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From master storyteller Melina Marchetta comes an exhilarating new fantasy springing from her celebrated epic, Finnikin of the Rock.Three years after the curse on Lumatere was lifted, Froi has found his home...or so he believes. Fiercely loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been taken roughly and lovingly in hand by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family, and has learned to control his quick temper with a warrior's discipline. But when he is sent on a secretive mission to the show more kingdom of Charyn, nothing could have prepared him for what he finds in its surreal royal court. Soon he must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad princess in this barren and mysterious place. It is in Charyn that he will discover there is a song sleeping in his blood...and though Froi would rather not, the time has come to listen.
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Herenya "Froi of the Exiles" is set three years after "Finnikin of the Rock".
20
Member Reviews
Froi of the Exiles is 593 pages and despite the length, I read it in just a few days. Covert reading at work, at home behind my family's back and late through the night helped me finish this in just a few days. Really, I had no choice, the book consumed me; it compelled me to keep going and keep turning those pages (or clicking "next" on my kindle). My reading experience was akin to hanging off of a cliff and having no idea if rescue was coming or if the ground below me was close.
What is it about Melina Marchetta? How does she continuously create the magical and emotional reading experience that I go through when I read her books? Why is this book so special? Jellicoe Road by Marchetta, is one of my favorite reads of 2011. Froi of the show more Exiles is definitely one of my favorite reads of 2012. However, disclosure - I was not a fan of Finnikin on the Rock. I listened to the audio of that book and was bored during most of it. While I liked the characters Marchetta created in Finnikin, the book did not grab me at all and only the high reviews for Froi of the Exiles made me want to continue. I am so glad I continued; reading Froi of the Exiles was one of the most powerful reading experiences I have had so far this year. Having read these three books by Marchetta, it seems obvious that she is incredibly gifted in writing stories and imagining worlds to write about but, I have noticed in each of these three books she makes use of certain plot devices to unfold her stories and create tension. A main device Marchetta employs - - and did so effectively in both Jellicoe Roadand Froi of the Exiles - is the keeping of secrets and leaving characters floundering in the unknown. Characters have their secrets, their painful pasts and choose not to disclose information to other characters even though it is clear that other characters are suffering due to the lack of information. Characters are kept in the dark, intentionally by other characters and thus, the pain and suffering is increased from the desperate need for missing information. This plot device could be very frustrating and irritating, especially once it becomes obvious. A lesser author could not carry this device off. But Marchetta is such a genius at crafting her story that it is not frustrating or angsty. The story unfolds, readers likely know before the characters do where everything is headed, yet she does it such an artful and entrancing manner I could not look away.
Froi of the Exiles is a character driven drama within the structure of a fantasy novel. Marchetta cleverly creates a historical fantasy world that is rich with its own history, music, religion and myths. She creates a political plot line that twists and turns and is intriguing to follow. But that is just the set up and the structure; ultimately, the book is about the characters and the characters move the story forward. I do not know how else to describe this story but to say it is raw; it is so raw that the characters are bleeding their emotions all over the pages. The history and facts leading up to Finnikin of the Rock, which is #1, and Froi of the Exiles, which is #2, involves years of war, starvation and the events that often surround both war and starvation. The characters each have their own painful histories to overcome and those histories control their present actions and choices. I feel like many movies and many authors write horrific pasts or events into their characters' lives and then have their characters miraculously overcome these painful events and they all march toward a satisfying happy ending by the conclusion of the story. This is not what happens in Froi of the Exiles. Froi is a dark dark book about tortured individuals deeply affected by war. Marchetta brilliantly puts her characters in situations that shows how scarred they are and how difficult it is for these characters to move past what has happened to them. Not to say there is no progression, because that is not the case at all.
Case in point the character Froi is virtually unrecognizable from the Froi in Finnikin on the Rock. Three years have passed since the end of the first book and Froi is now educated, literate and disciplined. To say that I disliked Froi in the first book would be an understatement. I had my doubts as to how Marchetta could possibly redeem a character who had attempted to rape someone. But she did; Marchetta redeems Froi in such a way that he becomes one of my favorite literary characters. Froi's attempt at raping someone in the first book continues to haunt him throughout the second book. It is not simply explained away by a violent past; it is not explained away by his being "saved" by Isaboe and Finnikin. It is a ghost that haunts him, that he has nightmares about and which shapes his behavior.
