Finnikin of the Rock Review

399 pages

At the age of nine, Finnikin is warned by the gods that he must sacrifice a pound of flesh to save his kingdom. He stands on the rock of the three wonders with his friend Prince Balthazar and Balthazar's cousin, Lucian, and together they mix their blood to safeguard Lumatere. But all safety is shattered during the five days of the unspeakable, when the king and queen and their children are brutally murdered in the palace. An impostor seizes the throne, a curse binds all who remain inside Lumatere's walls, and those who escape are left to roam the land as exiles, dying by the thousands in fever camps. Ten years later, Finnikin is summoned to another rock--to meet Evanjalin, a young novice with a startling claim: Balthazar, heir to the throne of Lumatere, is alive. This arrogant young woman claims she'll lead Finnikin and his mentor, Sir Topher, to the prince. Instead, her leadership points them perilously toward home. Does Finnikin dare believe that Lumatere might one day rise united? Evanjalin is not what she seems, and the startling truth will test Finnikin's faith not only in her but in all he knows to be true about himself and his destiny. 

Review:
At first, reading this novel was pretty tedious. Something about the way it is written didn't flow or resonate with me for about the first half of the book. It seemed a bit confusing. However, as the story continued I found myself getting immersed in the story of Finnikin and Evanjalin and waiting to see what happens with the rest of the Lumatere exiles. It took a while to get to the climax and that was pretty short and to the point. I loved when the secrets were revealed and how the book ended. Finnikin is a headstrong character but he also has quite a sincere and heartwarming personality. Evanjalin proves to be more than you first expect and shows that she is an extremely strong young women. This book was definitely worth the read and I recommend it to anyone who like a sincerely good and solid fantasy novel.