The Isle of Illusion

Deltora Shadowlands #2

by Emily Rodda

The race to save Deltora continues in this remarkable new fantasy adventure!

Lief, Barda, and Jasmine are desperately searching for the three parts of the fabled Pirran Pipe, their only hope of saving the thousands of Deltorans held captive by the evil Shadow Lord.
As their loved ones left behind in Del struggle in a thickening web of rumor, suspicion, and treachery, the companions move on to the mysterious island of Auron. They have been warned that terrible dangers await them. But nothing can prepare them for what is to come.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Adventure, Middle Grade, Magic

160 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2002

About the author

Emily Rodda (real name Jennifer Rowe) was born in Sydney, Australia and graduated from the University of Sydney in 1973 with an MA (Hons) in English Literature. Moving into a publishing career, first as a book editor, and finally as a publisher at Angus & Robertson, Rodda's first book was published in 1984.

Reviews

[Mahdi Lotfi · Rating 3 out of 5]

این مجموعه در ادامه مجموعه هشت جلدی در جستجوی دلتورا ادامه میابد، حال پس از نجات دلتورا و یکپارچه کردن کمربند جادویی دلتورا لیف ، باردا و جاسمین راهی سفری دیگر می شوند تا اسرا و افراد ربوده شده از دلتورا را از سرزمین سایه ها نجات دهند و باز گردانند؛ این مجموعه در سه جلد ماجرای این سفر زیبا و هیجان انگیز و پر دلهره را روایت میکند.

[Sara Kamjou · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب دوم از مجموعه‌ی دوم رو هم دوست داشتم. اینکه داستان بین ماجراجویی‌های شخصیت‌های محبوبم و اتفاقات قصر جابه‌جا می‌شد رو خیلی دوست داشتم. برام عجیبه که دنبال کردن جریانات قصر جذاب‌تر از ماجراجویی‌های اصلی بود.

[Nastaran · Rating 4 out of 5]

از جلد اول خیلی قوی‌تر بود، پیچ و تاب داستان بیشتر شده بود و چندتایی معما هنوز توی داستان هست که جذاب‌ترش می‌کنه نسبت به جلد اول. امیدوارم جلد ۳ از این هم بهتر بشه :">>

[Lidya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok babes, there was A LOT going on here, and I'm trying to decipher my hastily written notes on my phone so bear with me. First of all, Miss Rodda did not miss with the nasty baddies. Those brain controlling worms had me GAGGING. Also, I love how we're in the midst of life-threatening danger and teenagers will still find the energy to be teenagers. Lief and Jasmine having a lovers' spat and Barda just completely ignoring it was SO funny. Having the knowledge of what their miscommunication about added to the hilarity of the situation, however, in the moment, I still couldn't help but empathise with both of them. Their hurt and worry for each other was so evident and I just couldn't bear to think that Jasmine believe Lief didn't care about her deeply and vice versa.

I also loved how Rodda is still able to weave in complex ideas in junior fiction. I read the construction of the dome and inner sanctum as an allegory for religious zealotry. The fact that he was the sole person still keeping the illusion up was so disturbing, especially once the dome broke and the giant spiders came in.

ALSO the fact that the pipe is just a recorder SENDS me.

[DivaDiane SM · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, we enjoyed this book a lot. No interesting puzzles, unless you consider figuring out how to get into the Dome a puzzle (I don't), but interesting people, monsters and situations nonetheless. There is much more darkness in this trilogy than in the original Quest. Maybe it's because they are in an underground Cavern? At any rate, there is much more "scuro" in the Chiaroscuro that we've come to expect from Rodda. The characters are still very nuanced but there is more strife. For sure, they are much less innocent this time and know much better what is at stake.

Looking forward to the final installment.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I freaking hate miscommunication and spiders

[Saja]

I loved this book I’m up to the last book of the shadowlands series these books are so good and you can not put them down! ♥️ I can’t wait to know what is happening! 😊 😃 📚

[Armin Khodadadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

نظرم عوض نشد. همان ریویوی قبلی :-"

[♡☆Fatima☆♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ I thoroughly enjoyed this more than the last book. Feels like they're back to their adventure again. Lief still needs to wake the fuck up on why Jasmine is pissed at him. It's just awkward between them. I get that there's no time to speak when every second they rest, SOMETHING is always after them. But please, no more awkwardness. Barda is just there. He got his popcorn ready when the outburst happened.

