JaReview: Finnikin of the Rock

I used to be an avid fantasy reader, but after a string of really bad YA fantasy books I essentially gave up the genre. I finally decided to break my hiatus and read Finnikin of the Rock because Melina Marchetta is a total genius.

The beginning was a bit confusing, a little reminiscent of Jellicoe Road. But once I got going, basically after the prologue, I was totally into it. Finnikin was huge deviation from Marchetta’s other books. It felt like I was being flung back centuries, into a different time but not necessarily an alien world. And at the core of this alternate universe was what I’ve come to expect from Marchetta. That is complex characters and brilliant relationships binding them together.

The book follows the journey of a young man, Finnikin, who once belonged to the thriving kingdom, Lumatere. When the story picks up the kingdom has been cursed, the royal family murdered and its people, now exiles, scattered across the surrounding nations. When he meets a mysterious girl, Evanjalin, he begins a quest leading him back to his fallen kingdom.

The world that Marchetta creates is both barbaric and tragic. It is definitely not for the faint at heart. Marchetta describes the brutal acts against the exiles in such a way that the inhumanity of the acts comes across but it’s not overly graphic. She paints a broad picture and lets your imagination fill in the details. At first, I thought some of the violence in the story was a bit unnecessary and too much. But it all goes towards the feel of the book. Finnikin’s world is definitely not a 21st century alternate universe, yet it isn’t exactly an Anglo-Saxon era either. But it is a time period that is definitely uncivilized.

The story had a perfect balance of shatteringly tragic moments and then heart warmingly happy moments. It seems strange to say, but the tragedy within the story makes the happy moments all the more emotional. You can’t really understand how important a reunion is unless you know what kind of sacrifices it required to get to that point.

I loved how Marchetta was able to create dimension in her characters. Sometimes they would be light-hearted comedic relief and yet other times they’d have this soul-breaking vulnerability. One of my favorite characters was Frio, a young Lumatere thief prisoner turned companion to Finnikin’s group. He’s a prickly character, hateful and suspicious of people. And yet there’s another side to him that’s almost naïve, vulnerable and fiercely loyal. A couple of times the story was told from his perspective and those were among my favoritest parts.

I absolutely loved the parts in which Finnikin was a blockhead and Eva was a jealous bint. And while Finnikin is the title character in the story, Marchetta maintains her girl power-ness in Eva and other strong female characters. Eva is a complex character, conniving and manipulative yet she is also compassionate and vulnerable. The whole mystery was pretty obvious from the beginning, but like Jellicoe Road the journey was totally worth it.

Finnikin was a so different from Marchetta’s books in some ways- fantasy genre, title male character. Yet she maintained her penance for developing strong relationships, couples and characters you can’t help but root for and a story you wish would never end. And of course she provided fuel for my latest conspiracy theory – Perridora. No idea what I’m talking about? Read the book. It’s totally there and almost as awesome as Dramione.

~Ja~

JaReview: Into the Wild Nerd Yonder

Into the Wild Nerd Yonder was the first book I've read by Julie Halpern. I found it wildly entertaining and totally hilarious. In the story, the main character, Jessie, begins a quest in search of new friends, as her old besty-es converted to (poseur) punkers. But when she befriends a group of Dungeons & Dragon playing nerds, she wonders if she really wants to trek into this new, nerdy universe.

I thought Jessie was awesome. She’s a strong lead, despite her constant musings that she’s becoming a nerd. I mean how often do teenagers take huge risks, like ditching their friends and (*gasp*) having to find new peeps to eat lunch with? Plus, she is a character you can identify with, as almost everyone goes through the phase of trying to figure out where they belong.

However, I found her hesitation and preoccupation with becoming a nerd a bit redundant. She sews her own skirts for goodness sakes, by no means is that normal. At least in my head, that would already edge her into the “alternative” and slightly dorky arena. But her internal dialogue cracked me up (“...why doesn’t she go suck on a clove so I don’t have to inhale her secondhand perfumed smoke?” and “I’d like to disinfect Bizza’s annoying head right now”). There tons of laugh out loud moments. Just a warning, though, you may never look at a Krispy Kreme donut the same.

