What do you think?
Rate this book
Deltora Shadowlands #1-3
Deltora Shadowlands: Special Edition, Books 1-3
Though the Shadow Lord's tyranny over Deltora has ended, it's up to Lief, Barda, and Jasmine to rescue the Deltorans still enslaved in the Shadowlands.
455 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
27 people are currently reading
537 people want to read
About the author
Emily Rodda
297 books2,114 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
October 2, 2009
Reviewed by Joan Stradling for TeensReadToo.com
The Shadow Lord has been driven back across the mountains, but he's not finished with Deltora. He's taken prisoners from across the land and enslaved them. Worse, he plans to use them in a diabolical plot to take over Deltora. Lief and his friends must prevent Deltora from falling into the Shadow Lord's hands.
The only way to stop the Shadow Lord is the fabled Pirran Pipe. But the pieces of the pipe have been split among the three Pirran tribes and Lief and his friends will have to face unimaginable dangers in order to reunite the pieces. And if they can get the pieces, they'll then have to travel to the Shadowlands in hopes of defeating the evil amassed there.
This book contains all three exciting volumes of the DELTORA SHADOWLANDS series, and it was a treat to be able to read them all one right after the other without having to pick up another book.
I enjoyed DELTORA SHADOWLANDS even though I haven't read the DELTORA QUEST series. Rodda does a great job of introducing her characters for those readers who may not yet be familiar with them. Rodda is a master storyteller with an easy style and voice.
I fell in love with the characters and world of DELTLORA SHADOWLANDS so much that I'm now going to get myself the complete DELTORA QUEST series, which has also been bound into one volume.
The Shadow Lord has been driven back across the mountains, but he's not finished with Deltora. He's taken prisoners from across the land and enslaved them. Worse, he plans to use them in a diabolical plot to take over Deltora. Lief and his friends must prevent Deltora from falling into the Shadow Lord's hands.
The only way to stop the Shadow Lord is the fabled Pirran Pipe. But the pieces of the pipe have been split among the three Pirran tribes and Lief and his friends will have to face unimaginable dangers in order to reunite the pieces. And if they can get the pieces, they'll then have to travel to the Shadowlands in hopes of defeating the evil amassed there.
This book contains all three exciting volumes of the DELTORA SHADOWLANDS series, and it was a treat to be able to read them all one right after the other without having to pick up another book.
I enjoyed DELTORA SHADOWLANDS even though I haven't read the DELTORA QUEST series. Rodda does a great job of introducing her characters for those readers who may not yet be familiar with them. Rodda is a master storyteller with an easy style and voice.
I fell in love with the characters and world of DELTLORA SHADOWLANDS so much that I'm now going to get myself the complete DELTORA QUEST series, which has also been bound into one volume.
January 2, 2025
Das três séries de Deltora Quest, essa foi a que menos gostei, mas ainda muito boa de ler depois que já se leu os oito anteriores.
As revelações do final, que costumam ser um ponto alto da série, não me afetaram tanto.
Acho que meu maior problema é o contexto na qual essa série se passa, com muita desconfiança e dúvidas; é muita "coisa escondida dos amigos", que deixa uma tensão desagradável no ar e perde muito da sensação de união e companheirismo da primeira série. Talvez por isso o final não tenha feito tanta diferença pra mim; em retrospecto, acho que eu estava mais preocupado em ver se essas tensões iam se resolver do que com a trama principal, pra ser honesto.
Sendo só três livros bem curtinhos, continuo recomendando pra quem já leu a primeira série.
As revelações do final, que costumam ser um ponto alto da série, não me afetaram tanto.
Acho que meu maior problema é o contexto na qual essa série se passa, com muita desconfiança e dúvidas; é muita "coisa escondida dos amigos", que deixa uma tensão desagradável no ar e perde muito da sensação de união e companheirismo da primeira série. Talvez por isso o final não tenha feito tanta diferença pra mim; em retrospecto, acho que eu estava mais preocupado em ver se essas tensões iam se resolver do que com a trama principal, pra ser honesto.
Sendo só três livros bem curtinhos, continuo recomendando pra quem já leu a primeira série.
July 28, 2018
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.
August 31, 2016
Actual Rating: 3.5/5
I'm really not sure how to rate this book. On one hand, I did enjoy it. It's easy to read with lots of adventure, a little magic, crazy creatures and interesting characters. On the other hand, I found myself losing focus quite frequently even though I wasn't bored reading it..
I do wonder if that has to do with the fact that I did not realize until I had already started the book(s) that it is a series off of a series. One of the downfalls of buying at a used bookstore (does anyone else have this problem?). I've made the mistake plenty of times when I was younger purchasing books that were like #2/3 or so into a series because they were not marked on the book itself. Being an adult now (heh heh), I've learned to check Goodreads to make sure that when I pick up a book, that this does not happen anymore. Clearly this is a "Books 1-3" so I knew I was starting something. I still checked, and I did so quickly otherwise I'd be at the store all day and with a pregnant belly, that ain't happening anymore. I was pleased to find these were all the books in this series in this one combined book. Off to the checkout lane (with more than this book, puh-lease...)!
I started reading this guy on my plane ride home from visiting my family in IL. Upon reaching my house, I further investigated this series (having said above issues with losing focus) to only find out that it plays off of an already started series - a series within a series. GREEAAATTTTT! I have failed myself again. This now made me wonder if that's where I'm having focusing issues.
I did like this book(s) though! But I do wonder if I'd enjoy it more and have more focus if I had read the very first in the series of series. SO, I have concluded I will hold onto this guy and eventually, hopefully, start the series FROM THE ACTUAL BEGINNING! Which will in turn, make me reread this for a more accurate review/rating!
*Le Sigh*
I'm really not sure how to rate this book. On one hand, I did enjoy it. It's easy to read with lots of adventure, a little magic, crazy creatures and interesting characters. On the other hand, I found myself losing focus quite frequently even though I wasn't bored reading it..
I do wonder if that has to do with the fact that I did not realize until I had already started the book(s) that it is a series off of a series. One of the downfalls of buying at a used bookstore (does anyone else have this problem?). I've made the mistake plenty of times when I was younger purchasing books that were like #2/3 or so into a series because they were not marked on the book itself. Being an adult now (heh heh), I've learned to check Goodreads to make sure that when I pick up a book, that this does not happen anymore. Clearly this is a "Books 1-3" so I knew I was starting something. I still checked, and I did so quickly otherwise I'd be at the store all day and with a pregnant belly, that ain't happening anymore. I was pleased to find these were all the books in this series in this one combined book. Off to the checkout lane (with more than this book, puh-lease...)!
I started reading this guy on my plane ride home from visiting my family in IL. Upon reaching my house, I further investigated this series (having said above issues with losing focus) to only find out that it plays off of an already started series - a series within a series. GREEAAATTTTT! I have failed myself again. This now made me wonder if that's where I'm having focusing issues.
I did like this book(s) though! But I do wonder if I'd enjoy it more and have more focus if I had read the very first in the series of series. SO, I have concluded I will hold onto this guy and eventually, hopefully, start the series FROM THE ACTUAL BEGINNING! Which will in turn, make me reread this for a more accurate review/rating!
*Le Sigh*
December 29, 2019
This second part of Deltora Quest feels like it does a really interesting thing in the series. While the original series of Deltora Quest works as a cool young adult fantasy book with a satisfying end. This book shows that things are never happily ever after once the credit ends.
Continuing almost a little bit after the first book series was finished the book follows the main characters again as they have to go on another adventure. The world is alright after their victory in the first book. They must journey into the heart of the enemy to save Del.
This book does an interesting job expanding on the story and continuing the story of the characters. The characters feel the same and have continued their development. Their is a very odd thing they do in this book where they make Jasmine jealous of Lief which feels a little awkward and a little out of character. But its serviceable within the context of the story. It feels like that plot point could of been resolved with just the characters talking.
