Fantasy

This was a DNF. I started and stopped at least four or five times all throughout 2023. I’m surprised I couldn’t get into this considering how much I adore and love both the original book and the movie. I think part of it for me was the illustrations. And while they are fit for the topic because they’re so brown and dreary, they seem disheartening, instead of hopeful and enlightening. This is a great introduction to the story, but I think the original novel does it better and keeps one’s attention way more than the graphic. ( )

I liked the original (novel form) better, but as a standalone graphic this works well. I liked the art style and it´s well done. But I still liked the novel better. Some parts of the story had to be left out of the graphic. ( )

Ahhhh this was a good book! Short, but so infinitely good! I could almost feel the sunlight when Lina and Doon reached the surface, even though it was nighttime when I read that part of the book! Now I must reread the original! :D ( )

The City of Ember is the first in a trilogy, beginning the stories of Lina and Doon. Lina lives in Ember- a city surrounded by darkness and powered by only street lights, lamps, and electricity. Each night when curfew hits, Ember is as dark as a moonless night. So what happens when the lights in Ember begin to flicker? What happens if the power goes out? Lyra doesn't want to wait to find out, and with her accidental classmate-turned-friend, Doon, she is set to save Ember... or to find a way out!

This graphic novel adaptation is beautifully-illustrated. Each page has a dark background and border, echoing the dark that surrounds Ember. At one point in the book, Doon and Lina have pieces of a message that they must reassemble and decode, so seeing it visualized and pieced together was a helpful way to see it in its entirety! It's rather text-light (there's often not more than 5 or 6 speech bubbles on a page,) but follows the plot as accurately as I can remember the text. ( )

Amazing! Just amazing! I felt the story come to life and that's the best experience ever. A quick read for the City of Ember lovers. ( )

The art was stunning, I loved it. I also loved Lina and Doon's ambiguously non-white skin colour. The story, though, suffered from being so abbreviated. This should have been a much larger book, and I think the only reason I enjoyed reading it is because I'd already read the original novel. I already knew the prologue about the Builders hiding the box and how it was forgotten over the years, I knew the significance of the Singing, I knew the depth of their ignorance of and dependence on electricity - basically all the stuff that made the City of Ember alive and interesting. None of it came through in the graphic novel, so I urge anyone who only read this to read the original as well. ( )

From what I remember of the book (read a few years ago), this is a very good representation of the story. It made me want to re-read to novel. ( )

I'd heard extremely good things about the traditional novel, so I blasted through the graphic novel when it came across my desk. It was fairly predictable in ways that it might not have been had I been reading without the visuals, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Poppy was such a sweet character and I enjoyed the added layer of the toddler she added to the adventure. ( )

Last month the library had a very large display of graphic novels that were adaptations of well-known stories. I honestly didn't realize, up until that point, that so many books have graphic novel counterparts! As soon as I saw The City of Ember, I had to pick it up. That book has fond memories for me. It was one of the first stories I used while I was a tutor in high school. I think it'd be safe to say that I have a bit of attachment to it.

I'll honestly say, this wasn't quite what I was hoping for. While it wasn't badly done, by any means, it just didn't put forth that same intriguing feeling that the book did. I suppose I should have been prepared for the panels to be very dark. After all, Ember is underground. Still, the darker palette of the panels made them hard for me to focus on. I had to go back more than once to pick up small details that I missed the first time around. The story lost some it's luster here as well. Obviously a lot had to be left out in order for it in graphic novel form.

Long story short, I'll stick with the book. For this bookworm, it reigns supreme. ( )

I bought this for my son at his school’s bookfair. Previously I had listened to The City of Ember on audiobook and thought it was okay but not great. I feel the same way about this graphic novel, everything about it okay but not great.

My biggest issue with this graphic novel is that I feel like it strips away a lot of the mystery and dank ambiance of the novel. The dialogue is stripped down as well and made very simple. I felt like a lot of the important underlying dystopian issues the novel addresses are simplified or just omitted from the graphic novel.

