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Rowan of Rin #4
Rowan and the Zebak
When a flying monster kidnaps Rowan's little sister, Annad, Rowan fears the warlike Zebak people have attacked his village of Rin. And Annad's capture is only the beginning. Now Rowan and his companions must make the treacherous journey into Zebak territory, fighting the monsters that guard its city and the enemy people within it. If they fail, Annad will be lost -- and so will all hope for the survival of Rin.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
10 people are currently reading
675 people want to read
About the author
Emily Rodda
297 books2,115 followersEmily Rodda (real name Jennifer Rowe) was born in Sydney, Australia and graduated from the University of Sydney in 1973 with an MA (Hons) in English Literature. Moving into a publishing career, first as a book editor, and finally as a publisher at Angus & Robertson, Rodda's first book was published in 1984.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
January 19, 2016
The four installment of the Rowan series was much less appealing to me than the previous ones. I had the same feelings as when I was reading the first book.
I didn't care about the plot. I didn't care about the characters. Nothing about their journey amused me and I'm not really sad about the fact that I probably will never read the final book.
Goodbye Rowan of Rin, it wasnot nice meeting you!
I didn't care about the plot. I didn't care about the characters. Nothing about their journey amused me and I'm not really sad about the fact that I probably will never read the final book.
Goodbye Rowan of Rin, it was
January 11, 2020
I have conflicted feelings about re-reading books. The biggest issue is that somehow, I have a pretty good memory when it comes to books. This, well, sucks, because I remember most of this book, which makes the book less surprising and exciting. Though it was still enjoyable.
This book tells the story about the Zebak--the enemy of the people of Rin, the Maris people and the Travelers. They live across the pond, and the previous book, their fleet was destroyed. So war by sea wasn't really viable anymore. So they decided to attack through the sky. To make sure that their beast (grach) was actually in Rin, they had to bring back a souvenir. So the grach kidnaps Rowan's little sister (who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time). To get her back, Rowan travels to the city of Zebak with a group of oddities. Unlike the last three books, where an entirely new cast is introduced, the author takes established characters and throws them into Rowan's adventure.
The general plot of this book is fine. It explores a bit of the Zebak, and it introduces new monsters. Old characters get some attention and more characteristics. However, this book was way more prophecy-heavy than the previous one. Which isn't necessarily bad, but some of the prophecies were pretty self-explanatory. The cast wouldn't need the riddle to figure out what to do next. A few of them were clever, admittedly, but the book could have done with two/three fewer riddles. And sometimes, the prophecies were repeated, like, four pages later.
What I saw a lacklustre plot was saved by the cast of characters. It's the first time I genuinely cared about the cast. But that's partly because the writer finally decided to re-use characters and stop introducing them non-stop. Aside from Rowan, we get Allun (who played a supporting role in Rowan of Rin and Rowan and the Travelers), Zeel (who played a supporting role in Rowan and the Travelers) and Perlain (who played a supporting role in Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal). For once, the group-dynamic was good. Rowan, for once, was surrounded by friends and people who cared about him. And while some of them are strangers--mostly Perlain who only met Rowan before--they get along well. There are friendly jabs; there are jokes, there is fun. But they also care about each other, and won't leave anyone behind. In addition to that, the characters are useful. The cast needed each-other, unlike Rowan of Rin, in which most of the cast were almost disposable, aside from the fact they needed to do something.
The worldbuilding is nice. It added a bit of backstory for the Zebak, but also for the Rin, and why Rowan is an oddity. I doubt it will ever happen (as the last book was published in what? 2003?), but I would love to see a story entirely set in the city of Zebak. Of course, the author throws in a fresh batch of monsters and all of them are reasonable. And, the Zebak aren't all painted as bad. Most of the citizens are neglected and have to do the slave-work, and the leaders don't care about them. For a brief moment, I was worried that the author would all have made them evil and cruel .
All in all (why do I like to end like this?), the book was a surprisingly fun read. The plot left me a bit underwhelmed, but the humour and banter were a welcome surprise. I recall that this was my favourite book of the series. Currently, it's in the second place. Still, it's a solid four stars for me, and it took around two hours. So it's like a 2-hour movie.
