Reading level: Ages 8 and up- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: GRAPHIX
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0545208874
- ISBN-13: 978-0545208871
Synopsis: Emily, Navin, and the crew arrive in the lost city of Cielis, but they soon realize it is not the utopia they expected to find. While Trellis and Luger are taken prisoner, Emily is forced to fight for her life in a series of tests that will determine who among the new generation of young Stonekeepers will join the Guardian Council, the powerful group of Stonekeepers who govern Alledia. As the number of competitors gets smaller and smaller, a terrible secret is slowly uncovered – a secret that will change the lives of our heroes forever.
Amulet Book Four: The Last Council
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7QSBT9GNQ[/youtube]
Today we’re looking at The Last Council, the fourth volume of Kazu Kibuishi‘s Amulet series. Amulet has exceeded my expectations on every front. In spite of its status as a children’s graphic novel, the story is surprisingly complex while being easy to digest by readers of almost all ages. Kibuishi has a wonderful vision and he illustrates it beautifully in his artwork. After a long and dangerous journey, Emily and her friends have reached the lost city of Cielis, where Emily is to begin her training as a Stonekeeper and take her place on the Guardian Council. But there is a cancer buried deep within the fabled city; our heroes are faced with their greatest danger yet, and a betrayal that will shake the foundations of their faith.
In this volume of the story Kibuishi sets us up for the struggle to come, and ends the story with a scene that is reminiscent of Luke and Leia aboard the medical frigate at the end of Empire Strikes Back. Aside from the external conflict that the group obviously faces, Emily has her own problems trying to maintain control over the entity that lives within her amulet. I like how Kibuishi balances the duality of these conflicts; the power of Emily’s amulet is as dangerous as the external threat of the Elven Empire, and she can’t deal with one conflict without opening herself up to the other.
The characters are wonderfully written, and capable of surprises which highlights Kibuishi’s abilities of a storyteller. Emily and Navin have both grown exponentially since the first crossed into Alledia in the first volume. Trellis and Luger are have a relationship that reminds me of Zukko and Iroh in Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I can’t wait to see how it develops further.
In spite of its “Tween Lit” status the Amulet series is a wonderful fantasy read for all ages. If you have a voracious reader in your home, then you should really look into picking this series up as a gift for the holidays.
I give Amulet: The Last Council Five out of Five Stars.
Pick up your copies of the Amulet Series from Amazon today!
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