The illustration is decent and in full color. While I enjoyed the color palette used I wasn’t a huge can of how the people were illustrated...they all had very similar looking faces and bodies. Even given this the graphic novel was easy enough to follow.

Overall I thought this was okay but nothing special. If you were a huge fan of the original book (which I wasn’t) this might be a fun journey down memory lane for you. I would definitely recommend the book over the graphic novel because I feel like the graphic novel skims over a lot of the important issues that made the full length book special. ( )

What a cute little book! It is almost like a kid version of Orwell's 1984. I will wait for the graphical novels to get published before I read rest of the series. ( )

This graphic adaptation of Jeanne DuPrau's novel tells the story of a dystopian society called Ember. In this small city the lights are dim and it is surrounded by total darkness. Children are working and everyone is running out of food. Everyone except the Mayor who seems to have and endless supply of what he needs.

Our two main characters, Lina and Doon, join forces to decipher a message that Lina finds hidden in a box. The message shows them a way out of Ember. When they try to share what they have learned they find everyone in power is protecting the Mayor and the two children are now on the run from the authorities. The only thing to do is grab Lina's little sister and follow the secret note out of Ember and into a world of light.

While the Graphic Novel does not capture the writing of Jeanne DuPrau's original novel, it does make the story accessible to a younger audience. By the nature of the book, the illustrations are dark, but they capture the feeing of the story. ( )

Graphic novel review:

A good retelling of the story as a graphic novel, although obviously the original novel has much more depth and richer texture. ( )

*Book source ~ Library

The Builders created the city of Ember long ago. The only light is what is produced by the water running underneath the city, but the electricity is beginning to fail no matter how many times repairs are made. In addition, the city is running out of food stores and the government is corrupt. Two children, Lina and Doon, discover a way out of the city, but will the citizens believe them? Unfortunately, they have to flee before they’ve told anyone about the potential way out. Have they jumped from the frying pan into the fire? Or is there really a better place than Ember?

I haven’t read the books though they are on my TBR since my daughter enjoyed The City of Ember. In fact, I picked up this graphic novel because she did enjoy it and after she read it I thought, what the heck and picked it up.

It was a quick read as most graphic novels are and I really liked the artwork. The story gives me a pretty good idea of what the novel is about and I’ll still read it (eventually lol) because there is no way for a graphic novel to tell the whole deal. All-in-all a very enjoyable read. ( )

For a graphic novel, comic book, version of this story it is well done. I think I prefer the actual novel version but that's just me. For those that want to get a quicker version of a great story, this would be the way to go. ( )

Lina Mayfleet and her little sister live in the city of Ember, where rolling blackouts are leaving everyone on edge. With the help of her classmate Doon who works underground, Lina finds the source of the blackouts. Will she be able to save the people of Ember from their misfortunes? This book has recently been adapted into a film, and is also a standard novel. I really enjoyed the graphic novel version of this story for the contrast of light and dark, and the depictions of why life in Ember is so grim. This story is perfect for readers who enjoy mystery and adventures.

This graphic novel reintroduces Ember, the doomed city of darkness that was built to ensure that humans would continue to exist on Earth. On Assignment Day, 12-year-olds leave school and receive their lifetime job assignments. Lina becomes a messenger, and her friend Doon ends up in the Pipeworks beneath the city. They unearth an evil plot from the government to steal away precious resources from people who live in Ember. Using clues left behind by Lina’s late grandmother, they travel beneath Ember’s tunnels in a desperate attempt to find a way out.

A very quick but surprisingly suspenseful read. I'm intrigued to now read the original novel! ( )

Zooom! This was a super quick read. I admit to never reading the original book, but the graphic novel was a lot of fun! The art is so-so, but the story is great and intriguing. Will there be a volume 2? Maybe! ( )

My first graphic novel. Quick enjoyable read. ( )