Read for the It’s the End of the World II and 2009 YA Reading Challenges.
In the city of Ember, the only sources of light are gigantic floodlights over the city, which go out at night, leaving the city in complete darkness. Outside of the city is the Unknown Region, where no one ever goes, because the ability to make moveable light has been lost to the residents of the city. They’ve lived here for 250 years, in relative prosperity, as the Builders left them vast storerooms filled with everything they could ever need. But lately, the storerooms are growing emptier, and the lights sometimes go out during the day, leaving the city with increasingly long periods of paralyzing dark.
Twelve-year-olds Doon and Lina have graduated from school in the midst of this, and have taken their first jobs, and are witnesses to the increasing worry of the citizens of Ember. They’re also increasingly aware that their leaders aren’t planning on doing anything about their situation, so Doon and Lina decide to find a way to help Ember themselves.
This was a fun book. The underground city, and the society created by living for more than 200 years underground, were well drawn, and very convincing. I loved to hate the villains, and was very happy to follow Lina and Doon’s progress.
This book does reach an endpoint, but it’s really just the beginning in a larger story, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.