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blakelyschmidt's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A great sequel to The City of Ember, but sometimes got boring.
hardcover_hazel's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was fun reading the continuation of Lina and Doon's journey in this sequel. The people of ember find the people of sparks and when an ember is sparked, it creates fire.
Passion and anger ignite in the strain of a village doubling overnight. But there is still so much potential and hope in this YA dystopian world missing so much, like libraries and electricity.
I'm excited to read the rest of the series ✨
Passion and anger ignite in the strain of a village doubling overnight. But there is still so much potential and hope in this YA dystopian world missing so much, like libraries and electricity.
I'm excited to read the rest of the series ✨
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
4.0
I've been rereading books I enjoyed as a kid and so far this series has had the best longevity overall.
The books of Ember are a Post Apocalyptic book series about the citizens of an underground city trying to make it in a world they know nothing about. The first book is about finding a way out of the dying city. This book focuses on what happens immediately after when they join the community of Sparks; one of the few Post Disaster - Disaster being the name of the cluster of horrible cataclysmic events that led to the destruction of humanity as we know it - settlements in the area. Sparks is a farming community that is the most well off of the settlements in the immediate area, but this only very recently came to be as it has taken many years to reach this point.
And of course, this town of 322 people on the verge of finally achieving prosperity is delighted to welcome not only 400 people, but 400 people who are wholely unprepared to do the work of a traditional agrarian society out of nowhere.
Predictably it's a total nightmare.
What I enjoyed was how Duprau took a very even, balanced approach to the whole situation. There was only one person I would say was truly villainous. Outside of that on both sides there were antagonists but no one was right or wrong necessarily. It was an all around difficult set of circumstances that everyone was struggling with adapting to. Fundamentally it came down to compromise as well as compassion for others even when it's hard. In fact, this book even goes a step further to demonstrate how the right thing is often right *because* it's so difficult.
I don't read Post Apocalyptic or dystopian often because it makes me really anxious, but there's a strong thread of optimism in the book that I find comforting.
Now onto the things that knocked off a star.
While the rising tension in the town was very well executed, it didn't make use of Lina very well. Doon had more to do with the discord as he was in the thick of it actually working, but Lina was let off really easy just staying in the doctors house which she past the beginning she did very little to contribute to. She kind of came off as a total moocher. At one point she runs away to be a roamer - a kind of traveling salesperson who risks their life to find stuff out in the Empty Lands to trade - which totally removes her entirely from their newfound struggles. It's especially annoying because of how pointless the whole endeavor is. It would have been better since she was so firmly rooted in the doctors home to have her side more with the people of Sparks. It would have even paralleled Doon's arc with Tick, this charismatic older boy that Doon looks up to. And it would have better emphasized the divide Doon and Lina had now that so much had changed as well as highlighted the disparities and similarities in mindset between the two factions. As it stands Lina was disappointingly underdeveloped compared to the first book.
I also would have liked to get more world building. DuPrau's writing style is fine overall but she plays really fast and loose with the details. The clever way she subverts expectations in regards to what we see as everyday objects is interesting. But, I wanted to see that come into play in comparison to other settlements as well. There are a lot of cool ideas introduced like the concept that other people might speak another language that don't have any payoff. It's little teases of information to intrigue me with no resolution.
I think part of this is because it's a kids' book series primarily concerned with getting a certain message about those in power across using the most extreme outcome as a vehicle, but that doesn't mean it couldn't have been more involved. The pivotal characters were *just* developed enough that I wasn't complaining, but everyone would have benefitted from some additional development to keep them from straying too far into mouthpiece territory. As it stands it was a little frustrating to end a book with such a potential in basically the same place we started.
I enjoyed this a lot. The City of Ember was better crafted, but that didn't make this one bad by any means. I was just as invested in the plights of the Emberites as I was in the first book so I gave it 4 stars based on that. But, it's honestly more along the lines of a 3 star read if I was being more objective. I will say, however, that I have already finished the last book and that one does unfortunately fizzle out. So see you there I guess.
The books of Ember are a Post Apocalyptic book series about the citizens of an underground city trying to make it in a world they know nothing about. The first book is about finding a way out of the dying city. This book focuses on what happens immediately after when they join the community of Sparks; one of the few Post Disaster - Disaster being the name of the cluster of horrible cataclysmic events that led to the destruction of humanity as we know it - settlements in the area. Sparks is a farming community that is the most well off of the settlements in the immediate area, but this only very recently came to be as it has taken many years to reach this point.
And of course, this town of 322 people on the verge of finally achieving prosperity is delighted to welcome not only 400 people, but 400 people who are wholely unprepared to do the work of a traditional agrarian society out of nowhere.
Predictably it's a total nightmare.
What I enjoyed was how Duprau took a very even, balanced approach to the whole situation. There was only one person I would say was truly villainous. Outside of that on both sides there were antagonists but no one was right or wrong necessarily. It was an all around difficult set of circumstances that everyone was struggling with adapting to. Fundamentally it came down to compromise as well as compassion for others even when it's hard. In fact, this book even goes a step further to demonstrate how the right thing is often right *because* it's so difficult.
I don't read Post Apocalyptic or dystopian often because it makes me really anxious, but there's a strong thread of optimism in the book that I find comforting.
Now onto the things that knocked off a star.
While the rising tension in the town was very well executed, it didn't make use of Lina very well. Doon had more to do with the discord as he was in the thick of it actually working, but Lina was let off really easy just staying in the doctors house which she past the beginning she did very little to contribute to. She kind of came off as a total moocher. At one point she runs away to be a roamer - a kind of traveling salesperson who risks their life to find stuff out in the Empty Lands to trade - which totally removes her entirely from their newfound struggles. It's especially annoying because of how pointless the whole endeavor is. It would have been better since she was so firmly rooted in the doctors home to have her side more with the people of Sparks. It would have even paralleled Doon's arc with Tick, this charismatic older boy that Doon looks up to. And it would have better emphasized the divide Doon and Lina had now that so much had changed as well as highlighted the disparities and similarities in mindset between the two factions. As it stands Lina was disappointingly underdeveloped compared to the first book.
I also would have liked to get more world building. DuPrau's writing style is fine overall but she plays really fast and loose with the details. The clever way she subverts expectations in regards to what we see as everyday objects is interesting. But, I wanted to see that come into play in comparison to other settlements as well. There are a lot of cool ideas introduced like the concept that other people might speak another language that don't have any payoff. It's little teases of information to intrigue me with no resolution.
I think part of this is because it's a kids' book series primarily concerned with getting a certain message about those in power across using the most extreme outcome as a vehicle, but that doesn't mean it couldn't have been more involved. The pivotal characters were *just* developed enough that I wasn't complaining, but everyone would have benefitted from some additional development to keep them from straying too far into mouthpiece territory. As it stands it was a little frustrating to end a book with such a potential in basically the same place we started.
I enjoyed this a lot. The City of Ember was better crafted, but that didn't make this one bad by any means. I was just as invested in the plights of the Emberites as I was in the first book so I gave it 4 stars based on that. But, it's honestly more along the lines of a 3 star read if I was being more objective. I will say, however, that I have already finished the last book and that one does unfortunately fizzle out. So see you there I guess.
jennrocca's review against another edition
3.0
The story is a bit trite for me but a decent sequel and good for the 10-12 year old crowd. A good introduction to the topic of war for very young readers.
cartermon4's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lost_in_stereo's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
madrox's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
eleanor_gravestock's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Solid book choice for middle schoolers.