The City of Ember

I'm not a big YA reader in general so I can't compare this to other books in the broader genre. My daughter is reading City of Ember for a school reading group and I read it so we could discuss together.

That said, DuPrau has done a good job with a fairly complex idea. The narrative moves quickly and the characters are likeable, though a little shallower and more predictable than I would have liked. I'm guessing YA in general doesn't get into the nuanced characterization of more adult fiction, so that's probably less of a comment about Ember as a book and more of a sweeping generalization on the genre.

Given the success of the series, and the star-studded movie adaptation, DuPrau has obviously lovingly crafted a whole world built out of the darkness. Without giving anything away, the first book is a well done novel on its own but also an obvious setup for the next story. I'm looking forward to reading it when my daughter gets through this one!