The City of Ember (Books 1-4) Review
Description: The City of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two Hundred years later, supplies are running low and terrifying blackouts are sweeping through the streets. It’s only a matter of time before the lights go out and never come back again. When Lina finds part of a secret message, she’s sure it holds a clue that will save Ember. She enlists her friend Doon, and together they explore long-forgotten parts of their dying city as they race to solve the mystery. If they succeed, they will have to convince everyone to follow them into danger. But if they fail? The lights will burn out and the darkness will close in forever.
Review: The City of Ember is a novel targeted to audiences from 8-12 years (according to DuPrau’s indication on the lower backside of the book), yet I found myself thoroughly enjoying it. The storyline is intriguing and interesting, leaving both younger audiences wondering how the characters are going to solve the riddles, but also the adults that might be reading to understand the subliminal messages behind the reason as to why Ember exists.
The movie adaptation is not far from the novel, mainly the appearances of some of the characters and the process of finding their way out of Ember differentiate. In fact, taking into account the slight differences, I personally think they compliment each other. As the book is written from the perspective of two twelve-year-olds, Lina and Doon, the descriptive part of the book can be harder to picture, especially the structure and scenery of Ember. In that sense, the movie is a great addition to the overall story, including the fact that the children seem older in the movie than in the book, thus making the story a little more realistic.
Description: Lina and Doon helped the citizens of Ember escape the city that threatened to destroy them. They’ve been given safe haven in a small village called Sparks, a place filled with color and life. But they’re not out of danger yet. Although Sparks seems like the answer the long-suffering Emberites have been hoping for, tempers soon escalate. The villagers have never had to share their world before, and it only takes a tiny ”spark” to ignite a battle between the two struggling groups. Lina and Doon will have to work together to avoid a disaster not only for their people, but also for the people of Sparks.
Review: The People of Sparks is the continuation of the The City of Ember. This book revolves mostly around survival, conflicts and how to solve them. It amazed me how many feelings this novel sparked in me and how much it made me dislike some of its characters. Though it wasn’t as good as the first instalment, I find it necessary for the progression of the story. It’s a given that if a town is gonna accommodate a whole new city’s worth of people there are going to be some misunderstandings and problems. Nevertheless, some of the conflicts were ridiculous, though credible, and the way the town of Sparks presented themselves as superior almost made my hands shake in anger (I’m telling you, this book made me feel some serious emotions). Out of the newly introduced characters, there were three that knew perfectly how to push my buttons in all the wrong places. In some instances, the disputes between the people and the involvement of these horrid characters made my blood almost boil.
On a more positive note, the ending was sweet, endearing and downright wholesome. It gave me hope for a better future to the people of Sparks and Ember. It even made me cry.
Description: Lina and Doon escaped the dying city of Ember and have survived the first few months above-ground. But it’s winter now, and the harsh realities of their new world have begun to set in. When Doon finds a book that hints at an important long-lost device, it doesn’t take much for him to convince Lina to join him for one last adventure in the place they used to call home. After all, the book is eerily similar to the instructions that led them out of the darkness – how could hey not at least try to unpack its secrets? But will this mysterious technology be enough to help their people? And what – and who – will they find when they return?
Review: The Diamond of Darkhold is the third volume in The City of Ember storyline and the final book revolving Lina and Doon. The story takes place a few months after The People of Sparks, meaning that the main characters are now 13 years old, but also that winter has arrived and the odds are not in their favor. The reminiscence and nostalgia of Lina and Doon going on an adventure to save their city, in this case village, warmed my heart to the brim. Yet going back into Ember, walking down the once-lit streets and bringing back all those memories of what had been their home made my heart break a little.
Apart from closure and a worthy ending, this book brings a few laughs, especially during the scenes with the Trogg family, and a sense of unity and equality between the villagers. It lacks the angering and worrying parts of The People of Sparks and adds adventure, love and teamwork back on the table.
Side note: I read the books in this order, not like the author published them, thus I was completely unprepared for the last paragraphs of the final chapter. Those who’ve read the books will understand my absolutely hilarious reaction of being caught so utterly off-guard when I read those few sentences without any prior context whatsoever. For a brief second I felt like Jim from the Office, just staring off into the distance trying to understand how on earth that scene had been thrown into the mix, and then the book ended.
Description: Nickie will grow up to be one of the first citizens of the city of Ember. But for now, she is a girl who has just moved to the town of Yonwood. There, she discovers a place full of suspicion, where one citizen's visions of fire and destruction have turned everyone against each other. Eager to take her mind off her father’s absence as he works on a mysterious government project, Nickie reads her great-grandfather's peculiar journals, spies on a reclusive neighbor who studies the heavens, and meets a strange boy who is fascinated with snakes – all while keeping an eye out for trouble. But is it already too late to avoid a devastating war?
Review: The Prophet of Yonwood is the prequel to The City of Ember and the last book from this fictional universe. Now, compared to the other three books, this one sadly fell back into the ”rather pointless” category. It’s not that it wasn’t good, but the storyline was a bit boring seeing as the only actual information you need to find the connection to the rest of the books is written in the last few chapters. What I found the most interesting was the explanation of the ending paragraphs of The Diamond of Darkhold (that shook me so much when I first read it) and needless to say, my original reaction was justified. The whole plot-point of Hoyt McCoy and how he somehow managed to post-pone the Disaster was hilarious to say the least. Don’t get me wrong, it’s completely credible, but the way it was just thrown into the very ending of The Diamond of Darkhold still makes me laugh.
All in all, the novel is a bit dull and slow-paced at times, even if it has a few cult-ish traits to spice it up, it simply falls short behind the other three.
