The Sister Of The South (Dragons Of Deltora #4)

Lief, Jasmine and Barda have freed Deltora from the Shadow Lord's power, restored the Belt of Deltora and even rescued the Deltoran prisoners from the Shadowlands, but all is not well in Deltora. There is a growing shortage of food as crops fail, harvests lessen and the people starve.

But new

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information comes to light of a curse the Shadow Lord has left - Four Sisters - terrible servants of the Shadow Lord that are poisoning the land. The only hope is to set out on a new quest to find the only thing said to be able to defeat them - the Dragons of Deltora.

Three of the four Sisters have been defeated, leaving only the final threat - the Sister of the South. But Lief, Jasmine and Barda are stunned at the lengths the Enemy will go to succeed.

Plots woven into plots it's amazing how Rodda comes up with her books. This was another fast paced action adventure filled with magic, legends of old and fierce and terrible monsters. More history of the dragons is given and many smaller plots are wrapped up like why Lief looked like Bede from the Masked Ones troupe.

My favourite part though concerned Doom and Jasmine.

‘Ah, she was cunning,’ muttered Doom.
‘Why, you almost sound as if you admire her!’ growled Barda.
Doom grimaced. ‘If she had chosen to use her talents for good, she might have been a great asset to us,’ he said. ‘Lief and I found supplies of that yellow paper beneath her mattress, you know. She never stopped thinking and planning. I am sure that by the end she had convinced Josef that I was working secretly for the Enemy.’

‘I considered that myself, Doom,’ Jasmine said calmly.
‘Indeed?’ Doom said, raising an eyebrow. ‘And why was that?’
‘Lief said the guardian of the south was subtle, quick-thinking, and very clever,’ Jasmine answered, shrugging. ‘That sounded more like you than anyone else in the palace.’
‘Why, thank you,’ Doom said drily.
‘Also …’ Jasmine checked the points off on her fingers. ‘You have been in the Shadowlands. You are proud and ruthless. You mix with strange people. You are awake all hours of the night. You were one of the few to see Sharn the night she fell ill—’

‘Why, plainly Paff went to my room that first night and put poison in my lip balm while I was still downstairs!’ exclaimed Sharn, very shocked. ‘Doom was the one who realised the cream was poisoned, when he brought the royal emeralds and amethysts to my chamber. He was the one who saved me!’
‘And me,’ Zeean put in. ‘Jasmine, how could you think such a thing of your father?’

Jasmine shrugged again. ‘Doom is not an ordinary father,’ she said.
‘Very true,’ said Doom. ‘And you are no ordinary daughter, I am happy to say. If I had been in your place, I would have thought exactly as you did. We are more alike than we realised, it seems.’ He grinned broadly, and Jasmine’s tired face broke into an answering smile.

Zeean and Sharn both shook their heads, clearly bewildered by this strange example of family loyalty.

Rodda, Emily. DQ3 #4: SISTER OF THE SOUTH . Scholastic. Kindle Edition.

Lmfao. It was perfection. It was summed up everything I love about Jasmine and Doom and their relationship to each other. Although I was also pretty amused by Lindal of Broome when she was demanding the meeting be held at her sick bed. Her and Barda are perfect for one another. After all, he did the same thing in Return to Del. And the dragons were fantastic with their disdain for each other and Jasmine arguing against them.

A satisfying conclusion to a terrific fantasy quest with everyone living happily ever after. 5 stars.

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