THE DIAMOND OF DARKHOLD

This book completes City of Ember series and answered a lingering question, created for me, by the first book's ending. I found this book to be as satisfying the The City of Eber book as it answered many questions I am sure will occur to the readers of the first book. I found that the author had a genius for telling a post apoplectic story as seen through the eyes of children, which I found personally very refreshing. I got interested in the City of Ember books because of the movie and was pleased to see that the author did not need to revert to monsters and Rube Goldberg devices that were in the movie to make a complete and compelling story. The fact that the author continued the adventures of the two main characters, through the these books was satisfying and very neatly done. I give the author 5 stars for writing these books that many adults should read as it relates to today's religious and political conflicts and a possible unintended outcome for future generations.

Great read for all ages!A very satisfying ending to a great series. Can't help wondering why this hasn't been made into movies because I can see it all so clearly in my mind. Everything feels real like this is something that could actually happen. Maybe it's because no one has some sort of magical powers that seems to be the requirement for a movie these days...The author says it herself when describing our heros, Lina and Doon: They didn't have extraordinary powers. They used the ordinary powers of courage, kindness, curiosity, and knowledge. This is something we need to teach our children. Harry Potter is great, but making a difference in this world takes the powers of Lina and Doon.

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 starsAmanda Richards, October 25, 2008

Arrived new.

Great ending book to a series that is a pleasure to get lost in for a few weeks. The City of Ember book 1 was of course the best book but this one is a close second! Don't miss the other two though or you will miss great details. The Author is a great storyteller and what is rare in today's world; does it all without sex or profanity in this wonderful, family-friendly escape from reality. Or is it an escape from reality? It all almost seems a bit prrophetic! You will greatly enjoy this entire series

This book satisfied my high expectations and I hung on to every word. It ends beautifully just as I expected and incorporates the bit of wonder I always loved about the books in this series. Although I am sad it has ended, reading this series was a great experience and I couldn't feel better about the outcome. Each book pieced together to form an exciting puzzle that gave me chills of surprise when it all came together. To finish, words simply can't explain my appreciation of such a wonderful series.

with scope for more booksThe ending seemed a little rushed but that could have been because I was reluctant for the book to draw to a close. Books 1, 2 and 4 were of equal calibre and very enjoyable and well written. I like the way they make you pause and think; they are also very exciting so you want to rush on too. Loved them

So, I was ordering books from Amazon, and I happened to choose three books that were in the 4 for 3 sale type thing. The first book that stood out to me to buy was The Diamond of Darkhold, though I hadn't read the third book in the City of Ember series, only because I hadn't read any reviews that made me interested enough to spend my money on it.It was actually quite an interesting novel. I was hooked after the third or fourth chapter, and could not WAIT to find out how it would end. Now with that said, the ending was a bit too 'clean' for me, in the sense that everyone ended up happy and the world was going to be perfect. Oh, and that one thing we find out about in the last two pages? Pissed me off because I hadn't read the third book, though that was entirely my fault.With that said, I'm giving this book a 3.5/5, only because I want to give it a 7/10.