Froi of the Exiles: The Lumatere Chronicles Book Two

Author: Melina Marchetta
Pages: 593
Genre: YA Fantasy
Published: Candlewick Press


From the Back of the Book ~

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 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 that there is a song sleeping in his blood...and though Froi would rather not, the time has come to listen.

My Thoughts ~

I'm going to try to express my feelings for this book without revealing anything about the shocking ending.  As far as sequals go, this is a wonderful continuation to the first book.  The author picks up with the same pacing, however, to me, Froi's story seemed to drag a little bit in the middle.  I didn't mind so much in this book though, because I expected it.  Marchetta chose to develop several different characters in this book by jumping from Froi to Lady Beatriss to Lucian and Phaedra.  This was a great way to break up the pace.  As a reader, I had the chance to live through the eyes of many characters and develop a love or hate relationship for each.  I hope to learn more about each character that was introduced in the next book, Quintana of Charyn, releasing sometime in March 2013. 

Adopted by the Queen and her consort in the land of the exiles, Froi finds love and family in the Lumaterians as they take him in as one of their own.  Deep down, though, he feels there is more to who he is.  On his mission to assassinate the King of Charyn, he discovers more about himself than he ever dreamed possible.  That's about as much as I can say without spoiling it for those who haven't read it yet. 

I truly enjoyed this book and yes I have to admit that I cried in the end.  I got so caught up in the characters that I felt like I was a part of the book.  I really hope you will pick up the sequel to Finnikin of the Rock and read it.  You will not be disappointed.