Jessie’s got the same issues that plague all female leads in this genre- The Frenemy. In Jessie’s case, her name is Bizza and she is a bi-t of a witch. For the record, I think Bizza is an incredible stupid name, but it surprisingly works for this character. There’s a third girl in her entourage, but like her character was meant to do, Anna just kind of blends into the background. But Bizza is incredibly condescending, self-centered and just plain unlikeable. There were many areas were I felt like jumping up and down and screaming, “Take that witch down.” Well, actually I was screaming something else, but we’ll keep it censored for younger audiences. Fortunately, there was sufficient “Bizza bashing” and I was quite satisfied, my vengeful side appeased.

While I loved the snarkiness of the book, I have to admit there was a bit too much convenient fluffy plot bunnies. The first was Henry, a D&D boy who’s surprisingly good looking under his lame wardrobe. He’s conveniently buff under the nerdy shirts and role playing get-ups. I know theoretically it could happen, but really? A secretly buff and hot nerd boy? The second was the heroine’s ability to get back at all those who’ve done her wrong. While the kharma thing was completely comical and entertaining, it was a bit too convenient. Last, I think the relationship Jessie has with her older brother was a bit too storybook for me. I don’t know *any* siblings that get along that well (at that age) in real life. I mean, what older brother voluntarily drags his little sister to hang out with him and his friends? By parental force is one thing, but of his own volition? Seriously?? However, I really liked the book so I was okay with suspending reality a bit higher to indulge those fluffy fantasies.

It is possible that I harbor a little idolization for Jessie because she’s an awesome drummer. Though she secretly breaks it down into mathematics making it slightly less cool; which really should have been a clue to her as to how much of a nerd she already was. But you see, I was supposed to be the drummer in my high school crew’s imaginary band (Deaf Oranges in case you’re wondering). But either way, I thought she was awesome. It made me a bit nostalgic, even though, unlike the book, there were no secretly hot boys in among the Magic card-wielding boys at my school. They were just…nerds.

~Ja~

{NIN} Review of Finnikin of the Rock

Finnikin of the Rock is quite a departure from Melina Marchetta’s previous books. For one, the protagonist in this story is a guy, and two, the story takes place in the fantasy land of Sendecane as opposed to Australia. Regardless of any of that, the book had the same strong plot, characters, and writing that I’ve come to expect and look forward to from MM.

A lot of times in fantasy novels, the story is overly descriptive of the lands, kingdoms, people, and history that the author wants to tell the reader about. Sometimes, the author is so intent on painting a vision of their world for the reader that the story gets lost in all the details. Melina Marchetta does a fantastic job in ensuring that only the necessary details of the land are included such that they serve the primary purpose of helping the plot move along. In some ways, it didn’t feel like an imaginary land but rather sometime in the Middles Ages of Europe with a bit a fantasy thrown in.

The title character, Finnikin, is a wandering Exile of the Lumateran kingdom. Ten years earlier, the royal Lumateran family was cruelly murdered, the kingdom cursed, her people scattered…never able to return home due to a strange mist blocking all access to the kingdom. Early in the story, he and his mentor, Sir Topher, pick up another wandering Lumateran girl named Evanjalin – who is not all what she seems to be. What appears at first to be a meek and submissive novice (who took a vow of silence, afterall) turns out to be one smart, strong, conniving, visionary, and kick-ass girl.

An underlying theme that seems to appear in all of MM’s books is for the protagonist to see beyond their own self-imposed limitations to achieve their potential. This story is no different and it wraps up in a very satisfying way. The book was a bit dark at times, especially when it alluded to the horrifying things that happened to the women and children or refugees that no other kingdom wanted to deal with, but it was a very (unfortunately) realistic portrayal of what happens to those innocent folks swept up in the tides of war and political intrigue.