Could this tale have been told in a swifter manner? Yes, maybe the text could have be tighter and perhaps there could have been less wandering around by the characters. I am not sure if the story would have been better in the end, though. Marchetta takes her time with Froi's tale and with the side character stories involving Lucien, Beatriss, Traveneon, Finnikin and Isaboe. There is quite a bit of traveling and smaller struggles and interactions that lead to larger confrontations. It seems that through these stories, their wanderings and struggles, Marchetta is showing the effects of war and violence on the individual and on nations. What struck me is that there is no true evil or bad "side". At the end of Finnikin on the Rock, we leave the Lumatere tale believing in an evil enemy. But what is learned and developed through a slow but steady progression is that there is not one true evil actor; instead, there are gray areas and that arch evil enemy lying across the border is likely suffering from its own internal issues. Yesterday's victim can become tomorrow's bully. Marchetta demonstrated this theme with smaller interactions - for example with Beatriss's daughter being verbally attacked by a neighbor child; however, Beatriss later learns there may be more to the story than just her daughter and herself being singled out. Again and again this was stressed, one person's foreign is another person's home; one person's strangeness is another person's comfort. The struggles the characters go through and the small progressions inch by inch (page by page?) of the story arc is worth the 593 pages because Marchetta's message is so strong and beautiful.
Froi of the Exiles is marketed as a young adult novel, but it reads like an adult novel to me. Some of the characters are 18, some are in their twenties and quite a few are in their forties or older. There is sex in Froi; characters experience, as demonstrated in very well written scenes, strong sexual desire. Additionally, there is graphic violence and systemic rape which is remembered as to multiple characters.
If, like me, you were not thrilled with Finnikin of the Rock, I can almost promise you that you will be in love with Froi of the Exiles. I strongly recommend this book for people who enjoy dark stories or character driven tales.
Warning!!!! Froi of the Exiles ends with a cliffhanger and the sequel will not be released in the U.S.until March 2013. show less
What is it about Melina Marchetta? How does she continuously create the magical and emotional reading experience that I go through when I read her books? Why is this book so special? Jellicoe Road by Marchetta, is one of my favorite reads of 2011. Froi of the show more Exiles is definitely one of my favorite reads of 2012. However, disclosure - I was not a fan of Finnikin on the Rock. I listened to the audio of that book and was bored during most of it. While I liked the characters Marchetta created in Finnikin, the book did not grab me at all and only the high reviews for Froi of the Exiles made me want to continue. I am so glad I continued; reading Froi of the Exiles was one of the most powerful reading experiences I have had so far this year. Having read these three books by Marchetta, it seems obvious that she is incredibly gifted in writing stories and imagining worlds to write about but, I have noticed in each of these three books she makes use of certain plot devices to unfold her stories and create tension. A main device Marchetta employs - - and did so effectively in both Jellicoe Roadand Froi of the Exiles - is the keeping of secrets and leaving characters floundering in the unknown. Characters have their secrets, their painful pasts and choose not to disclose information to other characters even though it is clear that other characters are suffering due to the lack of information. Characters are kept in the dark, intentionally by other characters and thus, the pain and suffering is increased from the desperate need for missing information. This plot device could be very frustrating and irritating, especially once it becomes obvious. A lesser author could not carry this device off. But Marchetta is such a genius at crafting her story that it is not frustrating or angsty. The story unfolds, readers likely know before the characters do where everything is headed, yet she does it such an artful and entrancing manner I could not look away.
Froi of the Exiles is a character driven drama within the structure of a fantasy novel. Marchetta cleverly creates a historical fantasy world that is rich with its own history, music, religion and myths. She creates a political plot line that twists and turns and is intriguing to follow. But that is just the set up and the structure; ultimately, the book is about the characters and the characters move the story forward. I do not know how else to describe this story but to say it is raw; it is so raw that the characters are bleeding their emotions all over the pages. The history and facts leading up to Finnikin of the Rock, which is #1, and Froi of the Exiles, which is #2, involves years of war, starvation and the events that often surround both war and starvation. The characters each have their own painful histories to overcome and those histories control their present actions and choices. I feel like many movies and many authors write horrific pasts or events into their characters' lives and then have their characters miraculously overcome these painful events and they all march toward a satisfying happy ending by the conclusion of the story. This is not what happens in Froi of the Exiles. Froi is a dark dark book about tortured individuals deeply affected by war. Marchetta brilliantly puts her characters in situations that shows how scarred they are and how difficult it is for these characters to move past what has happened to them. Not to say there is no progression, because that is not the case at all.
Case in point the character Froi is virtually unrecognizable from the Froi in Finnikin on the Rock. Three years have passed since the end of the first book and Froi is now educated, literate and disciplined. To say that I disliked Froi in the first book would be an understatement. I had my doubts as to how Marchetta could possibly redeem a character who had attempted to rape someone. But she did; Marchetta redeems Froi in such a way that he becomes one of my favorite literary characters. Froi's attempt at raping someone in the first book continues to haunt him throughout the second book. It is not simply explained away by a violent past; it is not explained away by his being "saved" by Isaboe and Finnikin. It is a ghost that haunts him, that he has nightmares about and which shapes his behavior.
Could this tale have been told in a swifter manner? Yes, maybe the text could have be tighter and perhaps there could have been less wandering around by the characters. I am not sure if the story would have been better in the end, though. Marchetta takes her time with Froi's tale and with the side character stories involving Lucien, Beatriss, Traveneon, Finnikin and Isaboe. There is quite a bit of traveling and smaller struggles and interactions that lead to larger confrontations. It seems that through these stories, their wanderings and struggles, Marchetta is showing the effects of war and violence on the individual and on nations. What struck me is that there is no true evil or bad "side". At the end of Finnikin on the Rock, we leave the Lumatere tale believing in an evil enemy. But what is learned and developed through a slow but steady progression is that there is not one true evil actor; instead, there are gray areas and that arch evil enemy lying across the border is likely suffering from its own internal issues. Yesterday's victim can become tomorrow's bully. Marchetta demonstrated this theme with smaller interactions - for example with Beatriss's daughter being verbally attacked by a neighbor child; however, Beatriss later learns there may be more to the story than just her daughter and herself being singled out. Again and again this was stressed, one person's foreign is another person's home; one person's strangeness is another person's comfort. The struggles the characters go through and the small progressions inch by inch (page by page?) of the story arc is worth the 593 pages because Marchetta's message is so strong and beautiful.
Froi of the Exiles is marketed as a young adult novel, but it reads like an adult novel to me. Some of the characters are 18, some are in their twenties and quite a few are in their forties or older. There is sex in Froi; characters experience, as demonstrated in very well written scenes, strong sexual desire. Additionally, there is graphic violence and systemic rape which is remembered as to multiple characters.
If, like me, you were not thrilled with Finnikin of the Rock, I can almost promise you that you will be in love with Froi of the Exiles. I strongly recommend this book for people who enjoy dark stories or character driven tales.
Warning!!!! Froi of the Exiles ends with a cliffhanger and the sequel will not be released in the U.S.until March 2013. show less
The Lumaterans send Froi on a mission to impersonate a Charynite lad and assassinate the king of Charyn. Charyn is a stark constrast to Lumatere: a harsh landscape; a city carved into the slopes of a gravina; a cursed, barren people. The depraved king is paranoid, his chief advisor is dissolute; the princess Quintana is mad, unkempt, and her mother Lirah is imprisoned for attempted murder.
As Froi seeks an opportunity to fulfil his mission, he begins to build fragile relationships with people around him (including twin brothers who haven't spoken to each other in nearly twenty years), and to piece together their history - a mess of secrets, betrayal, misunderstandings and grief.
Froi was not my favourite character in Finnikin of the show more Rock. Even meeting him three older, no longer a street kid but a young man who has been taught and supported and loved by his community, I took time to warm to him - and even longer to warm to the broken people he is surrounded by. However, Froi of the Exiles is not limited to Froi's perspective. I was immediately delighted with the threads of story about Finnikin and his queen (now sleep-deprived parents of a toddler), or Beatriss, or Lucien and his estranged Charynite wife. (The latter won my heart, then preceded to break it. Kind of.)
And then when things in Charyn start to go wrong, in the horrifying way they can go wrong in a politically unstable country, I discovered just how emotionally invested I had become in these messed up characters. I discovered just how invested Froi had become.
(I didn't know whether I wanted to take Froi away, back to the people who care about him, or force those around him to give him the love and support he is desperate for. I want to hug many characters... or bang their heads together, and make them hug each other. Lumaterans included).
Froi of the Exiles is Marchetta's darkest, most gritty, least-YA-feeling book. But if it's heart-wrenching, it's also heart-warming. Marchetta's characters messed up, dysfunctional, hurting... but they're real. There's still hope and humour and love, despite everything.
This is a long book, slow to start and with a cliffhanger ending, and yet I felt it was worth every word. The details about landscape and cultures are important, not just to bring this world to life but for what they reveal about the characters.
Much will depend on how Quintana of Charyn plays out... but I trust Marchetta to tell a story worth reading and even if she breaks my heart in the process, I'll consider it worth it.
(A slightly-longer version of this review is also found here.) show less
As Froi seeks an opportunity to fulfil his mission, he begins to build fragile relationships with people around him (including twin brothers who haven't spoken to each other in nearly twenty years), and to piece together their history - a mess of secrets, betrayal, misunderstandings and grief.
Froi was not my favourite character in Finnikin of the show more Rock. Even meeting him three older, no longer a street kid but a young man who has been taught and supported and loved by his community, I took time to warm to him - and even longer to warm to the broken people he is surrounded by. However, Froi of the Exiles is not limited to Froi's perspective. I was immediately delighted with the threads of story about Finnikin and his queen (now sleep-deprived parents of a toddler), or Beatriss, or Lucien and his estranged Charynite wife. (The latter won my heart, then preceded to break it. Kind of.)
