Froi of the Exiles,
by Melina Marchetta
ARC from Candlewick, available 3/13/12
Three years have passed since Finnikin and Isaboe ended the
Lumateran curse and exile and began rebuilding their country. Now nearly 18, Froi has spent these years
helping rebuild Lumatere and training with the Queen’s guard, both to mind his
temper and to train to fulfill his promise to protect his queen. Foreign relations are tense due to the long suspected
role of Charyn in the Lumateran exile; to complicate matters, Charyn refugees
are flooding the Lumateran valley on their border. Fluent in Charnyite, Froi is given a secret
mission infiltrate the desert country, impersonate a noble, and assassinate
their king. However, not even the
trainings of the Guard could prepare him for what he discovers in the
treacherous Charyn royal court. Charyn
has a curse of its own: no children have been born or even conceived in 18
years. Charyn’s insane princess,
Quintana, claims to be the only one to be able to break the curse. However, Froi is strangely drawn to Quintana,
who has become a victim of the curse, and to the Charnynite people, hesitating
in his mission as his resolve to protect her and help Charyn find peace
strengthens. This wholly engrossing and beautifully
constructed novel is filled with intrigue, dark humor, mystery, adventure,
engaging new characters, and visits with old Lumateran friends. More political thriller than pure fantasy,
due to plot complexity and some sexual violence it is recommended to high
school students and adults. As a reader caveat, this novel ends on an
excruciating cliffhanger!
Hold your breath (or don’t
is probably a wiser idea), because here comes a loooong review:
