred to by Kenric in the Forgotten Secrets.

Gisela makes this statement in Stellarlune on page 55:

"I'm not the one who started any of this!  The Council did that ages ago when they took away a tremendous source of power and then tried to bury any proof of its existence.  We've been stifled for millennia!  All I'm trying to do is expose them—and take back what we've been denied."

Kenric speaks of a prisoner in Forgotten Secret #3 from page 222 of Stellarlune:

"During my last investigation, I learned that we've been imprisoning someone for thousands of years—someone whose crimes were so horrible, they've been completely stricken from any kind of record."

I originally believed that Kenric was referring to Vespera, and that's because Sophie and Oralie suggest that Kenric is referring to Vespera.  Instead, Shannon is foreshadowing Elysian's entrance into the series at the end of Stellarlune.  I now have little doubt that the mysterious prisoner is Elysian.

After making the statement about the prisoner, Kenric then adds that they "found evidence of a plot to break her free."  Breaking Elysian free would be much more significant than breaking Vespera free, based on what we now know about Elysian from the released first chapter of #10 Elysian.  Indeed, I believe the only reason that the Neverseen ever released Vespera was so that she could hopefully lead them to Elysian.  I also believe that the main reason Vespera was imprisoned was so that she couldn't help others find Elysian.

Vespera did end up helping Sophie and her friends find Elysian.  The kids used Gisela's missing starstone, with Vespera coming along with them.  Vespera removed the elusions which ultimately led to Elysian's appearance.  It actually makes sense why Gisela kills Vespera.  Gisela had gotten what she needed from Vespera, which was the illusions removed.  Vespera had to die so that she wouldn't seize the suspected power source.

I wonder why Elysian cares so much about the rocks.  It sounds at first like Elysian has believed the rocks were destroyed and is now concerned that one still exists because they are a danger to her.  But instead, it could be that Elysian asks about the rocks because she needs them, perhaps to get out of her "home" that is more likely a prison.

If Elysian is a prisoner, then she doesn't want her unwelcome visitors to know that.  She might be lying about the place being her home.  She wants to get out, so telling them that she's there by choice misleads her unwelcome visitors so that they'll let their guard down.  

Elysian says early in the encounter that they will regret it in response to Keefe's suggestion that Lady Gisela will "haul Elysian away."  So, what will happen?  Based on what we can tell about powers disappearing, it would be very bad.  Imagine what would happen if Elysian were set loose in the Lost Cities.

I have previously mentioned my theory that Elysian and Tinker are twins in my post, A Theory about Twins.  I also posted about my theory on Reddit some months ago.  Here are those comments:

I mentioned previously that I suspect that Tinker could be connected to Elysian somehow.  I don't think they are the same person.  Rather, I wonder if Tinker and Elysian could be twins.  They could even be identical twins, since it is possible for identical twins to have different eye colors.  Elysian has turquoise eyes, and Tinker has gray-blue eyes.  Both Elysian and Tinker have red hair and freckles. Elves aren't usually described as having freckles, so I see that description as possibly significant.

Elysian is an ancient and has red hair and long ears. Tinker piles her red hair on her head, which could be hiding long ears. It's possible that Tinker is an ancient.

Elysian has been isolated since ancient times, most likely because the Council feared her power. If she's a twin, then that's why twins are regarded as bad. They are potentially to be feared.

I searched through all the books for the words "freckled" and "freckles." The only elves who have freckles are Tinker, Elysian, and one of the matchmakers who determined that Sophie is unmatchable. For the record, the only other character who has freckles is Amy Foster, and she's not an elf.

If Tinker and Elysian are twins, then that could have something to do with the bias against twins. It could be that Fallon lied about twins being weaker because he was fearful of how strong they were. Fallon says that "things from our past are often more than they seem" (Book 7, page 33). Perhaps the bias against twins is more than it seems.

It is also likely very important that Fallon and Luzia Vacker are half-siblings.  Fitz says that it's "one of those Ancient scandals" that his relatives pretend never happened (Book 7, page 71).  How strange.

