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miss_merna's review
4.0
If you’ve read Melina Marchetta's contemporary books first, then you might familiarise with being cautious to pick up a Marchetta book that is fantasy. Melina’s speciality is rooted in contemporary, and any other genre seems to be destined for disaster in my eyes. But Melina did far better than I could have imagined.
Quick summary of the good & bad aspects of Finnkin Of The Rock.
Good:
-Finnikin sounds like a male. (Female authors can go overboard with male narration. One only needs to read shiver to understand what I mean.)
-The characters have distinct personalities that set them apart (no cardboard cut-out characters!)
-The first & second section of the story was fast-paced and thrilling.
-The world Melina has built is very vivid and easy to picture.
Bad:
-Melina makes us aware of the politics in the land, but never goes far into detail on why everyone in the land seems to have a conflict with their neighbouring country.
-At times the character would expose something but then it’s simply forgotten, for instance Trevanion mentions Evanjalin has his mother’s name and then the chapters ends. It’s never discussed again.
-The romance seemed to leap into the territory of “not believable” every once in a while.
-The third section of the story was, to stay the least, disappointing and anti-climactic.
The good still outweighs the bad. Overall, what I specifically loved about Finnikin Of The Rock is the book’s portrayal of refugee’s difficulties and the loss of their homeland.
I would definitely recommend it for fantasy lovers.
Quick summary of the good & bad aspects of Finnkin Of The Rock.
Good:
-Finnikin sounds like a male. (Female authors can go overboard with male narration. One only needs to read shiver to understand what I mean.)
-The characters have distinct personalities that set them apart (no cardboard cut-out characters!)
-The first & second section of the story was fast-paced and thrilling.
-The world Melina has built is very vivid and easy to picture.
Bad:
-Melina makes us aware of the politics in the land, but never goes far into detail on why everyone in the land seems to have a conflict with their neighbouring country.
-At times the character would expose something but then it’s simply forgotten, for instance Trevanion mentions Evanjalin has his mother’s name and then the chapters ends. It’s never discussed again.
-The romance seemed to leap into the territory of “not believable” every once in a while.
-The third section of the story was, to stay the least, disappointing and anti-climactic.
The good still outweighs the bad. Overall, what I specifically loved about Finnikin Of The Rock is the book’s portrayal of refugee’s difficulties and the loss of their homeland.
I would definitely recommend it for fantasy lovers.
shareen17's review
2.0
I suppose this was engaging enough while I was reading it, but now a month later I can barely remember anything about it. The characters and story just didn't seem original or compelling to me.
luvs4w4lls's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was magical. It’s my first time reading a marchetta book and i understand why she’s so loved by my friends. The world building here was spot on, and so were the characters. Marchetta’s prose is something that flows easily on the eyes. I’m excited to read the rest of this series and to read more from her soon!
stephxsu's review against another edition
5.0
FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK proves once and for all that Melina Marchetta can do no wrong. This high fantasy novel is Marchetta’s first foray outside of contemporary realism, but she writes in this genre as easily as the other. Finnikin’s tale will appeal to the wandering soul in search of the grandiose, miraculous, and larger-than-life.
Aaaaand, uh, a full-length review will come. Eventually. xD
Aaaaand, uh, a full-length review will come. Eventually. xD
mollywetta's review against another edition
5.0
Full review on my blog: wrapped up in books
A decade ago, assassins stormed the palace and murdered the royal family of Lumatere. In the ensuing chaos, an imposter king seized the throne and the people burned an accused witch at the stake, who cursed the land. Now, half of the Lumateran population is in exile, and the other half is trapped inside the gates.
Finnikin, son of the captain of the king’s guard, made a blood oath as a child to defend Lumatere along his friend Prince Balthazar and his cousin, Lucien, a memory he still carries with him. For ten years he’s traveled with Sir Topher, the king’s advisor, chronicling the names of his people who have fallen and the stories of those who have survived in The Book of Lumatere. In their travels they also appeal to foreign royals for land so that Lumaterans currently living in exile in terrible conditions plagued by disease, sold into slavery, or starving to death can begin to build a new home. Though the future looks bleak, Finnikin still carries a small hope in a prophecy that his beloved friend Prince Balthazar lives and is the key to breaking the curse, and that his father, Trevanion, the captain of the king’s guard, is alive.
A dream brings Finnikin to the edge of world in search of a girl he believes may lead them back to Lumatere. Evanjalin, the young novice, reveals she can visit their people trapped inside Lumatere in her dreams and that Prince Balthazar is indeed alive. Evanjalin leads them on an impossible quest into dangerous territory. But this strange girl is not what she seems, and the truth of her identity will test Finnikin’s faith in the pledge he made with Balthazar and Lucien on the rock as a child, and the prediction the burned witch made when he was a boy about his role in Lumatere’s future.
It would be impossible to detail any more of the story without giving away spoilers (and most of it wouldn’t make any sense). Finnikin of the Rock is a complicated and intricately plotted story with an expertly crafted world that is not easily explained. As with most epic fantasy, there is an enormous cast of characters, and Marchetta renders each one in great depth and detail. Readers who are looking for a simple, straightforward story will be disappointed and likely give up before the end. Those who want the full experience of complete immersion in a fantasy world will enjoy The Lumatere Chronicles. The magic is strange (but beautiful), and the plot relies on revision of what the characters originally believed to be true. Readers who don’t appreciate being lied to (just as the characters in the story are deceived) will find the story frustrating. Those who can suspend belief and hold on for the wild ride through the twists and turns of the plot will enjoy the book immensely.
Evanjalin is one of my new favorite characters in YA literature. When I think of the most sympathetic characters in young adult literature—characters that beloved like Harry Potter—they all share one thing in common. They have had to sacrifice, they have suffered hardship. Evanjalin is this kind of character. Still, she’s not perfect. She’s unabashedly manipulative and deliberately deceives Finnikin and Sir Topher on their journey, but even her lies are for the greater good. As she tells Finnikin: “There are worse things than a lie and there are better things than the truth!” She has a wisdom far beyond her years and is one of the strongest female protagonists I’ve read.
Though romance isn’t the driving force of the story, the relationship between Finnikin and Evanjalin unfolds in an organic and believable way. Both are strong personalities, and they often clash. They both come to respect one another and love each other despite recognizing each other’s flaws. They have the kind of love that can make someone believe in destiny. The ending scene was perhaps one of the sweetest I’ve read.
A decade ago, assassins stormed the palace and murdered the royal family of Lumatere. In the ensuing chaos, an imposter king seized the throne and the people burned an accused witch at the stake, who cursed the land. Now, half of the Lumateran population is in exile, and the other half is trapped inside the gates.
Finnikin, son of the captain of the king’s guard, made a blood oath as a child to defend Lumatere along his friend Prince Balthazar and his cousin, Lucien, a memory he still carries with him. For ten years he’s traveled with Sir Topher, the king’s advisor, chronicling the names of his people who have fallen and the stories of those who have survived in The Book of Lumatere. In their travels they also appeal to foreign royals for land so that Lumaterans currently living in exile in terrible conditions plagued by disease, sold into slavery, or starving to death can begin to build a new home. Though the future looks bleak, Finnikin still carries a small hope in a prophecy that his beloved friend Prince Balthazar lives and is the key to breaking the curse, and that his father, Trevanion, the captain of the king’s guard, is alive.
A dream brings Finnikin to the edge of world in search of a girl he believes may lead them back to Lumatere. Evanjalin, the young novice, reveals she can visit their people trapped inside Lumatere in her dreams and that Prince Balthazar is indeed alive. Evanjalin leads them on an impossible quest into dangerous territory. But this strange girl is not what she seems, and the truth of her identity will test Finnikin’s faith in the pledge he made with Balthazar and Lucien on the rock as a child, and the prediction the burned witch made when he was a boy about his role in Lumatere’s future.
It would be impossible to detail any more of the story without giving away spoilers (and most of it wouldn’t make any sense). Finnikin of the Rock is a complicated and intricately plotted story with an expertly crafted world that is not easily explained. As with most epic fantasy, there is an enormous cast of characters, and Marchetta renders each one in great depth and detail. Readers who are looking for a simple, straightforward story will be disappointed and likely give up before the end. Those who want the full experience of complete immersion in a fantasy world will enjoy The Lumatere Chronicles. The magic is strange (but beautiful), and the plot relies on revision of what the characters originally believed to be true. Readers who don’t appreciate being lied to (just as the characters in the story are deceived) will find the story frustrating. Those who can suspend belief and hold on for the wild ride through the twists and turns of the plot will enjoy the book immensely.