Aside from the awkward thing, at least he still cares for her. He really held her before even crashing into the water KNOWING she couldn't swim. And even when he's in trouble, HE DID NOT LET HER DROWN UNTIL SOMEONE HELD ONTO HER AND PUT HER ON LAND😭😭😭😭 ITS PROGRESS!!!!

Lief: "I know what you want to say, and you can save your breath. I will not leave you." 😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

As for this part of the quest, I would drown in the weed ocean than deal with that gigantic ass spider. This dude, Auris legit crouch out in the open, whispering magic spells that did nothing and got killed by it. IMAGINE THAT SPIDER YOU SEE ON THIS COVER CAME SPRINTING AT YOU BECAUSE YOU TOUCH HIS WEBS. FUCK NO!!! Wake me up when the spider is dead. Me and Cree will be chilling with Penn and gossiping. You wanna know the dumb thing about this, they went to Auris to get the second piece of the pirran pipe, AND THE FUCKER DIDN'T HAVE IT!!! So all that was for nothing and another dude, who they spoke before going in the dome already had it💀💀💀 but honestly Lief was so real on leaving Auris alone cause the spider can deal with him. Not getting involved. Also, I would like to agree with Jasmine saying, "Did you forget about your magic cloak?" cause how are they now realising they still have it????

Throughout Lief, Barda, and Jasmine journey, we get a few chapters on what's happening at Deltora, and I wanna say, can someone in the palace do me a big favour and send back Marilen to Tora because this girl waiting on Lief is just pissing me off. Homeboy don't want you. Otherwise, would he ditch you the second Jasmine disappear??? DIDN'T THINK SO!!!! "Lief will come back for me." NO HE WON'T!!!! NOT FOR YOU AT LEAST!!! HE ONLY VISITED YOUR PLACE BECAUSE HE'S NEGLECTING HIS DUTIES LIKE A LAZY KING!!!! It only took Jasmine disappearance to realise that.

next book is I THINK the last of this mini adventure and then maybe, actually defeating the shadow lord🤷‍♀️ we'll see about that.

[Afra Nouri · Rating 4 out of 5]

۴ ستاره‌ای که دادم با در نظر گرفتن اینه که این مجموعه برای رده سنی پایین نوشته شده.

[Zahra Labbafan · Rating 3 out of 5]

نمره ۳.۵
واقعا به نظرم این مجموعه از مجموعه هشت جلدی اول خیلی قوی‌تر هست.
روند اتفاقات
پرش مکانی برای گفتن موقعیت شخصیت‌ها
روند پیدا کردن فلوت پیران زیباتر و قشنگ تر و روان تر بیان شده

تو در جستجوی دلتورا خیلی جاها حس میکردم دیگه لیف زیادی شانس داره و خیلی جاها شانسی گوهر رو پیدا میکرد یا امکان پیدا کردنش براش فراهم میشد
ولی برای جستجو فلوت پیران بیشتر از منطق و استعدادهاشون استفاده میکنند که خوب این جذاب‌تر هست
وقتی هشت جلدی اول رو تمام کردم میلی به خواندن ادامه آن یعنی همین مجموعه و مجموعه چهار جلدی اژدهایان دلتورا نداشتم
ولی الان خوشحالم که شروع کردم و فعلا دو جلد رو خوندم

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patiently waiting for Jasmine and Lief to confess their love for each other

[Ashley Case · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my fave of the shadowlands, which is unusual for a middle book in a trilogy.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like this series is darker than Deltora Quest was, and yet it still maintains that aura of sparkling beauty juxtaposed against evil and rot, that I have come to associate with Emily Rodda.

