As seen on The Readventurer

You know what is sad? That Froi of the Exiles is #76 on the Goodreads list of most popular books released this October, while Silence is #1. Will Melina Marchetta ever get the acknowledgement she deserves? Will her publishers ever promote her books the way they deserve to be promoted? I mean, so much effort and money is put into hyping garbage, why not put it towards something worthy? Very few people I'd recommended this author's novels disliked them, so would it be re More...

I’ve been a fan of every other Melina Marchetta book I’ve read, which is all of them, so it sort of pains me to say that Froi of the Exiles was frustrating and unsatisfying for me. I’m still going to give it three stars because even when Marchetta is (subjectively to me) not on her game, she still has a way with words that blows nearly every other YA author out of the water. Originally, I tried to keep my review entirely spoiler-free but it just wasn’t happening. There will be a few spoilers but More...

You know how authors say that once in a story the two main characters get together there is no point in continuing because nobody is interested in reading about them getting married, having babies and discussing about who takes the kids to school?
Well, with Marchetta it doesn't work that way. Because, in fact, in this book she does tell us about the Happily Ever After. She also switches the focus of attention to some OTHER interesting characters and that's where it gets tricky, for the new char More...

Sometimes I feel like Marchetta books should come with a public health warning.

"Marchetta Fever," it would say.

"Symptoms include: pain, aching or burning in the chest region indicating a broken heart.

Uncontrollable weeping, both happy and sad, may occur frequently. More serious cases run the risk of having their mind blown.

This condition has no known cure."

That's me. That's me with every single one of these books.

I went into my local bookstore to order me some Marchetta this year. Let me expla More...

Does this book really need another glowing review? A book with 225 reviews on GoodReads alone and 4.62 average rating? What can it possibly change? Maybe not much, but yes, I believe that it does.

Melina Marchetta is extraordinary. Duh. I won’t sing her praise in this review. Almost everyone who ever gave one of her books a chance knows how brilliant she is. Writing about it here seems unnecessary and a little bit silly since it’s the one thing we all agree on, regardless of our favorite among h More...

"....and he wanted to creep inside her head and join the madness."


So I guess I’m kinda a fantasy fan.
(But still very much a learner)
Because there have now been two series I can’t get enough of
And it’s all to do with Double M and Ms Whalen Turner.

It’s taken me a while to process this book
(Once I got over the jittery caffeine shakes and stiffness of the joints)
Because when I skimmed through my notes I found with dismay
My pages full of only sad faces and exclamation points.

I picked it up with t More...

My review can also be found on my blog Collections.

It's been about two days since I finished this book, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. All I've been doing is skimming through the entire book and rereading my favorite parts and coming up with theories on how Melina Marchetta is going to resolve everything. When I started it, I stayed up really late the first day because I just could not put it down! It's definitely the fastest I've read through a Melina Marchetta novel.I can't More...

I’ve tried writing this review countless times, but it just doesn’t turn out right. Maybe I should just give up?

This story has a very peculiar atmosphere. It is actually hard to describe: almost dream-like in some parts, but so very real in others - simply an extraordinary combination. Especially the scenes taking place in and around the Citavita induced the strangest feeling in me. This feeling is almost impossible to grasp, and I’m certainly not able to put in into words – but I loved the exp More...

Sometimes (all of the time where Melina Marchetta is concerned), I tend to get very attached to certain stories and can barely think about anything else for days. It happened with Finnikin of the Rock - the first book in the Lumatere Chronicles - and it happened again, and more powerfully, with Froi of the Exiles.

Froi. I don’t even know where to start with his character. I can’t say I was overly fond of him in Finnikin of the Rock, but the staggering amount of growth and maturity he shows in th More...

Dear Melina,
Keep breaking my heart, because you definitely know the best way to do it.



Pre-reading thoughts: "If I won't die of happiness, when I'll read this I'll be the happiest person alive :) " Well.. I am the happiest person alive!

MY THOUGHTS:

The first story I’ve been told was a fairytale.
I don’t remember which one was it, but that shouldn’t be a problem, as they all begin with “once upon a time”, get to the point where the handsome white-horse-riding prince must rescue the princes (fallin More...