Many people are saying that Elysian is a Vacker.  We can't tie her to the Vackers based solely on her eye color.  Turquoise and teal are not identical shades of blue.  The Vackers have other eye colors in their lineage.  Fallon has eyes "dark as a midnight sky."  Luzia's are "clear blue," and Noreen's are indigo.

That said, the idea of Elysian being a Vacker is mighty intriguing.  Whether she is or not, her situation is undoubtedly at the heart of the Vacker legacy.  

Releasing just one chapter of Elysian has given us much to think about.  Shannon is masterful at weaving a mysterious story, doling out vague clues along the way.  Our job is to try to put it all together.

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

I appreciate those who have commented on my posts.  If you ever want to comment, you can do so at the end of every post using a screen name.  First, click in the text box but don't type anything.  Look right above where you clicked to see a drop-down menu where one option is "Name/URL."  Enter a name (no URL needed), and that name will display on the comment.  

Keeper of the Lost Cities: A Theory about Twins

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set.  Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published.  You've been warned.

Some fans have wondered if Gethen could be Sophie's father.  Another theory is that Forkle is Gethen's father, which would mean that Gethen is Sophie's brother.

I read a post on the KotLC Wiki by Park.Song that posits that Gethen is Sophie's brother:  

Gethen – A Theory 

I personally doubt that Gethen is related to Sophie.  If Forkle is the father of both Sophie and Gethen as Park.Song suggests, then Sophie's brother Gethen killed her father.  I very much doubt that Shannon is taking this series down that dark of a path.  Likewise, I do not believe that Keefe will kill Lady Gisela.  Some plot developments are a bridge too far for this particular series.

However, Park.Song makes many good points and is right about certain details.  I wholeheartedly believe that Forkle is Kenric and that one of the Forkle twins is Sophie’s father.  There are too many clues for the series to be heading in any other direction.  I have compiled them (see post) and have gotten a lot of flak from people who are deeply offended by that post.  I enjoy theories, and I don't understand why what I've compiled is so upsetting.  As best I can figure, it's because they have their hearts set on the series concluding in a way consistent with their personal head canons.  

The beginning of the Kenric/Forkle reveal occurs in Kenric's Forgotten Secrets, when the reader learns that Kenric asked Prentice to be his Keeper (of the Black Swan) and that Kenric knew specific details about Project Moonlark (Sophie's mother's identity) that could only be known by Forkle himself.  Yes, Kenric said that he heard about suldreen from hearing Oralie say it, but he stepped away from Oralie when he told her so that she wouldn't detect the lie.

I find the points about Gethen's name coming from Norwegian words to be interesting and certainly enough to give me pause.  They might be false clues planted by Shannon.  She has placed so many clues through the books that it’s reasonable to assume that some clues are red herrings.

Park.Song also mentions Forkle's use of Leto and Loki in their post.  One Forkle identity is Leto, and that name is the same as the Greek goddess Leto, who is the mother of twins Apollo and Artemis.  Forkle's middle name is Loki.  The Norse god Loki has sons, Nari and Vali, who are sometimes described as twins.  The twin thing is interesting, and the names could have been early series clues that Forkle would be later revealed as a pair of twins.

It's also possible, as Park.Song states, that the names imply that Forkle is the father of a pair of twins.  Park.Song suggests that Gethen and Sophie are twins, but Sophie's embryo was frozen for years before it was implanted.  I am skeptical that Gethen and Sophie are twins or even siblings.  I do have another idea, however.  Before I get to it, I want to talk about twins in KotLC.

Biana points out that all the decisions they keep questioning were probably decided by Fallon (Nightfall, page 451).  The decisions include the bias against multiple births, the match system, and the ban against Pyrokinesis.  Fallon himself says that "things from our past are often more than they seem" (Flashback, page 33).  I suspect that the real reason for the bias against twins is because twin elves are stronger, not weaker. 

Linh tells Tam that "we're stronger together" (Legacy, page 730).  Linh and Tam are said to have very strong abilities.  

