Growing up as a child, I have always adored reading.  However, I am, and always have been, a picky reader. When I was in the third grade, my teacher introduced us to a new story, “The City Of Ember” by Jeanne Duprau. 

 “The City Of Ember” was officially published in 2003 as a science fantasy book.  We started to read this book as a class, but I could not wait for the rest of the class to catch up with my rapid reading.  This, of course, resulted in redundant chapters, but I didn't mind. I barely knew what imagery was in the third grade, yet Jeanne Duprau depicted it perfectly.  I can still close my eyes and tell you what Ember looked like as if I was the protagonist.

  This book sets in a dimly lit city purely run on electricity.  Their electricity, however, is running out and they fear that it will result in lights out forever.  The two main characters are Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow. Both the age of twelve, the age to pick their careers.  It is mentioned that Doon wants to work with the generator, which is what powers their city. He believes he can fix it and save their city from disaster.  Lina wants to become a messenger. She's lighthearted and all she cares about is running.  

With a shocking reveal to what they thought to be a good mayor, it turns out to be hiding a big secret.  Doon and Lina venture off to attempt to save their town and families. With an exhilarating and nerve-wracking adventure.  What did they find out about Mayor Cole? What do they find out about the very city that they live in?  

The memory of reading this book for the first time is very vivid.  This is the book that got me into reading as a child. Fantasy books were not something I would normally read, so when this became my all-time favorite book, it inspired me to go out of my comfort zone when reading.  The book itself is very entertaining and has you on the edge of your seat. There is no dull moment when it comes to this book. This book is not on its lonesome however, there are four books in total to complete this series.  “The People Of Sparks” is the book that follows The City Of Ember. The book is good as well, but in my opinion, it isn't nearly as good as the first book. The other two follow after having the same fate.  

There is one thing that the author, Jeanne Duprau did with her story that I am not completely on board with.  I personally feel that the people of ember would look a lot different due to the state of their city. I feel like humans as a whole would look a lot different because they would have to evolve.  However, the genre is Science Fantasy, emphasis on fantasy, so I suppose that their physical features can look as far away from realistic as she pleases.

Even though I have a few complaints about the way Jeanne Duprau has written her series, her book has left a lasting impact on my reading habits.  She has changed the way I view books now, I am more open-minded about reading new things. The City Of Ember has led me to find my favorite author today, Stephen King.  Their writing styles are quite different, but they have almost the same genre. King's books have intricate plots with fantastical characters. His books may come off as intimidating at first,  but Jeanne Duprau has led me to become more open and thanks to her I've experienced some amazing books that I probably would have never sought out before.  

This book, The City Of Ember, is still, to this day, my favorite book.  This book is at mid-level reading, so if you are looking for a challenging read, this book might not be for you.  However, generally, I highly recommend this read.