This book tells the story about the Zebak--the enemy of the people of Rin, the Maris people and the Travelers. They live across the pond, and the previous book, their fleet was destroyed. So war by sea wasn't really viable anymore. So they decided to attack through the sky. To make sure that their beast (grach) was actually in Rin, they had to bring back a souvenir. So the grach kidnaps Rowan's little sister (who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time). To get her back, Rowan travels to the city of Zebak with a group of oddities. Unlike the last three books, where an entirely new cast is introduced, the author takes established characters and throws them into Rowan's adventure.
The general plot of this book is fine. It explores a bit of the Zebak, and it introduces new monsters. Old characters get some attention and more characteristics. However, this book was way more prophecy-heavy than the previous one. Which isn't necessarily bad, but some of the prophecies were pretty self-explanatory. The cast wouldn't need the riddle to figure out what to do next. A few of them were clever, admittedly, but the book could have done with two/three fewer riddles. And sometimes, the prophecies were repeated, like, four pages later.
What I saw a lacklustre plot was saved by the cast of characters. It's the first time I genuinely cared about the cast. But that's partly because the writer finally decided to re-use characters and stop introducing them non-stop. Aside from Rowan, we get Allun (who played a supporting role in Rowan of Rin and Rowan and the Travelers), Zeel (who played a supporting role in Rowan and the Travelers) and Perlain (who played a supporting role in Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal). For once, the group-dynamic was good. Rowan, for once, was surrounded by friends and people who cared about him. And while some of them are strangers--mostly Perlain who only met Rowan before--they get along well. There are friendly jabs; there are jokes, there is fun. But they also care about each other, and won't leave anyone behind. In addition to that, the characters are useful. The cast needed each-other, unlike Rowan of Rin, in which most of the cast were almost disposable, aside from the fact they needed to do something.
The worldbuilding is nice. It added a bit of backstory for the Zebak, but also for the Rin, and why Rowan is an oddity. I doubt it will ever happen (as the last book was published in what? 2003?), but I would love to see a story entirely set in the city of Zebak. Of course, the author throws in a fresh batch of monsters and all of them are reasonable. And, the Zebak aren't all painted as bad. Most of the citizens are neglected and have to do the slave-work, and the leaders don't care about them. For a brief moment, I was worried that the author would all have made them evil and cruel .
All in all (why do I like to end like this?), the book was a surprisingly fun read. The plot left me a bit underwhelmed, but the humour and banter were a welcome surprise. I recall that this was my favourite book of the series. Currently, it's in the second place. Still, it's a solid four stars for me, and it took around two hours. So it's like a 2-hour movie.
July 18, 2016
While I thought this book was a bit more formulaic than the previous two, more like book 1, Rodda made doubly sure that she still strayed far enough to keep it original and interesting. In fact, she made a couple of really ballsy moves - a character death, betrayal, a deep-set secret reveal that makes you reconsider how you felt about the People of Rin, and a possible love interest for Rowan(...?)
I also appreciated that though The Zebak have been painted as this horrible nation full of slavery and war, Rodda makes sure to show you the ambiguity, the schism between its military leaders and its people. She didn't fail to keep the situation realistically complex, lest she fall into the "arbitrarily evil force" trope.
I'm still annoyed at Annad's character writing, which is inconsistent at best, but everyone else was wonderful. Maybe I just dislike young children as characters.
I also appreciated that though The Zebak have been painted as this horrible nation full of slavery and war, Rodda makes sure to show you the ambiguity, the schism between its military leaders and its people. She didn't fail to keep the situation realistically complex, lest she fall into the "arbitrarily evil force" trope.
I'm still annoyed at Annad's character writing, which is inconsistent at best, but everyone else was wonderful. Maybe I just dislike young children as characters.
June 17, 2020
Oh, man, Allun is heartbreaking in this. The emphasis on ‘playing your part’ was particularly well done, especially Zeel’s part; however, since this recurs in RotB it isn’t quite as impactful as it might be.
This wasn’t quite as good as the previous books. There was a missed opportunity to show the Zebak civilians, particularly in regards to Zeel’s character. This one suffers most from being focused on Rowan, I think. It would have been better from Zeel’s POV.
Still 4 stars though, because it’s Rowan, and Rodda’s prose is as precise as ever.
This wasn’t quite as good as the previous books. There was a missed opportunity to show the Zebak civilians, particularly in regards to Zeel’s character. This one suffers most from being focused on Rowan, I think. It would have been better from Zeel’s POV.
Still 4 stars though, because it’s Rowan, and Rodda’s prose is as precise as ever.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2008
These are awsome!!
