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| Read from June 11 - 12, 2014 |
Publication Date: September 26, 2012
Publisher: Viking Australia
Number of Pages: 516
Genre/s: Young Adult, Medieval Fantasy
Source: Bought
Source: Bought
There's a babe in my belly that whispers the valley, Froi. I follow the whispers and come to the road . . .
Separated from the girl he loves and has sworn to protect, Froi must travel through Charyn to search for Quintana, the mother of Charyn's unborn king, and protect her against those who will do anything to gain power. But what happens when loyalty to family and country conflict?
When the forces marshalled in Charyn's war gather and threaten to involve the whole of the land, including Lumatere, only Froi can set things right, with the help of those he loves. - (source)
This review does not contain any spoilers for this book and the rest of the series. Hurrah!
Melina Marchetta never fails to break my heart into smithereens. Reading the Lumatere Chronicles has been a tremendous experience. She made everything seemed tangible to me. The anguish coming from Froi was also the same anguish coming from me, the trust between Phaedra and Lucian, the love between Isaboe and Finnikin, the protectiveness Quintana has for her King baby, they were gushing out from me too. She made my heart swell past its size that I became stretched too thin and wrung out from all these feelings coursing through me. It was emotionally exhausting, but it was worth it. Seeing everything fall into place felt like a satisfying compensation for all the pains the characters have to endure.
As always with a Marchetta novel, you know you're going to get a good story. For me though, it will be the characters that would initially entice me in and would refuse to let go. This power is much more potent here because we've been with these people since Book 1. We shared their tragedies, torments, and losses as well as their camaraderie, love, and triumphs. They have burrowed themselves into my heart like real people and my affection for them is just all-consuming. I am heartbroken to have reached the story's end but I am also glad to know that they are in a better place now.
It's admirable how Marchetta has the command not only of her readers' attentions, but also their hearts. Marchetta might have broken my heart countless of times but she constantly put the pieces back together again despite making it more fragile than ever before. She's a masterful storyteller and a genius creator of this world and its characters.
And I'll never forget them, Melina Marchetta. Never.
Cupid's Verdict:
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| 4 1/2 Cupids |
