"A person who thought he knew everything simply didn’t understand how much there was to know."

I'm catching up! It's about time...

In case you missed it, My Pre-Reading.

I was really not looking forward to this book, except for the fact that it was the last in this series. I hated Lina and Doon going into it, and although I didn't hate them as much by the end, I still wasn't a huge fan of them. If I had been from Ember or from Sparks, they would just piss me off every time they left to go on some ridiculous adventure. Like good grief, if you think Ember still has supplies, tell the adults and let them get it together to go. Then maybe Doon wouldn't bust his ankle up. You could still search for your little diamond without telling everyone. 

Also, although the family living underground I guess added the whole conflict in this novel, it just seemed really pushed. Like HEY HERE'S THIS FAMILY HERE. Oh, I didn't need any help to escape, they're pretty stupid. If you had taken some adults with you, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM. Or at least they wouldn't have been as big of a problem. And poor Scwago, they treated him so badly I couldn't believe Sparks even let them stay. Did I mention I hate the people of Sparks too? They're so annoying and two faced. "We don't want to help the Emberites, but we'll let this family who beat up Doon and treated Scwago like dirt join us!" Awesome.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate this book as much as The People of Sparks. It wasn't as good as The Prophet of Yonwood, but The Diamond of Darkhold did have its moments. And it finally tied everything together. Although it was a little farfetched. ALIENS did it! They came to inspect our planet because we contacted them hundreds of years ago, but then everything was destroyed because we have to fight each other! But now they can go home and report that Earth is recovering!

Ridiculous. And unnecessary.

And the characters didn't grow up at all. They were still the same annoying children who left Ember. You'd think over 4 books, they would have grown up and matured and learned a couple of lessons... but no. Which is kind of disappointing.

I would give this book a 3/5, I think, for having its moments. Also for tying the series together. But not any higher because of the lack of character and plot depth, and for being way under my reading level. But now I'm finally done with The Books of Ember! I feel a little better about myself.

--Ashley

The Diamond of Darkhold

Title: The Diamond of Darkhold
Author: Jeanne DuPrau
Year Published: 2008

Synopsis: It’s been several months since Lina and Doon escaped the dying city of Ember and, along with the rest of their people, joined the town of Sparks. Now, struggling through the harsh winter aboveground, they find an unusual book. Torn up and missing most of its pages, it alludes to a mysterious device from before the Disaster, which they believe is still in Ember. Together, Lina and Doon must go back underground to retrieve what was lost and bring light to a dark world. In the fourth Book of Ember, bestselling author Jeanne DuPrau juxtaposes yet another action-packed adventure with powerful themes about hope, learning, and the search for truth.

Why?: I read the rest of the series, I might as well read the last book.

Expectations: After The Prophet of Yonwood, my expectations are a little higher for this book than they otherwise would have been. Except Lina and Doon are in it, so I'm sure they'll ruin it somehow.

Judging a book by its cover: It looks like the book will deal with a big blue diamond. And it's sparkly, so maybe it has to do with the sun too. Oh and desert everywhere. 

--Ashley

"The world is full of endless strange surprises"

The Prophet of Yonwood is next on my list of books I finished and still haven't blogged about!

My Pre-Reading

I was really having a hard time getting through The People of Sparks, and I was not excited about reading the next two books. I have to say though, I was pleasantly surprised by The Prophet of Yonwood.

I think I really just hated Lina and Doon. Nickie, on the other hand, was nowhere near has annoying. Although she had her flaws, all she really wanted was to do something good and help the world. The characters weren't well developed, and the plot was only so-so, but I think that this Book of Ember was a nice read for what it was. It didn't take me 6 months to finish it either, so props to it on that.

I'm not really sure it was entirely necessary as part of the series, although it was interesting to see all of the pieces fall into place with "The Builders" and the woman who left behind the journal. I also don't really agree with the order in which they were written/published, since I think it's really weird to have two books, then a prequel, and then a sequel to the second book. Maybe that's just me though.

While I really, really hated The People of Sparks, I would definitely encourage a middle-grade reader to get through it so that they could read The Prophet of Yonwood. Or I might just tell them to skip The People of Sparks entirely and have them read this book first.

This book definitely deserves a 3/5, since it was good for what it was but could have used some more depth and a better plot. And it's also a little young for people in their early-mid twenties to be reading. Give this to your elementary/middle school kids, and they'll love it.

--Ashley

The Prophet of Yonwood

And another!

Title: The Prophet of Yonwood
Author: Jeanne DuPrau
Year Published: 2006

Synopsis:   It’s 50 years before the settlement of the city of Ember, and the world is in crisis. War looms on the horizon as 11-year-old Nickie and her aunt travel to the small town of Yonwood, North Carolina. There, one of the town’s respected citizens has had a terrible vision of fire and destruction. Her garbled words are taken as prophetic instruction on how to avoid the coming disaster. If only they can be interpreted correctly. . . . As the people of Yonwood scramble to make sense of the woman’s mysterious utterances, Nickie explores the oddities she finds around town—her great-grandfather’s peculiar journals and papers, a reclusive neighbor who studies the heavens, a strange boy who is fascinated with snakes—all while keeping an eye out for ways to help the world. Is this vision her chance? Or is it already too late to avoid a devastating war? In this prequel to the acclaimed The City of Ember and The People of Sparks, Jeanne DuPrau investigates how, in a world that seems out of control, hope and comfort can be found in the strangest of places.

Why?: I read both The City of Ember and The People of Sparks, and figured I should continue the series.  As much as I really don't want to.

Expectations: I really don't expect much from this book. I didn't really enjoy the first two books in the series, and I'm only reading the rest of the series so I can get it over with.

Judging a book by its cover: From the cover, it looks like a missile will probably be dropped somewhere - maybe Yonwood? Also, birds are important.


--Ashley

The People of Sparks....

Are finally off of my reading list. I don't want to review it, because I honestly don't remember most of it. It took me too long to read, and I didn't really enjoy it.

I think the problem was that it was written for an age group way below mine. I found all of the characters really annoying,  and I thought the plot dragged way too much.

I did like that the Emberites were the hidden "treasure", but I thought it was dropped way too easily. It was mentioned, briefly explained, and then it seemed like nobody cared anymore. Screw you, People of Ember, everybody hates you even though you were supposed to be humanity's savior in case we all died!

Overall, I'd rate this a 1.5/5 for someone who typically reads older books.

I am not looking forward to reading The Prophet of Yonwood or The Diamond of Darkhold, but I will. I've already committed too much time to this series to not finish it.

--Ashley