May 8, 2023
This was a great thriller and it also had a great ending!
March 18, 2019
The fourth book in the series, Rowan and the Zebak, had great potential to be a fantastic instalment but unfortunately fell short. Once again, Rowan and co depart on a quest to save Rin from evil. This time, as the name suggests, that evil was the Zebak, which I was really looking forward to. The Zebak have never been thoroughly explained before by the author, and so the reader knows next to nothing about these tyrants who enslaved the people of Rin three generations ago. Although the story and characters are very vivid and the world-building is excellent, at times the plot can be quite predictable.
-This next bit gets into spoiler territory, so be warned!-
I especially found that for this book, I could easily predict what was going to occur next. It wasn't a huge issue, but it lacked the powerful impact the previous plot-twists had. Also, on further reflection, the thoughts of Rowan during particular scenes don't make sense in hindsight. For instance, at the beginning of the scene where Annad got kidnapped It implied that Annad would meet a grisly end in the lands of the Zebak and that future Rowan regrets not moving faster to save her. However, this doesn't make sense. In actuality, Annad getting kidnapped was a good thing. It leads to Rowan saving the lives of two Zebak slaves (whom actually turned out to be- wait- people of Rin! BIG PLOT-TWIST!) and recovering information about what had happened all those years ago during the Great War. Everything is nicely resolved in the end, which is to be expected for a younger audience but as an older reader, it gets tiring. Also, another reason why I didn't enjoy this book as much is that yet again the Zebak people are hardly explained and are portrayed to be cookie-cutter villains with no depth or character. I was expecting something... more? I'm a little disappointed about the lack of information we get about the Zebak's way of life, their weird city that has walls surrounding it on all sides, why they love war so much for no apparent reason. If Rodda had incorporated a bit more political intrigue that would've been so interesting! Who's running this joint man? Is there a hierarchy? A monarchy? I have so many questions.
Four down, one more book to go. I never finished this series as a child, as I didn't realise that these later books existed. Returning to Rowan of Rin after all these years is both nostalgic and bittersweet. Rowan of Rin (the first book) will forever be my favourite instalment of the series, but I'm still loving the rest of the books despite my criticisms. Although this series is middle-grade and is slightly more juvenile compared to Emily Rodda's epic fantasy series (Deltora Quest- if you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for?) I'm so excited to see the conclusion and hopefully, all my questions will be answered.
-This next bit gets into spoiler territory, so be warned!-
I especially found that for this book, I could easily predict what was going to occur next. It wasn't a huge issue, but it lacked the powerful impact the previous plot-twists had. Also, on further reflection, the thoughts of Rowan during particular scenes don't make sense in hindsight. For instance, at the beginning of the scene where Annad got kidnapped It implied that Annad would meet a grisly end in the lands of the Zebak and that future Rowan regrets not moving faster to save her. However, this doesn't make sense. In actuality, Annad getting kidnapped was a good thing. It leads to Rowan saving the lives of two Zebak slaves (whom actually turned out to be- wait- people of Rin! BIG PLOT-TWIST!) and recovering information about what had happened all those years ago during the Great War. Everything is nicely resolved in the end, which is to be expected for a younger audience but as an older reader, it gets tiring. Also, another reason why I didn't enjoy this book as much is that yet again the Zebak people are hardly explained and are portrayed to be cookie-cutter villains with no depth or character. I was expecting something... more? I'm a little disappointed about the lack of information we get about the Zebak's way of life, their weird city that has walls surrounding it on all sides, why they love war so much for no apparent reason. If Rodda had incorporated a bit more political intrigue that would've been so interesting! Who's running this joint man? Is there a hierarchy? A monarchy? I have so many questions.
Four down, one more book to go. I never finished this series as a child, as I didn't realise that these later books existed. Returning to Rowan of Rin after all these years is both nostalgic and bittersweet. Rowan of Rin (the first book) will forever be my favourite instalment of the series, but I'm still loving the rest of the books despite my criticisms. Although this series is middle-grade and is slightly more juvenile compared to Emily Rodda's epic fantasy series (Deltora Quest- if you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for?) I'm so excited to see the conclusion and hopefully, all my questions will be answered.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2016
I`ve read Rowan when I was 11, now I am 19 and I want to be Rowan, one thing in Rowan is fantastic. people say he is weak, coward, he can`t do a single thing right, yes maybe he is. but he looks forward when he start something he finishes it. He never said that he is powerful, brave or something but he showed that. he proved it, he fought a dragon, he saved his city, his people, he discovered the truth and he found out that he is not the only weak, coward or clumsy in the world. It`s OK to afraid, to be weak, not to be perfect. but it`s not OK to run away, and he didn`t. thank you, Emily Rodda, for creating Rowan for the ones who have not enough self-confidence to go forward. that`s why I love Rowan and I always want to be Rowan.
