Emily Rodda

Deltora Quest is one of the hallmarks of my childhood. I eagerly read and reread each book in the series when the next one came out. When they were all out, I read and reread the series whenever it struck my fancy. Which, quite frankly, was a lot. It's hard not to love them though, they're just typical fantasy and fantasy is my one true genre - no matter what else I read, it's always fantasy I come back to.

Quest stories are the quintessence of classic fantasy. There's nothing like a hero show more with a quest against evil. In Deltora Quest, the hero is Lief - a sixteen year old boy who wants nothing more than to return peace and happiness to his kingdom. When he is offered the chance to fulfil a promise his father made, he jumps - leaping headfirst into danger to try to make a difference.

The Belt of Deltora is the only thing that can defeat the Shadow Lord who rules but it was broken many years ago, the seven gems scattered across the realm and guarded by only the most evil creations. Lief sets out to find the gems and reunite the belt so that the Prince of Del can claim his throne and push the evil of the Shadow Lord back into the Shadowlands and away from the kingdom. Lief begins his journey with the beggar Barda, an old friend of his parents and former palace guard but it's not long before they're also joined by Jasmine, the wild orphaned girl they meet at their first stop - and her companions Filli (a possum? mouse? type thing?) and Kree, a raven.

Each book follows the trio as they travel the land for the lost gems, weaving a tightly written narrative with lots of action and adventure. Along the way they meet new people both friends and enemies, have to confront their own hopes and fears and figure out and solve many riddles, puzzles and problems to complete their quest.

Wet, tired, travelling only by night and hunted by Ols, the gang make their way down the River Tor looking for a place to cross. But to their shock they come across the rest of the pirates and Dain. They escape with Dain via boat and manage to stumble across Tora while it storms.

In Tora they find a town perfectly untouched by time but devoid of all people. Dain is heartbroken having made plans with his parents to reunite in Tora if alive. I don't really like Dain but I felt sorry for him. He'd been surviving on hope only to be letdown.

Looking around they discover years of form replies from the Kings had left the Torans disillusioned with the royal family and the final betrayal came when the King made a request for sanctuary. But the magic of Tora doesn't allow for change of mind and their vow to always aid the royal family is broken.

They're on their way out of Tora when they come across Doom and Neridah. Not knowing if they're Ols, they make them both enter the tunnel.

As they stepped out into the sunlight, both seemed dazed. Their faces were smooth and strangely still. “So — you are satisfied now, I hope?” Doom said. But the words held no sting, and his eyes looked lost. Groaning, he sat down, his back against the city wall. Neridah, Dain, and the others stared at him in confusion. Wearily, he looked up. “When anger, hatred, and bitterness have left a man who lives by little else, what is there left for him but emptiness?” he asked with a slight smile. “That is why I do not enjoy visiting Tora. I have done so only once before — and that was enough.”
“Who are you, Doom?” asked Lief suddenly. For a moment he thought the man would not answer. Then Doom’s shoulders slumped and his eyes closed, as though he did not have the strength to refuse.
“I do not know who I am,” he said. “I do not know what I have lost, along with my name. My memories begin in the Shadowlands. I was fighting a Vraal in the Shadow Arena. I was injured. Everything before that is darkness.”

Rodda, Emily. The Valley of the Lost (Deltora Quest #7) (pp. 50-51). Scholastic Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Ooh more information about Doom. I've been fascinated with Doom from the beginning and the mystery only deepens the further I read. Although I feel sorry for him too not knowing who he is and all. I like that he's picked himself back up from nothing and set out to defy the Shadow Lord. And that he's been trying to protect Dain. I feel like he has a lot in common with Barda who also has his wayward wards to look after. Another thing I really liked in this bit was Lief using his advantage to find out more. Doom hasn't exactly been forthcoming about why he should be trusted.

Leaving Tora, they venture onwards to the Valley of the Lost, unfortunately having gained a travel companion - Neridah. I didn't like Neridah from the Rithmere games. She's sly and untrustworthy and irritates me. Her use of tears to trick men into her bidding was just annoying. Pretending to be weak, sure, pretending to cry is just a no from me. Although it was amusing that Jasmine dislikes her as well.

