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The Diamond of Darkhold: The Fourth Book of Ember (Books of Ember) | 
 enlarge | Author: Jeanne Duprau
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99
Buy New: $8.99
You Save: $8.00 (47%)
New (40) Used (11) Collectible (1) from $8.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 590
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.8 x 1
ISBN: 0375855718
EAN: 9780375855719
ASIN: 0375855718
Publication Date: August 26, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new item. Over 3.5 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Order with confidence. Code: B20081113221647T
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Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 A disappointing ending for two books that were on fire October 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
There are few books that I give this low of a rating. I almost hate doing this because I loved the first two books so much, but there are three reasons I'm giving this book only two stars.
The first is it felt like the book was talking down to it's young audience. The first two books were so contemporary and edgy, but if felt like this one spent half the time defining big words and inserting placeholder dialogue. The writing style lacked a quality I know Duprau is capable of.
The second is that the book is a rewind of The City of Ember. It seemed like the characters hadn't really developed since the first book and had to learn all the old lessons over again. Plus it just played the same plot tricks as the first book, only instead of escaping Ember, Lina and Doon are going back. And it totally ignores all of the information from The Prophet of Yonwood (Books of Ember) (which wasn't that good to begin with) until the last ten pages--and even that tie-in seems forced, like it's an afterthought.
The final thing that made this book just not work for me is that the ending is moral driven rather than character driven. Rather than letting the characters actions speak for themselves, there is a LONG epilogue that tells word for word all the lessons Lina and Doon learned. After all they go through together, the reader should be able to tell what lessons were learned without if being spelled out for them--literally!
This book could have been hot with all the potential in the first two books. The premiss for this one is fantastic and the already-established characters are amazing, but this book just doesn't pull it all together in the end. I wish the series would have ended after The People of Sparks (Books of Ember).
Ember extinguished October 25, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is the fourth in the "City of Ember" series. In book one, The City of Ember, the residents of Ember live underground in a post-apocalyptic world. They have a generator for electricity, indoor plumbing, stocks of canned food and they have never seen the outside world. When stocks start running out, they are led out of Ember by two children named Lina and Doon.
This takes us to book two, The People of Sparks, where the newly emerged Ember people try to fit in to the rustic lifestyle of a small village.
Book three, The Prophet of Yonwood is a prequel, telling of the events leading up to book one.
This book picks up after book two, with Lina, Doon and the people of Ember and Sparks facing a harsh winter and possible starvation. The earth simply cannot produce enough food to feed both communities, and supplies of other essentials are also running low. A traveling trader or "roamer" (read: scavenger) visits the village and Doon buys a portion of an old book that the roamer was using as kindling. The few remaining pages suggest that there is a legacy left for the people of Ember, for the time when it became necessary for them to abandon the underground city.
Lina and Doon decide to return to Ember to find the item mentioned in the book, and find more than they bargained for.
Knowledge of the first two books will be an asset while reading this one. (You can forget about the third book) The book moves along pretty well and will hold your interest until the final chapters. Sadly, a reasonably good story is diminished by an ending that seems to drift away to practically nothing.
Recommended for people who have read books one and two.
Rated: 3.5 stars
Amanda Richards, October 25, 2008
 Enjoyable page-turner for young and old alike October 18, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
My eleven year old daughter and I read this book together, aloud over the course of about ten days. We both loved it and eagerly awaited each successive night's installment. I had read City of Ember and People of Sparks, but started and didn't finish Prophet of Yonwood. My daughter had read all three prior books. Contrary to some of the other reviewers, I thought that several of the minor characters were quite well developed, particularly Troggs and Maggs. Not quite the meticulously thought-out masterpiece I found City of Ember to be, but a good page turner, with some carefully tucked away lessons for young people.
Wraps it up October 9, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book helps wrap up the series. It answers some of the questions that were left open in the other books. My daughter and I had great fun reading this series together and debating all the possibilities.
 Its good but not great. October 9, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I liked this book a lot more than book 2, really enjoyed book 1, and I'm planning on skipping book 3. I hope Jeanne Duprau stops writing more Ember books. I think she has a great story but I'm not a big fan of the way she writes. Book 1 felt like it was lacking somethings, book 2 just felt empty, and book 4 to me didn't seem like doon and Lina would of acted the way they did, to me they did grow up, they just asked the same. I just can't wait until the movie comes out. I'm hoping that the movie has added stuff that wasn't in the book.
Unlike in the potter books and movies, I didn't want any part changed. To me Rowling added and added the the characters all 7 books.
But this is just my opinion.
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