Book Review: "The Shifting Sands" by Emily Rodda

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

With the group out of supplies, they head to the nearest city, where they hope to earn money. When they come across a flier for a way to earn it, they gladly pursue it. But the task may be easier said than done. And even if they survive, walking out with the prize money might not be so easy. And of course, there is still the matter of the shifting sands and the next gem.

RETURNING CHARACTERS

Lief becomes crucial to the book. He becomes a guide, although we don't understand why until later. There was a good scene where he feels homesick and Jasmine seems curious. He gets embarrassed, and thinks she would think him weak. It shows that insecure part of him. As well as his fear from his vision in the last book.

Barda has a small scene where he gets mad at Lief near the end of the book. It was nice, and showed how much he cared for him. But I wish they had been more development in their relationship. Also, Barda only plays one role in the last chapter. It's a crucial role, but it seems overshadowed by Jasmine, again.

Jasmine and Kree are crucial to this book. Kree helps them when they are lost multiple times. And Jasmine always spots trouble before it starts. She senses the grey guard before they come, as well as a follower who tries to attack. Each time, keeping them alert or helping them to hide. Also, Jasmine's character develops as we learn of her regrets after a fight.

NEW CHARACTERS

Doom, the same man who they saw at Toms, is competing against the group. Lief develops a hatred for him, suspecting him of secretly attacking them.

Mother Brightly is hosting the task. She is very friendly and accommodating. But she may not be what she seems.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Although I mentioned it briefly, both Jasmine and Lief show good development in this book. Rodda continues to show she knows how to create deep characters, which isn't always in easy task (note that the Deltora books are quite short stories as well). Especially when so many authors overlook this in favor of story. I do find the majority of authors are “story” first and “character” second, authors.

Jasmine could easily come off as a “Mary sue” who knows everything and is always having to save the guys. After all, Lief is young and inexperienced, and Barda isn't much of a guardian. But Rodda manages to exploit her weaknesses. In “City of the Rats” where Jasmine lets her temper get the better of her and actually says it may be best to leave. This book addresses it more fully, as Jasmine herself admits how she lets her anger get the better of her and is disgusted with herself.

Lief has had many instances of self-doubt. Even though he has risen to the occasion, like in the last book, where he boldly and bravely threatens Reeah the snake, he never thinks he is some hero. I found this refreshing. How many times have you said, if I do this, I will feel better about myself? Lief keeps doing amazing things, but like a real person, continues to have insecurities that he refuses to share for fear that people will learn the truth.

PACING

Same good cliffhanger endings. They help move the story along.

RIDDLES

There are still a few riddles, one regarding a half eaten away sign, and another involving mysterious marks in the sand. But they are not really meant for the reader to solve. I had no desire to even try. I feel that is one small critique.

EXPLICIT CONTENT-SPOILERS

Grey guards get killed and their corpses are eaten.

CONCLUSION

The story is well paced and original. For the first time the guardian of the gem is a mystery, and not on the cover of the book. We gain insight into both Jasmine and Lief's fears. And a small hint of Barda's feelings of needing to protect Lief. Although I still feel that he is underused. I give “The Shifting Sands” three and a half stars.

Book Review: "City of the Rats" by Emily Rodda

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Lief, Barda and Jasmine head to the city of rats, but are stopped when they end up trapped in a weird cult obsessed with cleanliness. They accidentally become trapped and have to find a way out. But even so, they still have to find the City of rats.

RETURNING CHARACTERS

Lief is still slightly naive (at least when it comes to Tom) but is not stupid. He notes how strange the group of people they meet are, even before the truth comes out. He later reveals how he figured out a strange connection no one else saw.

Barda still doesn't have much of a part to play, I am afraid. Although he does remind Lief of an item that saves them in one scene. But other than that, he doesn't do much.

Jasmine, again does much of the hard work. She helps Lief defeat the snake while Barda does nothing but watch. I do not know why Rodda didn't simply let Barda do it. Jasmine already helped in the first quest and she saved them from Jin and Jod in the second.

NEW CHARACTERS

Tira is a young girl who Lief saves from a fierce punishment. She later comes to their aid and although she seems timid and helpless, she proves herself brave.

Tom is the shopkeeper to where the group purchases many items for their quest. Jasmine does not quite like the shop and even Barda is suspicious at first. But Lief is easily won over by the many amazing items. But Tom may not be what he seems.

Reeah is the huge snake that guards the opal and lives in the city of rats.

Lord Ra-kacharz is the leader of a strange cult that the group comes upon in a city called Noradzeer.

