Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

Finnikin of the Rock, son of the head of the King's Guard, has been living in exile since he was nine years old, thanks to a curse placed on his birthplace following the murder of the royal family of Lumatere. The curse prevents those inside to leave the kingdom, and those who left the kingdom before the curse was placed, to get back in.

Ten years later, Finn and his mentor Sir Topher find a young woman named Evanjalin who makes quite a few unbelievable claims: One that the true heir to Lumatere's crown - Finnikin's childhood friend Prince Balthazar - might still be alive. And two, that she can walk the sleep of those trapped inside Lumatere. With said claims, Evanjalin sets in motion a series of complex events that will force Finnikin to face his destiny.

It's so hard for me to review a book from an author I love, and I certainly love Melina Marchetta. Now, Finnikin of the Rock is very different from Ms Marchetta's other books yet it's also quite wonderful.

The book starts a bit slow and there is so much information to take in (with a few complicated names thrown in). I found the pace to be a bit uneven, sometimes it seems like everything is happening at once and some others it's like all you do is wait, that being said the storytelling is engaging. Sometimes I grew annoyed at Finnikin and Evanjalin but they also felt like friends, so it was all good.

Finnikin of the Rock is an epic and I do think that it has to be your kind of book, you either like it or you don't.

I did.

Grade:
1/3