The City of Ember (School & Library Binding)

The City of Ember feels like an unkept promise, once all is said and done. The basic plot-line was creative. The characters were well portrayed, if perhaps not terribly interesting. Even Jeanned DuPrau's particular style of writing was unique. That being said, I think I've listed everything about this book that was noticeably enjoyable for me. After the first couple chapters or so, the book begins to go downhill. The basic idea with which the story started out with was drawn out and winding, and although this is by no means an essential for a good fantasy book, there weren't any real elements of surprise in the story.

Those are minor complaints, however. My biggest problem with this book, is that it doesn't flow well. I by no means want to undermine the imagination Miss DuPrau put into this book, but if you'll notice, on the back cover, it states that Miss Jeanne DuPrau used to be an editor and technical writer. This is both a good and a bad thing. For one, no grammar mistakes made it through to print, which was nice. There were no confusing sentences or phrases which you had to read and re-read to understand. Indeed, the only problem with the flow of this story, is simply that her sentences feel too short.

Whenever you feel yourself getting into that 'roller-coaster' effect that you get in books, the feeling where a story grips you and won't let you put it down, you feel yourself jarred out of this reverie by a large clump of short sentences. It feels like each line was cut short, and that the passage lacks in creative detail. I even found myself thinking 'she could have combined those three sentences...' then I'd think of what it would sound like -had she done that- and would end up continuing from that point in the book not with a paragraph of short sentences in mind, but a few, fluent, longer sentences which I had stopped to conjure up in my head while reading. I don't want to sound arrogant or rude, but for me, the book simply didn't flow well.

So, here's a quick summary for those who don't have time to read the whole review...

PRO'S
*Imaginative plot concept
*Believable and likeable characters
*Creative and fun setting

CON'S
*Choppy feeling flow
*Minor character development
*Slow moving, and at some times, drawn out plot line

Well, all that being said, if you're a die-hard fantasy fan, I recommend this book. It's an entertaining read, but if you're looking for a fluent, quick moving, and/or complex fantasy book, I recommend you look elsewhere.

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