micheich's Full Review: Emily Rodda - Dragon's Nest
The Dragon’s Nest, by Emily Rodda, is the first book in the series Dragon’s of Deltora. It is the story of a young king named Lief who rules over the country of Deltora. He is from a long line of blacksmiths who became kings. The story begins with a voice. An evil voice from the Shadow Lord who was recently banished to The Shadow Lands. The people of Del are happy to be rid of the menace but are concerned for their king and for the land around them. Everything seems to be dying. The crops are poor and hunting is scarce. Poverty and hunger are seen everywhere. The people have great hope that their king can help and bring about a time of prosper.
As Lief walks up the stairs to his castle, he can hear the voice of the Shadow Lord taunting him from the crystal hidden within the castle. With the magic Belt of Deltora and its powerful gems around his waist, he knows the evil cannot harm him but it drains him and fills him with fear. He needs to find a way to be rid of this crystal. Everything they have tried has failed. The voice will continue until it is gone.
When King Lief comes up with a plan to destroy this crystal once and for all, another mystery unravels. A piece of a map and a story of the Four Singing Sisters is revealed. The Four Sisters are a product of the Shadow Lord and his black magic. He has placed them in the four corners of Deltora, north, south, east and west, and they poison the land. His only hope he believes is to find the last of the dragons. The people believe the dragons to be dead. No one has seen one for centuries, except for the king and his friends, Barda and Jasmine. They know of one, the Golden Dragon, and where he is asleep. King Lief must find a way to awaken the Golden Dragon, and then locate the other six dragons, and get them to assist him and his friends on their quest to destroy the Four Sisters.
This book is an interesting read. With strange creatures we have never heard of and some resembling those of ancient mythology and folklore. The story moves at a fairly good pace that keeps the reader interested until the end. There are some plot twists that even I, as an adult, did not see coming. The writer does a great job describing the characters and landscapes that they travel through. I was easily able to picture all of them as I read the chapters.
After reading this book, I found at the end a list of other books written by this writer. I think that although this is the first in the dragons’ series that this series is actually a piece of a larger series of books. The others that I believe may have come before this one are Deltora Quest and Deltora Shadowlands. Although I am sure each series can be read separately and enjoyed that way, I think I may hold off on reading the rest of this one until I can check out the first book in the Deltora Quest series.
I read this book in paperback version. It is part of a set of four I purchased for $15 at a local book fair. The book is 181 pages long. There are very few pictures in this book. The only time we see a picture is when the characters find a map or a sign. I did not feel the need for pictures though as everyone and everything was described quite well and I prefer to use my imagination. The book is geared toward younger children. It is easy to read and I finished it in less then two hours. My youngest son is looking forward to his turn now.
I would recommend this book to children in 3rd grade on up. There is some death and a little gore but nothing extreme and the author never dwells or goes into great details on these events. It shows a child as a king and he has great compassion for his kingdom and the people with in it. I believe he is a positive role model for any child who reads this book.
The evil Shadow Lord has been banished, but famine still stalks Deltora, and only monsters thrive. As the starving people weaken, Lief, Jasmine and Ba...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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