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 Melina Marchetta wrote On the Jellicoe Road.
I never would have thought I'd like traditional fantasy novels.
And then Melina Marchetta wrote Finnikin of the Rock.
I never would have thought characters could get any better than Finnikin and Isaboe.
And then Melina Marchetta wrote Froi of the Exiles.

I think that if Ms Marchetta were to ever write a bad novel, the earth would simply More...

Authors like Melina Marchetta leave me in an uncomfortable position. As a reader, I'm overjoyed to read books such as hers since they challenge my mind, make me smile and gape alike, and steal away pieces of my heart. As a writer, however, Marchetta's books...intimidate me. Never before have I read work from an author that just keeps getting better and better with each successive novel (and those who have read Marchetta's debut novel, Looking for Alibrandi, know that she has never been even a me More...

I have selected the authors I want to display as my favorite ones with care - writing one of my favorite books does not automatically switch me into fan mode - yet one of my very first thoughts - when thoughts were more or less possible again after ripping myself away from life in Charyn and Lumatere - was: "I need to persuade Goodreads maintanance to install a huge, visible gap between word magician Marchetta and the rest of the writers I unquestionably adore."

Some more coherent brain activity More...

(Scroll down if you'd prefer the tl;dr version)

If Finnikin of the Rock was a story about a divided and displaced nation’s journey towards healing their collective psyche, Froi of the Exiles is about a people broken apart by hatred, the wound in their history left to fester, and seep suspicion and fear into the cracks between them. A faceless, malevolent presence in Finnikin of the Rock, this is Charyn’s unveiling as more than simply “the enemy” of Lumatere. It’s an insight into a land burdened b More...

Melina Marchetta has once again left me with an overwhelming feeling of reverence. I don't know how she does it. My first read by Marchetta, was Finnikin of the Rock. Once I discovered the magic of her writing, I just knew I would be a life long fan.

This 600+ page masterpiece has rightfully reserved it's spot next to the other greats. The Lumatere Chronicles, is a paragon of perfection. Written with so much depth and vehemence, this will leave a lasting mark in your heart. The Lumatere Chronicl More...

Once again I find myself at a loss for words and I do believe I'm suffering from Marchetta Fever. If you've read any book by her, you may know the symptoms yourself: First it's the euphoria that sets in right after you complete the book. Then, you find yourself thinking about the book long after you finish. You have the inability to form a single, coherent thought to review the book.And in the final stages, your palms go sweaty with the need for the next book. There is a reason why Marchetta is More...

I think I read three reviews of Froi of the Exiles before actually reading the book, and even through them I fought not to get too involved or give much thought. You see, I’m the type of person that can be ruined by hype, and I was really scared that my enjoyment of the book had the potential to be ruined by another's excitement. What hype sometimes does to a reader is brandishes their hopes and expectations too high, and that was something I didn't want to happen with my most anticipated releas More...

This was my second time reading Froi of the Exiles and I realized it's the first time I've reread a Melina Marchetta book. That surprised me because they are all amongst my favorites and I buy multiple editions of her books. Then I started reading. And dreaming of Charyn and Froi. (Seriously.) It's the Melina Marchetta Experience. You're completely immersed and transported to her world, whether it's on the Jellicoe Road or in the mountains of Lumatere. (Luci-en!) I'm so emotionally invested in t More...

I really thought there was NO possible way Marchetta could impress with "Froi of the Exiles" after she TOTALLY blew me away with "Finnikin of the Rock." But boy was I wrong. I don't think I can say which book I loved more, but I DO think Marchetta put a lot more thought into this one.

I'm not sure what took me so long to read this book. My history with this series: (view spoiler)[When W.T. first told me back in February how much she loved "Finnikin of the Rock," I thought she was crazy. I wasn't too keen on re (hide spoiler)] More...

Because I read this series in a massive Marchetta binge over a few days, they've kinda blurred together for me, so I decided to review the series as a whole rather than the individual books (not counting the gif explosion below, natch). Head over to the Finnikin page for my top ten reasons you need to read this series.

