Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Star of Deltora #4

The Hungry Isle

Rate this book
The Star of Deltora has escaped Illica, but home and safety are still very far away. The shadows that haunt the ship are deepening. Strange currents, seen and unseen, are sweeping Britta and her friends into peril.

The magic Staff of Tier has sensed them, the Hungry Isle is on the prowl, and Britta's dreams of winning the Rosalyn Apprentice contest will soon be swamped in a tidal wave of terror.

Lives hang in the balance and shock follows shock as Britta's quest to escape her past reaches its tumultuous climax.

Book 4 in the spellbinding Star of Deltora Series.

176 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2016

6 people are currently reading
361 people want to read

About the author

Emily Rodda

297 books2,114 followers
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.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
171 (39%)
4 stars
172 (39%)
3 stars
77 (17%)
2 stars
10 (2%)
1 star
6 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
Profile Image for Kathy.
21 reviews
September 12, 2016
Major spoilers (both marked and unmarked) for The Hungry Isle ahead!

This book was awful. So, so awful. I can't say enough just how disappointed I am. I had expected more from a great author like Emily Rodda.

That probably sounds harsh. I do love Rodda's writing style-- it always keeps me reading and wanting to know what will happen next. There's always something about Rodda's style that never fails to grip me. So I didn't have any problems with her actual writing. It was the story part of it I was disappointed by.

I went into this book expecting so much, especially after reading the gem that was The Towers of Illica. I did have my doubts as to how Rodda would tie up the plot threads and the romance arc and answer the questions that had cropped up over the course of the series, but I believed that since her previous books had been amazing, she'd be able to finish this series in the best (and right) way possible. So I was disappointed (though not entirely surprised) when this was not the case. Even before reading this book, I did think that there should've been more than four books allotted to this series, because it felt like all the plot threads, the romance, and questions couldn't be resolved without the ending being rushed and lacking in some elements. So, among other things, this book felt rushed. It felt lacking. And I think that that could've been avoided if there had been at least one more book to tie everything up.

So, now onto the specifics.

Truthfully, I started out liking the plot a lot. Britta was in danger, the crew was on the verge of mutiny, Crow showed his true colours. I loved the plot... until Britta and co arrived on the Hungry Isle.

I also didn't like how Sky and Jewel were pushed to the side after Britta and co arrived on the island. I'd been hoping for more scenes of Britta, Sky and Jewel working together, but instead we got Britta doing all this stuff by herself. I do like that Britta got to defeat the King of Tier on her own merit, but I would've like it as well if there were more scenes including Britta, Sky and Jewel. Sky and Jewel were out of focus for much of the book, and this saddened me because I really like their characters and would've loved to see more of them.

On the whole, the plot was okay. Not great, but okay. I expected better though. Maybe it was asking too much, but oh well. The climax on the isle was beautiful, and the final scene on the isle near the sea with Sky and Britta was nice (though I did have some issues with that, too). I liked that Rodda managed to give them a scene on the island where they were alone together, even if wasn't what I'd expected or all that I'd hoped for.

And then after that, Britta had amnesia... I liked how realistically this was written. However much I love the DQ books, Doom's amnesia was definitely not realistic, and neither was Rye's. Britta's was, something which I was thankful for. The only thing I didn't like about this amnesia was that it was used to drive forward the plot. This wouldn't have annoyed me so much, except it had already been done to death in The Three Doors, so why repeat it here? And I hated that Britta's amnesia was meant to lead up to the reveal about the King of Tier, mainly because I just hated that reveal. But I'll go into that later.

So, Britta gradually regains her memories of what happened on the Isle of Tier. And also,

And finally, the ending. It was so predictable.

And the reveal about Dare Larsett... that was horrible.

Also, what did was way too disturbing to be in a children's story (even if this series is for slightly older readers). I was disturbed when I was reading it. It left a really bad taste in my mouth. While it was nice to see Rodda writing more mature content, I think that this was going a bit too far.

The ending chapter was nice, to a point.

And that leads into another thing I want to talk (or rather, rant) about...

The Romance.



That being said, if Rodda writes another series set in the Nine Seas world, I'd definitely read it. Especially if it's about Britta, Sky and Jewel. I do think that they need to have more books focused on them, because Sky and Jewel are such interesting characters and Star of Deltora didn't give them much chance to truly shine. After reading The Hungry Isle I'm left with a longing (like an itch) to read more about Sky, Jewel and Britta. There were so many things that were mentioned that I'd love to see Rodda go into more in future books.

