Wednesday 28 August 2013

Book Look #3 Quintana of Charyn

Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta is the third and final installment in The Lumatere Chronicles.

I have to say after reading Froi of the Exiles, this was one of the books that I was highly anticipating the release of, and was really excited to read.

For those that do not know, The Lumatere Chronicles is a fantasy series based on the struggles, journeys and lives of the remaining Lumaterean royal family, those close and dear to them as well as dealings with neighboring nations.


Despite being marketed towards a younger audience, (you generally find this series in the teen section of your local book store), by no means does this mean the series is a quick and easy read. (Particularly the last two books.) The story is complex with a detailed and richly meticulous writing style to match. The surrounding environment, kingdoms, cultures, characters even religions have been carefully planned and executed. It is quite apparent that a lot of time and thought has gone into every little detail, thought and concept that is present in the books.


Being the final book, (in the series so far), Quitana of Charyn has definately been about tying up all of the loose ends from the Froi story arc and in fact it does this quite well. The ending was ever so slightly predictable, or at least you were hoping for it to end the way it did, even so it made for a very satisfying end to a very heavy and meaty series.


I personally enjoyed the series very, very much, however this is not one for everyone. The story is complex, so you need to be patient, it can also be quite graphic, harsh and not very upbeat AKA the comedic elements are on the lesser end of the scale. Although due to the complexity of the plot and the mature nature of the series I really think that a lot of adults can enjoy this series
, or at least the ones' that like fantasy and the politics and cultures of different kingdoms. 

The series itself contains sex scenes, references to rape (the scenes are not detailed or graphic however they are there), violence and expletives. While the concentration of these varies in each book I've included them all since I think you really need to at least read Froi of the Exiles (the second installation in the series) in order to fully enjoy Quintana, and Froi has the highest concentration of all those things out of the whole series. I know all this sounds like very heavy stuff but it is written in such a way that I don't think younger readers will really be able to understand what is actually happening unless they stop and think about it really, really hard....and then there are other parts in which it's quite clear what events are taking place however the author does focus more on the characters emotions rather than the details of the events.

If this sounds like something you would like definately give this series a go. You don't need to read the the first book - Finnikin of the Rock, in order to enjoy Froi and Quintana, however if you do you will have more of a back story to go on.


I know that the author has entertained the idea that she may be open to delving into the back stories of some of the minor characters of the series sometime in the future...But I'd say that until Marchetta says it's actually happening this series is complete.




If you have any questions or comments please leave them in the box below!

You can find out more about the author Melina Marchetta HERE!!!



Maisy xxx




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