Review: Amulet # 2 The Stonekeeper's Curse

Amulet Series Book # 2

The Stonekeeper's Curse

Kazu Kibuishi

The story certainly picks up where the last left off from the series' rather disappointing debut in Book #1. We have new characters in the mien of old-school heroism and a greater show of confidence from our protagonists, siblings Navin and Emily. There is an intriguing sub-plot and a more convincing main plot. Some of the dialogue still seems a bit flat, but the story and sub-story are compelling enough to draw the reader on. The graphics are fantastically drawn and prove a convincing walk into the author's imaginary world.


The Amulet

Emily continues to fight a personal battle of good and evil as she attempts to equal the forces of the amulet in her possession (or alternatively, that has possessed her). Ultimately, her battle revolves around her need to use the amulet's powers without succumbing to its tyranny.

Eg.

AMULET (speaking to Emily): So easy, isn't it? So easy to have so much power.
EMILY: Thinking. Get out... of... my head!

At some points, the Amulet wins, and Emily is filled with the Amulet's power and almost hurts her friend and teacher, Miskit.

AMULET: Feel that power, young master. With it, we can accomplish anything.

The Amulet continuously tries to convince her to leave her friends and embrace the full power of the stone.

AMULET: You don't need them, Master. We can do this on our own. [...] They'll only slow us down and make us weaker. Leave them behind. This road belongs to us.
EMILY: No. We travel together.

The above dialogue reoccurs a second time later on in the story. As Misket explains: as Emily grows in strength, so does the stone. If Emily were to lose dominance over the stone, she would completely succumb to its power and assumedly become evil. It is implied that although difficult, she is able to combat the stone's evil impulses and still use its power for good.

Her final battle with the stone is at the end of the book and at this point the stone tries to blur the lines between good and evil in Emily's intentions:

EMILY: I can defeat it without losing control.
AMULET: But how can you fight such a monster without becoming one yourself?
EMILY: By not fighting alone.

This "not leaving her friends alone" stance is Emily's main rebuttal to the amulet's suggestion of power. She feels that if she continues to keep her friends close to her, she will not become "a monster" or evil.

Some thoughts:

Who is controlling the amulet?
What is the line between good and evil in the amulet's power?
Emily cannot remove the amulet from her neck, so she is then, already, a slave to its power. But the main point is, she hasn't allowed the amulet to take hold of her mind.