I'm not going to go on about how this book undermined the themes that were set up in SotM, Two Moons and Illica. I think I've said enough about what I don't like about this book. But I'll just say that this series should have dealt properly with the themes it introduced. Rodda had a great opportunity to send a strong message with her themes in this series, but instead she went with a quick-fix.

That's all I've got to say. :) I didn't like this book, but I know it had some good points (like the Britta/Sky scenes we got, even if they weren't much). So, I give this 1 star. -4 stars for all the stuff I've just described and 1 star for the very few good things that I liked about the book.








Profile Image for Daisy.
100 reviews
November 10, 2016
UGh when is this going to be released on kindle? what's taking so long?! all the others were promptly released on kindle...
Profile Image for Jess.
193 reviews12 followers
January 23, 2021
The journey concludes as the Star of Deltora and it's crew escape Illica, only to be drawn to the Hungry Isle by the Staff of Tier. As they are placed in perilous danger, the Rosalyn apprenticeship suddenly seems to be of the least importance when motives and secrets are revealed.

What a great ending! Some of the twists I predicted, but others pleasantly surprised me. I loved getting to know Sky better, but would have loved to see more of Jewel; she's my favourite! Britta's development was great, but I wanted a more in-depth resolution with her mother and sister; from memory, they treated her poorly in the first book when they found out she wanted to be a trader. I think this is one of those cases where an extra chapter or two would have really done some good in bringing us closure and explaining how their lives immediately afterward played out, rather than the basic summary we were provided with.

Overall, a very enjoyable series with a strong female lead and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys children's/middle grade fantasy.
Profile Image for Sue.
478 reviews16 followers
August 14, 2017
It was so so good! I really liked how Britta overcame everything and still kept herself as herself. I love how Jewel and Sky became such good friends with her. The reveal was really shocking for me and the conclusion was sweet. The only thing I had a problem with was the last few chapters felt like a summary more than experiencing it. However, with a strong yet realistic heroine I would read this again and definitely have my daughters read it.
Profile Image for Mishell.
954 reviews
September 25, 2024
The Hungry Isle part was one of worst things this author wrote IMO. But the conclusion and how every loose end was dealt with was magnificent.
53 reviews
July 23, 2017
I read this whole book in one afternoon & evening. Partly because I had the day off but mostly because whenever I put it down I would go back to it after 5 minutes.

This series is really good. If you love Emily Rodda's previous series, you'll love this too.

I'm not gonna spoil anything (and don't read the reviews that give too much info...) just read it and enjoy!

Obviously, read books 1, 2, 3 first. This is the last in the series.

For some reason, I couldn't find this in e-book form on Kindle or Google books (even though the others were there), but check with your local library (if you're in Australia) they will probably have it or buy a copy from a bookstore.
Profile Image for Heather.
7 reviews
December 7, 2017
Read the whole book in one go. A classic ‘ just one more chapter.’ Ogaden guesses at bits and pieces of how it oils all en but there were plenty of surprises! I will say that all the loose ends were tied a little too neatly but that’s better than a messy ending with too many unanswered questions.
Profile Image for Kat.
331 reviews2 followers
June 30, 2017
a lot of plot twists in this one, really enjoyed the series, gonna miss britta
Profile Image for Bahman Bahman.
Author 3 books242 followers
July 25, 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.
2 reviews
September 12, 2016
BRIEF SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

The Hungry Isle renders poignant themes from the last two books meaningless. It suffers from too many trite plot points and character revelations, something you'd never expect from Emily Rodda. Rodda's other final-books captivate you by reconciling all the story's threads and mysteries masterfully. In The Hungry Isle's case, the narrative promptly fizzles out after reaching an early high point.
Profile Image for Silencia.
169 reviews3 followers
April 6, 2018
CALLED. IT.

Ahem. So, aside from calling the main plot twist back in book 1, I have a couple of feelings about this book.

First off, where are my sailor lesbians? Look, I am a simple woman with simple tastes. You send a bunch of teen girls out on a boat for three months, I expect some sailor girlfriends by the end of it. Being denied this made me sad.

Also, the thing with Mab and Britta was horrifying, as well as the issues between Vashti and her father, and I'm angry that so many adults failed these kids in such spectacular ways. Which I guess is a good thing, actually, since it means I somehow got invested in these kids when I wasn't looking?