This book does something we haven't seen before, by flitting back and forth between Lief's group and Del, showing the intrigue happening in the palace at the same time. That was something I actually did like. Now that we have some known characters back home, it is nice that Rodda doesn't just forget about them, but instead gives them their own viewpoint.

I have to say though, Jasmine is grating on me. We all knew her in the main series as a headstrong and stubborn girl who was quick to anger, but she used to still be caring towards her friends, and cautious of new people. That served her well in many instances in the main series. So it really doesn't sit well with me that she takes at face value a random girl she sees in a palantir-type object in a sealed room, given what she knows about Ols. That one plot device has been bugging me since Cavern of the Fear.

Compounding that is the utter lack of communication between Jasmine and Lief. This is a case where a lot of things would have been cleared up had they been honest and open with each other, but then again, story has to story I guess.

I was able to forgive a lot of the bickering in the main Deltora series because they were young teenagers, but at this point, the maturity they showed at the end of the last series is lacking. I really wish there was less of that sort of conflict. Jasmine doesn't always need to "snap" at people.

Having said all that, I'm still giving this book 5 stars. It would have been 4 solely for the undue stress all the bickering and misunderstandings cause me, but the Del viewpoint adds something new and intriguing to the story outside of a simple quest element, so 5 it is.

P.S. As a fan of the Raft game, I love that Emily Rodda was writing about rafts before Raft was a thing. And I fully sympathise with the difficulty of finding planks.

[82i.love.beirut · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Isle of Illusion was written by Emily Rodda, and it was the second book to Deltora Shadowlands. Leif had brought a wife from Tora to Deltora, but it was a secret. Her name was Marilen. In the book, they also found the Deltora Annuals which lies a map to find the hidden secrets and stories of the Pirran Pipe. Leif left to find the second part of the Pirran Pipe in Auron with Jasmine and Barda. They fought with Arachs to achieve their goal, and they succeeded. Now their next goal was to find the last part of the Pirran Pipe. That will be in the last book, The Shadowlands.

The book was just as interesting as the first novel. The people of Auron seemed uncivilized, yet trustworthy. Their were some interesting subplots that happened, such as: The death of Jinks, Josef and Ranesh found, and worms that controled minds of people in Deltora just as what happened to Armantaz. I realized that everytime Leif was near the piece of the Pirran Pipe he was in a trance, and all he could hear was the music of the Pirran Pipe. I hope I can grab my hands on the last novel of the Deltora Shadowlands.

[Alina the Goblin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally, Rodda excels in the monster creation, but in this, she falls back on the terrifying big black spiders trope we all saw most commonly in LotR and The Hobbit, so they're a little overused by this point.

I liked the concept of one person keeping an illusion alive for years and years, that their ignorance and unwillingness to bend outside of their own realms of thinking kept it going. Kinda spooky!

[Wylie Villa · Rating 4 out of 5]

great. Needs a better ending and maybe a sneak peek of the next book.

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eiland van bedrog is het middelste deel van drie boeken die samen de Deltora 2 reeks vormen. Hiervoor las ik twee delen van de eerste Deltora serie van acht boeken over De macht van de zeven stenen.
De twee series bestaan uit de volgende boeken:
Deltora: 1. Het Zwijgbos; 2. Het Tranenmeer; 3. De Rattenstad (gelezen); 4. De Zandval (gelezen); 5. De Drakenberg; 6. De Doolhof; 7. Het Glazen paleis; 8. Terug naar Del.
Deltora 2: 1. Grot van de Angst; 2. Eiland van Bedrog (gelelen); 3. De Schaduwlanden.