Two of the Dizznee triplets have manifested.  While elves are said have unruly abilities soon after they manifest, I wonder if the Dizznee triplets' abilities will prove to be very strong.

And then there are the two Forkles.  Oralie said that Kenric was one of the very best Washers.  If Kenric is Forkle, then that would be another pair of twins with strong abilities.

I wonder Tinker and Elysian could be twins, since they both have red hair.  Elysian is an ancient with long ears.  Tinker keeps her hair piled on her head, which could hide long ears.  They could even be identical twins, since identical twins can have different eye colors.  Elysian has turquoise eyes, and Tinker has gray-blue eyes.  Both Elysian and Tinker have freckles.  

Tinker is an unusually gifted Technopath.  Elysian has the ability to take away other elves' abilities.  If Tinker and Elysian are twins, then that could be the original source of the bias against twins.  Fallon might have lied about twins being weaker because he was fearful of how strong they were.   

Now, let's continue with my idea about twins.  I previously suggested (see post) that Eleanor Olivia Wright could be a backup moonlark to Sophie.  If Eleanor is part of Project Moonlark, then she must be Sophie's half sibling at minimum.  Eleanor's full name rearranges as the anagram "love Oralie with a grin."  Maybe it's just coincidence, but it's strange enough to make me wonder.  It could even be a red herring planted by Shannon. 

Regardless, I firmly believe that Kenric (one of the twin Forkles) is Sophie's father.  Most fans shut down this idea, because Forkle told Sophie that Sophie's parents don't know each other (see post refuting Forkle's statement).  If Forkle was truthful, then Kenric isn't Sophie's father.  That is a given.  The problem is that Forkle could have been deceptive, and I don't understand why most fans assume that Forkle must have told the literal truth. 

If Forkle is Kenric, then he could not admit that Kenric is indeed her father.  Sophie would quickly draw some uncomfortable conclusions.  She'd think about Kenric's death, which is truly just a disappearance that is an assumed death.  Sophie would also wonder how Kenric came to know about Project Moonlark.  She'd think about how Kenric was a Telepath, and Forkle is a Telepath as well.  If Forkle is Kenric, then he had to lie to Sophie to keep Sophie from figuring everything out.

In the post about Gethen, Park.Song said that Forkle reacted defensively when Gethen suggested that Sophie's embryo was frozen.  I agree that Forkle's reaction was odd.  In fact, I feel like Sophie's embryo must have been frozen, and it's mighty interesting that Forkle was so touchy about it.

Were there two frozen Moonlark embryos?  Was Eleanor one of them?  I've struggled with this idea, since I haven't been able to figure out who would have carried Eleanor's embryo. 

It's now occurred to me that both embryos could have been implanted in Emma Foster, and that would make Sophie and Eleanor a pair of twins.  Emma is overweight, and baby bumps can be less noticeable in overweight people.  It would have been possible for Emma to be pregnant with twins and not know it.  While uncommon, some fertility doctors also deliver the babies.  If Mr. Forkle, while posing as the fertility doctor, took care of Mrs. Foster throughout the pregnancy and delivered the babies, then information about how many babies Mrs. Foster carried could have been kept from her. 

Is it possible that twin elves are stronger because their abilities are strengthened by the other as they develop in the womb in close proximity?  

Here's something else.  How would the twins have decided who would be Sophie's father?  What if each of them was the father to one of the girls?  Currently, this feels right to me.  Each twin wanted to have a child with Oralie, and so each of them did.

Of course, all of this is ethically questionable.  Even what we know for sure about Sophie's creation is questionable.

This is all just wild speculation on my part, but it's interesting to think about.  Even if I'm completely wrong, Ethan and Eleanor Wright must be of great importance.  We do know that Eleanor is hiding from Lady Gisela and the Neverseen.  We just don't know why.

.............................................................

July 21, 2026:  I wrote everything above the divider months ago.  I would now phrase some of it differently, but I'm leaving it as is.  I want to add my current thinking.

