Lives up to the nostalgia. As good as I remembered, if not better! ( )

Deltora Quest is one of the hallmarks of my childhood. I eagerly read and reread each book in the series when the next one came out. When they were all out, I read and reread the series whenever it struck my fancy. Which, quite frankly, was a lot. It's hard not to love them though, they're just typical fantasy and fantasy is my one true genre - no matter what else I read, it's always fantasy I come back to.

Quest stories are the quintessence of classic fantasy. There's nothing like a hero with a quest against evil. In Deltora Quest, the hero is Lief - a sixteen year old boy who wants nothing more than to return peace and happiness to his kingdom. When he is offered the chance to fulfil a promise his father made, he jumps - leaping headfirst into danger to try to make a difference.

The Belt of Deltora is the only thing that can defeat the Shadow Lord who rules but it was broken many years ago, the seven gems scattered across the realm and guarded by only the most evil creations. Lief sets out to find the gems and reunite the belt so that the Prince of Del can claim his throne and push the evil of the Shadow Lord back into the Shadowlands and away from the kingdom. Lief begins his journey with the beggar Barda, an old friend of his parents but it's not long before they're also joined by Jasmine, the wild orphaned girl they meet at their first stop - and her companions Filli (a possum? mouse? type thing?) and Kree, a raven.

Each book follows the trio as they travel the land for the lost gems, weaving a tightly written narrative with lots of action and adventure. Along the way they meet new people both friends and enemies, have to confront their own hopes and fears and figure out and solve many riddles, puzzles and problems to complete their quest.

In the second book, Lief, Barda and Jasmine are headed to the Lake of Tears and the quickest way there is through the territory ruled by the evil sorceress Thaegan. Jasmine argues against the route but although they are reluctant, cutting through her territory will allow them to shave days of their travel time to their destination - the Lake of Tears. Their first challenge comes upon them too soon with a golden eyed giant blocking the only way forwards - a swaying rope bridge over a cliff.

I really enjoyed all the riddles and puzzles that feature in the second book. I love that Jasmine is so adept at them too. For instance a row of eleven sticks (IIIIIIIIIII) - change eleven to nine without removing any sticks. NINE I'm absolutely useless at riddles and not that great at puzzles of this sort but I adore them and I love getting to see not only the riddle/puzzle but the answer. I'm hopeful I may actually get better at it. I also enjoyed Lief's one -

“We will play a game to decide which way you will die,” said the man. “You may say one thing, and one thing only. If what you say is true, I will strangle you with my bare hands. If what you say is false, I will cut off your head.”

Rodda, Emily. Deltora Quest #2: The Lake of Tears (p. 13). Scholastic Inc.. Kindle Edition.

He looked up boldly at the waiting man. “My head will be cut off,” he said clearly. The man hesitated. “Well?” cried Lief. “Did you not hear my statement? Is it true or false?” But he knew that his enemy would have no answer. For if the statement was true, the man was bound to strangle him, thus making it false. And if the statement was false, the man was bound to cut off his head, thus making it true.

Rodda, Emily. Deltora Quest #2: The Lake of Tears (p. 14). Scholastic Inc.. Kindle Edition.

They manage to get past the golden eyed giant but meet a contingent of Grey Guards escorting a prisoner - a Ralad (one of the race who built the palace of Del). They refuse to let an atrocity stand and help Manus escape. Only to get stuck in quicksand and rescued by Nij and Doj. Okay I loved this bit. Nij and Doj are really Jin and Jod, two of Thaegan's children. They're actually going to be eating the gang. Everything they say is backwards. I particularly enjoyed the hand stitched "Live No Evil" which is really "Live On Evil". It was a nice touch.

After they leave Nij and Doj, Manus explains what the odd V shape he keeps making is. It represents a secret resistance group who are working against the evil tyranny of the Shadow Lord and is synonymous with freedom. Together they travel to Manus' homeland, Raladin and rest before Manus agrees to take them to Soldeen - the monster inhabiting the Lake of Tears.

They confront Soldeen and manage to defeat him when he comes into contact with the Topaz and it clears his mind but the danger is not over - Thaegan arrives to cut them down. Thaegan can only be defeated if she sheds one drop of blood. Unfortunately her entire body is shielded - all except her pointer finger - the finger she uses to release her magic. I liked this bit, very reminiscent of Achilles' heel. And I really enjoyed the fact that Kree is the one who saves the day by mauling her finger.

With Thaegan gone, all her spells are undone. The Lake reverts to its natural state, freeing the woman Elthena. Soldeen is actually Nanion and both him and Ethena are chiefs of D'Or. Manus can speak again. And the second gem, the Ruby, is returned to the Belt of Deltora.



5 stars. ( )

The quest continues...as well as the monster's compelling stories. ( )

Another gem regains its rightful place on the belt, and the restoration of D'or and the Ralad people's' voices. The book had a satisfying progression. The defeat of the Sorceress, Theagan, was swift but a long battle with her would not have ended well for the group. I liked how she was destroyed by her favorite 'snack'. My only complaint is how misunderstood Jasmine can sometimes be by her companions. She is reserved and keeps herself in check, really she would prefer to do things her own way. But her loyalty has been proven multiple times and her talents are highly valuable. The fact that Lief, and especially Barda, had doubted her when they encounter Jin and Jod angered me somewhat. The two males are almost more of a liability so far. They have not accomplished anything significant on their own. If Jasmine has suspicions, it would do them well to be less trusting of the people or creatures they encounter. ( )

This is the second in the popular Deltora Quest series. The story picks up where the first left off, with the quest for the next gem from the set that have been scattered across the world.

There are riddles and puzzles in this book. Few have any originality, but they are still good riddles, and for younger readers who have not seen them before, they will be fun to read and to amaze their friends with. My 7 year old daughter is enjoying this series very much. However there is less here for older readers - Amazon suggests an age of 9-12, but my recommendation would be children a little younger would enjoy these more. ( )