Tuesday, 8 December 2015

The People of Sparks reviewed By Bella Landry


The People of Sparks is a science fiction novel written by Jean Duprau.  It is the sequel to The City of Ember. The People of Sparks depicts the struggles of an entire city of refugees who face numerous difficulties, as they emerge from the underground city where they have lived for generations, and recounts their struggles with the society of unfriendly people they encounter in the world above ground. This is a story of war, friendship and captivating mystery, told in the alternating perspectives of the protagonists, Lina and Doon, the book also features Tick Hussler from Ember, Torren the son of the doctor, the doctor, the roamers Caspar and Maddy and many more. The story presents and builds a plot full of anticipation, as the author unravels the adventurous tale of the Emberites as they find their way in a bright new world. As their fate unfolds in front of their eyes, so does the intriguing storyline.

            The struggles between the people of Ember and the people of Sparks are complicated and it all contributes to the theme that while we fight against outside forces, we can also destroy ourselves. The whole story is built around the fact that feeding on the negative desire of revenge can lead people to lose sight of the harm they do to others but also to themselves. The characters suffer deeply and experience an emotional rollercoaster like no other, because of the greed that steams from one of Embers’ citizens… His greed and the greed of his followers only cause trouble and, as the story evolves, his lies are revealed and he is exposed as a traitor. Others in the story evolve and become heroes, while others make life-changing decisions that alter who they are forever. loThe people realize that what they really need is to break this futile cycle of revenge to end and all the misery.  In the end, it is the human spirit that shines through in all this mess and brings out the best in both the gang of citizens. They are finally able to look past their many differences, to appreciate what they have in common, to see that they are stronger together, as opposed to two solitudes fighting each other.

            The author has thoroughly presented the conflict of two great cities that are forced to make important choices when they cross each others paths and try to find common ground on which to get along. Their struggles are compared in both hardships and emotional battles which all the characters need to face. The harshness of reality strikes the reader and allows one to see human potential buried deep within everyone in this story. The physical and emotional impacts encourage the reader to connect even more with the characters of this novel and allows the reader the feeling of being immersed in the story with them.
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12 comments:

  1. Anonymous9 December 2015 at 11:16

    Hello, Bella

    Your review is really good but can you tell me more about the setting and if its man vs. society, man vs. nature .... etc?

    Thanks, Nathan

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    1. Anonymous9 December 2015 at 15:37

      Hi Nathan,

      I'm glad you enjoyed reading my review. I believe that because of the complex struggles the characters go through the biggest conflict is character vs. character, this is because of the deception that the people of Ember are forced to face, also the people of sparks are forced to open their homes to the Emberites in the story and this creates a lot of tension when food begins to deplete. The story takes place in the bright new world above the Emberites underground city, the new world they are now in is bright, warm and gigantic. In the story they also appear in places such as a vast landscapes, on winding roads, the people of sparks farms, the river and an abandoned city. I hope I was able to answer your question.

      Thanks, Bella.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous9 December 2015 at 17:36

    Dear Bella,

    I really enjoyed reading your book review and you clearly have a large knowledge of this novel. I wondered when during the book, what the Emberites and the People of Sparks ended up thinking of each other? Did they help each other or strive to destroy each other?

    Sincerely,
    Jacob

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    1. Anonymous16 December 2015 at 17:07

      Hi Jacob,

      I'm glad you enjoyed my review. During the book the two groups were unaccepting of each other, they did not want to share, cooperate or contribute at all, throughout the novel they learn that hey need to work together to survive and that is what hey do. In the end, the citizens of Ember become citizens of Sparks and they begin to build a bigger city together to create one strong city.

      Thanks, Bella.

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    2. Anonymous16 December 2015 at 17:15

      Hi Simran,

      I am glad you enjoyed my review! I believe that the Emberites were better of coming up above ground to safety than staying in the doomed city of Ember. They would have been drowned in darkness if they had not made the journey upward. Even though they experience hardships above ground its all worth it in the end when everything works out for the better. I think they made the right decision to emerge from the dark city they were in because they end their journey in their bright new home

      Thanks, Bella.

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  3. Anonymous10 December 2015 at 16:37

    Dear Bella,
    I like your review it was very interesting. After reading both the novels, do you think that the life for the citizens of Ember was better underground (corruption) or above ground (wars)?

    Sincerely,
    Simran Singh



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  4. Anonymous12 December 2015 at 08:09

    Dear Bella,

    I would have to say after reading "The People of Sparks" I was a little disappointed.I really enjoyed Duprau's first novel "The City of Ember". Your task is to provide 3 strong adjectives along with an example for each that would help promote this novel in a more positive light.

    Sincerely,

    Mr. King

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    1. Anonymous16 December 2015 at 17:52

      Hi Mr.King,

      I admit, I was a little disappointed of how the novel was so depressing as the first adventurousness that Lina keeps throughout this novel, she seems to add a little bit of suspense and wonder like when she decided to stow away and go to the city. Another would be how the described the brightness of the sunset and sunrise I could really picture the glow. Lastly I think that the devotion to the goodness in humanity Lina and Doon share all the way to the end is amazing and hoe they can trust and be kind despite their suffering. So in the end I chose adventurousness, brightness and devotion.

      Thanks, Bella.

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  5. Anonymous12 December 2015 at 08:11

    Dear Bella,

    Tick is a very interesting character. Towards the end of the novel we learn that Tick is the one who played the "pranks" against his own people in an effort to incite them to fight. Why do you think Tick this?

    Sincerely,

    Mr. King

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    1. Anonymous16 December 2015 at 17:25

      Hi Mr. King,

      You are right, Tick is very complex and hard to understand sometimes during the story. I think Tick did this conniving trick because he knew that he would not be able to convince them otherwise. I believe he did this because he wanted control, over the people without them knowing it Maybe he thought it was fun to manipulate people or maybe he wanted to see war, violence and rage.He might have even wanted the People of Sparks to be outraged too. His plan almost worked as well and when he was caught, he ran away, he was playing with fire and he wanted full control over it.

      Thanks, Bella.

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  6. Anonymous14 December 2015 at 17:24

    Dear Bella,

    Could you please tell me how do YOU find this book. Would you recommend it or not ?
    And does this book really continue The City of Ember, or is it a book that really follows The city of Ember ?

    Thank You

    Gregg Efraim 7S

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    1. Anonymous16 December 2015 at 17:32

      Hi Gregg,

      I would definitely recommend this book if you have read the City of Ember. This book is a continuation of Ember and includes main characters from the previous book such as LIna, Doon, Poopy and Mrs. Murdo. It features what happens after they reach the surface and how they coped with their misfortune.

      Thanks, Bella.

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