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.
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.
The Review
I've been struggling with how to do this review, the reason being that this book took me by complete surprise. A bit of a backstory before I actually dive into it; ever since I joined Goodreads many, many years ago, Finnikin of the Rock has been on my recommended reads list and I just didn't feel like it would be something I'd like, so I didn't give it a chance. It may be a bit sexist of me, but I typically get along better with female protagonists so I shy away from a male perspective. This isn't a cardinal rule or anything, just a theme I've recognized. Anyway, I was at the library the other day and happened to spy Finnikin on a shelf and hadn't been able to find any other appealing titles so I figured, what the hell. Finnikin of the Rock is easily one of the best books I've ever read. Not reading this sooner is possibly one of my greatest regrets; there's a little bit of everything and I mean everything. There's romance, adventure, a terrible curse, magic and horrible cruelty. Finnikin is cheeky, intelligent and noble of character. He struggles with the loss of his best friend, his family and his home. His pain hurt and his compassion was so great that it made my heart heavy. Evanjalin is the greatest part of this book; damn, I really do sound sexist. In my defense, she is just chock full of surprises and her empathy moved me. The world inside of these pages is not a very pretty one. People are starving, abused in every possible way, illness and plagues decimate groups of refugees and the only person who could save the masses died many years ago. This book is heavy and depressing, but the soul inside of it demands to be read. Don't be like me and underestimate this title. Quite simply, this was a book I wanted to simultaneously dive into and escape from. Ultimately, this is a book of hope that should be read even though it made me, an adult at 25 years, cry out in alarm and sadness. This is one of those books that I think should be required reading to anyone who reads fantasy. THIS is how you write an engaging story that transcends any age group, a story that so expertly communicates the human condition in all of its flaws and ugliness. This is a story about hope, love, empathy and survival in a world that shouldn't make these possible by any logic or law.