Earlier...

I'm sure I'll be able to write a proper review at some point but for now I have no words.

At first I was unsure about Froi as a MC...



And then Finnikin and Isaboe appeared More...

And now, keeping up the tradition of always being at least one book behind everyone else, I will now post a review of Froi of the Exiles when everyone else will be posting a review of Quintana...


I just thought I'd let you know that this is my second attempt at writing this. It's just that kind of book. This is the first review I've ever had to do that required essay-type prep work - making notes of my arguments, drafting out a summary etc etc. Under normal circumstances, I just, well, starting t More...

9/12/12

Another re-read in anticipation of the BIG DAY.

Once again, this story blows me away.


11/16/11


I love this book cover ... It puts a obscure but handsome face to Froi.

The second time through with this meaty book was so good. Details of the story line I mights have allowed my eyes to skip over in an attempt to enthusiastically read the book I had been pining over for months.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10/17/11
What? What on earth....what did I just read??

Frankly, I'm slightl More...

Beyond Amazing!

The one who reigns must die,
At the hands of she born last,
And the last will make the first,
When the bastard twins are one,
And blessed be the newborn King,
For Charyn will be barren no more.

...and with that curse sets the stage for Melina Marchetta’s newest masterpiece Froi of Exiles.

To call this a fantastical journey would be an understatement of the year. This story is about the test of one’s strength and determination to fight beyond the beliefs of man and past the barriers of More...

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 abou More...

28th Sept.

Finally after four days, I have calmed down. You need to know that I'm a kind of a person who is very protective of people I love. I feel with them and emotionally get beaten down as badly (if not more) when they do, and obviously I recover and help them a little later, say, four days? That's exactly what happened at the end of Froi. I know none of the characters are helpless, but I was in it with them and upon finishing the book I found myself on the floor unable to move. In other wor More...

How can I do justice to this book?

With a well-deserved 4.57 average rating over 1,484 ratings, what more can I say that hasn't been said?

This book is good. Really, really good. It's a book that will make your feel like your heart is being torn vein by vein out of your chest. It's a book that will fill you with fierce warmth and affection, and then dunk you in icy cold water with just one word. It's an emotionally exhausting journey, but it's one that I would endure again and again if I could.

F More...

5 of 5 Stars!!! Also reviewed at: Lady Jayne's Reading Den

Melina Marchetta is the Queen of Richly Developed, Real, and Complex Characters in YA!

PROLOGUE

‘They call her Quintana the cursemaker. The last female born to Charyn, eighteen years past.

Reginita, she claims to be. The little Queen. Recipient of the words writ on her chamber wall, whispered by the gods themselves. That those born last will make the first, and blessed be the newborn king, for Charyn will be barren no more.

And so it comes

More...

Once again Melina Marchetta blew my mind away. When I heard that she was going to write the second book in the Lumatere Chronicles with Froi as the main character I was a little surprised. Froi wasn’t a very likable character in Finnikin of the Rock until the last part of the book. But if someone can take a character from zero to hero is Marchetta. And Froi is my new favorite hero.

I was fascinated with all her new characters. My favorite was Quintana. She was just WOW. Everything about her was b More...

I am now convinced that Melina Marchetta could write down a grocery store list and it would still be an amazing read.

The second book of the Lumatere Chronicles is the story of Froi, the young thief that was saved by Finnikin and the Queen in the previous book. It did come as a surprise, considering that in Finnikin of the Rock, he wasn’t exactly what someone would describe as a likable character. However, Froi of the Exiles takes place three years after the Lumatere curse was lifted, and Froi hi More...

“Everything in Charyn seems far more complicated and tragic.”

I was perfectly okay with disliking Froi until the end of Finnikin of the Rock when he said to Trevanion, “I’ll never do anover evil fing if we stay here. Never.” He was just a young boy who wanted to protect the people he had begun to love and think of as his family. It brought tears to my eyes and I had to let go of the grudge I was holding against him for what he tried to do to Isaboe. Everyone makes mistakes and he was trying to be More...