Review: Quintana of Charyn

Title:Quintana of Charyn: The Lumatere Chronicles
Author: Melina Marchetta
Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Now that's how you end an amazing series. Not quite as good as Froi, but still beautiful, poignant, heart-wrenching, and eye-opening.

I have come to the conclusion that there is a secret portal to the world of Lumatere that only Melina Marchetta has access to, because how else do you explain characters that are so real? I have said this about every Melina Marchetta book I have read, and I'll say it again - I have to constantly keep reminding myself that these characters that I have grown to love and care about aren't real, because otherwise it would hurt too much when things get ugly for them (and that happens. Quite a bit, actually). Even when I've been reminding myself, it still is painful for me to see them struggle through disappointment and heartbreak.

In the final installment of the Lumatere Chronicles, Charyn and Lumatere are at the brink of war. Quintana is hiding in a cave with Phaedra and other women who are presumed dead by the rest of the world. A broken Froi is trying to find his footing with his newly found family, but he never loses sight of what he must do - protect Quintana and the Little King at all costs. Isaboe and Finnikin must address the growing threat of Charyn invasion, and are poised to take down the one they believe responsible - Gargarin. Lucian grieves the loss of his wife and struggles to be the leader of the Monts. Meanwhile, Charynites are clamoring for a leader and chaos begins to brew in the valley between Charyn and Lumatere.

There were so many tense moments where characters that I loved and respected would perceive one another as enemies. There was so much conflict and confusion, and it was very hard to imagine what characters with multiple loyalties would do. It's hard to see people who you think of as just and extraordinary holding a blade to people who are also equally extraordinary and good. Those books where you know nothing bad will happen to a main character? This is not one of those books.

Quintana of Charyn is full of twisting loyalties and shifting perspectives. It's gripping, but also beautiful. As in all of Marchetta's books, there is a lot of ugliness and hatred, but also much love, beauty, and strength.

In the end, after Isaboe lost her child, I was so sure she was going to attack Quintana, especially since Isaboe resented her so much. Instead, she pretended that Quintana's child was her own in order to save the Little King whom she once believed would be end of her kingdom. That was simply incredible! I also thought Phaedra and Quintana's relationship was wonderfully done - they don't seem to like each other at all at first, but they grow to respect and protect each other like sisters. Of course, Froi was the character that stole the show for me - he, like the reader, loves and is loyal to all the other characters from both Lumatere and Charyn. The lengths he goes to save the people he cares about is extraordinary.

I absolutely loved the ending! Melina Marchetta really makes you wait for the ending, and you don't know if it's going to be a happy one or not until almost the very last page. I was grinning nonstop, and almost burst into laughter when I found out the reason for the whole fiasco

Isaboe's daughter likes "shiny things"! haha

Highly highly recommended!