Voor in het boek Eiland van Bedrog staat in het kort waar deel 1 Grot van de Angst over ging. De drie bekende personages uit de eerste serie worden ook in deze tweede serie weer gevolgd. Ze zijn in een gebied afgedaald dat zich onder Deltora bevindt en dat bestaat uit water met eilanden van de Pluimen, de Aurane en het eiland Keras. (De Pirraanse Eilanden). Bij het eerste eiland heeft Jord, die intussen de koning van Deltora is geworden (ik denk aan het eind van de Deltora serie van acht), het mondstuk van de Pirranfluit gekregen. Als de fluit compleet is, is hij van plan om de Schaduwheer aan te gaan vallen en de slaven te bevrijden. Maar zover is het nog niet. In dit boek volgt een gevaarlijk avontuur langs drie “eilanden” die alle drie bij de Auranen horen. Op het eerste eilandje leeft een gevaarlijke soort maden, die hen bijna fataal worden. Als ze dat gebied ontvluchten, komen ze bij een heel vreemd drijvend eiland aan dat bewoond is. Daar komen ze erachter hoe moeilijk het zal worden om het middelste deel van de Pirranfluit te krijgen. Het eiland waar het tweede deel van de fluit zich op bevind is een grote illusie. Als ze erheen gaan, komen ze voor gevaarlijke vijanden te staan in de vorm van spinnen. Er volgt een heel spannend avontuur waarbij de Auranen van het drijvende eiland hen helpen (of bedriegen ze Jord, Barda en Jasmine nu juist?)
Behalve dat het verhaal verteld wordt vanuit de drie bekenden personages, loopt er een andere verhaallijn door het boek heen, dat gaat over de achterblijvers in het paleis. In Del krijgt men te maken met mensen die onder invloed staan van de Schaduwheer. Ook in het paleis waar op Jords terugkomst wordt gewacht, is moeilijk te onderscheiden wie men kan vertrouwen en wie niet.
Hoewel ik van serie 1 maar twee boeken gelezen heb (maar ook de verhalen van Deltora gingen over de zeven stenen), kan ik het verhaal uit serie 2 nog goed volgen. De terugblik op het eerste boek van serie 2 helpt daar wel bij, evenals een klein kaartje van de route die de helden van het verhaal nemen. Achterin het boek staat ook al een voorproefje van het begin van deel 3, waar de reizigers naar Keras vertrekken.
Net als bij de eerder gelezen boeken spelen op de achtergrond persoonlijke vragen een rol, vragen waar de personages mee worstelen en die voor een dynamiek tussen de hoofdpersonages zorgen. De opbouw van het verhaal is grofweg in drie delen, zoals dat bij veel boeken werkt. De problemen winnen steeds aan moeilijkheid en de rustpunten tussendoor roepen steeds weer nieuwe vragen op. Dit boek zit goed in elkaar en ik kan me voorstellen dat het voor kinderen van 10 tot 14 jaar geweldige avonturenverhalen zijn. Als ze er geweest zouden zijn toen ik zelf zo oud was, zou ik ze allemaal graag hebben willen lezen. Het is geweldige fantasy en je kunt je goed identificeren met de personages, die telkens weer spannende avonturen beleven.

[Jennifer Wagemans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Deze viel me best wel tegen. Ik snap dat de verhaallijn thuis in Del interessant kan zijn, maar ik ben zelf niet zo van de politiek en de intrige. Daarom had ik ook wat meer moeite met de verhaallijn van de Auranen. Ik heb het gevoel alsof er in dit boek niet zo veel gebeurt is. Dat eiland met de larven was super naar, maar had helemaal geen doel in het verhaal. Ik had ook gehoopt op een eindgevecht dat echt een gevecht was, maar dat was helaas niet het geval. De Arachs hadden super gave vijanden kunnen zijn, maar het lijken nu net domme hongernekken die niet eens zelfbewust zijn. Dat maakte ze een stuk minder angstaanjagend. Ik had gewoon heel erg gehoopt op een soort Harry Potter Aragog scène...

Mijn complimenten voor de beschrijving van de Arachs (uiterlijk) en de Auranen. Het is dan weer wel heel leuk om te zien hoe één soort zo verschillend kan leven, als je de Pluimen met de Auranen vergelijkt. De 'plottwist' met de Fluiter vond ik in dit boek een beetje jammer. Ik had er meer van verwacht, omdat ik het al zag aankomen. Ik snap zijn motivatie niet helemaal om de hele tijd super moeilijk te doen en aan het einde van het boek geeft hij het middenstuk gewoon weg?! Dat rijmt voor mij niet helemaal. Ik hoopte ook dat Jord en Jasmine eindelijk eens goed zouden praten, maar dat laat helaas nog even op zich wachten. We heel gaaf om het contrast te zien tussen Jasmine die hulpeloos in het water is en veel andere bruikbare vaardigheden heeft. Heel creatief. Hopelijk is het volgende deel weer wat avontuurlijker en spannender!