Besides that, the expansion of the Deltora world is so interesting and I can not believe that this book is a book for children sometimes. It is so well built and so interesting that I can't believe that it exists. The best thing I can say is that if you enjoyed the first book series, you should continue on because it is just as good. As well it is a great book series for children and should be read.
Continuing almost a little bit after the first book series was finished the book follows the main characters again as they have to go on another adventure. The world is alright after their victory in the first book. They must journey into the heart of the enemy to save Del.
This book does an interesting job expanding on the story and continuing the story of the characters. The characters feel the same and have continued their development. Their is a very odd thing they do in this book where they make Jasmine jealous of Lief which feels a little awkward and a little out of character. But its serviceable within the context of the story. It feels like that plot point could of been resolved with just the characters talking.
Besides that, the expansion of the Deltora world is so interesting and I can not believe that this book is a book for children sometimes. It is so well built and so interesting that I can't believe that it exists. The best thing I can say is that if you enjoyed the first book series, you should continue on because it is just as good. As well it is a great book series for children and should be read.
February 25, 2017
This trilogy is much darker and more straightforward quest fantasy than the first series. There were not very many clever riddles, only in the first book. There were many misunderstandings due to lack of communication between the main characters. Luckily, everything gets straightened out in the end and Deltora is saved! Setting the spoiler tab, but we all knew that, didn't we?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2020
Deltora has finally ridden the Shadow Lord from their homeland after the sixteen-year ruling. This feat was accomplished by three companions: Lief the King of Deltora, Barda a palace guard, and Jasmine daughter of Doom. However, their success is quite short-lived as a numerous amount of Deltoran civilians are enslaved by the Shadow Lord.
In this continuation of the Deltora Quest trilogy, Deltora is in turmoil as nothing is know about the fate of their loved ones within the shadowlands. Civilians are wanting Lief to march an army into the shadowlands to save them, however, a frontal assault is certain death. Another solution is necessary which Lief may have stumbled upon through his strenuous amounts of research...
Overall, I quite enjoyed reading Shadowlands. As a reader, we were left off with a monumental reveal, which was quite surprising, to say the least. Now however, a new journey is upon us, which exceeded all my expectations of a continuation. The book follows a similar structure to that of Deltora Quest which we've come to enjoy. Plenty of twists and turns occur throughout the book, leaving the reader on the edge of their seat. New faces are meet along the journey which has deep backgrounds behind them. Old characters are developed onto further, making them more complex and loveable. Sacrifices and secrets are necessary to be made for the success of the whole of Deltora which complicates everything.
I'm quite excited to see what's to come within Dragons of Deltora.
In this continuation of the Deltora Quest trilogy, Deltora is in turmoil as nothing is know about the fate of their loved ones within the shadowlands. Civilians are wanting Lief to march an army into the shadowlands to save them, however, a frontal assault is certain death. Another solution is necessary which Lief may have stumbled upon through his strenuous amounts of research...
Overall, I quite enjoyed reading Shadowlands. As a reader, we were left off with a monumental reveal, which was quite surprising, to say the least. Now however, a new journey is upon us, which exceeded all my expectations of a continuation. The book follows a similar structure to that of Deltora Quest which we've come to enjoy. Plenty of twists and turns occur throughout the book, leaving the reader on the edge of their seat. New faces are meet along the journey which has deep backgrounds behind them. Old characters are developed onto further, making them more complex and loveable. Sacrifices and secrets are necessary to be made for the success of the whole of Deltora which complicates everything.
I'm quite excited to see what's to come within Dragons of Deltora.
February 19, 2019
I believe this book is the perfect book for people the ages 9-12. This book not only produces suspence and mystery in every paragraph, it also has a strong adventurous theme in it. Its easy to read and follow the text and it hooks you in from the very beginning.
