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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book as a kid and I love it still as an adult. I might just have to reread the whole series again.
read this book over 10 years ago and have very fond memories of it still! planning to re-read it soon!
This is really a middle school book, but I marked it for HS as well. Reluctant readers in HS would like it. The description of the underground city was amazing, the characters kept my interest, and the final chapters were exciting. Definitely want to read the sequel and see what happens.
DuPrau has created an interesting dystopia mired in fear, with the lead characters possessing a courage to break through that fear.
DuPrau has created an interesting dystopia mired in fear, with the lead characters possessing a courage to break through that fear.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is still as good as I remember it being. However, there are some weird things I notice now. Like why wouldn't one of the believers be interested in undiscovered Builder made writing? How can Doon and Lina barely feel any distress after realizing they would be leaving behind their entire city (for maybe dead/forever) because Lina forgot a note????? This place has got to have some messed up stuff going on-- what else is the happening in the criminal underbelly? I wonder what the average lifespan of citizens is....so many questions.
Still good, still enchanting, but I have more questions now than when I read this as a kid.
Still good, still enchanting, but I have more questions now than when I read this as a kid.
I had a really hard time suspending my disbelief for this novel, which admittedly may be less of an issue for the younger readers in its intended audience. But so many aspects of Ember's civilization just didn't ring true for me, from the drawing of job assignments out of a bag to the utter incuriosity at innovation even in the face of looming disaster to the spottiness of what has and hasn't been remembered from the world before. If you can set all of that aside, The City of Ember is a decent story of humanity's bleak future and the children who try to escape it, but for most of the book I just wasn't able to get beyond those flaws and believe in this world.