The people of Ember are now the people of Sparks, and Sparks isn't looking so hot these days--with 400 new mouths to feed, supplies are running low, and winter's only just beginning. A plot device trader comes along and gives Doon the tattered remains of a book; Doon and Lina head back to Ember to save the world. 
 Eh. It's better than Prophet of Yonwood, but that doesn't say much. Maybe it's the distance from when I read the first book, but this has neither the charm nor complexity of City of Ember. I remember the story being more fascinating, the characters more richly drawn, the writing more sophisticated. I'm disappointed in this.