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City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
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Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow live in the city of Ember, where lightbulbs are the only source of light. They are surrounded on each side by total darkness and because they have no way of creating a movable light (i.e. a flashlight), no one has ever ventured out of the city. But Ember is beginning to fall apart: the blackouts are more frequent, the storerooms are almost empty and the generator, the machine that powers the city, breaks down constantly. When Lina discovers her baby sister chewing on an old piece of paper found at the back of the closet, she is intrigued and tries to piece the letter back together. With the help of the serious and intelligent Doon, she deciphers the message and attempts to save the citizens of Ember from the impending threat of complete darkness and hunger.
DuPrau creates an intriguing post apocalyptic world in the city of Ember as well as likeable and sympathetic characters in Lina and Doon. However, she leaves a lot of loose threads: the subplot of the corrupt mayor is never resolved, and Lina seems to get over the death of her grandmother a little too quickly for comfort. Lina and Doon also suffer from the same loose thread treatment. We learn that Doon has an anger problem that gets him into trouble, but nowhere is this really addressed. Lina has a tendency to jump to conclusions which leads to disappointment, but nowhere does she have time to learn patience. Although it was a riveting read and the plot flows along at a tumultuous pace, these loose ends leave you feeling unsatisfied, as if you had only a sip of water to quench a great thirst. I would recommend this book to die hard fantasy and science fiction fans only.
Hi, I just found this website and read you review for City of Ember. I read
the book this summer, and I just wanted to point out that it is the first
book in a series, which, presumeably, means the some of the loose ends will
be tied up in the following books.