The book starts when Lief gets concerned with the starvation and loss of people being under the curse and control of the Shadow Lord. Through an adventure of the 3 islands, he must fight every monster in his path to get the pieces of the Pirran Pipe, along with his companions Barda and Jasmine. This book is fast paced and will definitely grab your attention with these 3 in one book series!
A quick point though, I advise you to please read the first series of Deltora Quest before continuing to this one.
Emily Rodda has made an exilarating continuation of the series of Deltora Quest, and I highly reccomend this book to be in your reading list!
The book starts when Lief gets concerned with the starvation and loss of people being under the curse and control of the Shadow Lord. Through an adventure of the 3 islands, he must fight every monster in his path to get the pieces of the Pirran Pipe, along with his companions Barda and Jasmine. This book is fast paced and will definitely grab your attention with these 3 in one book series!
A quick point though, I advise you to please read the first series of Deltora Quest before continuing to this one.
Emily Rodda has made an exilarating continuation of the series of Deltora Quest, and I highly reccomend this book to be in your reading list!
February 14, 2023
Reread these for the first time since I was a kid and I am pleasantly surprised how they hold up. The monsters are never gameified with glowing obvious weak points and our heroes (even the strong, manly one) usually have to rely on wits and dumb luck to survive.
The characters are blessed with distinct and likable voices (or unlikable in the case of at least one member of the supporting cast) and I still found the comedic moments to be quite funny.
Maybe be careful giving these to very young readers as the monsters a genuinely terrifying but I grew up on them and I don't remember being particularly scarred.
These books found impressively mature ways of exploring honesty, betrayal and friendship while still being accessible to younger readers.
In all, I can strongly recommend this series along with the previous chapter in the story. I intend to reread Dragons of Deltora to see if that holds up too and maybe I'll catch up with the newer installments too.
The characters are blessed with distinct and likable voices (or unlikable in the case of at least one member of the supporting cast) and I still found the comedic moments to be quite funny.
Maybe be careful giving these to very young readers as the monsters a genuinely terrifying but I grew up on them and I don't remember being particularly scarred.
These books found impressively mature ways of exploring honesty, betrayal and friendship while still being accessible to younger readers.
In all, I can strongly recommend this series along with the previous chapter in the story. I intend to reread Dragons of Deltora to see if that holds up too and maybe I'll catch up with the newer installments too.
June 26, 2020
Deltora Quest
// 5 stars
Deltora Shadowlands // 5 stars
Deltora Quest 3: Dragons of Deltora // 5 stars
Another Emily Rodda series I've re-read more times than I can count! I enjoy this just as much the original Deltora series - see my review here to find out why.
On my next re-read I'll likely do a more in-depth review of each individual book.
Deltora Shadowlands // 5 stars
Deltora Quest 3: Dragons of Deltora // 5 stars
Another Emily Rodda series I've re-read more times than I can count! I enjoy this just as much the original Deltora series - see my review here to find out why.
On my next re-read I'll likely do a more in-depth review of each individual book.
August 16, 2017
We return back to the world of 'Deltora' and in the blink of an eye, you are off again with 'Lief', 'Jasmine', 'Kree', 'Filli' and 'Barda' on another impossible quest to bring the enslaved people of Deltora home from the 'Shadowlands'.
The story is well put together with a wonderful balance of fun and fear. Using old remembered stories and a roughly drawn map, the hero's take on the task of finding an underground world, full of estranged peoples & hideous beasts (who pretty much just want some dinner), to find the legendary Pirran Pipe.
I needed a lively story and Rodda has delivered. Certainly worth a read for both adult and older kids.
The story is well put together with a wonderful balance of fun and fear. Using old remembered stories and a roughly drawn map, the hero's take on the task of finding an underground world, full of estranged peoples & hideous beasts (who pretty much just want some dinner), to find the legendary Pirran Pipe.
I needed a lively story and Rodda has delivered. Certainly worth a read for both adult and older kids.
February 6, 2017
I enjoyed this one even more than the first Deltora Quest series. There was a lot more world building and it was just another adventure that took so many twists and turns. The plot was fantastically complex for a middle grade series but I loved how everything all came together in the end.
