Finnkin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

"Sir Topher finally looked up. “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."

Now, don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Saving Francesca, but egad did Melina Marchetta BLOW MY MIND with Finnikin of the Rock!! I'm normally a bigger fan of fantasy than realistic books as it is, but even without my partiality towards fantasy, Finnikin of the Rock would still blow Saving Francesca out of the water. It had the same kind of vibe to me as The Inheritance Cycle or The Books of Pellinor, with the characters joining in an epic journey to save their country. I got that feeling where I want to be in the world, living their experiences that a really immersive fantasy gives me sometimes, which I LOVE. I have absolutely nothing to say but good things about this book.

Ten years before the action of the book, the kingdom of Lumatere suffered the five days of the unspeakable, when each member of their royal family was murdered or disappeared. An impostor king took hold of the throne and a curse went up over the whole kingdom, exiling many citizens and trapping the rest inside Lumatere. Now Finnikin of the Rock and his mentor Sir Topher are traveling, finding exiles from their homeland and doing their best to help them survive and find a new home. But one day they receive a messenger, telling them to go to a cloister of the goddess Lagrami, where they find a mute novice, Evanjalin, who insists she can lead them to their country's true king and back into their homeland.

The only possible negative thing I have to say about this book is that there is no more of it!! When it ended I just was salivating for the next one, Froi of the Exiles, but it doesn't come out till October 3rd!

One thing I especially loved about this book was the characters. Melina Marchetta really has a talent for writing solid, real characters. Finnikin is torn between wanting his beloved home back and his realistic side that firmly believes they can never go back. Evanjalin is strong-willed and firm, the perfect kind of person to lead thousands to take back their stolen country. I even grew to love Froi as we got to know him throughout. I certainly cannot wait for a book from his point of view!

"Be prepared for the worst, my love, for it lives next door to the best."

Risk a paper cut? YES. If I haven't convinced you how good this book is already, I don't know what else I could possibly do!

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