At the age of nine, Finnikin is warned by the gods that he must sacrifce 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 Finnikin of the Rock, Printz Medalist Melina Marchetta has crafted an epic fantasy of ancient magic, feudal intrigue, romance, and bloodshed that will rivet you from the beginning.
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 8 Up—Finnikin, son of the head of the King's Guard, has been in exile for a decade, after the violent takeover of his birthplace, Lumatere, by a usurper, followed by a curse by a priestess that has effectively shut the kingdom off from the outside world. He meets a mysterious young woman, Evanjalin, who claims that Finnikin's friend Balthazar, heir to the throne, is alive, and sets in motion a complex and stirring series of events that lead Finnikin to confront his destiny. Evanjalin uses her ability to "walk the sleep" of others, or share in their dreams, as well as her own boldness and sense of purpose, to push events to a climax so that Lumatere can be freed. This novel begins at a slow burn: there are many details to absorb, and the well-drawn maps are a necessity. Then, suddenly, the action turns white-hot and the intricate plot plays out at a pace that keeps readers mesmerized. This is fantasy grounded in a kind of realism seldom seen in the genre. A large cast of unforgettable characters inhabits it, from Finnikin and Evanjalin with their absorbing and intensely emotional relationship, to Froi, a young thief, to the small girl who is Evanjalin's companion as she "walks the sleep." Readers will be rewarded by a shining story of romance, adventure in all of its gritty realism, and high ideals. Those who enjoyed Kristin Cashore's Graceling (Harcourt, 2008) will love this one.—Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* In her latest title, Marchetta, author of the 2009 Michael L. Printz Award winner, Jellicoe Road, steps deftly into the fantasy genre. Ten years before the story’s start, assassins crept into the kingdom of Lumatere and murdered the royal family, with the possible exception of Balthazar, heir to the throne. As rumors circulated that Balthazar survived, a mystic cast a curse that created a magical barrier around the kingdom and prevented thousands who had fled from returning. Marchetta focuses her tale on 19-year-old Finnikin, the son of a former royal guard, who is serving in exile as an apprentice to Sir Topher, a former advisor to the murdered king. While aiding refugees, they meet a young novice who can enter others’ dreams and claims that Balthazar has chosen Finnikin to “take his people home.” As Finnikin gathers forces to return to the kingdom, intrigue and double-dealing ensue. The skillful world building includes just enough detail to create a vivid sense of place, and Marchetta maintains suspense with unexpected story arcs. It is the achingly real characters, though, and the relationships that emerge through the captivating dialogue that drive the story. Filled with questions about the impact of exile and the human need to belong, this standout fantasy quickly reveals that its real magic lies in its accomplished writing. Grades 6-10. --Lynn Rutan
--This text refers to the
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Fantasy...,
By Sarah Woodard (Bremerton, WA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Finnikin of the Rock (Paperback)
It has been ten years, since the dark days when the royal family was murdered. A curse was put on the kingdom of Lumatere, separating it from the outside world and trapping others inside. Finnikin of the Rock and his guardian, Sir Topher have been traveling in the surrounding lands, since then. They have been making the Book of Lumatere by visiting refuge camps. Finnikin is summoned to meet Evanjalin, a young women with an incredible claim: the heir to the throne of Lumatere, Prince Balthazar is alive. Evajalin also has an amazing power, she can walk the dreams of those in Lumatere.
