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A review by mollywetta
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
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.