The City of Ember: The Ember series, Book 1
Summary from Goodreads:
The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember forever! This stunning debut novel offers refreshingly clear writing and fascinating, original characters.
Review:
The City of Ember is fantastic. This novel was one of the first books that I read that got me interested in the dystopian/post-apocalyptic genre. The first time I read it I loved it. The idea of an entire society living underground (unbeknownst to them) captivated me. What would they eat? What did they look like? Did they have any knowledge of the outside world? These were questions that ran through my head.
I had many questions on how a society would live like this and they were all answered in the book. The City of Ember was a page turner and didn't disappoint. I constantly wanted to know what was going to happen next and I couldn’t put it down, so I read well into the early hours of the morning.
Lina and Doon were great characters who were in the centre of the action at all times. They were inquisitive, brave and I was able to sympathise with them. When I first read The City of Ember (around the age of fifteen or sixteen) I admired these characters a lot. However, after recently re-reading the book, I realised that I would like more character depth. While DuPrau was very good at characterising Lina and Doon to make them appealing to readers, I would have liked to understand their thoughts and feelings more.
The City of Ember is in the third person and follows the two main characters, Lina and Doon as they try to save their flagging city. I enjoyed the visual descriptions of the city of Ember, however I would have liked more. There were parts of the book that were very sad (such as when the lengths some citizens went to discover what was outside of the city). Working out the clues was also really fun and I appreciated the fact that Lina and Doon worked it out in time.
The pace of the book was great. I didn’t feel bored at all. There were some minor side-stories that became integrated into the main plot so everything in the book fit. One of my favourite parts would have to be the ending which set up the scene perfectly for the next book. The ending was emotional, visual and memorable. I felt sorry for the characters as they didn't know they were living underground and that the world had undergone a disaster.
Overall, The City of Ember was an excellent book that I was very glad to have read. It offered an interesting perspective of what could happen after a worldwide disaster. The characters were rounded and smart.
I believe that the novel can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. A movie has been made of The City of Ember. I liked the movie as it stayed mostly true to the novel. After I read The City of Ember, I was very keen to read the sequel, The People of Sparks. Look out for my review of the sequel coming soon!
Book Rating: 4.5/5
Cover: 5/5
Concept: 5/5
Author: Jeanne DuPrau
I wrote this review as part of Dystopian August which is going on over at Presenting Lenore. Check it out!
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