Evanjalin is determined to return home and she is the only one who can lead them to the heir. As they journey together, Finnikin is affected by her arrogance . . . and her hope. He begins to believe he will see his childhood friend, Prince Balthazar, again. And that their cursed people will be able to enter Lumatere and be reunited with those trapped inside. He even believes he will find his imprisoned father. But Evanjalin is definitely not what see seems. And the truth will test not only Finnikin's faith in her . . . but in himself. The characters were amazing. Finnikin was smart and an interesting person to read about. Evanjalin was also very interesting. I liked the relationship that builds between them and how they weren't best friends forever in five pages. That their relationship took most of the book to fully work out. The plot has it's slow spots, but overall is a compelling and entertaining. I kept on looking at the map at the beginning of the book and trying to figure out, where in the blazes they were at times. The world of Skuldendore was original. The writing was phenomenal. I seriously wasn't sure if Marchetta would be able to write fantasy, but she was and it was amazing. I recommend this book to those that love fantasy and those that don't. You will not be disappointed.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Ending Ever,
By Monster Of Books (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Finnikin of the Rock (Hardcover)
You know when you see something truly breathtaking and your in awe over how beautiful it is, well I think that is the right thing to say about Finnikin of the Rock. It is everything that makes a story perfect, but the book talks about a dystopian world. Melina Marchetta creates a story that has hauntingly real imagery, with words that flow nicely like a calm lake. She gives enough description to easily understand the situation and the word, and won't have readers falling asleep. The maps in the book are easy to follow, and I found myself looking at it quite a few times. The world is well built and it's easy to picture, it is also unique in the fact that you can see the cultural difference between each land as the characters travel through it. The emotion is strong and well put and will have readers at lost for words. The readers can really feel sad, angry and horrified as they read about the exile and fever camps, and hear of the five days of the unspeakable. But you will also feel hope that maybe, by the end of the book the people will regain hold of Lumatere. The characters are developed nicely, in a way that will have you make a soft spot for each one of them in your heart. Evanjalin and Froi were probably my favorite two characters. Evanjalin was such a strong, passionate and hopeful women/girl in the story. Anybody would envy that, and I certainly was proud to read about a strong women lead. Froi was someone who you hate at first, but then after hearing his POV you really feel for him. He's just a mischievous s little boy who envies people around him and wants to belong. Something that anyone can relate to. A lot of the situations were truthful, and how they were dealt with was faithful to how I can imagine them being laid out. Example of this is Trevanion's & Lady Beatriss relationship.
The story's narration, which was from different characters POV, was amazingly well crafted. The romance in the story (between Evanjalin & Finnikin) was really well developed. Probably the first real romance that I truly enjoyed the development of. It wasn't to slow and it wasn't to fast, it was just right. It felt honest and good. Some of the plot twists were a bit obvious. What I would of liked to seen developed more was more knowledge of the impostor king. Who was he? I also think the battle to regain Lumatere should of been more descriptive and longer. It was a bit short, and was sort of a downer as it was what the whole book was leading up to. Usually I don't read fantasy, I find it to confusing. I enjoyed Eragon but found it confusing. It might of been because I was young when I read it. But this novel wasn't confusing and probably the first fantasy I actually really enjoyed. I really hope there is a sequel, though this book does work as a stand-alone to. So when I was reading the author's bio, I was very surprised to find that this was her first fantasy: "I was told often that I couldn't write fantasy unless I had read all the greats and knew the conventions well, but I think the first step to writing good fantasy is knowing this world we live in well. I wanted to look closely at that---where loss of faith, loss of homeland and identity, displacement of spirit, and breakdown of community are common--- because these are the scenes in today's media that affect me most. In this sense, the book is a search for identity in the same way that my other novels are." -Melina Marchetta. You wouldn't think after reading this book, that this was her first fantasy. And if this review doesn't intrigue you enough, well then take it from Kristin Cashore: "The world of this book is dark and beautiful and utterly believable; and, as I've come to expect of Marchetta's work, the characters are wonderfully complex. Here is an author who writes fantasy as well as she writes realism -- and in the case of Melina Marchetta, that's high praise, indeed!" The last thing I want to talk about is the ending. BEST ENDING EVER. I mean I've read endings that are satisfying and good, but never really the best. This ending is the first that I really enjoyed and couldn't stop thinking about afterwords. It was romantic, funny and ends the book in a way that wants me to give it 10 stars. The last impression I had of this book, was brilliant. And I know my review probably won't sum up how amazing this book was, but I hope everyone gives this one a try.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Epic and Engrossing - A Wow of a Book,
By Book Enthusiast (Bedford, NY United States) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Finnikin of the Rock (Hardcover)
In a word, this book is wonderful. The characters are real, enduring and some of the most likable and well developed characters I have ever read of in any fantasy novel. The relationships are so believable filled, with love and heartache; sorrow and determination. The story fantastic. A kingdom has been seized in a hostile takeover laced with mysticism and intrigue. And from this beginning or ending a young man and the adviser of the assassinated king begin an epic journey of redemption for this kingdom and its people. With each new accomplishment and as each new character joins their party, the plot is enriched in every way. The love affair that meanders it ways through the story builds the reader with heartfelt anticipation and longing. The plot twists spectacular. Read and cherish this book
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