Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Amulet: Book Four - The Last Council
Graphic Novel Series
For ages 9 to 12
Scholastic, 2011 ISBN: 978-0545208871
Led by a boy called Max, Emily, her family, her friends and her allies are finally in Cielis, the floating city. They all hope that here they will at long last be able to get the help they need to defeat the Elf King, their mortal enemy. They are not in Cielis long before it becomes apparent that all is not well. Emily is separated from her friends, the elves who came with her are imprisoned, and Emily has a distinct feeling that something is very wrong.
Soon after arriving at Cielis, Emily is taken to the Academy and she learns that she is going to have to compete in some strange trial for a place on the Guardian Council. She and Max are told that they need to be willing to “succeed at any cost.” The other young Stonekeepers that they meet are willing to fight each other for a place on the Council, but Emily believes that they should all work together. Perhaps if they do, they will all be able to survive the test.
One by one the young Stonekeepers fail the tests they are presented with until at last, Emily and Max are the only survivors. Emily realizes that she has been deceived. She has been played by the enemy.
In this fourth Amulet title, Kazu Kibuishi takes his readers on another tension-filled adventure that is full of surprises. Readers will learn that nothing is what it seems, and that it doesn’t pay to underestimate the enemy. Fantastic illustrations are paired with a story that has captured the interest of graphic novels fans of all ages.
