Review: Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta

Quintana of Charyn (Lumatere Chronicles #3) by Melina Marchetta

Hardcover, 528 pages

Published: April 23rd, 2013 by Candlewick Press (US)

Source: ALAMW

There's a babe in my belly that whispers the valley, Froi. I follow the whispers and come to the road . . .

Separated from the girl he loves and has sworn to protect, Froi must travel through Charyn to search for Quintana, the mother of Charyn's unborn king, and protect her against those who will do anything to gain power. But what happens when loyalty to family and country conflict? When the forces marshalled in Charyn's war gather and threaten to involve the whole of the land, including Lumatere, only Froi can set things right, with the help of those he loves.

Spoiler free for the series.
This is a book that I was so excited to write a review for because I felt so much.  My emotions have never been so all over the place.  No book has ever made me laugh and cry and scream and holler and feel so much (except the book previous to this one, Froi of the Exiles).  It's rare to find a series that brings out so much emotion.  That has your heart pounding erratically the ENTIRE 528 pages.  And while I found myself super eager to share all the feels I felt, once I started writing about this book I discovered it's just not as easy as I thought.  Because there are no words to describe how this book made me feel.  I think about this book and I cry.  That's how strongly it impacted me.

This series doesn't just follow the people that are what we would consider the main characters.  Finnikin of the Rock isn't just about Finn (though more so then the next two), Froi of the Exiles is not just about Froi, we also get to see what's going on with everyone else in all these different places.  And this book was the same.  While you would expect the book to have more about Quintana than anyone else, it doesn't really.  Actually it felt like she had the least amount of page time.  It doesn't matter though, because it's perfect how it is.  However, it's also incredibly frustrating.  You get to the end of one heart pounding chapter and there's a crazy insane thing that happens and then the next chapter we're with another group of people and we have to wait to see what happens.  I told you, it's hard to put down!

This whole series messes with you when it comes to the bad guys and the good guys cause the line is blurred for everyone (well, most everyone).  We see things from so many different angles that people we love to death we also see from the other side and discover they aren't as great as we thought.  But there's a reason for that, which we saw when we were with them originally.  Yikes, that sounds a bit confusing.  Just trust me when I say, you just never know how things might go.  And when a character you love is going on a journey to kill another character you love and you know it's just because of a miscommunication and misunderstanding it is SO hard to read it.  I mean it's hard to not jump ahead to see what happens!  To see if everyone survives because really, all they have to do is TALK!  The thing is, no one trusts anyone.  No one knows if someone is betraying them.  Except us.  Us, as the reader, see all the different sides and can only hope everyone can find a way to get along.

This book wraps up the series PERFECT.  There are no loose ends, but yet things don't seem rather 'convenient' either.  It's all just feels right, like it's all how it should be.

Anyway, all I can really say about this series is FREAKING READ IT PEOPLE!  Seriously.  If you enjoy high fantasy, this series is NOT to be missed!

 Disclosure: I received this book free of charge at ALAMW.  All opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.

My Review of the Spectacular Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta

Froi of the Exiles (The Lumatere Chronicles #2) by Melina Marchetta

Hardcover, 596 pages

Published: March 13th, 2012 by Candlewick

Source: Public Library

From master storyteller Melina Marchetta comes an exhilarating new fantasy springing from her celebrated epic, Finnikin of the Rock.

Three years after the curse on Lumatere was lifted, Froi has found his home ... or so he believes. Fiercely loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been taken roughly and lovingly in hand by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family, and has learned to control his quick temper with a warrior's discipline. But when he is sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn, nothing could have prepared him for what he finds in its surreal royal court. Soon he must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad princess in this barren and mysterious place. It is in Charyn that he will discover there is a song sleeping in his blood ... and though Froi would rather not, the time has come to listen.

Before writing this review I had to pull out the thesaurus to look for advectives similar to amazing.  Because I just wanted to go on and on about how amazing this book is, and if you use the same word too much it loses it's impact.   So I can tell you right now that this book was spectacular, astounding, mesmerizing, stupendous, wondrous, marvelous, miraculous... shall I go on?