October 17, 2009
Rowan's little sister is snatched away to the land of the Zebak by some kind of flying beast (though not a dragon) and he and several friends sail to the land of the Zebak to find them. Same usual pattern, Sheba helps out with riddles at timely intervals and Rowan saves his sister, and realises that the people of Rin were part of the larger Zebak nation. Meanwhile the Zebak try an aerial invasion of Rin, but the dragon of the mountain sees the creatures in the sky and slaughters them in a territorial fit of rage. The usual doom and gloom from Rowan and friends resulting in a miraculous happy ending.
July 19, 2018
I need to thank Emily Rodda once again for getting my much younger self into fantasy & good books!
In this one we get more world building as Rowan and some of his companions go on new adventures for spoilery reasons to the land of the evil yet mysterious Zebak. Each companion must find their own way to prove themselves in their journey and to help all the others. Of course things may never go exactly according to plan, and there are always more secrets to be revealed...
In this one we get more world building as Rowan and some of his companions go on new adventures for spoilery reasons to the land of the evil yet mysterious Zebak. Each companion must find their own way to prove themselves in their journey and to help all the others. Of course things may never go exactly according to plan, and there are always more secrets to be revealed...
September 7, 2023
One of my favorite series, great for Harry Potter fans!
December 15, 2020
This isn't a review, I've given up on doing halfway comprehensible reviews, this is just going to be a mess of my emotional yowling.
looooovved this, i love this party SO MUCH, like PERLAIN, ALLUN, ZEEL AND ROWAN ALTOGETHER IN ONE ADVENTURE ugh its just too good. this is how you build a PARTY. i especially loved allun and how he and perlain have this comedic duo thing going on. GOOD GRIEF. I CARE ABOUT THEM SO MUCH. everytime allun made some dumb sad clown joke,,,mr self deprecating isnt sad if you laugh i swear to GOD hes so funny marlie you are ENLIGHTENED. cant wait to see him be a dad that is going to be adorable.
PERLAIN. I ALREADY LOVED HIM FROM THE LAST BOOK THIS DROLL YET SERIOUS FISH MAN. i just love him a lot and the fact that all of this journey was just exponentially harder for him bc of his fishiness i just adore him. for once im not going to ramble on abt how much i love rowan and what a sweet brave little child he is -- this time its all about CLOWNS.
anyway.
the other thing i really loved about this book is how amazing the world building is, history wise. i hope this was intentional but im seeing so many parallels to like asylum seekers, refugees and immigration and anti-discrimination and even class solidarity. like because the zebak enslaved the rinians and they rose up and defeated their colonial masters hello, and the way the working class zebaks once tried to find ways to escape their homeland and the oppression they were facing there and how that's what zeel's parents tried to do to give her a better life and like she grows up with the travelers and is loyal to them and all but in this book she has an arc that shes still a zebak and thiery says that the zebak aren't inherently cruel its just the guards with the powers who impose this tyranny on their own people as well and how in rin the textbooks aren't as nuanced and how sharaan apologises that her ancestors couldn't accurately depict what they couldn't see and how over the books rowan has come face to face with races like the travelers and the maris and the zebak and shed his ignorance about them and their ways and come to understand and trust them and in turn they've become some of his closest friends and allies and the way lann remembers they fought with the travelers to defeat the zebak long ago and how could she disparage them today and oh my god look the parallels are there i'm telling you. i really just love how all these lessons and ideas are there. and its so natural and no anvil dropping in sight. but its there. multiculturalism and anti colonialism and solidarity -- it's all THERE. its been in the last two books as well with the travelers and the maris but this book was really a culmination. can't WAIT for the next book.
looooovved this, i love this party SO MUCH, like PERLAIN, ALLUN, ZEEL AND ROWAN ALTOGETHER IN ONE ADVENTURE ugh its just too good. this is how you build a PARTY. i especially loved allun and how he and perlain have this comedic duo thing going on. GOOD GRIEF. I CARE ABOUT THEM SO MUCH. everytime allun made some dumb sad clown joke,,,mr self deprecating isnt sad if you laugh i swear to GOD hes so funny marlie you are ENLIGHTENED. cant wait to see him be a dad that is going to be adorable.
