Saturday 14 September 2013

Review: Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

At the age of nine, Finnikin is warned by the gods that he must sacrifice a pound of flesh to save his kingdom. He stands on the rock of the three wonders with his friend Prince Balthazar and Balthazar's cousin, Lucian, and together they mix their blood to safeguard Lumatere. 

But all safety is shattered during the five days of the unspeakable, when the king and queen and their children are brutally murdered in the palace. An impostor seizes the throne, a curse binds all who remain inside Lumatere's walls, and those who escape are left to roam the land as exiles, dying by the thousands in fever camps.

Ten years later, Finnikin is summoned to another rock--to meet Evanjalin, a young novice with a startling claim: Balthazar, heir to the throne of Lumatere, is alive. This arrogant young woman claims she'll lead Finnikin and his mentor, Sir Topher, to the prince. Instead, her leadership points them perilously toward home. Does Finnikin dare believe that Lumatere might one day rise united? Evanjalin is not what she seems, and the startling truth will test Finnikin's faith not only in her but in all he knows to be true about himself and his destiny.

In a bold departure from her acclaimed contemporary novels, Printz Medalist Melina Marchetta has crafted an epic fantasy of ancient magic, feudal intrigue, romance, and bloodshed that will rivet you from the first page.


Wow... This was a long and complicated book. And I loved it. The style really reminded me of Nancy Farmer's in that Marchetta did a really good job creating a complex fantasy land without distracting from the plot of the story. 

It's one of those books that I will really want to reread in the future. There was so much going on; so many little details that I know I missed something! All the characters seemed to have a particular part to play and the romance was simply cute! Confusing, yes. But, in a good way. There were mixed emotions, fights, misunderstandings... And the romance wasn't even the main point of the plot!

I mean, wow! Twists and turns! It certainly wasn't particularly predictable. Yes, we all hope for a happy ending, but the ending really wasn't clear. Some scenarios were hinted at but they weren't really confirmed until they happened. 

The characters were realistic, the plot was amazing, the world was intriguing... I definitely recommend this book to anyone slightly interested in fantasy. Yes, it is a fairly big book and it's a little daunting. It's also a little hard to get into because it's so complicated. But it's amazing once you do. 5 stars. Definitely.

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