Star Rating: 5 stars
Note: This is the 1st book in the Dragons of Deltora series but the 12th in the overarching Deltora saga so this will not be an in-depth review.
As I have probably mentioned in countless reviews, I am making a concerted effort to read some of my childhood favorites so that Goodreads will be an accurate representation of my reading taste and be able to recommend me good books. Because of this, I have been making a concerted effort to put them on my yearly TBR list, and the most recent one I was able to get to was Dragon’s Nest by Emily Rodda, the 1st book in the Dragons of Deltora quartet but the 12th book overall in the Deltora saga. This book continues the story of Lief, Barda, and Jasmine as they struggle to find a solution that will keep the Shadow Lord and his influence out of their country once and for all, and they have discovered the only way to do this is find the seven lost dragons of Deltora.
The best thing about this novel, in my opinion, is the massive amount of world-building that Rodda does in just 181 pages. As already mentioned, this book is the 12th in an overarching series so there has already been loads of world-building, however, in this book, she takes all the different threads and pulls them together while adding more that not only make sense with what we, as readers, already know but also adds to the fabric of the story in new and exciting ways, particularly when it comes to creatures as she doesn’t just add dragons but many others as well, but I won’t spoil.
Another thing about this novel that makes it exciting is the character work that she does, whether it be with her quintessential main character of Leif or between two characters that appear in this book but that have a conflict that spans generations. Although Lief may be an established character, he stills deals with the self-doubt that comes with being a young monarch in a country recovering from centuries of war and occupation, and because of this, he is constantly being influenced, whether for good or ill, by various other characters. Now, I understand that some may find Leif’s character development to be slow, repetitive, and boring, however, I enjoy the fact that Rodda takes the time to show that a young boy thrust into this role would have a lot of doubts and the more the pressure, the more the doubts, and that these don’t just go away, they linger, especially when surrounded by characters fighting conflicts that he doesn’t understand or feel should be a priority with everything else going on across the country.
Finally, I really like the themes she played with or continued to play with in this novel, themes of the exploration of history and the preservation of nature. As previously mentioned, this book deals with a country recovering from centuries of war and occupation and the ramifications of that, such as lost history and destroyed environments. Although this theme could be overwhelming for young people, this book’s target audience, the way that Rodda explores them theme by making them exciting and kind of like treasure hunts makes them fun and more accessible for young people and introduces them to themes that they will encounter in more complexity and detail later.
If you are looking for a book/series to introduce your child or classroom to epic fantasy in an accessible way, then this is the book for you. Young readers will enjoy it for the treasure hunt/puzzles, and you will enjoy it for the themes and motifs that exist below the surface of this fun, engaging story. 5 stars and it remains a favorite!!!!!!