PERLAIN. I ALREADY LOVED HIM FROM THE LAST BOOK THIS DROLL YET SERIOUS FISH MAN. i just love him a lot and the fact that all of this journey was just exponentially harder for him bc of his fishiness i just adore him. for once im not going to ramble on abt how much i love rowan and what a sweet brave little child he is -- this time its all about CLOWNS.
anyway.
the other thing i really loved about this book is how amazing the world building is, history wise. i hope this was intentional but im seeing so many parallels to like asylum seekers, refugees and immigration and anti-discrimination and even class solidarity. like because the zebak enslaved the rinians and they rose up and defeated their colonial masters hello, and the way the working class zebaks once tried to find ways to escape their homeland and the oppression they were facing there and how that's what zeel's parents tried to do to give her a better life and like she grows up with the travelers and is loyal to them and all but in this book she has an arc that shes still a zebak and thiery says that the zebak aren't inherently cruel its just the guards with the powers who impose this tyranny on their own people as well and how in rin the textbooks aren't as nuanced and how sharaan apologises that her ancestors couldn't accurately depict what they couldn't see and how over the books rowan has come face to face with races like the travelers and the maris and the zebak and shed his ignorance about them and their ways and come to understand and trust them and in turn they've become some of his closest friends and allies and the way lann remembers they fought with the travelers to defeat the zebak long ago and how could she disparage them today and oh my god look the parallels are there i'm telling you. i really just love how all these lessons and ideas are there. and its so natural and no anvil dropping in sight. but its there. multiculturalism and anti colonialism and solidarity -- it's all THERE. its been in the last two books as well with the travelers and the maris but this book was really a culmination. can't WAIT for the next book.
April 20, 2023
This review for Audiobook version ISBN: 9781489418111
Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd - ABC Audio : 1 August 2017
Read by : Sarah Blake (not in Goodreads database at time of review)
This is the fourth book of the Rowan of Rin Series, and it now has an established core of characters and a sense of history of the world and it's nearby places. I note that this was first published in 1999, 4 years before he Legend of Zelda: Windwaker video game was released, but it has the same starting premise; in an idyllic village, life is interrupted as a giant creature swoops out of the sky and steals the little sister.
I feel like this book was a little less tightly constructed than the first one, that was really top-notch in delivery. I have minor quibbles that a steer keeper would not instantly recognise circled cattle as forming a defense ring.. that was really strange to me, but the quibble is aesthetic. More irritating to me is that it is immediately presumed that the aggressor who has sent a tamed beast to abduct a villager is their historic enemy. Woe betide that village should they ever come up against somebody else from further afield. But you take it on faith.. because that's the name of the book after all.
Relying on more prophesies from Sheba the witc.. er.. wise woman, a party of questies nip off into the wilds to go do a boat crossing and rescue the missing girl (without even announcing this to the villagers). This is getting ridiculously reckless, but they seem to have a lot of faith in the prophesies for people who claim to think that she's an untrustworthy hag who is trying to lure them to their deaths. At least they wear life jackets!
I appreciate that the encounters that the party have with Zebak lead them to the conclusion that the civilians are an oppressed populace, and that the ones in charge are the only enemies. Humanising the Others is a big part of this series. Overcoming suspicion about Zeel, the Traveller who was an adopted Zebak, is a part of this story. I'm not really sold on how much she can remember of her childhood in the place of her birth given that she was supposed to be only 2 years old when she was found. Dubious.. maybe if she had been 5 this would make more sense.
I had a bit of a chuckle at the narration this time around. Rachael Blake has a mellow and low pitched voice, that adds to the magical feel of prophesies and things, and is quite emotive. Her voice is quite attractive, but she pronounces the word "strength" as "strenth"... and that word pops up time and time again in this story.
The action in this one is pretty good and the descriptions of the journey were pretty cool. I'm all for dragony flying lizardy things, so that part of the world building is pretty fun. I suppose the story is fun, without being quite as thoughtful and consistent as previous books, so it would be enjoyable as a kids' book, but less so for an adult reader.
Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd - ABC Audio : 1 August 2017
Read by : Sarah Blake (not in Goodreads database at time of review)
This is the fourth book of the Rowan of Rin Series, and it now has an established core of characters and a sense of history of the world and it's nearby places. I note that this was first published in 1999, 4 years before he Legend of Zelda: Windwaker video game was released, but it has the same starting premise; in an idyllic village, life is interrupted as a giant creature swoops out of the sky and steals the little sister.
I feel like this book was a little less tightly constructed than the first one, that was really top-notch in delivery. I have minor quibbles that a steer keeper would not instantly recognise circled cattle as forming a defense ring.. that was really strange to me, but the quibble is aesthetic. More irritating to me is that it is immediately presumed that the aggressor who has sent a tamed beast to abduct a villager is their historic enemy. Woe betide that village should they ever come up against somebody else from further afield. But you take it on faith.. because that's the name of the book after all.
Relying on more prophesies from Sheba the witc.. er.. wise woman, a party of questies nip off into the wilds to go do a boat crossing and rescue the missing girl (without even announcing this to the villagers). This is getting ridiculously reckless, but they seem to have a lot of faith in the prophesies for people who claim to think that she's an untrustworthy hag who is trying to lure them to their deaths. At least they wear life jackets!
I appreciate that the encounters that the party have with Zebak lead them to the conclusion that the civilians are an oppressed populace, and that the ones in charge are the only enemies. Humanising the Others is a big part of this series. Overcoming suspicion about Zeel, the Traveller who was an adopted Zebak, is a part of this story. I'm not really sold on how much she can remember of her childhood in the place of her birth given that she was supposed to be only 2 years old when she was found. Dubious.. maybe if she had been 5 this would make more sense.
I had a bit of a chuckle at the narration this time around. Rachael Blake has a mellow and low pitched voice, that adds to the magical feel of prophesies and things, and is quite emotive. Her voice is quite attractive, but she pronounces the word "strength" as "strenth"... and that word pops up time and time again in this story.
The action in this one is pretty good and the descriptions of the journey were pretty cool. I'm all for dragony flying lizardy things, so that part of the world building is pretty fun. I suppose the story is fun, without being quite as thoughtful and consistent as previous books, so it would be enjoyable as a kids' book, but less so for an adult reader.
August 27, 2018
The first three Rowan of Rin stories are really quite disjointed. The first features the people of Rin, the second the Travellers, and the third the Maris. But all have the common thread of the Zebak’s invasion in the past. They are all connected across their land. And it really isn’t until the fourth story that the connection between the different groups can really be enjoyed and appreciated.
Rowan and his misfit friends from the previous books are all on the longest and most epic journey yet – they have to travel to the homeland of the people of Rin. And here they get to discover more about their past. More about why Rowan is so different from everyone. By taking the five misfits of the tale and throwing them into the enemies territory, you are not only thrown into a reminder that everyone can find their place, but there are other people just like you… somewhere. Sort of. Or maybe you’re like the Wise Woman, and are just so damn kooky, and completely happy being that way…
I think that this was the favourite so far of the Rowan of Rin series for me. Maybe because I just don’t remember it as well (or at all). Or just the idea of confronting the past, and coming out with a better idea of the future… either way, I thoroughly enjoyed this and can’t wait to finish off Rowan of the Bukshah tonight, and the end of the series.
Rowan and his misfit friends from the previous books are all on the longest and most epic journey yet – they have to travel to the homeland of the people of Rin. And here they get to discover more about their past. More about why Rowan is so different from everyone. By taking the five misfits of the tale and throwing them into the enemies territory, you are not only thrown into a reminder that everyone can find their place, but there are other people just like you… somewhere. Sort of. Or maybe you’re like the Wise Woman, and are just so damn kooky, and completely happy being that way…
I think that this was the favourite so far of the Rowan of Rin series for me. Maybe because I just don’t remember it as well (or at all). Or just the idea of confronting the past, and coming out with a better idea of the future… either way, I thoroughly enjoyed this and can’t wait to finish off Rowan of the Bukshah tonight, and the end of the series.
September 25, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Four stars.
In Emily Rodda's Rowan and the Zebak, Rowan must journey to the land of the Zebak, the feared enemies of Rin, to rescue his little sister Annad, who was snatched by a monstrous flying creature. Accompanied by a group of unlikely companions and guided by mysterious, riddling prophecies, Rowan faces perilous challenges and must uncover a great secret about the Zebak people that could determine the fate of both Rin and the Zebak. Rowan ends up travelling with Allun, Zeel Perlain of the Maris and Sheba (in a spiritual sense). They are determined to work together and get Annad back from the Zebak.