I remain staunch in my belief that Forkle is Kenric, which means that Kenric was a pair of twins, one of whom is now deceased.  Forkle tells Sophie about how he and his twin studied genetics, trying to figure out why twins were considered weaker (Nightfall, page 179).  The twins realized that DNA could be adjusted to impact abilities and that was when they decided to join the Black Swan.

I read something more into this passage.  I believe part of the reason the twins reached out to the Black Swan was because they wanted to prove that twins are not weaker.  For that reason, I firmly believe that the twins created two Moonlarks.  I believe both Sophie and Eleanor are the Moonlarks.  Now wait... keep reading to the end before you shoot this down.  If you're thinking what I think you are, then I will address it as part of my theory.  Stay with me.  You also might want to read this past post, The Clues about Ethan and Eleanor.

I struggled for a long time trying to decide which Forkle twin would have been chosen as Sophie's father.  I settled on the second-born twin, thinking that the second-born twin would have been considered by other elves as weaker.  The Forkles' thinking would have been to prove that the second-born twin was not weaker by having him be the father of the Moonlark.

I then realized that wasn't it.  Of all the injustices in the elvin world, the bias against twins is the one that impacted the Forkles more than anything else.  They wanted to prove it wrong.  They needed for the Moonlark to have a twin to disprove the bias.  

I believe that Eleanor is the other Moonlark, and that she is Sophie's twin sister.  One Forkle is Sophie's father, and the other Forkle is Eleanor's father.  Since the twin Forkles were actually twin Kenrics and in love with Oralie, both of them would want to have a child with Oralie.  Even though it's ethically problematic like everything about Project Moonlark, this feels right to me.  I feel like this is it.

I believe Ethan Benedict Wright II is the fifth Forkle identity, and Dr. Wright was likely the name used for the Fosters' fertility doctor.  That's why Ethan Benedict Wright II's obituary leaves off his title of doctor.  That the omission of doctor was specifically mentioned by Keefe in Unraveled means that its absence is significant.

Why has Eleanor Olivia Wright been hidden away?  She's probably Talentless.  Oof.  The Forkles' big plan went awry.  A Talentless Moonlark twin wouldn't help prove that twins aren't weak, so Eleanor had to be hidden away.

Now, your objections:

"Eleanor can't be an elf because she would have already manifested."  I just addressed the lack of manifestation of an ability.  If Eleanor is Talentless, then she won't manifest.  

"But Eleanor is human!"  We're told that Eleanor is human.  Eleanor says that she's human, but Sophie thought she was human until she met Fitz.  We don't know if Eleanor is human.

"But Eleanor's eyes are green!  She can't be an elf."  And Sophie's eyes are brown, but she is an elf.  If Eleanor is another moonlark, then her eye color being wrong supports the theory.

I believe that Lady Gisela has tracked down Eleanor and likely has her held captive.  I expect Eleanor to reappear shortly into the upcoming next volume, #10 Elysian.  Keefe might touch hands with Eleanor at some point, causing her to manifest a latent ability.  I also have a theory about what will happen next.  I have a lot more I could write about this, but I will stop here.

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

Keeper of the Lost Cities: The Forkle Parent Lie

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set.  Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published.  You've been warned.

I believe that Kenric is Sophie's genetic father, and I also believe that Kenric is Forkle.  However, for this post I will completely ignore my assertion that Kenric is Forkle.  I will focus solely on Kenric as Sophie's father and how the "Forkle Parent Lie" from Neverseen is compatible with the theory that Kenric is Sophie's father.

Fans say that Forkle doesn't lie to Sophie, so his statements in Neverseen about Sophie's parents definitively prove—in their minds—that Kenric is not Sophie's father.  The overwhelming majority of fans look only at that one passage and ignore the many clues throughout the series that point directly to Kenric being Sophie's father.  

Let's first cover the three types of deception.

Lying by Commission

This is what people mean when they say that someone has lied.  Lying by commission is the act of making a direct false statement.  