“She will not willingly let us go on without her, that is certain,” Jasmine said grimly. “So we have two choices. One, hit her on the head, and run. Or, two, wait until we are sure that she is asleep, then creep away.” She seemed a little disappointed when Lief and Barda chose the second course.

Rodda, Emily. The Valley of the Lost (Deltora Quest #7) (pp. 59-60). Scholastic Inc.. Kindle Edition.

They reach the Valley of the Lost and find that they will have to leave Kree and Filli behind to enter - the mist will kill them. So they enter to find the Guardian - a wizard of sorts who has four beastly companions named Pride, Envy, Greed and Hate and a valley full of lost shadowy people who entered with the hope to defeat the Guardian and retrieve his treasure - the Diamond.

Playing a game of wits, the gang have to guess the Guardian's name using a riddle he's set up. I liked this bit. The reasoning to figure out the clues was enjoyable and kept me entertained. I'm fairly sure I never would have got it on my own but I liked knowing how it was done. They're horrified when the name revealed is Endon. Many years before, Doom had visited the Valley and won the Diamond but he was distraught at the idea the Guardian was the King. Thankfully, he was wrong.

So the Guardian is defeated and they learn his real name is actually Fardeep - the old owner of the Champion Inn in Rithmere. The lost shadowy people are revealed to be the Torans who were trapped there when they broke their vow. And the Diamond is restored to the Belt of Deltora - the final gem needed.



5 stars. show less

have youever read a book and said, "FOR FUCKS SAKE HOW FUCKING DENSE CAN YOU BE YOU STUPID PIECE OF SHIT YOU ARE DUMBER THAN A FUCKING ROCK"

this is how i felt reading Rowan of Rin

there is a witch in this series, and she is constantly frustrated because everyone around her are stupid pieces of shit. she is the only reason i put up with the books because i felt what she must feel.

she was constrained by her magic to give the "heroes" vague predictions of the future, and every time she did, what show more the stupid heads did? oh they said "that makes no sense, lets do the absolute contrary to whatever the song said"

after two, three times proved that the songs gave them guidance on their quest did they decided to take them into consideration?

oh no, not that, the witch is dumb and mean, and she wants to trick us with stupid songs, lets not do what she said

and then they fear them because she gets mad every time they come asking for help

and the hero, oh, the hero is the worst of all, this fucking piece of shit with a brain smaller than a bee's had to follow her songs for 5 different books, do you think he would ever learn to trust them and figure what they meant? NO, HE DIDN'T

and that ends my review of Rowan of Rin, 10/10 show less

Lief, Jasmine and Barda have freed Deltora from the Shadow Lord's power, restored the Belt of Deltora and even rescued the Deltoran prisoners from the Shadowlands, but all is not well in Deltora. There is a growing shortage of food as crops fail, harvests lessen and the people starve.

But new information comes to light of a curse the Shadow Lord has left - Four Sisters - terrible servants of the Shadow Lord that are poisoning the land. The only hope is to set out on a new quest to find the show more only thing said to be able to defeat them - the Dragons of Deltora.

Three of the four Sisters have been defeated, leaving only the final threat - the Sister of the South. But Lief, Jasmine and Barda are stunned at the lengths the Enemy will go to succeed.

Plots woven into plots it's amazing how Rodda comes up with her books. This was another fast paced action adventure filled with magic, legends of old and fierce and terrible monsters. More history of the dragons is given and many smaller plots are wrapped up like why Lief looked like Bede from the Masked Ones troupe.

My favourite part though concerned Doom and Jasmine.

‘Ah, she was cunning,’ muttered Doom.
‘Why, you almost sound as if you admire her!’ growled Barda.
Doom grimaced. ‘If she had chosen to use her talents for good, she might have been a great asset to us,’ he said. ‘Lief and I found supplies of that yellow paper beneath her mattress, you know. She never stopped thinking and planning. I am sure that by the end she had convinced Josef that I was working secretly for the Enemy.’

