Book: The City Of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

Book Info: Published by Yearling; 270 pages; paperback; Source: from the library

Goodreads Summary: The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember forever! This stunning debut novel offers refreshingly clear writing and fascinating, original characters.

This is an interesting book.  I liked the plot, but something about this book fell flat for me.

It was very simple and straightfoward.  There was a lot of mystery, but at the same time, the mystery felt very obvious.  Somethingh about it was dumbed down, and it is definitely aimed for the really young end of young adult.

I liked the city of Ember, but that was really about it.  There were a few things that were hard to believe.  Like when Lina’s grandma dies and Lina didn’t seem to really care that she died.  Or the fact that she didn’t seem to care about her younger sister.  Oh, and in 2oo+ years, no one has really tried to get out of the city?  Seriously?  Anyway, the characters weren’t very interesting, and no one was particularly interesting.

Overall, it was just okay.  I give it a 2 out of 5- it’s a simplistic story, and I felt like it was dumbed down a little.