Example:  

"Does the vehicle have any mechanical issues?"

Lying by commission:  "No, it doesn't have any mechanical issues."  The liar denies that anything is wrong with the vehicle.

Paltering

Paltering is the act of making selective truthful statements.  The palterer avoids a direct lie, but they deliberately mislead by stating just part of the truth.  

Example:  

"Does the vehicle have any mechanical issues?"

Paltering:  "The vehicle drove perfectly yesterday.  It just got new brakes and an oil change."  The statement is true, but the palterer avoids mentioning any problems.  The other person will assume that the vehicle is fine.

Lying by omission

Lying by omission is the act of withholding crucial information that sheds light on the situation.  It can overlap with paltering.  

Example:  

"Does the vehicle have any mechanical issues?"

Lying by omission:  "I enjoy driving this vehicle."  The question is avoided by not answering at all.  

I agree that Forkle generally tells Sophie the truth, but he is often highly evasive.  When the topic is Sophie's parents, Forkle either palters or lies by omission.  Paltering better describes what he does.  He tells Sophie some partial truths to obscure the actual truth.  He doesn't directly lie, but he is highly deceptive.

This is the passage that I call the "Forkle Parent Lie" from Neverseen:

Mr. Forkle sighed.  I can tell you're still pondering possibilities.  So I will add that your genetic parents had no connection to each other.  There was no unrequited love.  They weren't even friends.  I did that purposely, because I couldn't allow them to know who each other were.  (Neverseen, page 369)

I am 99.9% certain that Sophie's genetic parents are Kenric and Oralie, and this passage appears to contradict that.  The only reason I am not 100% certain is because Shannon has not confirmed it in a direct statement.  She has indicated it through numerous clues scattered throughout the books.  Read these posts for the clues:

The Clues about Forkle's Identity
The Significance of the Forgotten Secrets

Kenric is Sophie's father.  The problem is the Forkle Parent Lie, especially if Forkle doesn't directly lie to Sophie.  I previously tackled this topic in Fan Theories on Keeper of the Lost Cities.  In that post, I stated that parts of this passage are outright lies.  This time, I will take a different approach.  Since Forkle does generally tell Sophie the truth, I will assume that every line is completely true.  Does the Forkle Parent Lie negate the theory that Kenric is Sophie's father?  I say that it does not. 

So I will add that your genetic parents had no connection to each other.

Most people assume that "no connection" means that Sophie's parents didn't know each other, like they had never met.  I previously wrote:

This part is an outright lie.  But then, it also could be clever wording.  What is meant by the word "connection"?  Kenric and Oralie certainly knew each other, so they were connected.  However, a synonym of connection is relationship.  A relationship could just be friends, which Kenric and Oralie were.  A relationship could be marriage or by blood, which they were not.  Kenric and Oralie had a connection, but then they didn't.

Scratch all that.  What if the statement is not a lie at all?  What else can "no connection" mean?  I utilized Google search to see all the different meanings that "no connection" could possibly have.  I found one that would work in this situation.

Two people with "no connection" have no means of contact with each other.      

Oralie donated to Project Moonlark.  She had no means to contact Sophie's genetic father.  Mr. Forkle was the only elf who knew the father's identity, so Oralie had "no connection" to the genetic father.  Likewise, Kenric donated to Project Moonlark.  He had "no connection" to Sophie's genetic mother.  Kenric had no means to contact her, since he didn't know her identity.  In this context, Kenric and Oralie could be Sophie's genetic parents, not know the other parent's identity, and therefore have no connection—that is, no means to contact each other.  

There was no unrequited love.

Same here.  If the parents didn't know each other's identities, then they couldn't have unrequited love.  They had nothing.  They had no connection and no information about each other.

They weren't even friends.

Once again, same.  If the parents didn't know each other's identities, then they "weren't even friends." They had no connection and no information about each other.

I did that purposely, because I couldn't allow them to know who each other were.

If the parents had no connection, then they didn't know who each other were.  

