Book Synopsis:
The sequel to the critically acclaimed The City of Ember continues the story of Lina and Doon, who have emerged from the underground city to the exciting new world above. When anonymous acts of vandalism push them toward violence, it's up to Lina and Doon to discover who's behind the vandalism and why.
My Review:
5/5 stars. This book was just as great and charming as the first one. While there wasn’t a single mystery or quest threaded throughout the book like in the first one, it was a story about discovering new things, learning to get along with others, and doing the right thing even when it’s hard. It was also full of a lot of good messages and themes.
I loved the first book. It was a unique concept (as far as dystopians go, which are all somewhat similar) and was such a fun, lighthearted story. This sequel was the same. With the first book, it very much felt like a middle-grade to me, but this one didn't. As I was reading, I didn't feel like I was reading a book intended for younger audiences. I don't know if it was the writing style, the fact that not everything was explained super obviously, or what, but it was different.
One complaint I had with the first book that I still noticed in this book was the lack of depth for the main characters. They're both great, lovable characters, but they aren't the most well-rounded, with unique flaws and lots of defining characteristics. In this book, they both seemed to have different personal goals - Doon to learn everything he can and Lina to see and explore everything she can - but they were still a bit flat. Not boring, just not deep.
Moving on to the plot, a lot of this book involved discovery, both from the people of Sparks and Ember. The people from Ember were learning about new things in the outside world - like animals, trees, and new food. The people in Sparks were intrigued by the things that the people of Ember knew about, like electricity. In dystopian books, there's something about people discovering every day, normal things for the first time that I enjoy.
There were some new characters introduced in this book, but they also didn't have much depth. One character, Tick, ended up being kind of an antagonist. I could tell early on that he wasn't going to be a great person, but I didn't suspect that he was behind some of the actions in the book. At times, he felt like a bit of a one-note character that became a bit cartoonish toward the end.
This book had a lot of good themes. Some were very overt, but others I drew from smaller details. War is a big topic of the story. This book does a good job of showing the nuances of issues. There was some discussion of war being wrong vs sometimes a necessary force when people won't compromise. Ultimately, the solution in the book was to fight back with kindness and good deeds, which brings me to the next good message I loved.
In the book, a couple different characters talk about how it's a lot harder to do the right thing and be good than it is to get revenge. Even if you don't want to, not fighting back is the answer. Forgiveness and kindness can be so difficult, but it's necessary. I loved that idea.
Finally, the ending was good. It tied up loose ends without feeling like everything was wrapped up too perfectly. It was a satisfying conclusion to this book, while also leaving room for things to happen in the next one. The bit with the lightbulb and electricity finally existing in Sparks was a hopeful set-up for the next book.
Content:
Language: None
Sexual Content: None
Violence: Lots of mean acts against each other, a fire at the end, some injuries, but nothing is detailed or gory.
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