That being said, I did enjoy the book. I enjoyed it a lot more than book 2 and a bit more than book 3, actually, so I'm glad I kept going. The scene with Britta and Sky near the end was particularly fascinating for me, though the last couple of chapters with Mab and all turned into a bit of a cluster of confusion.

Overall, a solid ending to a series that had its ups and downs.
7 reviews
May 25, 2019
I have previously read the other 3 books in this series last year. For some reason I did not see the twist that came in this book coming like it did. I was really happy to see how Ms. Rodda found a way to make the twist exciting. Even though I am an adult I enjoyed this book series and look forward to my daughter reading in a year or so. I feel that at 9 she could read and comprehend the book well however I'm not sure I would want her to read some of the content at this point. Happy that I previewed it before letting her read it.
Profile Image for brennieree33.
306 reviews1 follower
February 16, 2021
The only words I have for this are holy crap. I was very ready to give this book a two-three star rating (I hadn't decided yet) when I had about 50 pages left, but OH BOY did that change. Pretty much all of the things that had made me want to give it a bad review changed with the freaking top-notch plot twist at the end. I had started to think that Rodda's writing reminded me a little bit of Brandon Sanderson's, and when that plot twist hit I was SURE it was very similiar. This wrap up to the series was AMAZING. That was great. It was worth it reading the rest of the books to get here.

Profile Image for Mara.
220 reviews12 followers
August 13, 2020
3/5 stars

The first time I read this series and finished it, I cried. it felt like I was in a book hangover. Admittedly, this was the first series I read while the books were coming out, so it might be because of that experience. But upon reread, I think it's the weakest series the author has written in this universe. Like the first book was a set-up, this book was mostly a wrap-up. Britta felt mostly distant throughout the entire book, making it hard to connect to her. Without the reveal (which had fooled me), this book isn't all that exciting. The friendships had been put to the background, there was no new, fascinating world-building I could enjoy. The overall grandness of the plot just felt lacking. There was nothing that really made me love the original series or even the previous books in this series. But for me, this reread was also to see how much my taste has changed. I still love the world of Deltora, but this series just doesn't quite work for me.
Profile Image for Becky Pirkle.
102 reviews
January 2, 2021
“The world is wide and full of wonders.” 🌎

“Like the stars in the sky, some things are forever.” ⭐️

As the Star of Deltora begins its return journey home, Britta and her companions find themselves hopelessly entangled in dangerous circumstances that land them in a place of nightmares: The Hungry Isle. Secrets are revealed and Britta must make the most difficult choice yet: her friends or her future.

Wow!! What a roller coaster! This final installment of the Star of Deltora series did not disappoint with twist after twist after twist that finally resolves into a satisfying ending. Now seeing how Rodda resolved all the loose ends, I would love to go back and re-read this series to see how she leaves clues for readers all along the way. This series would be wonderful for reluctant readers as you are quickly pulled into the story from the beginning of the first novel. I would also recommend this series to anyone who loves magical elements, adventure, mystery and suspense.
Profile Image for Amber.
409 reviews
December 22, 2022
This was an incredible journey with these 4 contestants.
Britta goes through so much. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole series...
I love these characters so much. It would be fun to read more about them.
I wish there was more!!! I'm gonna have to seek out the books about Rowan of Rin, that's all I have left of the book about Deltora.


*SPOILERS*


I knew something felt off on Tier... when they faced off against the Island's king...
Britta forgot that one piece of vital info about her father... dun dun dunnn!
It's not him!! I was shocked. He'd been in the grave back home this whole time!
I can't believe I didn't see that coming. I kind of want to re-read it now
just to see if I can find any foreshadowing that I missed, cause that was huge!
It changes a lot for Britta and everyone involved in what happened with the Star of Deltora ship.
Clever Goosly. I liked that mud doll. Very resourceful and smart.
Profile Image for Emmy.
2,503 reviews58 followers
July 27, 2020
So, there might have been some silent screaming involved (with some of the things that come up in this book). There was also a lot of gasping, and covering my mouth with my hand. And of course, my smile was from ear to ear. This was an amazing ending to the series!

All of the Star of Deltora books are good. I've enjoyed each and every one of them. But, man...by the time I finished the series, my mind was just reeling. Emily has the amazing talent of being an author who is genuinely good, who remains consistently good, and whose books, while written for children, have an appeal that makes them excellent reading material for kids and adults alike. I don't know how she does it!

