Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews and Common Sense Media's Matt Berman praised the thought-provoking themes and simple yet "beautifully textured" prose.[2][3][4]
In The ALAN Review, Sheryl O'Sullivan, a professor of English at Azusa Pacific University, commended Lowry for depicting evil with more ambiguity and gradualness than the two-dimensional portrayal of good and evil common in children's literature, mainly through Trade Mart's corruption of Village.[5] Other reviewers also considered Trade Mart as an allegory for the societal impact of greed, selfishness and consumerism.[2][6] In her review for Tor.com, American writer Mari Ness disliked what she felt was a thematic shift from the evil stemming from people's and societies' inner choices—à la The Giver and Gathering Blue —to evil caused by the influence of external, supernatural forces.[1] She and Berman thought that plot aspects such as Forest's sentience and Trademaster's motives were insufficiently established or explained. Berman found the characters likable and the story engaging, but not as complex as its two prequels.[1][4]
Messenger was nominated in the 2008 Young Hoosier Book Award.[7]
Like The Giver, Messenger was banned in the Frisco Independent School District in Texas.[8]