Individual ratings:
Cavern of The Fear - 5/5
The Isle of Illusion - 5/5
The Shadowlands - 5/5
Overall series rating: 5/5
I am absolutely loving being in this world and I can't wait to see what's coming up in the next installment!
Individual ratings:
Cavern of The Fear - 5/5
The Isle of Illusion - 5/5
The Shadowlands - 5/5
Overall series rating: 5/5
I am absolutely loving being in this world and I can't wait to see what's coming up in the next installment!
March 21, 2025
Fell flat for me, even as a kid. I loved the idea of venturing into the Shadowlands themselves, and it's probably still a decent series, but it couldn't match up to the books that came before. I loved the first series of Deltora so much that 3 books that didn't pack the same punch fell short, and while I'd day the length was the issue I think it just lacked that same twist or build up that the first (and third) series had.
April 15, 2025
It’s great to be back in this world again! I never finished this second series as a kid, so there’s no real nostalgia factor doing any of the heavy lifting.
With all that said, this definitely pales in comparison to the first series. Basically no character development happens, and the new locations are weirdly hard to imagine. Also, the Shadowlands is such an exciting idea, but we spend most of the time in a factory?? Disappointing :(
With all that said, this definitely pales in comparison to the first series. Basically no character development happens, and the new locations are weirdly hard to imagine. Also, the Shadowlands is such an exciting idea, but we spend most of the time in a factory?? Disappointing :(
May 17, 2023
I wasn’t expecting to give 5 stars to a middle grade fantasy series or to like a sequel series more than its original but this was really incredible! Such a fun and beautiful story. I think it being 3 books instead of 8 maybe executed the pacing better but I just really think she knocked it out of the park. If you liked Deltora read this!!
June 12, 2019
Another rollicking good read and excellent follow up to the first series. I enjoyed the underground adventures and also the growing relationships between Jasmine and Lief. Again, I feel that the Shadowlord gets defeated too easily! Nice to see the bad guys lose though (Jinks, I'm thinking of you).
December 30, 2019
Much more deep than the first series exploring the characters further in their relationships, with misunderstandings and stubbornness hindering sight. Still has very cool amazingly written descriptions and enemies, while hidden themes of trust, leadership, and the right thing to do.
January 14, 2022
While important to the world of Deltora, I can't say I enjoyed these three books as much as the other two. The book was still good to read and I did finish it, but chances are, I probably won't be rereading it. But you do need to read it at least once so you can read the 3rd book in the series!
August 8, 2023
I did not just read these, I read these as a child and i'm marking it down now for reference. I have sweet childhood memories of this series. There are something like 6 books in the series and I remember plowing through them all as a kid and feeling quite proud of myself for doing so!
February 4, 2024
The second Deltora Quest series felt repetitive but built up to an enjoyable second half. Unfortunately, the characters lacked both depth and development, failing to live up to the creativity and charm of the first series.
May 20, 2017
Pretty darn good!!!
February 28, 2021
Addictive reading
December 15, 2022
I was wondering why all the monsters were so much more horrifying than in other kids' fantasy then I realized the author is Australian.
Flying leeches!!
Flying leeches!!
January 18, 2023
The storyline was ok, as was the writing style. I liked the ending, but the book was overall average.
February 26, 2023
Me, sniffing: music can save the world
November 23, 2023
Unfortunately worst series in the Deltora world
January 31, 2024
While I did enjoy Lief and crews mission and adventure I couldn't help being annoyed by Jasmine in this book which took away a lot of my enjoyment for this installment of the Deltora series.
August 29, 2024
not as good as the first or third but still a great fantasy read with much to be added to the series from this book
August 31, 2024
2.5/5: This was basically just a set up for the last series so it wasn't the best. It had the same general formula as the first series but just not as interesting. Still an easy and fun read though.
November 15, 2024
Read it to my daughter. We loved it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews