SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
Lief and his friends are finally on their way to Dread mountain. And with the help of some new friends, may get their without incident. But when they arrive, they still have to deal with the gnomes that guard the mountain and their treasure. And it turns out there is more than the gnomes to deal with.
RETURNING CHARACTERS
Lief shows multiple instances of awareness at his own failings, as well as how he has changed since he started this journey. But in some ways, it is revealed, he still has growing up to do in an argument scene with Barda. But he retains his cleverness with puzzles. And for the first time, it is he alone who is instrumental in the climax. He also shows maturity, when he calmly decides he will give his life for his cause.
Barda seems to have revealed his place. He keeps Jasmine from acting on her temper, as well as calming Lief when he is not thinking clearly. He plays a key role in this book, finally replacing Jasmine, who has dominated the series so far. His idea helps the group find a path to the mountain and he keeps Lief from actually abandoning there mission altogether, which is crucial.
Jasmine still loses her temper, although she is always calmed by Barda or Lief. She still shows a lack of trust with people other than her friends, when it comes to a mystery surrounding Doom. But for the first time, she serves as a voice of wisdom and calm, when it is discovered that they have an unexpected guest on their journey. Normally, her wisdom is relegated to her ability to talk to the trees and her knowledge of the land.
NEW CHARACTERS
Prin is the youngest of the Kin, a race of creatures that slightly resemble dogs, but stand upright and have pouches for their young. Although she is the youngest of her family, Prin goes from being whiny and selfish to being brave and selfless. She also proves essential to the team.
RELATIONSHIPS
Barda again plays the part of a mentor to Lief, but for the first time, we see him react to Jasmine being in serious danger. For once, he loses his temper, while Jasmine is the calm one. It was an interesting switch, seeing Jasmine be gentle with Prin, and Barda letting his emotions get the better of him.
PACING & PATTERN
The pacing is still decent. Same cliffhanger endings that move things along. And the pattern is not exactly the same as the last few books. We get to the mountain pretty fast in the book. There is no large event that keeps us from our destination, like the fighting tournament in “The Shifting Sands” or the cult in “City of the Rats”. Although Rodda follows the same pattern of having a new helper, this time Prin, being instrumental in the quest.
RIDDLES
There is a clever use of hidden words, that makes you go pages back and test it out yourself. That was one of my favorites so far.
FORESHADOWING
There is good use of foreshadowing and hints at what is to come. Multiple times, the reader is given a hint that something is not right, or given information that should be stored away for future use. Its a sign of good storytelling when all the information you get is crucial to the story. Everything carries meaning. Even if the reader cannot see it at the time.
THE ODD VRAAL
There is a fight scene with a scaly beast called a Vraal. For some reason, we get inside of its head, and see its point of view in the fight, before we go back to Lief. It felt odd to me. I kept thinking, why are we learning so much about this monster? Why do I care? It made me think that it was going to return and play a more important role. But it never did. It just felt strange to me.
EXPLICIT CONTENT-SPOILERS
Some gnomes are witnessed being poisoned and dying. Members of the guard are killed through magic.
CONCLUSION
Rodda creates another story with good pacing and likable characters that are consistent and developing. Not to mention Barda has finally seemed to have been given a clear place on the team. The story pattern is changed up slightly, and Lief surprised me by having a solo role. I give “Dread Mountain” four stars.
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