In this second Book of Ember, the people of the city of Ember have escaped their dying underground city, and found their way back above ground. Some long ago Disaster has wasted the land above ground, but only a few days walk away, they find the village of Sparks, where the people there have finally managed to carve a comfortable existence out of the wasted world.
The people of Sparks agree to take the Emberites in, and teach them how to survive in the world above ground, but with so many more mouths to feed, tensions arise. Lina and Doon, the heroes from the last book, must find a way to show the people of Sparks and Ember that they can, and should, learn to live together.
I’d read that the first book was the best book in the series, and I can see why people would think that. The action here isn’t quite as urgent as the first book, and it’s strangely less exciting in setting, even though it’s a post-apocalyptic landscape. Still, it’s an interesting enough story, and I will try to track down the third book of the series.