The Prophet of Yonwood

At the height of tension and possible nuclear war between the United States and their enemy countries, Nicki's snazzy aunt Crystal has decided to move to Yonwood, North Carolina, a small town with some very big (but not always obvious) problems. For one, the city claims to follow God's rules to living a better life, but Nicki thinks this is just Brenda, the town's "leader", going for some power play. Then there's Nicki's list of goals. Keep Crystal from selling Greenhaven (the dilapidated mansion Nicki's attached to), fall in love, and maybe do a little something to help the whole world.

Sometimes prequels just don't make sense, as is the case here. I mean, the story itself was very nice. It's a great depiction of brave young people going against society and fat semi-dictator ladies. But...the universal modern small-town setting just doesn't fit with the rest of the City Of Ember series. The high points of the other books were the dystopian kingdom and the unique characters. Those were gone, too. Well, not until the very end where it all gets hastily tied up in the epilogue. However, some parts of the book were genuinely heartfelt and emotional. Basically, this third installment provides some (mostly) wholesome filling time before the series grand finale of a fourth book.

Related links:
• Author's website
• Movie site