Title: Froi of the Exiles
Author: Melina Marchetta
Publisher: Viking Australia
Published: October 2011
Pages: 593
Blood sings to blood, Froi . . .
Those born last will make the first . . .
For Charyn will be barren no more.
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 trained roughly and lovingly by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family, and has learned to control his quick temper. But when he is sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn, nothing could have prepared him for what he finds. Here he encounters a damaged people who are not who they seem, and must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad Princess.
And in this barren and mysterious place, 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 Rating: 5 stars
My Thoughts:
Wow, this book was a fantastic sequel to Finnikin of the Rock! It was everything I loved about the first book and more!
This story takes place three years later and it’s Froi’s story. Froi has changed a lot from the young boy he was and has grown to become a respectable, loyal young man. He is happy with his life in Lumatere with the people who have become his family. On the day that he is asked to enter the kingdom of Charyn to assassinate the king who brought death and destruction to Lumatere, Froi’s life changes forever. The adventure that he departs on is filled sorrow, grief, anger, and an inexplicable curse but more importantly it’s filled with a half-crazed princess, two angst-ridden brothers, and bitter woman that all steal Froi’s heart!
The characters in this book were breathtaking! I loved Finnikin and Isaboe in the last book and I still love them in this one, but Froi and Quintana really stole the show! Froi became such a wonderful young man who loved fiercely and would do anything to protect those that he loved, including the half-crazed princess, Quintana! Quintana was so incredibly strange and weird but I loved her! Beneath her crazy antics was a beautiful young woman who taught herself how to survive no matter the circumstances and who faced unspeakable terrors in order to protect others from the same fate. Together her and Froi found solace and comfort and were able to pull strength from each other and also break a curse that reigned over Charyn for eighteen years. It truly was beautiful to read about the love that slowly grew between them!
I also loved the angst-riddedn brothers, Gargarin and Arjuro, and Lirah, formerly known as “the King of Charyn’s whore.” All three of them plus Froi and Quintana make up quite the little rag tag group of people with a bunch of secrets, dark pasts, and lots of grief, but they form a bond and become a family of sorts, that loves and protects each other!
This story changed between POVs by chapters. One chapter I would be reading about Froi and Quintana and then the next, I’d be reading about the love that was blossoming between Lucian and his Charyn wife, Pheadra. But that wasn’t all! I got to read about Finnikin, Isaboe, Trevanion, Lady Beatriss, and so many more and I loved all of their stories! After every chapter ended, I was left dying to know what was going to happen with that particular character’s story! It was maddening! I was so captivated by the characters and their lives that it was unbelievable! Melina Marchetta definitely knows how to write an incredible story filled with love, adventure, and friendship!
This is an absolutely wonderful story and it ended in a HUGE cliffhanger so I cannot wait to read the next one!
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