[Brittney Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Rating: 5 stars

Note: This is the 2nd book in the Deltora Shadowlands series and the 10th in the overarching Deltora saga so this will not be an in-depth review.

If you are looking for a good fantasy series to start your young readers on, then the Deltora is a good option, especially since it was one of the earliest fantasy series that I read, along with Narnia. Anyway, this book tells the story of Lief, Barda, and Jasmine as they struggle to find the pieces of the Pirran Pipe in an effort to conclusively protect their people and land from the evils of the Shadow Lord.

This book takes a lot of hard-hitting themes/topics- the pitfalls of heroism, what is generational trauma and how one moves past it, and what is censorship and why can it be detrimental to society and civilization in general- and makes them more accessible for young readers. I think this is a great tract to take as these are themes that they will definitely come into contact with on their reading journey so it is really useful to introduce them to them early so that they can develop a full appreciation for them. As previously mentioned, I really like when authors realize that children can actually handle complex narratives and write accordingly. I know that when authors challenge me, I tend to enjoy their stories so much better.

All in all, if you are looking for an introductory fantasy title that still challenges your young readers, then this is the book/series for you. 5 stars!!!!!

[Lillian Martin]

This book was great.
But I HATE—absolutely DESPISE—both miscommunication and bugs. And ugh, that’s basically all this book was.

That said… I actually liked it a lot. It was one of the ones I remembered loving when I was younger, and the twist at the end (yes, that part, sadly was the part that I remembered) was still so good. The setup was smart and satisfying.

I’ll admit I was a little disappointed there weren’t any riddles to solve, but it was still really enjoyable.
I’m hoping we get to see more of Penn in the future.

And okay—is it wrong that I kinda ship Marilen and Josef’s apprentice? (I totally forgot how to spell his name, so... oops.) But honestly, that’s probably just because I don’t want her to end up with Leif.

Also… bye bye, Jinks. Not even sorry. Kinda hated you from the start.

Once again, I have to say: the descriptions. Like??? They're so good??? What the heck???
But uhm okay, wow, I feel really bad for Leif.

SPOILERS
Emily, seriously—why would you make our boy watch something like that? Isn't this a children’s series?? The descriptions were incredible, yes, but Lief is literally like seventeen and did not need to witness such a gruesome death. My poor boy.

[Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Lief, Barda and Jasmine travel further underground, they encounter more confusing and confronting truths. This is probably my favourite story in this trilogy – it seriously focuses on the idea of truth, honesty and not lying, even to oneself.

It’s the inner truth that the characters must confront not only to understand why there is such a distance between each of them, but it also highlights why it is important to keep certain things from people. The idea of the greater good. Yet the flip side to this – sometimes doing something for ‘the greater good’ can seriously harm the minority. I like that when many of the truths come to light, it isn’t just black and white and easy to see who is good or evil.

After fighting through the isle of illusion, there is one more journey to make, and it is at this point that you leave the trio. Wondering what they will battle through next. Whether everyone will survive. And if the slaves will eventually be freed…

[ollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, I loved it !! I was very invested in the action going on at the palace with the spies in Lief's absence. The brain worm is awesome.

I think the coinciding plots certainly add a layer of complexity and intrigue to the book. There's also the added element of Jasmine and Lief's angst, which only grows more passionate.

The "Isle of Illusion" itself was also unique. The whole idea reminded me of The Giver in concept, though not entirely similar (-from what I can remember. It's been a while).

Auris as a character was very
representative of real life individuals who suffer from cognitive dissonance- who bury their heads in the sand instead of confronting reality; hopelessly and relentlessly so, eventually leading to his own demise.

Don't be an Auris. Be a Jasmine.

:)

[Brittney Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was quite the change from normal! I liked seeing all the new things and new people and I think it was a great addition to the series overall.

I was happy they got to go on another quest just like the good ol' days without feeling like the story was going backwards. I liked what they accomplished and how the next book was being set up.

I did not enjoy how easily the illusion was broken. They just walk in there and the guy instantly changes his mind? I wish there was more of a challenge to the final fight.

I thought the riddles were pretty clever and the puzzles were entertaining to figure out.

[Ethan Westerfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this a lot! Some extremely heavy themes, along with some excellent body horror. It gets going quickly, and the stuff in the palace is much more interesting than the last book.

Jinx was around just enough to make me really not like him but didn't overstay his welcome, thankfully. Also, big tall lady character!

The titular Isle of Illision is a fascinating moral conundrum. Should people be allowed to live a pleasant lie of stagnation or have that lie ripped away?

Still has elements of Lief not talking to an obviously upset Jasmine, but much reduced and less obnoxious.

I'm excited to wrap up the trilogy!

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

در جستجوی دلتورا داستانی فان��زی و متشکل از سه مجموعه، نوشتهٔ امیلی رودا نویسنده ی استرالیایی است. داستان درباره ی سه همسفر است که سرزمین تخیلی دلتورا را به دنبال تکمیل کمربند دلتورا و شکست خادمان ارباب سایه‌های اهریمنی زیر پا می گذارند. نخستین نسخه ی مجموعه ی اول در سال ۲۰۰۰ میلادی در استرالیا به چاپ رسید و اکنون نیز در ۳۰ کشور به فروش می رسد. در فوریه ی ۲۰۱۰ این مجموعه در کل ۱۵ میلیون و در استرالیا ۲ میلیون نسخه فروش داشته‌است. سه مجموعه شامل ۱۵ کتاب می‌شوند که ۸ کتاب اول در جستجوی دلتورا، ۳ جلد بعدی سرزمین سایه‌ها ی دلتورا و ۴ جلد آخر اژدهایان دلتورا نام دارند. تمامی کتاب‌های این مجموعه در ایران با ترجمه ی خانم محبوبه نجف خانی و توسط انتشارات بنفشه به چاپ رسیده‌است . انیمیشن و بازی رایانه ای در جستجوی دلتورا به ترتیب توسط تلویزیون ژاپن و شرکت نینتندو دی اس نیز ساخته شده‌اند.

[CodeBlue · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book continues where the previous book left off and still manages to keep a good pace. I am not a fan of spiders, so was not thrilled with the cover art and the depictions of them in the book. But, the different island of people was just as riveting as the first book. And the magical nature of the adventure still held through. I'm a little confused why Doran did not try to get the tribes to overcome their differences and put the pipe back together though. This book also has an interesting message regarding truth - in that even omitting it is the same as breaking it.

[The Honest Book Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still in the underground world, this book explores the second island and group of creatures that Lief and his companions meet and aid in a quest to retrieve the second part of the the magic pipe. This book takes the series into a darker atmosphere. It is very noticeable when compared to the first Deltora series.

The challenges to overcome in this book are dangerous and the action is gripping. The creatures in this underground world are very creepy, which adds to the atmosphere. I can imagine this would certainly entertain the intended YA audience, and I also found the story entertaining. Once more, we have intrigue back in the city of Del, and that intrigue is also taking a darker turn, with the Shadow Lord taking more risks to defeat the people on the side of good.

This series, just like the first, is so imaginative. I'm really enjoying the ride.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second quest, second part and still sojourning through the story.
Deltora Quest is a very successful series, and it does all it sets out to do, and whilst it is not the most sublime series in the world, at least there is not a lot of superfluous padding, each tale is quite succinct.
And that is the last S word here - see - oh oops!
Deltora Quest #10
Emily Rodda #17

[Krish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading these because I never read every single book when I was younger. Absolutely loved these when I read them many years ago and even now they're not bad for children’s books.

Good idea about the dome and the tension between Jasmine and Lief is quite interesting. Always think these books end very quickly when they get to the climax which I understand, but this one especially so.