Evanjalin is one of my new favorite characters in YA literature. When I think of the most sympathetic characters in young adult literature—characters that beloved like Harry Potter—they all share one thing in common. They have had to sacrifice, they have suffered hardship. Evanjalin is this kind of character. Still, she’s not perfect. She’s unabashedly manipulative and deliberately deceives Finnikin and Sir Topher on their journey, but even her lies are for the greater good. As she tells Finnikin: “There are worse things than a lie and there are better things than the truth!” She has a wisdom far beyond her years and is one of the strongest female protagonists I’ve read.
Though romance isn’t the driving force of the story, the relationship between Finnikin and Evanjalin unfolds in an organic and believable way. Both are strong personalities, and they often clash. They both come to respect one another and love each other despite recognizing each other’s flaws. They have the kind of love that can make someone believe in destiny. The ending scene was perhaps one of the sweetest I’ve read.
christiana's review against another edition
5.0
This was awesome. It reminded me of Graceling, only in that Finnikin and Sir Topher are on a journey the same way there is a journey in Graceling. It took me a little longer to read, but I think it was because of the nature of the subject (I want to read a journey slow, you know?). Hardly any swearing, prostitution is involved a little (I won't say any more because I am a crazy about not spoiling), but I still think it's safe for all high school.
Mind you, this is high fantasy. There are maps in the front and foreign languages. But no animals that I don't know what they are or anything like that. I love that Marchetta creates these worlds where she has created back stories for characters, but doesn't feel the need to share everything about them with the reader. That's not how you get to know people in real life, so it feels weird. Sometimes I would be reading along and MM would drop some knowledge on me and it was awesome.
This was amazing. I hope you think so too!
Mind you, this is high fantasy. There are maps in the front and foreign languages. But no animals that I don't know what they are or anything like that. I love that Marchetta creates these worlds where she has created back stories for characters, but doesn't feel the need to share everything about them with the reader. That's not how you get to know people in real life, so it feels weird. Sometimes I would be reading along and MM would drop some knowledge on me and it was awesome.
This was amazing. I hope you think so too!
aggressive_nostalgia's review against another edition
4.0
This is a complicated book for me to review, because my feelings were very mixed about it for the first half, and while I thought the second half was better technically, I had misgivings at the end of a completely different type.
Although the first part of this book was interesting, I found it slow and full of weird pacing – but the last third or so was mind-blowingly good. Another reviewer said that Finnikin is at its core a book about people, not about a world or a plot, and I think that's why I found it a success in the end.
The characters are each highly flawed in real and honestly ugly ways, and yet each have different flavors of bravery and honesty and beauty. They all undergo a journey in which they have to come to terms with themselves, and in which they have to make hard, sometimes awful, choices. Each character speaks with a distinct voice, and on the few occasions it splits off to a different narrator it still flows smoothly into the course of the story. I don't love all the characters, but I really believe in them.
The part of the book dealing with everything that comes after is a legitimate masterpiece, in my opinion. It is heartbreaking (a word I don't use lightly; I cried over it twice, which hasn't happened to me since the first time I read [author:Megan Whalen Turner]) and also surprisingly funny (sometimes outright hilarious, especially for one with a dry sense of humor). It's complex without being pretentious. The ending is hopeful, if not strictly happy in the traditional sense – and while it's not a cliffhanger, it does feel like there is more story to be told, because real people are never finished people. The climax of the novel is not the climax of their story.
Finnikindoes not pull any punches (meaning, don't listen to the audiobook within earshot of your kid siblings. Oops). There is no ready supply of simple forgiveness. There are no easy solutions served up by destiny. There are no purehearted innocents that rise up to be champions. There is lots of violence; there is swearing; there are frank, uncomfortable discussions of periods and sex (consensual and otherwise). I don't necessarily dislike this; I think Marchetta includes these elements because they make her characters more human, and not just for spice. The novel has lots of dark things in it, but unlike many superficially similar works, it never loses its focus on the characters by becoming about the dark things.
I did dislike some aspects of Marchetta's style; sometimes she used more flamboyant and figurative language than was necessary and her dialogue seemed unrealistically oratorical from time to time. However, it was not strong enough to put me off her books for good, and I'm pretty sure it would have bothered me less if I had been reading it in print rather than listening to the audiobook.
