A review by bookphile
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

4.0

I'm so happy that I finished my year with this book. It was so beautiful. It is beyond words how happy it made me, how painful it was to read sometimes, and how unfair it is that books like these go undiscovered. The characters were amazing, they were alive and breathing; uncertain at one moment, strong the next, in love, in pain, mourning or celebrating. I love, love the fact that the romantic couple was not just in mundane, simple love; but the kind of love where they can hurt each other if needed, when they can tell each other the truth even if it hurts the other's dignity. They are equals in every sense of the word, they respect each other,rescue each other, they need each other and they love each other. You want an epic love story? Forget Romeo and Juliet, this is it! Evanjalin is certainly one of the best female characters that I have seen in a long time, maybe next to Tamora Pierce's Allana and Kel, or Sabriel. The kind of girls that command respect, think on their feet and do not let their emotions, even love, cloud their judgement. They are not perfect of course, they have fears and weakness, and they they get into bad situations. The only thing I regret is not reading this earlier. I'm in love with this book. It made me cry from the very beginning, with real pain and feeling, with bitterness for the pain of others. Marchetta is an amazing writer, thank you, for giving this book to the world.