Everything Forkle said was completely true, but it was highly misleading.  This is a classic example of paltering.  It's not exactly lying, but it is deceptive.

Now let's tackle the other part of the Forkle Parent Lie from Lodestar, page 43.

"Was Kenric my father?  He was a Telepath.  And he was always so kind to me."  Her throat closed off as she remembered his bright smiles.  The red-haired Councillor had been one of Sophie's strongest supporters, right up until the day she'd lost him to Fintan's inferno of Everblaze.  Magnate Leto reached for Sophie's hand, tracing a finger across the star-shaped scar he'd accidentally given her when he healed her abilities.  "Kenric wasn't involved with Project Moonlark.  And that's all I can tell you.  Some secrets must remain hidden."

In this passage, Leto doesn't even answer the question.  When Sophie asks if Kenric is her father, Leto replies, "Kenric wasn't involved with Project Moonlark."  If Kenric truly isn't Sophie's father, then why didn't Leto just say that he isn't?  He instead chooses to be evasive.  That in itself is a red flag.

I believe that Leto's statement is technically true but highly misleading.  Kenric could have donated to Project Moonlark but not be involved with Project Moonlark.  Take a look at this passage:

Forgotten Secret #4, Unlocked, page 533:  "No.  I swear, Kenric.  That was part of the deal."  Her gaze shifted to her feet.  "I'm completely separate."

Oralie donated to Project Moonlark and was told that she was "completely separate."  That means she technically wasn't involved in Project Moonlark.  Kenric could have been "completely separate" as well.  Leto's answer isn't a lie, but he is being misleading.

Additionally, Leto is tracing Sophie's scar as he says that Kenric wasn't involved.  It's like he's talking about the scar which was caused by Forkle.  Kenric didn't cause the scar.

I'd like to see more fans overcome their denial of the many clues pointing to Kenric as Sophie's father.  The Keeper forum discussions are mighty frustrating.  Each time someone gives a valid explanation of why Kenric is Sophie's father, multiple people respond, "But Forkle said he's not because the parents don't know each other!"  Forkle manipulated Sophie by telling her vague, partial truths.  

I hope I've shown how the Forkle Parent Lie does not eliminate Kenric as Sophie's father. 

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

Reminder: eBay and Etsy Listings Will Be Deactivated on Friday

This is a reminder that I will not be selling for a period of time beginning on Friday.  I expect the downtime to last until October.  My listings are 12% off on both sites.  I have the eBay sale set to last until Friday.  At present, the Etsy sale ends on Thursday.  

Jennifer's Series Books on Etsy

Jennifer's Series Books on eBay

Nancy Drew Diaries #27 Vans & Villains, or How to Fix This Mess

Publisher's summary:

When George wins an exciting contest from her favorite van life influencers to transport their camper van from Chicago to Los Angeles, she naturally invites Nancy and Bess along to live out her van life fantasies for seven days.

But things quickly go sideways for the girls, from bad weather to mechanical problems, leading to personality clashes in a small, closed space.  Worse yet, Nancy feels like someone is following them.  Could someone be trying to sabotage the trip?  Or is Nancy so used to solving mysteries that she's starting to see villains where there are none?

Nancy had better figure it out quickly if their road trip—and their friendship—is going to survive the chaos.

First off, #vanlife is mentioned enough times in this book that it should have been used as part of the title.  I used AI to alter the title to Van Life Gone Wrong.  Much more appropriate.

This book has very few characters, which makes for a better story.  It has a simple plot and is easy to follow.  I found it to be light, enjoyable reading.

I do have a minor quibble with George's behavior.  She doubted in Nancy's belief that something was off.  I get tired of Nancy's friends doubting her.  Instead, the girls should have had a united front.  They could have called the sponsors with their concerns, and the sponsors could have doubted Nancy's assessment of the situation.

I have only read the Nancy Drew Diaries series once per year as each new title has been released.  This means that I can't compare the current story that well to previous stories, due to the time lapse.  I went through all of my blog reviews and made quick notes, as I was curious about a few things.

