Star of Deltora by Emily Rodda

Title: Star of Deltora

Author: Emily Rodda

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 1st September 2026

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 680

Price: $39.99

Synopsis: Adventure to the world of Deltora Quest in this epic fantasy from legendary author Emily Rodda.

Britta’s dream is to be a sea trader, like her father. But the shameful end to her father’s last voyage has forced her family into hiding, and his ship – the Star of Deltora – forfeited into the hands of the powerful trader, Mab.

When a contest is announced to become Mab’s apprentice and the heir to the Rosalyn Fleet, Britta enters in disguise. Sailing aboard her father’s old vessel, Britta must outwit her three rivals – Jewel, Sky and Vashti – one of whom is a ruthless enemy who will stop at nothing to best her.

As the trials increase in difficulty, darker forces seem to haunt the crew’s every harbour. Soon enough, these sinister tendrils draw the ship to the cursed Isle of Tier – the site of Britta’s father’s undoing …

A sweeping, unforgettable adventure set in the world of Deltora Quest by iconic author Emily Rodda.

Perfect for:
– Readers who like fast-paced adventure with a hint of magic
– Gift-givers looking for a deluxe hardback to give to a young book lover
– Fans of Emily Rodda wanting to further explore her worlds.

~*~

Britta wants to be a sea trader like her father, the man she hasn’t seen for eight years. Yet, his last voyage ended badly and cast a veil of shame over Britta’s family. They’ve spent years in hiding, knowing that Dare Larsett’s ship, the Star of Deltora, is now in the hands of a powerful trader called Mab. Over the years, Britta has been taught by Captain Gripp, and she knows all about her father’s ship as she prepares to become a trader, against her mother’s wishes. Against everything she has ever known since her father disappeared.

Now, Britta has the chance to participate in a contest that her mother would never let her compete in. If Maarie knew what Britta and Gripp were doing, things would have changed drastically. The contest is to become Mab’s apprentice and to save her family humiliation, Britta enters disguised as an orphan. When she sets sail on her father’s ship with Jewel, Vashti and Sky, she doesn’t know who she can trust. Because at least one of them is going to stop at nothing to get the coveted place, even if it means undermining everyone else and breaking the rules.

The Star of Deltora is one of the fabulous series set in the world of Deltora, that started with Deltora Quest. They’re a fantasy series, written by an Australian author, Emily Rodda, and take place in a magical world of islands, ships, quests, treasure and everything else you could want from a fantasy series. In this one, women are at the heart and centre of everything, the ones who get to trade and captain ships whilst the men make up the crew. A new crew, for reasons unbeknownst to Britta and that hint at deeper secrets that shape the series, Britta and her fate, and how people see her.

The four books take place over three months, starting with the contest in the first book, and the visits to the various trading islands in the next three. Each one reveals something new, yet they’re like pieces of a puzzle that nobody really knows how to solve, and at first they seem as though they’re just things that happen, but are they? Anyone who has ever read Emily’s work before or any fantasy series knows that things that pop up early on can become very important later on in the book or series.

It is this clever delivery of the clues that makes the series work well, that ensures the world of Deltora continues with new and vibrant characters in each series. Some of them are mentioned in subsequent books, yet each series can be read as its own entity. Anything the reader needs to know that may have happened in previous Deltora book is outlined enough to keep the reader engaged. This lets them know what is going on, and what the background to what is about to happen, and how the past might impact this.

There is always something happening in this series, especially as Jewel, Sky and Britta seem to form a friendship that feels uneasy at first, but at least they’re not trying to hurt each other. I was never sure where I stood with Vashti, who seemed to think she was more deserving of the apprenticeship and would do and say anything to get it. The others, though it seemed to want to work hard to achieve it.

And yet, they all had their secrets. They were all hiding something from the others, especially Britta. She was unsure who to trust, how to trust and what she could tell people without betraying anyone or putting her journey in jeopardy. It shows how people struggle with trust, with knowing who they can talk to, and I liked the way Jewel and Sky were nice to Britta, trying to help her and ensure anything she didn’t want other people to find out was kept between them. It was a great friendship to see develop across the series, and Britta, Jewel and Sky became my favourite characters.

Anyone who has ever read Emily Rodda will love getting back into her worlds, whether it is for the first time, or rereading them again. I fall somewhere in between, having read some as a younger reader, and coming across others later in re-release bind-ups like this one. It was fun to read this series, and see the world of Deltora come to life again.