Review: Quintana of Charyn

Author: Melina Marchetta
Date of Publication: September 26 2012
Pages: 516
Series: Lumatere Chronicles #3
Source: Library

Separated from the girl he loves and has sworn to protect, Froi must travel through Charyn to search for Quintana, the mother of Charyn's unborn king, and protect her against those who will do anything to gain power. But what happens when loyalty to family and country conflict? When the forces marshalled in Charyn's war gather and threaten to involve the whole of the land, including Lumatere, only Froi can set things right, with the help of those he loves.

AMAZON / GOODREADS

Review:

This review contains no spoilers for Quintana of Charyn but does indeed spoil the events of the first two books in the series.

Goddamnit.

Nope, I did not want this series to end. Not at all. But if there's one comforting thought, it's that Melina Marchetta did it right. She ended a wondrous series that speaks to the heart and enthralls as well. She somehow satisfies the reader in every way. The plot is tied up. Nothing is perfect, but there is always hope. And as sad as I am, I'm also very excited because I can't wait to do a thorough reread of the entire trilogy; one of the best book series I've ever read. I probably won't be able to properly convey my thoughts in a worthy review, so if you're looking for a bottom line, here it is: read this trilogy.

Read it if you love amazingly deep characters with great development. Characters that you will care about. But beware, these characters may break your heart.

Quintana of Charyn encompasses multiple perspectives and resolves the story of all these characters appropriately. Froi is broken and battered, but his story of being caught between two world is inspiring. Quintana is a character I will never forget. The strength of this wild, savage girl and the way she continues to endure all make her one of the most compelling characters I've ever read of. There's also Finnikin's arrogance and more insight into his relationship with the fierce Isaboe. And Lucian. And Phaedra. I could go on for quite some time naming all the characters and how wonderful every one of them were, even the side or supporting ones because they added so much depth and believability, but this is something for you to discover. Let's just say that they weren't perfect. Sometimes I was exasperated with their actions and disagreed with them, but as an impartial observer. I could understand why every character made the choices they made.

The plot is twisty and wraps everything together adequately. At some point I didn't know if everything would end up okay. For a fantasy book, the emotional writing is such a godsend because when something awful happened resulting in an awful reaction, I actually had goosebumps and was shivering. I'm not joking. The story is enormous with so many characters and two kingdoms at stake and somehow it manages to tie itself together in a satisfying conclusion. There were times where I had no clue whether there would be a happy ending, but I did manage to guess the ending and that was because all the pieces and clues fit together so well. It wasn't disappointing to guess either. Rather, it made me very happy.

Some scenes were truly brilliant. The relationships are so vibrant that even a happy scene between a mother and her son can make you tear up. There aren't any unnecessary details or clutter; instead there is an eye for detail, especially when it comes to characters. This made the world building absolutely fantastic.

One of my favourite aspects of this series are the political aspects. Everyone belongs to a different kingdom with a proud culture and language. There is a need to preserve their kingdom, which wars with the ideal of having peace. Froi in particular is stuck between Charyn and Lumatere. His internal conflicts were fascinating and well fleshed out.

There's a lot to enjoy in Quintana of Charyn. It's an epic fantasy with all the elements of a good book; action, tragedy, love, hope, character depth, emotional writing. There's nothing left to say except this trilogy is a must read. 5 hearts.

-P.E.