“You list the dead. You tell the stories of the past. You write about the catastrophes and the massacres. What about the living, Finnikin? Who honors them?”
― Melina Marchetta, Finnikin of the Rock
- Release Date: September 28th 2008
- Page Number: 416
- Genre: Epic Fantasy
- Publisher: Viking Australia
Synopsis: Finnikin of the Rock and his guardian, Sir Topher, have not been home to their beloved Lumatere for ten years. Not since the dark days when the royal family was murdered and the kingdom put under a terrible curse. But then Finnikin is summoned to meet Evanjalin, a young woman with an incredible claim: the heir to the throne of Lumatere, Prince Balthazar, is alive.
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 not what she seems. And the truth will test not only Finnikin’s faith in her . . . but in himself
Being an epic fantasy, Finnikin of the Rock is completely outside of the genres I usually read. I had previously seen the blog Sash and Em gushing about this book on Twitter so when I spotted the audiobook at the library I was confident I would enjoy it. The world created in this novel has so much terminology, so let’s hope I get them all right
After the assassination of the royal family and rouge uprising, in an incident known as the Unspeakable the once peaceful kingdom of Lumatere is cursed and locked away. Half the Lumaterens are trapped inside and other half scattered across the neighboring kingdoms to live as exiles; forced to survive fever, refugee camps and the bloody rage of their neighboring kingdoms.
As son of the imprisoned captain of the guard and best friend to murdered Prince Balthazar, Finnikin has always felt a certain responsibility to help lead his people to a place they can call home. Traveling with his guardian Sir Topher, they’ve spent the last 10 years since the Unspeakable trying to find a second Lumatere. When Finnikin awakes from a dream that leads him to a temple and a novice girl named Evanjilin, a new Lumatere is suddenly closer for Finnikin than he ever imagined.
…