‘I considered that myself, Doom,’ Jasmine said calmly.
‘Indeed?’ Doom said, raising an eyebrow. ‘And why was that?’
‘Lief said the guardian of the south was subtle, quick-thinking, and very clever,’ Jasmine answered, shrugging. ‘That sounded more like you than anyone else in the palace.’
‘Why, thank you,’ Doom said drily.
‘Also …’ Jasmine checked the points off on her fingers. ‘You have been in the Shadowlands. You are proud and ruthless. You mix with strange people. You are awake all hours of the night. You were one of the few to see Sharn the night she fell ill—’

‘Why, plainly Paff went to my room that first night and put poison in my lip balm while I was still downstairs!’ exclaimed Sharn, very shocked. ‘Doom was the one who realised the cream was poisoned, when he brought the royal emeralds and amethysts to my chamber. He was the one who saved me!’
‘And me,’ Zeean put in. ‘Jasmine, how could you think such a thing of your father?’

Jasmine shrugged again. ‘Doom is not an ordinary father,’ she said.
‘Very true,’ said Doom. ‘And you are no ordinary daughter, I am happy to say. If I had been in your place, I would have thought exactly as you did. We are more alike than we realised, it seems.’ He grinned broadly, and Jasmine’s tired face broke into an answering smile.

Zeean and Sharn both shook their heads, clearly bewildered by this strange example of family loyalty.

Rodda, Emily. DQ3 #4: SISTER OF THE SOUTH . Scholastic. Kindle Edition.

Lmfao. It was perfection. It was summed up everything I love about Jasmine and Doom and their relationship to each other. Although I was also pretty amused by Lindal of Broome when she was demanding the meeting be held at her sick bed. Her and Barda are perfect for one another. After all, he did the same thing in Return to Del. And the dragons were fantastic with their disdain for each other and Jasmine arguing against them.

A satisfying conclusion to a terrific fantasy quest with everyone living happily ever after. 5 stars. show less

Deltora Quest is one of the hallmarks of my childhood. I eagerly read and reread each book in the series when the next one came out. When they were all out, I read and reread the series whenever it struck my fancy. Which, quite frankly, was a lot. It's hard not to love them though, they're just typical fantasy and fantasy is my one true genre - no matter what else I read, it's always fantasy I come back to.

Quest stories are the quintessence of classic fantasy. There's nothing like a hero show more with a quest against evil. In Deltora Quest, the hero is Lief - a sixteen year old boy who wants nothing more than to return peace and happiness to his kingdom. When he is offered the chance to fulfil a promise his father made, he jumps - leaping headfirst into danger to try to make a difference.

The Belt of Deltora is the only thing that can defeat the Shadow Lord who rules but it was broken many years ago, the seven gems scattered across the realm and guarded by only the most evil creations. Lief sets out to find the gems and reunite the belt so that the Prince of Del can claim his throne and push the evil of the Shadow Lord back into the Shadowlands and away from the kingdom. Lief begins his journey with the beggar Barda, an old friend of his parents and former palace guard but it's not long before they're also joined by Jasmine, the wild orphaned girl they meet at their first stop - and her companions Filli (a possum? mouse? type thing?) and Kree, a raven.

Each book follows the trio as they travel the land for the lost gems, weaving a tightly written narrative with lots of action and adventure. Along the way they meet new people both friends and enemies, have to confront their own hopes and fears and figure out and solve many riddles, puzzles and problems to complete their quest.



The gang are on their way to the Maze of the Beast but are being hunted by the Shadowlord servants. When they are attacked by Grade One Ols (shapeshifters) they are rescued by Dain - a compatriot of Doom's and part of the Resistance - and make the decision to escort an injured Dain back to the Resistance stronghold. Unfortunately Dain collapses before he can tell them the password - or at least, how to find the password.

I love the codes and clues and puzzles in this series - in order to find the password, you have to find a scrap of paper with the clue. The clue was when enemies at pass, orders normal. Each letter of each word to spell weapon. I think I love it most because I can actually solve these clues. Nothing beats feeling smart.