One detail of the story that stuck out to me was that it seemed to somewhat mimic the theory put forth by The Da Vinci Code – that the men of the world were so afraid of the power of a woman (Mary Magdalene) that they changed the story to reduce the woman’s power and ensure that men controlled the church. In this instance, the ancient Lumaterans worshipped a single, powerful goddess. However, the Lumateran men were afraid of her power and so split her up into two beings, Lagrami and Sagrami, which results in devastating consequences down the road for the Lumaterans.

Overall, I enjoyed this book very much and it was a refreshing departure for Melina Marchetta that has made me admire her talent even more.

JaReview: Saving Francesca

I think I’ve overdosed on reading. I was going through three to five books a week. And this week, I have yet to finish one. But the last book I read, Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta, was fun. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I still can’t figure out exactly why.

The story centers on a girl, Francesca, whose mother is suffering a nervous breakdown. She has to deal with the repercussions of essentially losing someone who has been a huge driving factor in her life. And she struggles to find not only her place at home but also her place in mostly-boys school.

Melina Marchetta writes relationships well. I think I’ve said that about all her books. Some times there’s already a strong relationship in place (like a familial bond). Other times there’s a slow build up to a life altering relationship (that’s not necessarily romantic). Saving Francesca is no exception.

At the core, Francesca reluctantly develops a friendship with five people who become a tight knit group. Not all of them set out wanting to be friends. In fact a few seemed avidly against it. But that made it all the more entertaining because they were resistant to change, commitment phobic (“I don’t like using the f label”) and a little horrified at the prospect of being friends (“This doesn’t mean we have to be friends with him, right?”). Marchetta takes these six vastly different individuals and creates this intricate bond that’s solid and dependable yet maintains snark and avoids getting too touchy feely.

And of course there’s Will Trombal, Francesca’s pashing partner. After I finished, I went back and re-read all the Will scenes, trying to get a better grip on his character. He struck me as a bit bipolar the first time around. He seemed boring, flat and unable to communicate with any girl at times. Then at other times he would be cocky and aggressive (like preventing Francesca to go to the rugby match). But in rereading it the second time, I think that a large part of his strangeness Francesca felt was because of her. Through much of the book, she confuses him, throws him into emotional turmoil. I think he’s not nice, eloquent or charming around her because she makes him lose his wits.

She turns him around so much; he just reacts and functions instinctively. Just like in their pashing scene. Originally I thought it was the most unromantic first kiss in the history of teen lit. My initial reaction was – Cringe! Ew! But if you look at it with the point of view that for him, Francesca emotionally brings him to his knees. There’s no façade with her and he acts on instinct. Then it’s a bit less gross.

There were so many awesome male characters in the book besides Will. Thomas Mackee has at least two moments that were just…awesome. I would say he’s a bit like Joey (from Friends), really good comedy relief. But then he’s got depth too, as evidenced by a singular moment (in the library…hehe).

But I absolutely love her father in the book. “Just tell me where you are.” That’s got to be one of the bestest lines. Ever. It’s interesting because (much like Alibrandi) the story is told for her point of view. And so you end up viewing things certain ways. Like you think the dad’s a big jerk and doesn’t really love them, etc etc, but near the end its obvious what his real feelings are.

So I guess I was able to hash out exactly why I liked Saving Francesca so much. Tight-knit bonds between friends. Awesome lines. Great snarky moments. And an intense and interesting pashing partner. It totally hooked me.

~J~

{NIN} Review of Saving Francesca

Saving Francesca is Melina Marchetta’s sophomore release. Since I’ve become such an MM Fangirl, I had high expectations to be thoroughly entertained or enraptured one way or another. Unfortunately, I have to say that it was not the case with this book for me. That’s not to say that I didn’t like the book – rather…I just have really high expectations for MM books and it just didn’t grab my attention the way that Looking for Alibrandi and Jellicoe Road did. Though I suppose after JR, everything is just downhill from there. The thing about me and books is that if I really like/love the book, I’ll re-read it right away after I’m done, or at least re-read my favorite parts…which usually results in me re-reading the whole book anyways. But I didn’t really do that with Saving Francesca. Sure, I re-read a few parts but I really didn’t feel like picking it up again after I was done.

