The City of Ember

Author: Jeanne DuPrau
Goodreads Rating: 3.82 
Pages: 270

 Many hundreds of years ago, the city of Ember was created by the Builders to contain everything needed for human survival. It worked…but now the storerooms are almost out of food, crops are blighted, corruption is spreading through the city and worst of all—the lights are failing. Soon Ember could be engulfed by darkness….

But when two children, Lina and Doon, discover fragments of an ancient parchment, they begin to wonder if there could be a way out of Ember. Can they decipher the words from long ago and find a new future for everyone? Will the people of Ember listen to them?

First, I am happy to be back :) I've been super busy and have been reading a ton and have just found time to blog about the great books I've read! So without further delay...

I found this book when I was subbing in a middle school English class. The students were reading it so I decided to pick it up and read a few chapters. I read half the book by the time it was time for me to leave (if I was there for a whole day, I probably would have finished all of it). This was a fabulous YA book, that many of the students in the class enjoyed.

My favorite piece of this book was the ending. It was amazing!! I kind of saw it coming but it was still so good and left you with a whole mess of new questions that will hopefully be answered in the next book :) It also got me thinking what the next book will be like and how the series will continue from this ending.

This book also made me think of our world, in that we wonder if we are the only world with life in a big dark space. I even made the analogy of Ember running out of light to our world running out of resources. I have heard other analogies for the book, so you will have to read to maybe find your own. This was just the first thing I noticed.

I wasn't overly fond of the characters. They were nice and got the job done but I didn't feel a huge connection with them for some reason. I didn't feel anything really special with them. They were good characters, just not the best I have ever seen.

Overall, this was an excellent book, especially for young readers interested in dystopian books. It leaves you craving for more and is a really fast read. The ending and the unique plot will make you want to dive right into the next book. I gladly give this book a 4.5/5 :)

 The Courts Decision: