Deltora. A beautiful, magical world covered by the shroud of darkness, its people suffering under the oppressive rule of the evil Shadow Lord. Three strangers come together - Lief, son of the blacksmith who tried once before to save this world and failed, Jasmine, a girl left orphaned and alone, and Barda, a former palace guard determined to restore Deltora's rightful ruler to the throne. These three vastly different people share one quest - to find the seven stones that can save Deltora. To achieve their goal, Lief, Jasmine, and Barda will face every imaginable danger that Deltora holds. But they are determined to succeed. And they will succeed - if only they can survive. The latest leg of their journey takes them to the Lake of Tears, a beautiful place turned ugly and evil by a fiendish sorceress. Now Lief and his companions have one more goal they must accomplish - to free the Lake of Tears. Otherwise, they can never find the second stone required to save Deltora. This exciting, epic new fantasy series continued with this wonderful book. I can't wait to read the third book, which takes Lief, Jasmine, and Barda to the horrifying City of the Rats. Emily Rodda has created a magical, harshly beautiful world as a setting for this series.