Book Review: The Prophet of Yonwood

The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanette DuPrau (*NEW*)

SUMMARY: It’s 50 years before the settlement of the city of Ember, and the world is in crisis. War looms on the horizon as 11-year-old Nickie and her aunt travel to the small town of Yonwood, North Carolina. There, one of the town’s respected citizens has had a terrible vision of fire and destruction. Her garbled words are taken as prophetic instruction on how to avoid the coming disaster. As the people of Yonwood scramble to make sense of the woman’s mysterious utterances, Nickie explores the oddities she finds around town, while keeping an eye out for ways to help the world. Is this vision her chance? Or is it already too late to avoid a devastating war? In this prequel to the acclaimed The City of Ember and The People of Sparks, Jeanne DuPrau investigates how, in a world that seems out of control, hope and comfort can be found in the strangest of places. (excerpted from the inside flap)

OPINION: The main story of this book tackles big questions about the nature of good and evil, and the role of God in human conflict. And it has a huge old victorian house, a hidden dog, and snakes! It was a pretty good story, but it had very little to do with The City of Ember, except in the last few pages. It was rather a disappointment and left a lot of questions unanswered. Hopefully, there will be a fourth book that tells me what I want to know. Like, how the world was destroyed and how the first citizens of Ember reacted to their new lifestyle. Still, it is an interesting story, particularly considering the current war situation and fears of terrorism. Read it, but don't expect big revelations about Ember.