Deltora Quest: Special Edition, Books 5-8

Deltora Quest #5-8

by Emily Rodda

As the evil Shadow Lord tightens his grip on Deltora, it is up to three heroes to bring freedom back to this land of magic, monsters, and danger. Lief, Barda, and Jasmine must recover the lost gems of the Belt of Deltora at any cost. This will not be easy -- beasts, traps, and terrors stand in their way. From the underwater lair of the ferocious Glus to the deadly mists of the Valley of the Lost, Lief, Barda, and Jasmine must summon up their deepest courage -- and their greatest strength.
Book 5: Dream Mountain / Book 6: The Maze of the Beast / Book 7: The Valley of the Lost / Book 8: Return to Del

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Italian Literature, Magic

548 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Emily 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.

Reviews

[Joshua Rem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily best fantasy novel ever written

[Calvin Lam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because I read the other books before this. It start a book by summarizing what had happened before the current book. Friends work together like Jasmine, Barda, and Leif, they make plans and come up with an idea together. "'Barda, stop! The twins! I have found them!'" (Rodda 379).

[Tristan · Rating 4 out of 5]

For more thoughts on the series as a whole, see my review of the first half of the series.
This was a fitting end to the fun tale that began in the first half of Deltora Quest. The adventure continues in similar fashion: lots of fun supporting characters, action and magic, puzzles scattered throughout the installments. I particularly like The Valley of the Lost, which had, in my opinion, the best puzzle and a neat bit of commentary on faults, their origins. and the way that they can be manipulated. The end had a nice semi-transparent twist: Rodda makes Lief the Heir of Adin, of course--we should have seen it coming, him being The Protagonist and all--but the set-up of the deception that makes it a surprise is fantastic. There's just enough foreshadowing to be frustrated for not seeing it, but it still comes as a surprise--very fun for the kid who likes adventure..
While this series bears the marks of its target audience more than some middle-grade fiction, which ends up being difficult to tell is for children, even though they love it, it is well worth reading as a piece of fun and easy high fantasy for adults in search of such a thing and perfect for kids trying to take their first foray into the field of high-adventure fantasy fiction.

[Tirzah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally wised up and ordered the special edition, so I would have the last three stories at my disposal. The Maze of the Beast is horrifying (great description writing, Rodda!), The Valley of the Lost is full of interesting riddles and the great mystery of Tora. Return to Del is gripping since at long last the gems are united and the heir is to be revealed. I had theories and then a plot twist would make me doubt my theories and then another plot twist would come...and so on. I was pleased that some of the characters of previous books returned in the last one. The ending felt a little rushed, but that may have just been how I perceived it. I did discover there are two other series with the same characters, so I may pursue those (although I am wondering if I can deal with those spine-chilling covers).

Overall, these books are good. They are fun reads for any age, but I think they are especially great for introducing children (roughly 3rd grade) to the fantasy genre.

[Bill Fish · Rating 5 out of 5]

More twists than a bag of pretzels, this story is surprising at nearly every page. Well crafted story, where each conclusion make you say "but of course, I should have known," only to have that explanation torn away and another presented that makes you say "yes, that makes more sense," and over and over. So many good conclusions topped by the next one, the final solution happens in the last 3 pages. Keeps you guessing.

[Garrett Law · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 4.5. I preferred these to the first four books a lot. Such a fun story, and the ending weaved everything together from the first seven books really beautifully and some twists genuinely surprised me. I had a blast reading this series, finishing what I didn’t finish as a kid reading these. Highly recommend.

[Luca Falleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

in un giorno solo mi sono letto gli ultimi due e che dire... conclusione perfetta per questa saga fantastica, mi dispiace solo che il sesto libro non mi sia piaciuto altrimenti sarebbero state cinque stelline su cinque, super consigliato!!!

[Ashley Case · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great series for 3rd through 5th graders. Clean, intriguing, really gets the brain going. You must read all 8 books to get the full story, so it is a commitment. Besides some small inconsistencies, the writing is fantastic.

[Jasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last I read this entire series was over 8 years ago and I can still say that this is my favourite series/world that I have ever read. I have literally every book that involves the world of Deltora and it never fails to make me happy however many times I reread them or just think of them.

[Tyler T · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful conclusion to a childhood favorite. I was really glad to share this adventure with my stepson.
Much like the others, the books feel a bit rushed. the plot twist was a little surprising, but more so in the its highly impossible. Regardless, this was a fun easy read.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molto bello. A tratti anche inquietante come piace a me. Dovrò recuperare i libri successivi.

[Aud Connelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wahhhhhhh

[Jenna Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a strong finish to the series! Still had me on the edge of my seat and I love it when everything comes together in the end.

[Weller C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grade/Interest level: 5th-8th
Reading Level: 580-720
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy
Main Characters: Leif, Barda, Steven&Neveets, Shadow Lord, Daine, Doom, Prin&the other kin, dread gnomes, and Jasmine.
Setting: The land of deltora, and everywhere in it
POV: 3rd

Leif, Barda, and Jasmine continue their adventures to recover the magical stones that go to the belt of deltora. As they search they will encounter mystical beasts, puzzling riddles, and dissappointsments beyond belief.

I really liked this book, it was a littl shaky at the end but I would reccomend it to anyone who likes to read about adventures.

[Carson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great finale to a wonderful series. Some of the things in these book are things that I would have never thought of before. It is very creative, and a little different from other book series. Recommended for pre-teens, young adults, or older. A great adventure series for practically anyone.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lief and his companions must locate the seven lost gems in the Belt of Deltora so that the evil Shadow Lord may be overthrown once again. This is a cute series for younger readers. Both boys and girls will enjoy it.

[KIERAN · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I loved their adventures. The ending was spoiled for me so I knew that Lief but I was surprised at how it happened. The ending for me was very clever and loved it after all.

[Remi · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST ADVENTURE AND FANTASY MIXED

[Lady Darcie · Rating 5 out of 5]

again this is the second part of deltora and it only gets better.

[Chase Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because it is fantasy [my favorite genre:].Also because it has a twist ending you can,t miss!

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book but seems to just be a book to lead you to the ending book.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool story it's a lot like Legend of Zelda and this book is an easy way to finish the last books in the series

[SaranghaeJasmine]

I will surely love it :D #BigFan XD

[Lamar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the Deltora Quest books!

[Tia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow

[R.K. Cowles · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 3/4 stars

[Ellison Huang · Rating 3 out of 5]

for people who love adventures!

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

در جستجوی دلتورا داستانی فانتزی و متشکل از سه مجموعه، نوشتهٔ امیلی رودا نویسنده ی استرالیایی است. داستان درباره ی سه همسفر است که سرزمین تخیلی دلتورا را به دنبال تکمیل کمربند دلتورا و شکست خادمان ارباب سایه‌های اهریمنی زیر پا می گذارند. نخستین نسخه ی مجموعه ی اول در سال ۲۰۰۰ میلادی در استرالیا به چاپ رسید و اکنون نیز در ۳۰ کشور به فروش می رسد. در فوریه ی ۲۰۱۰ این مجموعه در کل ۱۵ میلیون و در استرالیا ۲ میلیون نسخه فروش داشته‌است. سه مجموعه شامل ۱۵ کتاب می‌شوند که ۸ کتاب اول در جستجوی دلتورا، ۳ جلد بعدی سرزمین سایه‌ها ی دلتورا و ۴ جلد آخر اژدهایان دلتورا نام دارند. تمامی کتاب‌های این مجموعه در ایران با ترجمه ی خانم محبوبه نجف خانی و توسط انتشارات بنفشه به چاپ رسیده‌است . انیمیشن و بازی رایانه ای در جستجوی دلتورا به ترتیب توسط تلویزیون ژاپن و شرکت نینتندو دی اس نیز ساخته شده‌اند.