Customer Reviews

Finnikin of the Rock

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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

I've been looking forward to this book ever since I finished Jellicoe Road and heard Melina Marchetta had a fantasy novel already out in Australia. It took awhile but eventually word went out that the wonderfully titled FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK would be making its American debut this February and I settled back, somewhat impatiently, to wait. Jellicoe Road was my first experience reading a Marchetta book and I consider it a pretty much perfect reading experience. To say that my anticipation for her next book was high would be something of an understatement. Though the fact that it was high fantasy gave me some pause. I read quite a bit of fantasy of all kinds and I was fascinated to see how the very modern, fragmented style of writing I loved in Jellicoe Road translated to such a wildly different genre.

Once the son of the King of Lumatere's warlord, Finnikin of the Rock ran wild and happy with his best friends and rivals Prince Balthazar and Lucian of the Monts. As boys they make a blood pact to protect their homeland no matter what. Then, in Finnikan's ninth year, the five days of the unspeakable occur and the world changes. An imposter ascends to the throne, butchering the royal family and causing a curse to be laid on the the few remaining survivors. The walls of Lumatere close and the rest of its mangled population are scattered to the four winds. Years later, his mother long dead, his father long gone, Finnikin is a young man. Having spent his life wandering neighboring lands with his mentor Sir Topher, he refuses to give up hope of returning and reclaiming the land he loved and lost. When they are joined by the young novice Evanjalin, Finnikin is certain the off putting young woman who is sworn to silence will do nothing but slow them down. It is not long, however, before he discovers he could not be more wrong. For Evanjalin herself burns with a thirst for justice and it will be all Finnikin can do to keep up with her.

Truly this book has the makings of an absolutely divine epic fantasy. I was all set to fall in love. And the first section is very encouraging. However, not long after Finnikin and Sir Topher encounter Evanjalin, I began to run into problems on two fronts. First, the overall storyline began sounding eerily familiar and I realized it reminded me strongly of another epic fantasy I love and have read several times--Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay. Unfortunately, once I made the connection, I could not get it out of my head. The once lovely land fallen to a conqueror's control, all but wiped out and a curse laid upon its survivors that they may always remember and never reclaim what was theirs. The rebels in hiding, circling their forbidden home, determined to mount a rebellion, fulfill a prophecy, and restore a lost royalty. And though I found these resemblances uncanny, I still would have happily sunk into Ms. Marchetta's writing were it not for the characters. They were so cold, so far removed from me as the reader. As I said, all of the elements I love were present--the deceptively simple young woman with an agenda of her own, the dispossessed young man desperate to become a man like his heroic father, the dire curse, the mysterious disappearances. A few hundred pages in I was struggling to figure out what was wrong with me, why I wasn't enjoying this read, when it suddenly occurred to me that I didn't like the characters. Not one. I didn't care at all what happened to them. And, as a result, I went through the entire novel essentially unaffected by the sweeping events of the tale for a lack of caring and closeness. I found both Finnikin and Evanjalin in large part tiresome, petty, and prickly (not in a good way) and could not for the life of me feel the connection they supposedly had. Though I was told it was there, it never felt real to me. There was so much potential that just never found a grounding point. I've held off writing this review because I felt so bad about my reaction (or lack thereof), especially considering how much I assumed I'd like it. I even took time off to make sure it wasn't simply my mood at the time. But when I came back nothing had changed. They were still them and I was still me and we none of us cared much for each other so it was best we part ways. Now, I am definitely a lone dissenting voice on this one. So I certainly recommend you give it a shot because, though there was a decided barrier between me and them, I could tell that if these characters turn out to be your cuppa there's a good chance you'll love it even if I couldn't.

Years ago, Lumatere's royal family was brutally murdered, an imposter king placed on the throne, and a curse levied on the land, forever locking it away from the rest of the land of Skuldenore, with many of its inhabitants cast out to the winds. Finnikin has spent the decade after Lumatere's fall traveling, collecting stories of his scattered people and trying to ease their plight. Then he and his mentor are called to safeguard Evanjalin, an enigmatic young woman who claims to know the location of Lumatere's long-missing heir, who can break the curse and bring the exiles home.

Okay let me just lay it out on the table...I straight up loved, loved, loved this book! From the opening prologue I was hooked and I didn't just read it, I devoured it.

