Although "Spark" is better than the other graphic novel in this prequel series, it still just kind of fades away in the mind even as I'm reading it. I was reminded recently at a book event that Sabaa Tahir didn't write the dialogue herself; although she provided the general outline of events, she didn't write this, and honestly? It shows. It's just missing that Tahir pizzazz! The characters lack depth and vigor- I only connected to them at all because I've read (and adore) the Ember quartet and wanted to know more about their past. It's not ~badly~ written, it's just very noticeably NOT Tahir, and that makes me sad.

The artwork is pretty enough, and the colors and scenery are quite immersive! There were also a few odd little details that kinda felt out of place (like the Ikea-looking shoerack inside Nan and Pop's front door?).

The thing is: this just doesn't feel like it adds anything to the "Ember" world. Sure, we get to see Laia and Darin again, and we get teeny tiny LITTLE drops of info we maybe didn't know (or did we?), but there's just nothing to it. I basically read this and thought, "Oh. Okay." which is a HUGE difference from the other "Ember" books I read where I finished and was either a) sobbing, or b) finding myself spiraling into an existential crisis because the book was THAT GOOD.
I'm a diehard Tahir fan, and will read anything she puts out...but maybe in the future I'll just skip these graphic novels and stick to the work she's been fully involved in. ( )

The artwork was lovely, and we get a small look at how Darin got caught up in the first place, becoming Spiro's apprentice.

It annoyed me in the books and still does here. The looks of the Scholar people run the gamut, so how can anyone tell who is a scholar or not? I would understand it more if people were deemed into these classes at birth, or if there was a tell-tell accent or dress. ( )