If you're looking for a really engaging series, then look no further. These books were amazing, and I'm so sad that they're over already!
Profile Image for Querida.
55 reviews1 follower
April 13, 2020
This book really captured all of the same emotions that I got from the original deltora books. The end of this story is absolutely amazing and literally just had me crying so hard. Dare Larsett got his justice, Britta won her challenge, Sky and Jewel get to travel with her, even Master Sheevers was not spared in a happy ending. It made me so happy when Lief let him stay and find his lanterns. And when Dare was going to give Lief the staff to save the people who were suffering from PTSD from the Shadowlands my heart broke that he was never able to fulfill his mission. Immediately when I started reading this book had my adrenaline pumping and the story didnt let up. I absolutely LOVED this book so much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Pádraic.
923 reviews
November 4, 2020
The familial connections/mysteries were my least favourite part of this series, so most of the final book being devoted to that was always going to leave me at a distance. That's not to say it isn't still gripping, and if I was the kind of person who tried to predict twists, I don't think I would have predicted these. A great cast of characters here; I wish this series had been as long as the first Deltora Quest so we could have had much more time to spend with them. Of course the imagery is vivid and imaginative, as it always is with Rodda, and the ending is indeed mostly satisfying, but it's perhaps inevitable that I got more enjoyment out of the journey itself.
Profile Image for Bruno Rodrigues.
54 reviews
October 17, 2024
This book is my 30th Rodda's book, the 1st being Rowan of Rin 3 and a half months ago. Rodda is a great writer and her stories aimed at kids can certainly be appreciated by some adults like me. Between all series set in the world of Deltora, I must say Star of Deltora is the one that least appealed to me, and I probably wouldn't have gone through the four books if it wasn't for the precedent that I really enjoyed Rowan of Rin, DQ, DQ2, DQ3 and Three Doors Trilogy. This final book, however, didn't feel like a drag in anyway, on the contrary, I had to contain myself not to read through it all in one setting, just like it happened with the books in the other series.
Profile Image for Cassandra.
1,079 reviews55 followers
November 9, 2025
These were really fun! Definitely don't need to be 4 books though; each took me about 45 mins and it really is one continuous story - more so than Deltora Quest.

Classic Rodda twist at the end (funnily enough, I'd predicted it back in book 1 but forgotten).
Profile Image for a*s*h.
389 reviews1 follower
November 26, 2021
This was just fantastic, loved the series from start to finish. Heart very full, there’s nothing quite like an excellently happy ending, you know? All loose ends tied up and everyone gets what they deserve. Truly a masterful way to end the series, Ms Rodda has done it again. Will miss these characters and this world, can’t wait for what comes next for Deltora.
Profile Image for Janessa.
19 reviews
May 26, 2023
The final installment of this series is full of twists and turns! Some predictable, but one in particular that the author ensured you could not guess! I will say again that this series is definitely for a younger audience, but is still a good read! I will, honestly, end up reading the series again later down the road!
Profile Image for Amber Greene.
17 reviews
April 29, 2025
I finished this a while back, and could have sworn I wrote a review.
Because it was just. that. good.
I remember why Rodda's books are so satisfying. the endings, the .. the.. the everything!!
Sorry to be vague, but I don't want to accidentally give anything away.
Basically, my review here is, YES. YES, GO READ IT.
Profile Image for Tals.
47 reviews17 followers
May 20, 2017
This was my favourite out of the Star of Deltora series. After I had finished I wondered why my life was soooooooooooooooooooo boring. It had epic plot twists and I really miss the characters. I ship Britta and Sky and Margereth with Jantsy.
Profile Image for JoAnne Styger.
236 reviews44 followers
May 27, 2017
The last installment of Rodda's Star of Deltora series is a great read. Britta finally ends up facing her father on the Island of Tier and fights the toughest challenge of her life.
Rodda created an excellent young adult character in Britta.
Profile Image for Pinkpigg33.
553 reviews
June 3, 2018
I read this series because my daughter loved it and wanted me to read it. So enjoyable. It is such a fun adventure you get to go on with Britta. I love that there is no love story specifically for her. I love the twists.
Profile Image for Kat!e Larson.
272 reviews29 followers
June 7, 2018
The ending was deeply satisfying... and yet I still want more. I'm obsessed with Jantsy. I love that he'a such a bit character but I also want to see more of him. And I just love Britta and want to follow more of her adventures.
Profile Image for Ashley.
94 reviews
September 13, 2018
Such a fun series! I am pleased with the conclusion. I decided to give it five stars because it was fun to read, hard to put down, and I would probably read the series again someday.

Now to explore more of Deltora!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.