I first read this series when it was first published and really liked them. This audiobook was well done and I enjoyed revisiting the story.

FROM AMAZON: It's been several months since Lina and Doon escaped the dying city of Ember and, along with the rest of their people, joined the town of Sparks. Now, struggling through the harsh winter aboveground, they find an unusual book. Torn up and missing most of its pages, it alludes to a mysterious device from before the Disaster, which they believe is still in Ember. Together, Lina and Doon must go back underground to retrieve what was lost and bring light to a dark world.
In the fourth Book of Ember, bestselling author Jeanne DuPrau juxtaposes yet another action-packed adventure with powerful themes about hope, learning, and the search for truth. ( )

One of the few endings to a series that doesn't leave me with more questions than answers. I find myself able to conclude my reading satisfied knowing the future of the characters within. ( )

This is a satisfying and optimistic ending to the story of the people of Ember.

It's not as interesting as the first two books, where there are struggles with the people in power and some quite deep moral questions. In this one, Doon and Lina want to go on a Quest to make things better, they go on a Quest, things are made Better. There is some Mild Peril and some Slightly Bad People, but the Slightly Bad People are too incompetent to be very interesting, and are all redeemed at the end.

They are books written for kids, and I found I needed even more suspension of disbelief for this one than for any of the others. 400 intelligent adults have fled from an underground city and are starving in the winter, and not one of them thinks 'hey, we could go back there and see if there's anything left?' Lina and Doon's continued desire to just sneak off and do things rather than talking to people is a bit annoying. And I really do think the people who designed Ember knew they could rely on narrativium, because their plans are a bit unlikely otherwise...

I was surprised by how much Doon gets the sense of 'we are the chosen people, these are our solar panels. OK, they were put there for the people of Ember, but that was 200 years ago. And one of the key themes of The People of Sparks was that it wasn't just their food, even though they'd grown it all themselves, sharing with humanity was better. I mean, they're in a precarious society, and they have found a huge pile of valuable things, gently trading and sharing them and trying to understand them doesn't feel Wrong, exactly... it's just a bit different from some of the themes of the earlier books.

I love the creepy feeling of going back to somewhere you have left and finding it dusty and decaying, and the bit where Doon finally breaks the generator was really powerful (although was it in character?)

Also, definitely read this one last! The ending is clearly the ending. It relies on you knowing some things that happened in the Prophet of Yonwood, and is a much warmer, nicer, place to end than 'bombs fall, most people die.' ( )

A surprising end to a fantastic series. Loved every single book and this is now one of my favorite series. ( )

Boring book and a terrible ending. The author could have put more effort in the ending. Utterly disappointed. ( )