Cielis from above (image: BoltCity.com)
A year ago when the third book of the Amulet series came out, I said I couldn’t wait until the next book. I think the biggest disappointment while reading it was realizing that I had to wait again before I could continue the story. Well, the wait is over! Amulet #4: The Last Council arrived at the beginning of the month, and it’s excellent.
It took me a while to get to it, though: as soon as our copy arrived in the mail, my daughter claimed it for her own, read it cover to cover, and then flipped back to the first page to start again. I believe she read it about eight times (at least) before I even got a chance at it. Since then she’s gone back to re-read the first three books as well. But as she just told me, the new book is “way more interesting than the first one,” and she really loved the first one. So Kibuishi & Co. have been doing a great job of ramping up the series, both in the visuals and the storyline.
The latest installment really focuses a lot more on Emily (though there are some subplots involving the others), as she arrives at Cielis, the floating city, and is urged to join the Guardian Council. But, as with the previous volumes, there’s always a sense that you don’t know who to trust. The stone itself speaks to Emily, giving her warnings and urging her in one direction. Cielis, the Stonekeeper stronghold, seems to be hiding some secrets but you don’t know what it is exactly. Emily must navigate through these murky waters almost on her own, making very difficult decisions.
I don’t want to give away much more than that, but if you’re looking for a great comics series for young readers, give Amulet a spot on your shelf — you won’t regret it. For more about the series and Kibuishi’s work, visit his site Bolt City.
Finally, check out this cool video trailer for the series, which includes some scenes from all four books:
Disclosure: Scholastic provided a review copy of Book Four.