They face many challenges and difficulties along the way, each finding that despite their differences they all have invaluable things to contribute to their quest. I really enjoyed this one. I liked the fact that they started out together wondering what they needed to do and what they each had to do on the quest, some wondering if they actually would be useful at all. And then they all discovered that they had something important to provide that only they could give. And then of course there was the big reveal, which was very interesting and a nice little twist for the story! I am so fond of Rowan and the others by this point. I know reading the last book is going to be a roller coaster and also poignant.
Four stars.
In Emily Rodda's Rowan and the Zebak, Rowan must journey to the land of the Zebak, the feared enemies of Rin, to rescue his little sister Annad, who was snatched by a monstrous flying creature. Accompanied by a group of unlikely companions and guided by mysterious, riddling prophecies, Rowan faces perilous challenges and must uncover a great secret about the Zebak people that could determine the fate of both Rin and the Zebak. Rowan ends up travelling with Allun, Zeel Perlain of the Maris and Sheba (in a spiritual sense). They are determined to work together and get Annad back from the Zebak.
They face many challenges and difficulties along the way, each finding that despite their differences they all have invaluable things to contribute to their quest. I really enjoyed this one. I liked the fact that they started out together wondering what they needed to do and what they each had to do on the quest, some wondering if they actually would be useful at all. And then they all discovered that they had something important to provide that only they could give. And then of course there was the big reveal, which was very interesting and a nice little twist for the story! I am so fond of Rowan and the others by this point. I know reading the last book is going to be a roller coaster and also poignant.
October 11, 2021
3.5 stars
The Rowan of Rin stories follow a set pattern that is quite noticeable when reading them all in a row. Despite this repetition, the poems, challenges, and lessons shared keep you engaged and the pages turning.
I enjoyed how each individual on the journey had their role to play in this novel, rather than having Rowan’s skills being the main focus. The message that everyone has value and their place in the world, even if they are different, unusual and seemingly out-of-place, is an essential one for readers to learn/be reminded of.
The twists in the last parts of the novel also add an extra element of gravity to the story that the others at time lacked. Things could have been tweaked a little to have one of the twists have a more obvious impact, but regardless, it still causes a pang.
The Rowan of Rin stories follow a set pattern that is quite noticeable when reading them all in a row. Despite this repetition, the poems, challenges, and lessons shared keep you engaged and the pages turning.
I enjoyed how each individual on the journey had their role to play in this novel, rather than having Rowan’s skills being the main focus. The message that everyone has value and their place in the world, even if they are different, unusual and seemingly out-of-place, is an essential one for readers to learn/be reminded of.
The twists in the last parts of the novel also add an extra element of gravity to the story that the others at time lacked. Things could have been tweaked a little to have one of the twists have a more obvious impact, but regardless, it still causes a pang.
November 27, 2020
Rowan and the Zebak
was a wonderful book with the usual rhymes set up by Rin's resident crazed hag, Sheba, that set Rowan and his band of, as the book refers to them, oddities on a dangerous quest into Zebak lands to rescue Annad (Rowan's sister).
I loved the way Emily Rodda chose characters for their tasks and allowed them each to blossom in their own way. Even though I found I could decipher many of the rhymes, my 9-year-old (which is more to the book's audience) found them a little more difficult; although I give her props on some of her guesses and the creativity in others.
The Rowan of Rin Series is a great set of books for emerging readers and I recommend them as a family read.
I loved the way Emily Rodda chose characters for their tasks and allowed them each to blossom in their own way. Even though I found I could decipher many of the rhymes, my 9-year-old (which is more to the book's audience) found them a little more difficult; although I give her props on some of her guesses and the creativity in others.
The Rowan of Rin Series is a great set of books for emerging readers and I recommend them as a family read.
January 22, 2022
From start to finish a quick-paced, action-packed, adventure that answers questions and shows the depth of the worlds Emily Rodda creates. The mystery of it all and the spectacular ending, even if a little too simple, really made this one I enjoyed reading, even as it is a kid's book. While I read the first three in the series as a kid, I had not read past them, but I'm glad I picked this up again, and went further. I really hope Emily Rodda keeps writing juvenille (or perhaps adult) fantasy, and kids keep reading it as she both teaches awesome lessons but also captures imagination excellently.
