REVIEW: Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

5 of 5 Stars

(Read April 2009)

The five days of the unspeakable…

When the King and Queen of Lumatere and their children were slaughtered in the palace...and an imposter king seized the throne.

 

 "And then the dark forces of the curse entombed the kingdom, separating the people in two. This is the story, as told to those of us who were born to see such days, recorded here in the Book of Lumatere so we will never forget.

The story of those trapped inside the kingdom, never to be heard from again, and those who escaped but were forced to walk the land in a dispora of misery.

Until ten years later, Finnikin of Lumatere climbed another rock….”

Finnikin of the Rock, being a Fantasy, and written in the third person, is quite different from Melina Marchetta’s other books - Looking for Alibrandi, Saving Francesca and On the Jellicoe Road - which are written in the first person narrative of a high school girl protagonist. Where her books all share a common theme, however, is the pivotal roles that family, friends, community, and love play in our sense of identity and "belonging", and in the choices we make to find our place in the world.

Finnikin of the Rock is a tale of a people torn apart from their land and each other, of their suffering, hope, and strength, on the journey home from exile and the prophecy that directs them.

So far, I've loved all of Melina Marchetta's books, and this one was no different. It was a little bit hard for me to get into it, at first, as I hadn't read too many Fantasy books when I read this, and getting used to an unfamiliar world. Though, there are maps at the front of this book and I think Ms. Marchetta did a good job of building this world, considering this is her first foray into a Fantasy novel.

Like all of Melina Marchetta’s books, I became invested in the characters. I love Ms. Marchetta's characterisations! I ended up falling in love with Finnikin and loved witnessing his growth throughout the journey. I really liked how strong Evanjalin was and how she gave Finnikin hope. The last few pages were absolutely... WONDERFUL!

If you enjoyed Kristin Cashore's Graceling and Fire, then I believe you'll enjoy this.

I'm excited for Melina Marchetta's next book, Froi of the Exiles, the sequel to Finnikin, which is expected for release in Australia in October 2011!

Favourite quotes:

“…somehow, even in the worst of times, the tiniest fragments of good survive. It was the grip in which one held those fragments that counted.”

.....
“Because any hope beyond that, my boy, would be too much. I feared we would drown in it.”
“Then I choose to drown,” Finnikin said. “In hope. Rather than float into nothing."

My favourite romantic quotes (potentially spoilerish):

"This hand says you spend the rest of your life with me," he said, holding out his left hand," and this one says I spend the rest of my life with you. Choose."


.....
“…he leaned forward, his lips an inch away from hers. “I will die for you," he whispered.
She cupped his face in her hands. "But promise me you'll live first. Because nothing we are about to do is going to be easy and I need you by my side."

My Finnikin (Simon Woods)  

My Evanjalin (Shelley Hennig)

Here's a link to the book trailer for Finnkin: