This indeed is a stand-alone book, telling a story of a girl's experience. The postscript chapter tells us that she was one of the founding inhabitants of the City of Ember when she grew up.So it was disappointing, as I had thought it was going to be a prequel to City of Ember, which it really wasn't (and which still could be written).Even alone, the story didn't have much of a plot, and what there was, was annoying. Some people of faith could even be offended by the strong theme of everyone in town blindly following one person's interpretation of the prophet's mutterings, causing people to put up strong social restrictions and to severely punish sinners if they broke the religious rules.