Review - The Amber Anthem

The Amber Anthem (5 Worlds #4)
by Mark Siegel & Alexis Siegel
illustrated by Xanthe Bouma, Matt Rockefeller & Boya Sun
Date: 2020
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Reading level: MG
Book type: graphic novel
Pages: 240
Format: e-book
Source: library

In book 4, Oona Lee arrives on Salassandra determined to light the yellow beacon and continue her quest to save the Five Worlds from the evil Mimic's influence. But the beacon is encased in amber! An ancient clue says that Oona and her friends must seek out the Amber Anthem to succeed. Meanwhile, Stan Moon sends an evil Jax robot to assassinate Oona and hunts down An Tzu himself. Turns out, as An Tzu fades away from his Vanishing Illness, he's becoming someone else--someone who could tip the scales in the battle for the Five Worlds!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I'm not sure what happened here. I've been loving this series up until now. Whether it's the reading slump I've been in, or whether it's the book itself, I can't really say for sure. All I know is that this is my least favourite installment so far.

The story is still building to its ultimate conclusion. Oona Lee is working her way through the Five Worlds, lighting the beacons as she goes. Her friends, Jax and An Tzu, are still at her side. I do like that we finally got some backstory for An Tzu here, and his character is now a lot more fleshed out (which is somewhat ironic, considering his vanishing illness is still progressing).

The illustrations are still lovely and detailed, and the whole look of the book is great. I did, however, feel like there were some parts that were a bit rushed. And yet, one sequence near the end was so drawn out as to seem like filler. This made the pacing seem a bit uneven for me.

I'm hoping that the next book (which will be the last in the series) will seem a lot more substantial. After all, there will be loose plot ends to tie up and character arcs to finish. Though I didn't love this book as much as the others, I'm still looking forward to seeing how the story ends.

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Pace: 3/5
Writing & Editing: 4/5
Illustration: 5/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 ladybugs