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A review by acariad
Dread Mountain by Emily Rodda
5.0
I had very little memory of the book coming back into this reread, and man I was pleasantly surprised! I liked this so much more than I thought I would. Good pacing, great tension and it finally feels like the story is ramping up now that four stones have been found. The mentions that the Shadow Lord knows stuff is happening, and now Lief, Barda and Jasmine are being actively searched for by the Shadow Lord's agents, adds a sudden urgency for the trio to complete their quest as fast as possible.
The introduction of the Kin in this book was wonderful! I had definitely forgotten how much I loved Prin and the interactions our heroes had with the other Kin as well, and flight to Dread Mountain inside their pouches. Just such a delightful addition to an otherwise bleak series, I just love them so much!
The dreaming spring water giving us a glimpse of Lief's home and what happened to his parents while Lief was gone was a great addition as well, adding some much needed personal stake for Lief to finish the quest now, so he can go home and help his parents.
A little more teased info about Doom as well sprinkled in here and there, which I love. The gnomes are an interesting section of the story too, and seeing how they were enslaved by Gellick and unbeknownst to them, supplying the Shadow Lord with venom that is used to make Blisters was fascinating. Very satisfying when Lief finally took Gellick down with an item that I didn't see coming, even upon rereading! Great fun.
4.5/5, onwards to The Maze of the Beast!!
The introduction of the Kin in this book was wonderful! I had definitely forgotten how much I loved Prin and the interactions our heroes had with the other Kin as well, and flight to Dread Mountain inside their pouches. Just such a delightful addition to an otherwise bleak series, I just love them so much!
The dreaming spring water giving us a glimpse of Lief's home and what happened to his parents while Lief was gone was a great addition as well, adding some much needed personal stake for Lief to finish the quest now, so he can go home and help his parents.
A little more teased info about Doom as well sprinkled in here and there, which I love. The gnomes are an interesting section of the story too, and seeing how they were enslaved by Gellick and unbeknownst to them, supplying the Shadow Lord with venom that is used to make Blisters was fascinating. Very satisfying when Lief finally took Gellick down with an item that I didn't see coming, even upon rereading! Great fun.
4.5/5, onwards to The Maze of the Beast!!