Of course, although they make it into the Resistance stronghold, they no sooner see Doom before he's locking them up for three days to ensure they're not Ols - only he doesn't let them out when the three days end. Dain comes to the rescue yet again, freeing them in return for going with them to Tora.

Where they had no actual plans to go to but might have possibly not bothered to mention that to him. Still, they need to travel along the coast so they agree to travel together. Well Dain, Lief and Barda - Jasmine, Kree and Filli decide that since they're making the group the most noticeable - they'll be the ones to travel separately to their meeting point. Which would be find except Jasmine, Kree and Filli are the eyes and ears of the operation. Oops. But Lief can't deny they're no longer of interest to the servants of the Shadowlord - even if they are still ripe pickings for bandits.

In the meantime Lief worries about Jasmine, Kree and Filli and vows that once together again - they will no longer split up. Aww - love is in the air?

Before long they come across Where Waters Meet a small settlement on the river. Passing through is Steven and Nevets, proprietors of S+N B Fine Wares and the boys all buy something to support the son of Queen Bee and are rewarded with a small jar of Quality Brand Honey. Barda picks up a embroidered belt - later he splits the seam and convinces Lief to hide the Belt inside for disguise. They continue on and end up coming across the River Queen - a passenger boat - and decide to pay for passage. And meet Jasmine in disguise! Except they don't notice!

The last passenger was a haughty-looking young woman in a fine purple cloak tied at the throat with golden cord. The hands that held her golden parasol were tightly gloved in black to match her shining high-heeled boots. A scarf of purple silk was bound closely around her head. Long golden earrings swung from her ears. Her face was powdered white, her lips were painted red, and her eyes were outlined heavily in black. After one bored glance at the newcomers she turned away and stared out at the water, twirling her parasol.

Rodda, Emily. Deltora Quest #6: The Maze of the Beast (p. 69). Scholastic Inc.. Kindle Edition.

The young woman in the purple cloak twirled her parasol and stared out at the river. The companions sat down on a bench by the rail. “A strange group,” Barda muttered. “We will have to keep our wits about us.” “Indeed.” They all looked up. The young woman in purple had moved closer to them. She was still staring at the water, but plainly it was she who had spoken. Lief stared at her. At the proud tilt of her head, the painted lips, the black-shadowed eyes, the long golden earrings. Then he had the shock of his life as he recognized her. It was Jasmine.

Rodda, Emily. Deltora Quest #6: The Maze of the Beast (pp. 71-72). Scholastic Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Jasmine is the bomb.

And then the boat gets boarded by pirates.

In a flash, Jasmine had wriggled free, leaving her cloak in the woman’s hands. In a moment her dagger was in her hand, and her booted foot was kicking backwards with deadly force. The woman howled and fell back, lurching into Lief’s attacker and sending him sprawling. Jasmine hauled Lief to his feet and passed him her second dagger. “Stay behind me!” she ordered.

Rodda, Emily. Deltora Quest #6: The Maze of the Beast (p. 78). Scholastic Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Honestly I just love Jasmine. I adore that every single time there's danger - she's the badass fixing the problems and Lief is just being ordered to stay back. And I love that she's adaptable. Nothing throws her or is anything more than a challenge she sets out to overcome.

So there's a fight and they end up cold, wet and despairing. They're being stalked by Ols, Dain's been kidnapped, Barda is feared dead and the pirates have possession of a (disguised) Belt of Deltora. Thankfully, Barda returns and that's enough to cheer the gang up a little as they plan to follow the pirates and get the Belt back. Unfortunately their plans are quickly disrupted when they're tricked by an Ol, captured by the pirates and are thrown into the Maze of the Beast. But they manage to recover the Belt so success!

In the cavernous maze they find the guardian is a beast called the Glus - a giant slug like creature that seems to hunt by movement. Finding the sixth gem - the amethyst - in the icy wall, Lief manages to multitask, finding the gem and their exit - a blowhole. Sure they're almost captured by the pirates again but thankfully the blowhole serves a secondary purpose by taking out the remaining pirates. Safe and sound, they retrieve their possessions and set off to their next destination, the Valley of the Lost. Well all except Dain but I didn't really like him anyway.



5 stars. show less