PACING

The pacing is decent and like the other books, many chapters are cliffhanger endings.

STRUCTURE

The structure is similar to the last book, as the main part of the story keeps them from their goal, but helps them learn about the enemy or obtain something to help defeat the enemy (Manus and his flute in book two for example). A large portion of the book is spent with the weird cleanliness cult, and then getting to the city.

CLIMAX

The actual confrontation with Reeah the giant snake is only one chapter long. I kind of expected it to be longer. It was mostly a scene where we started to understand the odd cult that we ran into before.

RELATIONSHIPS-SPOILERS

The relationship between Jasmine and Lief develops as Jasmine admits she does not believe that the kings and queens could be so stupid and blind as Lief says. She even suggests that she stay behind in one scene because they do not agree on some things (being the truth of the kings). Barda is mad at her but Lief understands. He used to feel the same way.

Also, Jasmine tends to provide a counter view on many things, like when she notes that Tom only believes in himself, like many creatures do. Lief argues with her about how he is not a creature and should know what is right.

RIDDLES

There are riddles just like in the last book, some with words twisted, and another where Lief has to avoid being tricked by two pieces of paper that both say death. The riddles are simple but it's still interesting to see them solved.

EXPLICIT CONTENT-SPOILERS

A man is killed by poison. The snake is killed by cutting its throat open.

CONCLUSION

Rodda creates another unique tale with fun riddles to solve. Jasmine and Lief's characters are at odds often in the book but develop quite well. Although Barda is still rather useless and the climax is short, I still found the book a worthy entry in the series. I give “City of the Rats” three and half stars.

Book Review: "Lake of Tears" by Emily Rodda

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Lief, Barda and Jasmine head for the lake of tears. But their journey is slowed by a bridge-guarding monster, some Grey Guards and some man-eating monsters. Along the way they find a guide and a friend but still have to defeat the monster, Soldeen. Not to mention the evil sorcerer Thaegen.

RETURNING CHARACTERS

Lief does reveal some more of his personality. There is a time where he gets homesick but gets mad at himself. He doubts himself on more than one occasion, cursing his stupidity. He feels quite real in these moments. And there are moments of profundity where he wonders if some unseeing hand is guiding their journey. He thinks back to how he and his friends used to laugh at such ideas of having faith. It shows growth.

Jasmine reveals more skills, such as being able to see through a spell. She is also much more suspicious of people they come across. While Barda and Lief seem quite naive, it's Jasmine who has to point out the obvious. Also, she is crucial to saving their lives in one scene, showing not just her bravery, but her cleverness.

Barda once again doesn't seem to have a real purpose. The only use he has is he becomes a translator of Manus. I could understand that, perhaps if he was a tagalong, like Jasmine. But Barda supposedly watched over Lief his whole life. And yet he isn't much help so far.

When Jasmine gets stuck in quicksand, Barda can't pull her out. Even though she is most likely half his weight and he is supposed to be rather big and tough. It's Lief who has to figure out a way to save her. And I could understand Lief's naivete in a certain incident, but Barda, a grown man, can't sniff out any hints of deception? I started to wonder why he was there.

NEW CHARACTERS

Manus is the man they end up rescuing. He cannot speak and communicates in writing. Barda translates for him. He is very grateful for the rescue and insists on guiding them to the lake of tears. He is also very brave.

Thaegen is the sorcerer that rules this area. Jasmine is afraid for Kree, because she killed the raven's family. Thaegen is invincible, because she wears armor, and the only way to kill her is to draw blood.

Soldeen is the monster that guards the Lake of Tears. He is more than he seems.

PACING

The pacing is just as good as the first book. Rodda uses many of her trademark, cliffhanger endings.

FORESHADOWING

There are multiple hints of foreshadowing such as the guard of the bridge they meet in the start of the book. The end result is a sign of things to come.

As well as the riddle that Lief has to solve. Make note of the names that are sung to him.

And there are times where the narrator steps in, saying that they "should have listened to Jasmine", or that "Lief would never forget what happened the next day", ect.

RIDDLES

There are a few direct riddles in the beginning (I had to stop and try to solve Lief's math riddle), as well as some indirect ones left for the reader to solve. There is also a deceiving sign. See if you can figure out what words are missing. Not to mention a secret language that you will probably be able to figure out even before Lief does.

THE CLIMAX-SPOILERS

One might feel cheated as it is not our heroes that defeat Thaegen, but they do the brunt of the work beforehand. The monster in the lake of tears was much more dramatic and requiring more thought than Thaegen. I am not sure how I feel about that, seeing how she was built up before hand. I wish that had played a part in her downfall.