That was in January.  At this point, I actually don't remember what I was curious about, since the previous paragraph was written over four months ago.  Still, I can present the brief notes that I made.

#1 Nancy loves clothes.  George eats lots of food and is rude.

#2 Bess is girly.

#3 okay

#4 good

#5 very good

#6 very good

#7 liked but obvious sabotage

#8 forgetful Nancy, didn't like

#9 sabotage, childish

#10 sabotage, so-so

#11 sabotage but other flaws fixed, very good

#12 sabotage, very good

#13 Nancy gets nervous, shaky voice.  Good but tiring.

#14 very good

#15 Nancy is scared, queasy, stupid; referred to series as "epic fail"

#16 terrible, my review speaks for itself

Christmas Story - very good

#17 great book, no problems

#18 Nancy weak at times, weak story

#19 boring

#20 odd coded language, boring book

#21 excellent

#22 very good

#23 full of series book lore, overall good

#24 sabotage!!! boring

#25 too many characters, boring

#26 so boring

#27 pleasant reading

My takeaway is that the Nancy Drew Diaries series was all over the place.  It could never settle on what it was, and it floundered from start to finish.  What a disappointment.

You'll notice that I'm using past tense.  I've heard that the Nancy Drew Diaries series has ended.  Another incarnation is likely in the works.  I have no additional information, but I can tell you what I think needs to be fixed.

1.  Get better writers or manage the franchise better.

Simon & Schuster publishes some really good books for children.  Most of the books that are great were written by authors whose names are on the books.  That isn't going to happen with Nancy Drew, since ghostwriters are always used.

It's critical that the ghostwriters are more skilled than the group used for the Nancy Drew Diaries series.  I don't know how to solve that problem, since ghostwriters aren't paid much.

The bigger problem is Simon & Schuster's loose handling of the franchise.  The Nancy Drew Girl Detective series, although flawed, was pretty consistent.  The Nancy Drew Diaries series was wildly inconsistent, and that is because someone dropped the ball.  

The ghostwriters must be given clear guidelines that they must follow.  The characterization must be consistent across all books.

2.  Quit treating Nancy Drew like a helpless female.

Nearly 10 years ago, I wrote Gender Inequality in the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Books.  Here is the beginning of that post.

While reading the Hardy Boys Digest series, I realized that the modern Nancy Drew is constrained by her gender.  The Hardy Boys are allowed much more interesting adventures, since they are boys.  The Hardy Boys get to be truck drivers, volunteer firefighters, and tightrope walkers.  In one book, they even get to use machine guns and drive a tank.

Nancy Drew gets to investigate museum sabotage, fundraiser sabotage, zucchini smashing, any other lame sabotage that Simon and Schuster can create, and the occasional disappearance.  The Hardy Boys get lots of sabotage as well, but they also get all the more interesting types of sabotage stories.

This means that the modern Hardy Boys books have more varied adventures than the modern Nancy Drew books.  This is baffling, considering the trend in society towards gender equality.  For some inexplicable reason, Simon and Schuster is taking Nancy Drew in the opposite direction, choosing to keep Nancy Drew in a strict gender-defined role that limits her ability to sleuth while allowing the Hardy Boys to have exciting adventures.

Simon & Schuster must correct this problem. 

3.  Go back to third-person point of view.  

We don't need Nancy Drew to be relatable.  There's nothing wrong with third-person point of view.  Honestly, it's less confusing for the type of story expected of the Nancy Drew franchise.  Nancy Drew stories aren't supposed to be about romance or deep feelings.  The stories should focus on interesting mysteries, and third-person point of view is sufficient.

Third-person omniscient would be the best approach, especially for the Hardy Boys franchise.  I could never tell the difference between Frank and Joe and kept having to flip back to the beginning of each chapter to figure out which brother was featured.  

4.  Quit relying solely on sabotage and give Nancy Drew more interesting plots.

We are sick of sabotage.  A quote from my post, Comparing the Nancy Drew Diaries to the Hardy Boys Adventures is apropos.

