The Diamond of Darkhold is a Gem!!

Well, in my neck of the woods, because of high winds that led to massive power outages, I've had quite a bit of time to read lately. In the beginning of a school year, adding reading to my "to do" list can be difficult, so I'm considering these power outages and school closings a small gift that allows me to get caught up on my "to read" pile.

One of the books in that pile was The Diamond of Darkhold, the 4th in a series of books by Jeanne DuPrau, that started with The City of Ember. I had really wanted to read this book for a couple of reasons: 1) I loved The City of Ember when I first read it and could hardly put it down, 2) I had the opportunity to hear Jeanne DuPrau speak two years ago at the Dublin Literacy Conference, and I loved hearing her talk about where the idea for this group of books came from, 3) I knew The City of Ember movie was coming out Oct. 10, 2008 (see trailer and countdown to movie), and 4) The City of Ember is the read aloud I will be starting next with my class (if I ever get back to school!).

So, yesterday, I sat down with the book mid-afternoon, and only stopping for dinner and a friend stopping by, I finished The Diamond of Darkhold by 8:30 last night. It gave me the same feeling I had the first time I read The City of Ember -- I just couldn't put it down because of the plot turns and twists. It was truly engaging from first sentence to last sentence.

I read Franki's post at A Year of Reading about this book, and I couldn't agree with her more -- this book brings closure to a lot of questions I had about what would happen to Lina and Doon and a variety of other supporting characters last seen in People of Sparks. I closed the book feeling very satisfied with the ending.

I will not include any spoilers in this post, because if you've been a fan of the books that came before -- The City of Ember, People of Sparks, and Prophet of Yonwood (a prequel, and by the way, my least favorite of all the books) -- I don't want to ruin for you the experience that I believe The Diamond of Darkhold will give.

I will say, however, that even the title brings closure -- after you read this book, I'd love to have you leave a comment and let me know what you think about the title, especially the last word.

With that said, I encourage you to run out and find this book at your nearest library or bookstore, and read it -- The Diamond of Darkhold truly is a gem!!