I like all parts of stories to come from purposeful actions. I Would forgive an accident, but the whimsical act of Lief's led to a huge part of the story. It took a large coincidence to do so. Also, the truth about Soldeen also comes from a rather odd source, Lief proclaiming his willingness to die for his friends. Although in all honesty, this comes from his actions, not just his proclamation, so I can forgive that.

EXPLICIT CONTENT

The group comes across stolen items from those that were drugged and eaten by monsters.

CONCLUSION

Rodda creates another well paced story with unique monsters and likable characters. Her riddles and codes make her stand apart. But Barda still feels useless and we get cheated out of showdown with Thaegen. I give “Lake of Tears” three and a half stars.

Book Review: "The Forests of Silence" by Emily Rodda

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Jarred and the young Prince of Deltora grow up together, but eventually are forced apart when he is crowned king. He waits till his friend calls him, but the kingdom is beyond saving from the the Shadow Lord by then. Eventually, Jarred and his wife have a son, who grows up. They ask him to set out on a quest to retrieve seven stolen items that will restore power to the king and free the land from oppression.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Jarred grew up in the palace as the prince's best friend. He is rebellious, questioning the Rule about not leaving he castle, and is often considered a bad influence. But his curious nature leads him to learning about the Belt of Deltora and its powers.

Endon is a rather sheltered prince. He doesn't question the Rule about not being able to leave the Castle. Because of this, he is rather naive, and easily manipulated.

Lief grows up under the rule of the Shadow Lord, enforced by the Gray Guard. He thinks its unjust and is slightly perplexed to why his parents are so meek and obedient.

Barda is the son of the maidservant of the young prince. He escaped as a child. He is not quite sure that Lief is up to the task, and lets his speculation show sometimes. He has experience with fighting and monsters and Lief learns to follow his lead.

Jasmine has lived her life since childhood alone in the woods with only animals for company. Because of this, she is rather blunt and often loses her temper. She has rare abilities, like being able to hear tree's talk, as they often warn of danger. She becomes a guide for Barda and Lief.

PACING

The first part of the story is paced slower than the second part. We get a history lesson, which is important but slow. As well as Jarred waiting around for Endon, and becoming a blacksmith. But this part is brief.

FORESHADOWING

The author uses foreshadowing to break in different situations to urge the reader on. Often warning about trouble that is about to happen, or a mistake that has just been made.

STRUCTURE

The story is set up into two parts. In the first part we learn all about how the royal family came to neglect the belt. It is the first seven chapters in a sixteen chapter books, so a little less than half. You could argue that the first part is just a prologue, and could have been summarized. But it doesn't seem to distract from the main story in my view.

PUZZLES

A good part of the story are puzzles and riddles. And often times I found myself stopping and trying to solve them myself. They are not overly difficult, nor too easy. I was surprised to find I cared at all about solving them, as I have never had any fondness for riddles or puzzles growing up. But Rodda makes it fun.

LIEF THE HERO

There is one scene in the beginning of part two, where Lief gets mad about how he has to sneak around. He is mad that he has to live under the rule of the Shadow Lord. But it seems like a basic teenage rebellion, with not much depth behind it. So when he agrees right away to go on a quest, I was kind of taken aback. I felt if he had such deep convictions, it should have been explained better. Maybe he witnessed some terrible things done by the gray guards (they are mentioned, but in vague terms).

JASMINE THE GUIDE

Jasmine plays an important role, as she saves Barda and Lief. Also, she guides them to where the Topaz is. Basically, she is essential to the story. She even helps them in the end in an unbelievable way.

SHARN THE WIFE

There is a short scene with Sharn, Endon's wife. She calls out to Jarred, as if she knows him personally, which felt weird. And then she ends up doing something rather shocking. The scene felt odd. I guess it was to show us that Prandine, who served the shadow Lord, was not to be a real problem.

BARDA THE WHAT? SPOILERS

One other criticism I have is Barda. He doesn't have much of a role. He is supposed to be able to protect Lief, but he doesn't' really do much of anything. His one attempt to defeat an enemy ends in failure. His main role seems to realize that Lief is worth bringing with, as he admits in the end. Even so, he should have been shown as someone that Lief could admire and want to prove himself to for his good qualities. Note merely because he existed.

EXPLICIT CONTENT- SPOILERS

Lief witnesses some giants spiders being eaten alive. A man is thrown out of a window to his death.

CONCLUSION

Rodda paints a simple story with unique monsters and likable characters. The riddles and puzzles make it unique from other tales. I give “The Forest of Silence” three and half stars.