And then when things in Charyn start to go wrong, in the horrifying way they can go wrong in a politically unstable country, I discovered just how emotionally invested I had become in these messed up characters. I discovered just how invested Froi had become.
(I didn't know whether I wanted to take Froi away, back to the people who care about him, or force those around him to give him the love and support he is desperate for. I want to hug many characters... or bang their heads together, and make them hug each other. Lumaterans included).
Froi of the Exiles is Marchetta's darkest, most gritty, least-YA-feeling book. But if it's heart-wrenching, it's also heart-warming. Marchetta's characters messed up, dysfunctional, hurting... but they're real. There's still hope and humour and love, despite everything.
This is a long book, slow to start and with a cliffhanger ending, and yet I felt it was worth every word. The details about landscape and cultures are important, not just to bring this world to life but for what they reveal about the characters.
Much will depend on how Quintana of Charyn plays out... but I trust Marchetta to tell a story worth reading and even if she breaks my heart in the process, I'll consider it worth it.
(A slightly-longer version of this review is also found here.) show less
Lady Wombat says:
A friend managed to get me an ARC of Froi, which I put under the Christmas tree for my 13-year-old daughter. She had this 600-page book read by December 26, and screamed when it came to the end, because unlike Finnikin of the Rock, this book ends with massive cliffhangers, and how can we possibly wait another year to find out what happens? Guess we'll have to order a copy from Australia if the third volume in the series is published there first....
As with Finnikin, I thought this book had enough packed into it to serve as a trilogy into itself. Squeezing it all into one book makes for a plot that races along at such a fast clip that readers' heads are constantly spinning from the twists and turns, and not always in a show more good way. I found the plot pacing a problem with Finnikin, but it seems even worse in this book.
Despite this drawback, I still think Marchetta writes far better than most YA authors, tackling tough issues and developing characters in a way that makes readers care so deeply about each and every person. I particularly admire her for tackling the issue of trauma during/after war, a topic that in heroic fantasy for teens rarely seems to get addressed (Suzanne Collins's Mockingjay the rare exception). I also admire her book's theme: while we want to believe that only they (the other side) could have acted in such bestial ways, committed such horrid atrocities, victims so quickly can turn into victimizers, justifying their own atrocities by pointing at a past history of being abused by the "other." War itself requires that its (primarily male) participants objectify and dehumanize the enemy (Abu Ghraib, anyone? Or the recent news about the U.S. troops urinating on Afghani corpses?). And far too often it is the women and children in the crossfire who bear the brunt of the dehumanization, and the anger that results from it, no matter which side of the divide they are on. show less
A friend managed to get me an ARC of Froi, which I put under the Christmas tree for my 13-year-old daughter. She had this 600-page book read by December 26, and screamed when it came to the end, because unlike Finnikin of the Rock, this book ends with massive cliffhangers, and how can we possibly wait another year to find out what happens? Guess we'll have to order a copy from Australia if the third volume in the series is published there first....
As with Finnikin, I thought this book had enough packed into it to serve as a trilogy into itself. Squeezing it all into one book makes for a plot that races along at such a fast clip that readers' heads are constantly spinning from the twists and turns, and not always in a show more good way. I found the plot pacing a problem with Finnikin, but it seems even worse in this book.
Despite this drawback, I still think Marchetta writes far better than most YA authors, tackling tough issues and developing characters in a way that makes readers care so deeply about each and every person. I particularly admire her for tackling the issue of trauma during/after war, a topic that in heroic fantasy for teens rarely seems to get addressed (Suzanne Collins's Mockingjay the rare exception). I also admire her book's theme: while we want to believe that only they (the other side) could have acted in such bestial ways, committed such horrid atrocities, victims so quickly can turn into victimizers, justifying their own atrocities by pointing at a past history of being abused by the "other." War itself requires that its (primarily male) participants objectify and dehumanize the enemy (Abu Ghraib, anyone? Or the recent news about the U.S. troops urinating on Afghani corpses?). And far too often it is the women and children in the crossfire who bear the brunt of the dehumanization, and the anger that results from it, no matter which side of the divide they are on. show less
Oh, internet peoples, you have not lied to me. Finnikin of the Rock was good but rather slow, due to the set up of the word building. Froi, though, is a thing of beauty, and I loved every single moment of it. All the world building in book one was so that the awesomeness could happen now. *happy sigh* If this is indicative of Melina Marchetta's usual writing, it's safe to say that I'm going to be a huge fangirl.
Where Finnikin of the Rock took a couple hundred pages to really get started, Froi of the Exiles had my attention from the first page and never let go. Though just under six hundred pages long, this book in no way felt long. In fact, I would have read more happily. Were it not for my ridiculous system by which I determine what I show more read next, I would have gone straight into Quintana of Charyn because I have a FIERCE need to know what happens next. If you're hesitant about wading through the world building in book one, it's worth it, because Froi of the Exiles continues to have awesome world building, but also focuses on the amazing cast of characters. The feels have been located!
Marchetta uses a rotating limited third person narration. Even within chapters, the character being followed can change, but there's always a page break to indicate the switch. Usually, in a story like this, with the main characters split into two different places, one of the story lines is boring and you're just sitting there waiting to get back to the juicy stuff. Though Froi's arc was more exciting, I was also desperate to find out what was going on back in Lumatere, so did not begrudge the POV switches in the slightest. Also, even though third is a bit distancing, I still felt very connected to everyone. Melina Marchetta is a great example of showing, rather than telling.
The beauty of this series lies in just how flawed everyone is. No one is perfect, though Finnikin and Isaboe do come close in the eyes of the people; we know their flaws well from the previous book. Most of them are not unusually attractive, except for Lirah; even the others who used to be have had their looks and bodies destroyed. In Froi of the Exiles, the main characters are even more messed up. Froi, an exile from who knows well, has found a home in Lumatere, but is still haunted by the things he did in his past, afraid to really let himself live lest he break his bond to Isaboe. Froi of the Exiles does focus on him more than anyone else, but it's not just about him.
Sent to Charyn to impersonate one of the last borns (literally the last children born to Lumatere eighteen years before), Froi is charged with assassinating the King of Charyn and Quintana, his crazy daughter, as well. Of course, the people and Quintana expect him to impregnate her, also a last born, to complete the prophecy and end the curse of barrenness in Charyn. Froi must confront his past and his demons to survive his mission.
Quintana is one of the most fucked up heroines I've ever read. There's a brilliant description of Quintana by one of the other characters, so I'll borrow that: "'She'll be strangely intriguing...With a touch of mystery and savagery that will bewitch only the bold and courageous among us'" (572). When I called Quintana crazy, I meant that literally. She also is savage, growling at people and prone to attack at the smallest provocation. However, she's also been abused all of her life, both verbally and physically. Since she was thirteen, she's been sexually abused in attempts to end the curse. There's a reason she's so broken, and it's really just impressive that she functions as well as she does.
Other flawed cast members that I really just can't help loving: Lucian, Phaedra, Arjuro, Gargarin, Tippideaux, Lirah, and De Lancey. Yes, I may have just listed most of the characters in the book, but, whatever, they're the best. Every single one of them will give you cause to hate them at some point, but they're so real and trying so hard and I just want to hug them all and force them to live happily ever after.
Speaking of happily ever after, which totally is not happening in Froi fyi, Melina Marchetta writes the freaking best romances. Or, at least, they work perfectly for me. See, she rocks the whole hate to love gambit and that just gets me every time. The couples are angry and mistrusting and awkward, so I'm just sitting there reading and yelling at them to get over themselves and realize how perfect they are for one another already. With most of the romances in this series, the couples almost don't show one another affection at all, but it's there, and I suspect it doesn't bode well for me that I find that so emotionally appealing. Odds are that several of my ships are going to be separated by death and GAH my body is not ready.
My only slight reservation with Froi is that it felt like Marchetta pulled her punches there at the end. Some really serious shit had gone down and I was about to cry an ocean worth of tears, but then I realized that nothing was really as big of a deal as it was made out to be. On the one hand, I'm happy because tragedy sort of avoided, but, on the other, nothing's more badass then letting that tragedy stand and making everyone get past it. Of course, being somewhat nice here at the end of Froi might just be a trick to make me let my guard down so she can decimate me emotionally in Quintana.
Fantasy-loving friends, this series should probably happen in your life. Melina Marchetta has now proved her adeptness at world building and characterization, and her writing has been stellar all the way through. I will be reading through the other books in my pile as quickly as possible so that I can get to Quintana because I must know what happens. show less
Where Finnikin of the Rock took a couple hundred pages to really get started, Froi of the Exiles had my attention from the first page and never let go. Though just under six hundred pages long, this book in no way felt long. In fact, I would have read more happily. Were it not for my ridiculous system by which I determine what I show more read next, I would have gone straight into Quintana of Charyn because I have a FIERCE need to know what happens next. If you're hesitant about wading through the world building in book one, it's worth it, because Froi of the Exiles continues to have awesome world building, but also focuses on the amazing cast of characters. The feels have been located!
Marchetta uses a rotating limited third person narration. Even within chapters, the character being followed can change, but there's always a page break to indicate the switch. Usually, in a story like this, with the main characters split into two different places, one of the story lines is boring and you're just sitting there waiting to get back to the juicy stuff. Though Froi's arc was more exciting, I was also desperate to find out what was going on back in Lumatere, so did not begrudge the POV switches in the slightest. Also, even though third is a bit distancing, I still felt very connected to everyone. Melina Marchetta is a great example of showing, rather than telling.
