Finnikin of the Rock

Melina Marchetta

Apr 2010 · Candlewick Press

About this ebook

2008 Printz Award Winner Melina Marchetta crafts an epic fantasy of ancient magic, exile, feudal intrigue, and romance that rivets from the first page. (Age 14 and up)

Finnikin was only a child during the five days of the unspeakable, when the royal family of Lumatere were brutally murdered, and an imposter seized the throne. Now a curse binds all who remain inside Lumatere’s walls, and those who escaped roam the surrounding lands as exiles, persecuted and despairing, dying by the thousands in fever camps. In a narrative crackling with the tension of an imminent storm, Finnikin, now on the cusp of manhood, is compelled to join forces with an arrogant and enigmatic young novice named Evanjalin, who claims that her dark dreams will lead the exiles to a surviving royal child and a way to pierce the cursed barrier and regain the land of Lumatere. But Evanjalin’s unpredictable behavior suggests that she 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.

Ratings and reviews

In the end, I wasn’t a big fan of Finnikin of the Rock. I'm not going to go so far as to say I wouldn't recommend it, because there were some good aspects to this book. The world was interesting and there were a few characters that I liked (Finnikin and Trevanion), but these things weren’t enough to redeem the book in my eyes. I know that a lot of people out there really love this book, and I can understand why people enjoy it. I can even imagine this book being good for someone who is not used to reading fantasy and wants to try out the genre. Fantasy can sometimes be pretty dense, and since there are not a lot of names to remember or rules to the magic system in this book, it could be an easy one to start with. It just wasn’t the book for me, however. Maybe if I hadn't felt such strong dislike toward two of the main characters, I would have enjoyed it more. I'm not sure. I still haven’t decided if I want to continue with the series. I will definitely be stepping away from it for a while, and who knows if sometime in the future I will decide to give Froi a second chance.

It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a story this much...

Best book ive read in ages.

About the author

Melina Marchetta is the acclaimed and multi-award-winning author of Jellicoe Road, a Michael L. Printz Medal winner, Saving Francesca, and Looking for Alibrandi. She lives in Australia, where Finnikin of the Rock, her first fantasy novel, won an Aurealis Award.