Saving Francesca is about another Italian-Australian girl, Francesca Spinelli dealing with the trials and tribulations of being a high school student and how it affects her family and social life. Whereas Josie Alibrandi had a ton of spunk and no filter on whatever came out of her mouth, Francesca has, in an effort to be accepted by her St. Stella peers, learned to “put a lid on it.” Her high-spirited mother Mia, the life force in her family, wants Francesca to break out and be who she is supposed to be and not who her friends want her to be.

At the start of the book, Francesca is starting school at St. Sebastian’s, a formerly all-boys school that just opened their doors to girls. Most of her spirit-repressing St. Stella friends (who aren’t really her friends) go to a different school, so Francesca is separated from them and forced to interact with the 3 other St. Stella girls she used to shun that are also attending St. Sebastian’s.

Mia’s mother unexpectedly falls into a deep depression and suddenly Francesca’s family is lost on what to do with themselves and how to go on living. Adding to that, Francesca is inexplicably attracted to the not-available and stick-in-the-mud Will Trombal.

I have to say, one of my favorite things about YA lit is clean and innocent first love-ish type things. Though, as Ja and I were discussing the other day, YA lit sure has a lot more…explicit happenings between guys and girls these days and it’s no wonder teens are engaging in a lot more…explicit behavior lately. And then we decided that we are prudes but what the heck, we like it clean and innocent (L.J. Smith fire-erupting kissing scenes are good enough for us!). Anyhoo, way off track on the point that I was trying to make – Francesca and Will didn’t seem to have much of a connection to me throughout the book. I didn’t see a progression in their relationship; rather…it seems like it just happened over very few interactions. For me, there was just no squeal-worthy moment that had me shipping for them.

There were a few great scenes in the book: Francesca putting Will in his place at the start of the book, Francesca’s developing friendships with 2 boys who previously irritated her (not including Will), becoming friends with the girls she previously avoided and how they are there for her with a Pride & Prejudice fest (Colin Firth!) to wallow in after she found out Will had a girlfriend, and the ending.

* As a side note, any mention of BBC’s production of Pride and Prejudice is always winnahz in my book!

I enjoyed the ending more than I did the journey through the book (besides some of the great scenes). I still recommend this book because of the underlying message in the book to know who your true friends are regardless of how others perceive them and, more importantly, to value yourself enough to be who you want to be.

JaReview: Looking for Alibrandi

I don’t think I’ve ever met a main character as annoying as Josephine Alibrandi in Melina Marchetta’s Looking for Alibrandi. Okay, well I probably have, but no one comes to mind right now.

Josephine Alibrandi is whiny, prone to theatrics and, in general, an “obnoxious creation.” Though you’ll find later in the book, a lot of your original inklings about her life are colored by her perspective. How she perceives herself, her role at school and her life in general is not necessarily as bad as she paints it. Though it could have been her never-ending “woe is me” attitude that fooled me into thinking there was actually validity to her constant bemoaning.

Not that I didn’t like the book (hehe…I’m so contradictory). While I found Jose really annoying, the relationships she builds within the story was fun to watch unfold. She is the product of an Italian single family home and doesn’t know her father. That is until he appears unexpectedly into her life. I liked the honesty and upfront nature of the beginning of their relationship. Neither of them wants to give any false impressions to the other. Neither of them expects to bond and love like father and daughter.

The fact that their relationship could have been all angst-ridden and melodramatic, but was more playful kept with the light heartedness of the novel. She doesn’t go all clingy and consumed with abandonment issues. Instead, she constantly tries to annoy him with her smart mouth antics, like reciting poetry she knows he hates and making sarcastic comments (“Of course I like pizza, are you going to ask me if I like pasta next?”). Likewise, her father doesn’t let her walk all over him because he’s consumed with guilt. Instead, he listens to her problems without offering unsolicited advice and rides her rescue on several occasions. I enjoyed the slow build up of the relationship and loved their witty banter.

