Reviews

The City of Ember Complete Boxed Set: The City of Ember; The People of Sparks; The Diamond of Darkhold; The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau

dlberglund's review against another edition

4.0

It was a great book, but listening to it became frustrating as the characters tried to decipher a message...I need the visuals! It's a vision-of-the-future kind of book (like The Giver, in a way) that I liked a lot. Looking forward to reading the sequel!

gwen_pageturner's review against another edition

3.0

I hadn't read this book since I was much younger, maybe middle school or younger, but I remembered the basic gist of it. However, I was not prepared for how slow paced it was. Definitely meant for a younger audience, but there is so much buildup and naivety that the adventure itself doesn't happen until the last five chapters or so. There are many lessons Lina and Doon learn that are achingly obvious for an adult reader; for example, them telling the guards about the mayor, not thinking that the guards are on his side. I'm going to stick with the series for now, but it is not my cup of tea.

ellabell57's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

k5tog's review against another edition

5.0

For me, this was the ideal type of young adult (or possibly middle school age) book - dystopian society, young potential heroes, a bit of a cliff hanger at the end. I look forward to reading more in the series.

thereadingknitter's review against another edition

4.0

I liked this book a lot. I might re listen to it over the summer with my daughter because it was definitely a clean read.

rebecita's review against another edition

3.0

The premise of this series is really cool, and I enjoyed the story, but there was so much unused potential here. I want more intrigue, more developed characters, more depth overall. Everything was a little one-dimensional, though not predictable. Definite points for following through on the backstory. I'm hooked enough to continue with the sequels, but I will pass on the audiobooks next time. I actually kept meaning to switch this one for the hard copy but somehow finished it first... the voices were annoying, and listening to instead of viewing the word puzzle that's central to the story was reeeally annoying.

Just because I like to complain... there are lots of distracting plot-holey things, but here's a few that I just can't let go of. The 12 year olds get NO JOB TRAINING. Literally, they show up to their first day and within 2 seconds they are out in the field fixing pipes or carrying messages to the mayor. Similarly, I get that the policemen in town are not the brightest bulbs around (and presumably benefit from the same lack of training), but they start a major manhunt for two kids WITHOUT EVER CHECKING THEIR HOMES. Most importantly, CANNED GOODS WILL NOT LAST FOR 200 YEARS.

fat_girl_fiction's review against another edition

3.0

The City of Ember by Jeanne Du Prau

I made the mistake of seeing the film first when it came to this book. Unlike the majority of other cases I actually enjoyed the film more than the book. Despite that, I did like the book. It had 'the pull' that kept you turning page after page. The characters of Lina, Doon and their respective guardians were well written and I'm glad that the author didn't create a romantic storyline for them. It was an easy read, which was just what I was looking for. However, there were several downsides in relation to the film. The one think I remembered about the movie was the clever mechanism with the boats and how they got into the water. It was a bit of a disappointment for them to just pick up the boats and put them in the river. I felt like the instructions were a bit of a disappointment. It was simply, find the hole and climb into it rather than working anything out.
Overall, I gave it three stars because it did entertain and if I come across the rest of the books I will read them. The idea itself is also brilliant. But I actually would've preferred a novelised version of the film!

kato_dg's review against another edition

adventurous

3.5

booksareamood's review against another edition

5.0

4.5
I really liked this book. It was nice to read one with no romance for a change! I especially LOVE the ending - just read on to find out!
For young teens.