Title: Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1)

Author: Melina Marchetta

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Published: February 9, 2010

After the royal family was killed a curse was placed on the country Lumatere. Half of the country was stuck within the boundaries the other half was exiled outside, with a impenetrable wall separating the two. Ten years latter Finnikin, Sir Topher and Evanjalin took the exiles and tried to get back into the country.

What made this book as good as it ended up being could be attributed to the relationships between the characters. It wasn't just people being thrown together and having instant attractions or an instant rapport. The romance between Finnikin and Evanjalin had its ups and downs. There was mistrust and suspicion before they actually began to trust and rely on each other. The relationships between the people stuck inside and those outside were strained especially after ten years. They were not able to pick things up and go on as if nothing had happened. The characters needed to work for everything they had and everything wanted.

The book did have its flaws just as the characters had flaws. I found the world absorbing, their problems interesting and the characters fascinating enough to overlook the defects.

Overall I gave this book 5 stars out of 5.