Then there’s Jacob Coote. Despite the terrible last name (cooties?), he is your typical hottie bad boy. He’s got violent tendencies, jealousy issues, a “devil may care” attitude and enough moodiness to give Jonah Griggs a run for his money. But he’s also deeply protective of Jose. They’re interactions are hilarious. Spoiler alert: there’s a scene much like when Logan Echolls rescues Veronica Mars from the evil clutches of JTT. Totally squeal worthy. Despite the Logan Echolls likeness, Jacob doesn’t seem…evolved enough to take on the lead man role. It was almost as if he’s an early model of Jonah Griggs (Jellicoe Road was written after this book).

But ultimately, the book is about growing up and finding herself, not so much a romantic love story. It covered some deep issues and did have bittersweet moments, though, it didn’t leave me feeling emotional eviscerated like other books I’ve read. Even if Jose is quite possibly the most annoying bint in the literary world, Looking for Alibrandi was a pretty good read.

~J~

{NIN} Review of Looking for Alibrandi

After reading Jellicoe Road, I immediately put all of Melina Marchetta’s other US-available books (b/c The Piper’s Son is out in Australia but not coming to The States until 2011 – arrrgh!!!) on hold at the library. Again, I hardly had to wait for her books, and I ended up getting Looking for Alibrandi, Saving Francesca, and Finnikin of the Rock all in one pop! Awesome…

So being anile for order, I started with MM’s first book, Looking for Alibrandi. Yeah, yeah, Jellicoe Road was #3, but too late…so better late than never.

Looking for Alibrandi revolves around 17-year old Italian-Australian Josephine Alibrandi, born of wed-lock and too smart-mouthed for her own good. She has never met her father and hasn’t really cared…until he unexpectedly re-enters her life. Additionally, Josie has her HSC (High School Certificate) exams to worry about (which apparently determines your destiny for the rest of your life - in Australia), 2 polar opposite boys to juggle, and a mother and grandmother to fight and make peace with.

This book was very different from Jellicoe Road. It focused a lot of the modern Italian-Australian experience and the (surprisingly) discrimination they sometimes face from “old” Australians, or however they term themselves. I’m not too up-and-up on Australian society and slang, so parts of this book just made me scratch my head in confusion.

What I enjoyed about the book was that it was light-hearted. I’ve been reading a lot of “heavy on the emotional roller coaster” type books (Before I Fall, anyone?) and it was a nice change to have a funny book to read. It did have its “growing older, growing wiser, still more to learn!” lessons in the end, but for the most part, it cracked me up.

There were quite a bit of evolving character relationships in this book: Josie and her mother, Josie and her grandmother, Josie and her father, Josie and Jacob, and more importantly, as the title suggests, Josie with herself.

I really enjoyed seeing Josie and her father’s relationship grow, from the first angry, “stay out of my life!” encounter to him happening upon her as she wandered down the street after a disastrous first date with one of her boys. Their relationship progresses in a nice and believable manner as she gets used to the idea of a father figure in her life and he learns what it’s like to have a daughter (for example, her father calls her an “obnoxious creation.” Hilarious!)

Jacob Coote is Josie’s main love interest. Josie and Jacob have one of the funniest asking-out scenes EVER. The banter between the two is hilarious, but you just have to smile at how cute these two are together. John Barton never really is a contender for Josie’s affections in this book; rather he represents what she secretly aspires to because she has identity issues with who she is due to the discrimination she faces for being “a wog.” Now, I’m not too certain what “a wog” means/is, but from what I gather, it is a highly offensive term for “newer” Italian-Australians, e.g. those who immigrated to Australia more recently than the other Caucasians.

While Looking for Alibrandi did not enrapture me the way Jellicoe Road did, I still found it an entertaining and worthwhile read.