I struggled with this book not because I didn't enjoy it, but because it's hard. I am a person who holds up forgiveness and mercy as ideals, and I believe that justice is a far bigger concept than simply punishing wrongdoing, and those themes are not what win the day in this book (except maybe amongst the main heroes, but that is almost a variation of interpretation, certainly not stated outright). Grudges are held. Revenge is had. But redemption and healing are very present, too. This book explores what it means for broken people to do things for the greater good; that is a really complex idea. In the end, I can't help admiring this novel even as I am a little unsettled by it. Even as I disagree with it, it resonates with me.
I'd wouldn't recommend this casually. It's not a fun fantasy; it's a beautiful, dark, heart-wringing book that should make you think. And (flowery-prose warts and all) I do plan on picking up the next in the series (in print this time!).
Although the first part of this book was interesting, I found it slow and full of weird pacing – but the last third or so was mind-blowingly good. Another reviewer said that Finnikin is at its core a book about people, not about a world or a plot, and I think that's why I found it a success in the end.
The characters are each highly flawed in real and honestly ugly ways, and yet each have different flavors of bravery and honesty and beauty. They all undergo a journey in which they have to come to terms with themselves, and in which they have to make hard, sometimes awful, choices. Each character speaks with a distinct voice, and on the few occasions it splits off to a different narrator it still flows smoothly into the course of the story. I don't love all the characters, but I really believe in them.
The part of the book dealing with everything that comes after
Spoiler
the revelation of Evanjalin's lie about BalthasarFinnikindoes not pull any punches (meaning, don't listen to the audiobook within earshot of your kid siblings. Oops). There is no ready supply of simple forgiveness. There are no easy solutions served up by destiny. There are no purehearted innocents that rise up to be champions. There is lots of violence; there is swearing; there are frank, uncomfortable discussions of periods and sex (consensual and otherwise). I don't necessarily dislike this; I think Marchetta includes these elements because they make her characters more human, and not just for spice. The novel has lots of dark things in it, but unlike many superficially similar works, it never loses its focus on the characters by becoming about the dark things.
I did dislike some aspects of Marchetta's style; sometimes she used more flamboyant and figurative language than was necessary and her dialogue seemed unrealistically oratorical from time to time. However, it was not strong enough to put me off her books for good, and I'm pretty sure it would have bothered me less if I had been reading it in print rather than listening to the audiobook.
I struggled with this book not because I didn't enjoy it, but because it's hard. I am a person who holds up forgiveness and mercy as ideals, and I believe that justice is a far bigger concept than simply punishing wrongdoing, and those themes are not what win the day in this book (except maybe amongst the main heroes, but that is almost a variation of interpretation, certainly not stated outright). Grudges are held. Revenge is had. But redemption and healing are very present, too. This book explores what it means for broken people to do things for the greater good; that is a really complex idea. In the end, I can't help admiring this novel even as I am a little unsettled by it. Even as I disagree with it, it resonates with me.
I'd wouldn't recommend this casually. It's not a fun fantasy; it's a beautiful, dark, heart-wringing book that should make you think. And (flowery-prose warts and all) I do plan on picking up the next in the series (in print this time!).
mary00's review
4.0
Fantasy is not my favorite genre, but I have loved other (non-fantasy) books by this author, so I gave this one a try. I am glad I did. It is beautifully written, the story is captivating, although quite dark, and the characters have depth. This is billed as a YA book, but I would reserve it for more mature YA readers.
4saradouglas's review
2.0
I was so surprised that I didn't like this book. I love Jellicoe Road and everyone talked about this book so much that I constantly felt bad for putting it off until later. Now that I've finally muddled through it I am left very unimpressed. I just hate books where I can't understand the character's thinking and choices. Like Finnikin... he's in love with this girl, she's in love with him, their whole nation wants them together, and he's like "No! I just can't!" WHY?????? Also why did Evanjalin spend SO much of the book lying? It's like every few pages you find out another of her lies until it was laughable that the other characters were surprised when another lie was revealed. Why was she lying? I'm really not sure. Some excuse was made, but really it sounded to me like she hid the truth from everyone so that there could be this book. If she had met Finnikin at the beginning as normal but then told him the freaking truth it all could have been happily every after in about 30 pages.