The beauty of this series lies in just how flawed everyone is. No one is perfect, though Finnikin and Isaboe do come close in the eyes of the people; we know their flaws well from the previous book. Most of them are not unusually attractive, except for Lirah; even the others who used to be have had their looks and bodies destroyed. In Froi of the Exiles, the main characters are even more messed up. Froi, an exile from who knows well, has found a home in Lumatere, but is still haunted by the things he did in his past, afraid to really let himself live lest he break his bond to Isaboe. Froi of the Exiles does focus on him more than anyone else, but it's not just about him.
Sent to Charyn to impersonate one of the last borns (literally the last children born to Lumatere eighteen years before), Froi is charged with assassinating the King of Charyn and Quintana, his crazy daughter, as well. Of course, the people and Quintana expect him to impregnate her, also a last born, to complete the prophecy and end the curse of barrenness in Charyn. Froi must confront his past and his demons to survive his mission.
Quintana is one of the most fucked up heroines I've ever read. There's a brilliant description of Quintana by one of the other characters, so I'll borrow that: "'She'll be strangely intriguing...With a touch of mystery and savagery that will bewitch only the bold and courageous among us'" (572). When I called Quintana crazy, I meant that literally. She also is savage, growling at people and prone to attack at the smallest provocation. However, she's also been abused all of her life, both verbally and physically. Since she was thirteen, she's been sexually abused in attempts to end the curse. There's a reason she's so broken, and it's really just impressive that she functions as well as she does.
Other flawed cast members that I really just can't help loving: Lucian, Phaedra, Arjuro, Gargarin, Tippideaux, Lirah, and De Lancey. Yes, I may have just listed most of the characters in the book, but, whatever, they're the best. Every single one of them will give you cause to hate them at some point, but they're so real and trying so hard and I just want to hug them all and force them to live happily ever after.
Speaking of happily ever after, which totally is not happening in Froi fyi, Melina Marchetta writes the freaking best romances. Or, at least, they work perfectly for me. See, she rocks the whole hate to love gambit and that just gets me every time. The couples are angry and mistrusting and awkward, so I'm just sitting there reading and yelling at them to get over themselves and realize how perfect they are for one another already. With most of the romances in this series, the couples almost don't show one another affection at all, but it's there, and I suspect it doesn't bode well for me that I find that so emotionally appealing. Odds are that several of my ships are going to be separated by death and GAH my body is not ready.
My only slight reservation with Froi is that it felt like Marchetta pulled her punches there at the end. Some really serious shit had gone down and I was about to cry an ocean worth of tears, but then I realized that nothing was really as big of a deal as it was made out to be. On the one hand, I'm happy because tragedy sort of avoided, but, on the other, nothing's more badass then letting that tragedy stand and making everyone get past it. Of course, being somewhat nice here at the end of Froi might just be a trick to make me let my guard down so she can decimate me emotionally in Quintana.
Fantasy-loving friends, this series should probably happen in your life. Melina Marchetta has now proved her adeptness at world building and characterization, and her writing has been stellar all the way through. I will be reading through the other books in my pile as quickly as possible so that I can get to Quintana because I must know what happens. show less
Once upon a time...
I never would have thought a book could have me sobbing my heart out at four in the morning.
And then [a:Melina Marchetta|47104|Melina Marchetta|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1277655889p2/47104.jpg] wrote [b:On the Jellicoe Road|1162022|On the Jellicoe Road|Melina Marchetta|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1212708945s/1162022.jpg|6479100].
I never would have thought I'd like traditional fantasy novels.
And then [a:Melina Marchetta|47104|Melina Marchetta|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1277655889p2/47104.jpg] wrote [b:Finnikin of the Rock|4932435|Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1)|Melina Marchetta|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1227961623s/4932435.jpg|4998084].
I never would have thought characters show more could get any better than Finnikin and Isaboe.
And then [a:Melina Marchetta|47104|Melina Marchetta|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1277655889p2/47104.jpg] wrote [b:Froi of the Exiles|10165727|Froi of the Exiles (Lumatere Chronicles, #2)|Melina Marchetta|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1306866851s/10165727.jpg|15064442].
I think that if Ms Marchetta were to ever write a bad novel, the earth would simply slip off its axis and the universe would implode because the natural order of things would have gone completely askew. Every time I stop and think "THIS IS IT. This is the pinnacle of literary perfection and books just don't get any better than this", Marchetta goes right ahead and releases the proof that I was wrong.