There are books that really impact you all the way to your soul.  There are books that bring out every emotion and leave a dent in your heart because the emotions you felt were so incredibly strong you nearly weep from the beauty of it.  And in all actuality this book did make me weep.  It made me weep because there's so much to learn from this book.  From the brave souls inside it who endure so much but endeavor on and fight for what is right.

In this book the line between good and bad is blurred.  Those who we may believe are the bad guys may not necessarily be so, once we get to know them and hear their story.  But we see the other side too, and we feel their pain, their anger, even their hatred.  This whole aspect of the book was done so very well, I definitely applaud Melina Marchetta for her clever ways and making me think so very hard about forgiveness and so much more.

The characters in this book are just astounding.  Froi was a character that we never knew what to think of in Finnikin of the Rock.  He was bad and then... not so bad.  And now we get to see him for real.  To see what's in his head and what he struggles with.  We see his pain and his hurt and even his weaknesses, but what was unexpected was to see him soften, to see this loving side of him.  And it made me adore him ever more.  Quintana was a character you never really knew what to expect from.  She's a bit crazy, and she's hard to like, but for some reason it's impossible to dislike her.  Especially when we see everything she goes through.

There are many other characters imperative to the story and they were all so brilliant.  Even though there were quite a few of them I never got confused about who was who. And what I really loved was that yes, this was Froi's story, but we also get to see chapters in Lumatere and see the struggles they have and overcome.  We see love and loss and we see pain, hatred and forgiveness.  We see some move onward while others lay in misery, struggling to survive each day.  We see Fin and Isaboe and the struggles they have and all that they have overcome in the past three years.  So yes, this is mostly about Froi, but the Lumatere characters we have grown to love have not been cast aside. 

The story itself was extraordinary.  It was full of twists and turns and when you think you have something figured out it ends up twisting another direction.  At times things were so twisty it was a bit confusing, but as I read on and more was revealed it was easy to understand and keep straight. I really loved that this wasn't a toned down epic high fantasy.  Yes, it may be for YA, but the stuff within the pages are the same as you'd find in an adult fantasy, just less explicit.  The struggles, the pain, the heartache, the beauty... everything I would want in an epic high fantasy is in this book.  Everything.  And upon closing the last page of the book I realized that tears were falling because the story is not complete.  We were left wondering if everyone will get their happy ending.  Will the suffering and pain ever stop?  With the betrayal and the hatred and revenge ever end?  While the author ended things abruptly, we did get a bit of closure in the sense that we aren't wondering if characters were dead or alive.  We know who survives and have an idea where they are, but things are most definitely a mess and the wait for Quintana of Charyn will not be an enjoyable one.  I need that book NOW.  So much so I may consider ordering it all the way from Australia...

Review: Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1) by Melina Marchetta
Young Adult
Hardcover, 399 pgs
Published February 9th, 2010 by Candlewick (US publication)
Source: Library

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.

In a high fantasy, a true epic fantasy there are a lot of elements I expect and need in my story.  I need to feel it.  To really feel transported into the story through the authors use of words and language and not feel overwhelmed with lengthy descriptions at the same time.  I need the characters to be truly strong, to have weaknesses but overcome things, to be forever surprised by their actions and decisions.  To never know how things might turn out.  I like when a character that is once bad becomes good, when you really have no idea which way things might go.  When a book is truly epic I want to cry because the beauty of the words, the tragedy of the story and epicness of the romance moves me.  This book, this book did all that and more.   


There is no way any words I put in this review can express the amazingness of this book.  But if you're a fantasy lover there's no way you shouldn't read this book {haven't read fantasy? This is a great place to start!}.  It's brilliant, it's tragic, and it's epic.  Things are revealed through out the entire thing that shocked me over and over again and constant surprises, never ever knowing what could happen is always good.  The characters blew me away.  Finnikin wasn't always the most likable guy in the world but that made him more real.  And as he grows as a character and as we get to see more of him he's very easy to fall in love with as he has some true inner strength and a heart you can't help but love.  Evanjalin, well, she's one character you have to get to know yourself.  But I can tell you that I have rarely seen a character with the strength she has.


I could talk about this book forever but you really need to go into it without really knowing much because I think you'll just enjoy it more.  All I can tell you now is go read it!  This is what a true high {epic} fantasy is all about!  It's one book that I'll be thinking about for a very long time!


5/5 stars!