July 4, 2024
I am charmed by this series! This might be my favorite one so far. Except for the riddle-overload (some of them being of no use as the characters solved their problems by themselves), this book brings some tasty new elements to the series: "Rowan and the Zebak" makes use of some characters from the previous books (instead of introducing a bunch of them every book), and for the first time Rin is surrounded by friendly characters who really care for him; The Zebak are painted very differently from full on emotionless baddies, and Rin's lore is expanded in a very interesting way; The adventure also deals with darker themes like death and betrayal.
June 14, 2020
This is the last Rowan book I vaguely remember reading, I have no memory of the Ice Creepers book after this one, or at least I don't think I do. And what I do remember from this one is that Zeel was involved and there was some faux betrayal in Zebak by her.
It was a quick read, it had all the Rowan of Rin staples (i.e. Sheba being a mean hoe with her prophecies, Rowan getting dragged into adventure, the townspeople being nihilistic and thinking there's no hope, and Star the Bukshah watching the skies and sniffing the air).
It was a quick read, it had all the Rowan of Rin staples (i.e. Sheba being a mean hoe with her prophecies, Rowan getting dragged into adventure, the townspeople being nihilistic and thinking there's no hope, and Star the Bukshah watching the skies and sniffing the air).
September 26, 2020
Emily Rodda is such a great author! The Rowan of Rin series keeps getting better and better (although, I think Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal was a bit better than this one). The story was really clever, there were plenty of genuinely surprising twists, and the ending was excellent. A quick and engaging read.
August 24, 2022
So far in the series, Emily Rodda masterfully guides us through what feels like fairy tale fantasy, keeping us grounded in the morality of the fable narrative, as we unwrap the world layer by layer, whimsy evaporating into sharpness and shadow. The darkest of the series IMO, Rowan and the Zebak examines the darker side of the world, giving it significant depth and casting everything we've learned so far into high relief.
Another piece of narrative that stuck like a barb into my soul...the rhyme. No spoilers. You'll know when you see it.
Another piece of narrative that stuck like a barb into my soul...the rhyme. No spoilers. You'll know when you see it.
July 9, 2018
#4 in the series and now I find out there is a final book. Will recommend this to 2nd and 3rd graders seeking fantasy genre, it is written at a level that they should be able to read in a reasonable length of time, especially for those in need of a book for book notes, reports or sharing.
Rowan’s sister, Annad is taken be a grach trained by the Zebak to search for bukshah and now Rowan vows to save his sister, and begins a journey to the land of the Zebak.
Rowan’s sister, Annad is taken be a grach trained by the Zebak to search for bukshah and now Rowan vows to save his sister, and begins a journey to the land of the Zebak.
March 22, 2020
This was the least interesting book of the bunch so far. I have tried to read it a couple times and have not finished it. I finally got an audio version and it was bearable because the narrator was fantastic. Otherwise this book just did not hold my interest. I gave it a three star review rather than a two star because I do like the rest of this series for far. Let's hope for a better story with book five!
September 6, 2024
Rowan of Rin ★★★★★
Rowan and the Travelers ★★★★☆
Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal ★★★☆☆ (3.5)
Rowan and the Zebak ★★★★☆
TW: abduction and captivity, slavery, drowning
Rowan and the Travelers ★★★★☆
Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal ★★★☆☆ (3.5)
Rowan and the Zebak ★★★★☆
TW: abduction and captivity, slavery, drowning
April 12, 2020
Емили Рода пише изключително качествено детско фентъзи и “Роуан и Зебак” не е изключение от правилото. Книгата е интересна, бърза и динамична, с интригуващ главен герой и любопитен сюжет, който достига епична кулминация на финала, но до края на сагата има още една книжка, която възнамерявам да прочета съвсем скоро.
Ревюто на линка:
https://citadelata.com/rowan-and-the-...
Ревюто на линка:
https://citadelata.com/rowan-and-the-...
April 7, 2023
I don't think it was necessary to explain why Rowan is a bit different from the other villagers. Like, people can just be different. Also how many times does Sheba have to save everybody before they trust her??? Overall a fun adventure, but not my favorite in the series.
(Kids really liked it.)
(Kids really liked it.)
Read
July 18, 2019Read aloud to me by E age 12. Ishkin, slavery, suspense - mild.
February 23, 2020
Not my favourite. Still enjoy the riddles.
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