This book is just so much better than [b:Finnikin of the Rock|4932435|Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1)|Melina Marchetta|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1227961623s/4932435.jpg|4998084], and that sounds like I'm insulting the prequel - I'm not. I honestly loved everything about the story of Finnikin and Isaboe, I thought it was a fantastic beginning to this series, both well-written and pulse-pounding. But Froi is just more of what I like to read about. Finnikin is a nicer character than Froi, he had many sides and was interesting to follow through his adventures (because Ms Marchetta does not create poor characters), but it was exactly the complications of Froi's character - the battle to control his temper, the struggle to part with the horrors of his past - that made me love him so much more.
And Quintana! Oh Quintana, how I'm looking forward to getting more acquainted with you in the next book. I'm not going to spoil this wonderful character for anyone who is yet to read [b:Froi of the Exiles|10165727|Froi of the Exiles (Lumatere Chronicles, #2)|Melina Marchetta|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1306866851s/10165727.jpg|15064442], but she is fantastic and weird and I can't wait for [b:Quintana of Charyn|10165761|Quintana of Charyn (Lumatere Chronicles, #3)|Melina Marchetta|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1331187719s/10165761.jpg|15064476]!!!!
I love how so many characters came into this book and I can remember very clearly the personalities of them all. None were wasted and everyone who was introduced had their part to play that was key to the overall story, not a single one will easily be forgotten. Like [b:The Queen of Attolia|40158|The Queen of Attolia (The Queen's Thief, #2)|Megan Whalen Turner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1293505506s/40158.jpg|1124161] was just so much more than [b:The Thief|448873|The Thief (The Queen's Thief, #1)|Megan Whalen Turner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298543325s/448873.jpg|1069505], I felt that [b:Froi of the Exiles|10165727|Froi of the Exiles (Lumatere Chronicles, #2)|Melina Marchetta|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1306866851s/10165727.jpg|15064442] was so much more of everything that made [b:Finnikin of the Rock|4932435|Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1)|Melina Marchetta|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1227961623s/4932435.jpg|4998084] amazing. It was more exciting, faster-paced, funnier, nastier... even sexier. I got hot flushes at the mention of Froi's "wicked tongue"!
I don't really think anyone can say anything else about [a:Melina Marchetta|47104|Melina Marchetta|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1277655889p2/47104.jpg]. I tend to mention her in most of my reviews because I find her talent for story-telling and creating a variety of complex characters just incredible. She astounds me. How else can I make you Marchetta virgins pick up her work? Let me know and I'll write it in my next review! I hope I've managed to do Froi some justice with this review and that it wasn't just a mess of adoring mushiness. But then, how do you review a perfect book? This is my crappy attempt. show less
Following on three years after the conclusion of Finnikin of the Rock, Finnikin and Isaboe are rebuilding the kingdom of Lumatere and juggling their rather demanding small girl, Jasmina, meaning they're too busy to be main characters in this book. The baton has been passed on to Froi, who has been trained as a fighter and assassin, and who takes on the rather strange task of killing their neighbouring king, who no one (even his own people) like.
A rather messy book, which was a great shame, because the first in this series (Finnikin of the Rock) was a excellent book, IMO. This one was all over the shop: a cast of thousands; characters kept on doing unexpected things; stuff was never really explained well; it went beyond darkness and into show more gross on a couple of occasions; and then it ended on a cliffhanger or five. Not happy.
I did like the minor character of Lucian, dealing with having to be leader to the Monts and filled with self doubt. If the book had just been about him, it would have been a much more compelling story. Sadly, Froi never quite worked for me, I found his whole quest a bit disturbing at times.
But still, the story was compelling (if I was rather bewildered all the way through) and I'm hoping it was just me being in a bad headspace while reading it, and the next book will be better. show less
A rather messy book, which was a great shame, because the first in this series (Finnikin of the Rock) was a excellent book, IMO. This one was all over the shop: a cast of thousands; characters kept on doing unexpected things; stuff was never really explained well; it went beyond darkness and into show more gross on a couple of occasions; and then it ended on a cliffhanger or five. Not happy.
I did like the minor character of Lucian, dealing with having to be leader to the Monts and filled with self doubt. If the book had just been about him, it would have been a much more compelling story. Sadly, Froi never quite worked for me, I found his whole quest a bit disturbing at times.
But still, the story was compelling (if I was rather bewildered all the way through) and I'm hoping it was just me being in a bad headspace while reading it, and the next book will be better. show less
Review originally published on my blog: AWordsWorth.blogspot.com
Book provided by publisher for review.
Picking up the story three years after Finnikin and Isaboe return Lumatere to peace and life, there's still much unrest among the nations of Skuldenore. After years of heartache and deception, finding peace is difficult, especially for Queen Isaboe. When a Charyn rebel appears in the Valley, below Lucian and the Monts' mountain, with a plea for help in the assasination of the Charyn king (the one who orchestrated the horror of the Lumaterans), Finnikin and his Guard are cautious but curious. As they discuss things, Froi finds himself strangely drawn to this Charynite. And with his undeniable skill, and brains, it's not a surprise when show more it is decided that Froi will slip into Charyn, under the pretense of being Olivier, the Last Born of Sebastopol, and kill the king. But things are rarely as simple as they seem, and Froi quickly realizes there is more to Charyn than he thought - and more to himself as well.
If the curse over Lumatere was hard and complicated, the curse hanging over Charyn is ten times more difficult. On the day Princess Quintana was born, all pregnant women miscarried, and no child had been born since. The Last Borns were treasured, and through them the curse is promised to be broken. Specifically, through Quintana. But Charyn politics are insane, and Quintana is thought to be at least half-mad and quite probably possessed. Froi knows better than to get involved, with any of it. But ... he can't help himself. And as he finds himself drawn into the complicated network of alliances and grudges and fighting, he discovers that what he thinks he knows is only scratching the surface.
I stayed up entirely too late reading this book. It sucked me in, drew me deep into the story. I became emotionally invested and connected with the characters. Froi, struggling to balance his bonds, to know what to do, to know who he is - he stole my heart. Quintana is a force to be reckoned with, and the entire cast of characters have surprising depth. When it ended, I was left feeling like someone had slammed into my chest, knocking me breathless and hanging over the edge of a cliff. Torture. Book hangover of a scale I haven't experienced since Pegasus. Thankfully, I had Quintana at hand and could quickly pick up the story again -- so do not read Froi without ready access to Quintana. You've been warned. show less
Book provided by publisher for review.
Picking up the story three years after Finnikin and Isaboe return Lumatere to peace and life, there's still much unrest among the nations of Skuldenore. After years of heartache and deception, finding peace is difficult, especially for Queen Isaboe. When a Charyn rebel appears in the Valley, below Lucian and the Monts' mountain, with a plea for help in the assasination of the Charyn king (the one who orchestrated the horror of the Lumaterans), Finnikin and his Guard are cautious but curious. As they discuss things, Froi finds himself strangely drawn to this Charynite. And with his undeniable skill, and brains, it's not a surprise when show more it is decided that Froi will slip into Charyn, under the pretense of being Olivier, the Last Born of Sebastopol, and kill the king. But things are rarely as simple as they seem, and Froi quickly realizes there is more to Charyn than he thought - and more to himself as well.
If the curse over Lumatere was hard and complicated, the curse hanging over Charyn is ten times more difficult. On the day Princess Quintana was born, all pregnant women miscarried, and no child had been born since. The Last Borns were treasured, and through them the curse is promised to be broken. Specifically, through Quintana. But Charyn politics are insane, and Quintana is thought to be at least half-mad and quite probably possessed. Froi knows better than to get involved, with any of it. But ... he can't help himself. And as he finds himself drawn into the complicated network of alliances and grudges and fighting, he discovers that what he thinks he knows is only scratching the surface.
I stayed up entirely too late reading this book. It sucked me in, drew me deep into the story. I became emotionally invested and connected with the characters. Froi, struggling to balance his bonds, to know what to do, to know who he is - he stole my heart. Quintana is a force to be reckoned with, and the entire cast of characters have surprising depth. When it ended, I was left feeling like someone had slammed into my chest, knocking me breathless and hanging over the edge of a cliff. Torture. Book hangover of a scale I haven't experienced since Pegasus. Thankfully, I had Quintana at hand and could quickly pick up the story again -- so do not read Froi without ready access to Quintana. You've been warned. show less
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Melina Marchetta was born on March 25, 1965 in Australia. She is a writer and teacher who earned a teaching degree from the Australian Catholic University. She then got a job teaching at St Mary's Cathedral College, Sydney. Her first novel, Looking for Alibrandi was released in 1992. Looking for Alibrandi swept the pool of literary awards for show more young adult fiction in 1993 including the coveted CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award. Her second novel, Saving Francesca was released in 2003, followed by On the Jellicoe Road in 2006. Marchetta's fourth novel, the fantasy epic Finnikin of the Rock, was released in October 2008. It has since won the 2008 Aurealis Award for best young-adult novel and the 2009 ABIA (Australian Booksellers Industry Awards) Book of the Year for Older Children. Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil (2016) is her latest book. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Distinctions
Notable Lists
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Froi of the Exiles
- Original publication date
- 2011
- Dedication
- To Laura
For conversations in Ravenna
and New York playlists - First words
- They called her Quintana the cursemaker.
- Quotations
- "Your father lives in the chamber beside us, Finnikin. You speak to him every night and every morning and if for some reason you can't sleep through the night, you speak to him then as well. Do you not see that as an attachme... (show all)nt?"
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)'You should all come out. It's beautiful. I think I see the sun.'
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 813.6
- Canonical LCC
- PZ7.M32855
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- Members
- 588
- Popularity
- 49,591
- Reviews
- 36
- Rating
- (4.46)
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 23
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 5