In the style of Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore, Melina Marchetta spins an epic tale of adventure, intrigue and destinies intertwined. Every page holds something different and I often found myself reading faster and faster to get to the next scene where I would find out something new about a character that would bring me to another "wow" moment.

Finnikin is absolutely swoon worthy and not in a mushy teen-crush kind of way. Think of Mel Gibson in Braveheart...a flawed young man with truth in his heart, someone a girl could depend on. Something that Evanjalin knows as they journey back to their homeland. Let me just say that Evanjalin is a way complex character and leave it at that...

I know I used this word before but this is an epic story...something classics are made of. Marchetta's writing style is a force to be reckoned with and will leave you constantly amazed at the next twist and turn. This story has so much depth and inter-connectedness between characters that I don't want to diminish any of your reading experience by writing too much about it!

Fantasy writing at its best, a story that will keep you enchanted and characters that you won't soon forget. Loved it!

Recommended for 14 years and up due to violence and sexual references.

At first, this book took me a while to get interested and invested in. I wouldn't necessarily say it was slow starting, but perhaps that the characters took almost the entire book to develop-- which isn't always a bad thing-- and ended up working out perfectly in Finnikin of the Rock. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a great fantasy read. Marchetta does a splendid job of creating a new and fantastic world for her readers-- and the characters are so believable in the ways that they experience pain, heartbreak, death, and love. Get this book in your hands now-- you won't regret it!

I don't want to give away any spoilers, but this book was excellent. Just when I thought "ok here we go again with another quest cliche" the author threw in a new twist! Even though the story was wrapped up in one book, I really hope there will be a sequel!

It's nice to see such a well respected Australian author do well time and time again! Finnikin of the Rock builds to a brilliant climax and has a romance that is quite unique and memorable. Evanjalin and Finnikin both seem to bare the weight of their world on their shoulders which leads them into a deep, emotional relationship that is in no way your stereotypical fantasy romance! Combine this with action, enigmatic characters, plot twists and the overwhelming emotions of a people in refuge [as well as Marchetta's writing abilities]- and you get Finnikin of the Rock- an epic tale of loss, love, determination and hope! Hopefully more Australian titles such as Tallow by Karen Brooks will reach and US market!
5 stars!!!!

I had to read this book for a school assignment. I picked it because I enjoy fantasy and because I saw many good reviews here. But when I read it it turned out to be a big disappointment. My first problem with this book is the sex. It's the classic case of too much, too little. It is too much to be considered kid-friendly but the way it is described is extremely awkward and seems unrealistic. The world building is another big issue. You are made aware of the basic politics of the kingdoms, who likes who essentially, but not much more. Melina Marcheta never even tells us the names of the rulers, or why they dislike each other. Add on to that the "Viking" invasions briefly mentioned by Finnikin, which are never mentioned again. Another time Finnikin talks about "the sixth-century fighting techniques of the Lucanites" without reference to what century Finnikin is in or who the Lucanites are. The climax of the book is also extremely disappointing. I won't spoil anything, but it was a big letdown for me. There are also occasionally revelations at the end of chapters that are never acted on, such as when Trevanion says that Evanjalin has his mother's name. On the back cover of the book it says that Melina Marcheta says that a major influence in her writing of Finnikin was the plight of refugees and the loss of homeland. However when I read the book I found the scenes with the exiles to be the worst. They don't seem at all reminiscent of their former life, or seem to have that loss of identity, When Finnikin went into an exile camp that experienced plague I expected to be horrified with the details, but it was just a minor (very minor) shock. The characters' emotional development, or lack of it, is lacking. SPOILER: Finnikin at first dislikes Evanjalin, but later on, almost out of the blue, he discovers he is in love with her. Not that much explanation, except that he started finding her beautiful. END OF SPOILER: That being said, I liked the basic premise of the plot. If it had been written better it would have been a great book.

The book is more fantasy than anything else. Let me just say that the female protagonist leaves a lot to be desired; all of her victories come from her bearing what she bears in silence, just like any "good girl". Meanwhile Finnikin gets to constantly waver between enlightened guy and dumb emo--pretty much everyone in this book leaves a lot to be desired. And may I just say that the ending (and I mean the VERY end) interpretation of that prophecy they mention throughout the book is one of the lamest things I've ever read.