I noticed that all of the Hardy Boys Adventures books would work as Nancy Drew Diaries stories.  Most of them have very little action.  Almost every Nancy Drew Diaries book is sabotage, and several stories feature very boring sabotage plots.  Not as many Hardy Boys Adventures books are sabotage, and most of the sabotage books are creative sabotage that is engaging and interesting.  As a result, most of the Hardy Boys Adventures stories are better quality than the Nancy Drew Diaries stories.  Several Hardy Boys stories are extremely creative and suspenseful.  The better story ideas are being used for the Hardy Boys Adventures series.

Several of the Hardy Boys Adventures books read in a similar fashion to young adult dystopian fiction.  Perhaps the publisher thought that the content is too dark for Nancy Drew and more suitable for boys.  If true, that's a shame, since dystopian novels are quite popular today and are read by both boys and girls.  Those kinds of stories should not be limited to the Hardy Boys, when lots of girls read dystopian novels.

Taking a dystopian approach would improve the Nancy Drew franchise considerably.  I'm not talking about anything supernatural or having to do with aliens.  I'm thinking more in terms of organizations that are doing unethical research.  We could have AI running amok (which isn't a stretch, since AI is already out of control).  Cyberbullying would make for a compelling topic.  One of the highpoints of the Nancy Drew Girl Detective series was The Identity Mystery Trilogy, in which Nancy investigates cyberbullying. 

The Hardy Boys Adventures series featured a network of tunnels under Bayport.  I'd love to have something like that in the modern Nancy Drew books.  

The stories need to lean into modern intrigue and amp up the danger.  

If Simon & Schuster would fix just these problems, then the Nancy Drew series output would improve considerably.  I could even forgive Nancy continuing to take excessive bathroom breaks so long as the stories improve.

New eBay and Etsy Listings, Store Sale, and Upcoming Store Hiatus

I began listing many books on eBay and Etsy several weeks ago before school let out for summer.  I am completely finished listing on Etsy and am finishing up with new eBay listings.

Jennifer's Series Books on Etsy

Jennifer's Series Books on eBay

Due to some upcoming events, I will deactivate all of my listings on around June 20.  I doubt that it will be feasible for me to reopen before school starts, so I expect the store hiatus to last from around June 20 to sometime in October.

That is why I really pushed myself to get books listed as school was winding down.  The problem is that my Etsy listings have a four-month duration, and I pay a $0.20 fee for each listing.  When I pull my listings down, I will lose most of the listing duration.  That bothered me a little bit, so I decided that I should run a sale on Etsy in order to encourage some sales before I close.  My books on Etsy are now 12% off.

I pay for my eBay store subscription by the year, so it doesn't bother me to be closed a few months.  I have unlimited free listings (up to 5 million!), so I don't pay to list.  The store subscription covers it.  I'm less concerned about moving books off of eBay before I close.  However, it wouldn't hurt to get some of them sold, so I have also placed most of my eBay listings at 12% off.

I have not included my newer eBay listings in the sale.  When I list new books on eBay, a good number of them sell very quickly, so I don't want to have those on sale at the beginning of their run.

The sale on eBay and Etsy expires on June 18.  I expect to deactivate all of my listings by June 20.

Before I close, I want to mention that my job has become all-consuming.  I can't say anything about my personal situation.  In addition to that, teaching has been completely upended by AI usage, and it's become infinitely harder.  

I have long Covid from my infection of December 2024, and it has caused eye inflammation.  I also have this unfortunate thing where I keep smelling menthol.  When I smell the nonexistent menthol, my eyes also burn like menthol is in them.  It's now happening less often, and I hope it quits soon.

I don't believe I've mentioned much in this blog about my health situation in a couple years.  I decided to put all health updates in a new blog that I created last year.  

My Hashimoto's and Sjӧgren's Experience

It's been a lot.  Scroll down a few posts if you're interested in what has been going on.

My listings will be deactivated around June 20, so purchase anything you want before then.