The Lumatere Chronicles Readalong: Week 1

Check out this week’s prompts over at Hannah’s blog!!

My Thoughts

So, I’m pretty much hooked on FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK so far, guys. I have to admit, it took me a few chapters to get a grasp on the who/what/where of this world (especially because I’m reading this book on my kindle so, even though there are maps, I can’t get to them easily while reading to orient myself). That usually happens for me in lots of fantasies I read. But I think Melina Marchetta has really created a great world with tons of political drama and dangerous magic and treachery. There’s so much at stake for these characters!

Speaking of characters, I love them all. Finnikin is kind of intense and prickly, but guys he has SO MUCH LOVE for his country. I really enjoy the deep connections that all of the characters still feel for Lumatere. And I’m completely intrigued by Evanjalin. I feel like I have a thought about who she might be but I don’t know. I’m oftentimes wrong when I postulate that way, so I’ll keep it under wraps for now. Just trust that she’s awesome, but a total unknown quantity.

Anywho, Hannah, our awesome hostess, has given us the following questions to hash out our thoughts on this week’s reading, which was all of Part One. More chatting after the jump!!

1. Does anyone else LOVE having a map in the front of the book? 
Thanks to you, Hannah, I had some pictures to refer back to while I was reading because, YES OF COURSE, I loved the map! Reading fantasy books that don’t have maps is one of my biggest pet peeves. No joke. Depending on my mood I can be anything from amusingly annoyed that there’s no map, to almost angry that the author or the publisher didn’t take enough time to create this pivotal element. I need to understand the world I’m in when I’m reading books like this. I’m not the kind of learner who can understand something just from words. I need a picture! Especially in a place so varied and complex as this. But these maps are awesome. I wish they were easier to get at on my kindle version, though.

2. Who is your favorite character so far?
This is pretty difficult. You know why? Because all of the characters have admirable qualities and things that make me love them and feel for them. But they also all have qualities that aren’t as admirable. Which makes them REAL, and so for that I love them all tremendously. I’d have to say that my favorite so far is probably Finnikin. He’s so complicated! I am also completely taken with Trevanion, though. Completely. I’m so interested in him and his story, and I am an absolute SUCKER for those epic romances with sad endings, like Trevanion and Beatriss’s.

3. Does standing by and allowing the murder and torture of innocent people make the Lumaterans complicit in their deaths? Or is the horror of them standing by silently, likely out a mixture of fear and self-preservation, somewhat lessened by those very reasons?
The five days of the unspeakable were really terrible, right? I can’t imagine having to live through that kind of horror and death and terror in my own community. To me, it seemed like the Lumaterans were simply dealing with a heinous case of shock at first. Disbelief. But then, as things got progressively worse, the whole thing made me heartsick. It always seems that in the aftermath of horrible events like this, people grope for a reason and a way to make sense of things and fingers always wind up getting pointed at innocent people. I don’t know how I feel about the Lumaterans’ reaction to the five days of the unspeakable, but I know that I can’t totally fault them for it.

4. Did you fall in love with Evanjalin when she showed off her badass fighting skills?
Evanjalin is a badass. I love how she slowly but surely totally takes over the entire operation because she’s always one–or two or more–steps ahead of everyone else. I feel like Finnikin’s reaction to her taking charge is something real–not an appealing part of his character, that he feels like he has to one-up her–that creates this connection between them. Not a GOOD one all the time, but it’s there. The competition. I’m completely fascinated by Evanjalin. I like her a lot, but there are also times when she does things that make me shake my fist a little bit. Like turning Finnikin in. I wish she would clue people in on her game plan. I feel like her being honest would go a long way with basically EVERYONE (including me).

5. Who loved the scene with Evanjalin and Finnikin shouting from the rocks? 
Me!!! I did!! You absolutely got that sense of something very important happening in the lives of these two young people, although I seriously do have the feeling that Evanjalin wasn’t being totally honest with who she is. But there was definitely this vibe of, “we need to do this now, just this once, because we won’t get a chance again and this is what we’re fighting for. THIS is what we need to remember.” I like reading about their complicated, growing connection. It’s the epitome in so many ways of love-hate, I think.

6. What did you think about the scene with Froi trying to force himself on Evanjalin?
WAHH!! Froi!! I can just tell right now that he is going to be one of those characters who breaks my heart. I hated him and pitied him at the same time, and was struck very much by Sir Topher and Evanjalin’s conversation right after this happens. It was so thoughtful, and I LOVED that when Evanjalin asks Sir Topher if she has to forgive him, he says no. I love that Evanjalin DOESN’T forgive him, even when she uses him for her own ends. Froi has a long way to come with me, but I have high hopes for him. Does this make me a bad person? I feel like I’m not supposed to have feelings of pity and hopefulness for the redemption of characters who rape or attempt rape because they don’t understand any different.

7. Were you struck by Evanjalin’s comments to Finnikin about honoring the living (in reference to the Book of Lumatere)?
Definitely. Because it’s like she’s shining a light on Finnikin’s mindset. Like, “DUH FINNIKIN. Why are you focusing on the DEAD when you need to be worrying about the ones who are still ALIVE?” The whole time I was reading this week’s portion I was struck by Evanjalin’s outlook and the way she challenged Finnikin and Sir Topher and, eventually, Trevanion. I’m enjoying how she’s such a force of conviction that she is almost single-handedly changing the course of events, even though I find her to be untrustworthy in general. I wasn’t surprised at all when Sir Topher, Trevanion, and Finnikin all questioned her motive and plans. But she is the cog on which this whole thing seems to be turning, no? And that’s pretty awesome.

8. Did you find it interesting that Marchetta included the information about Finnkin spending time with the prostitute?
This part was interesting to me, not because it was included, which I kind of admire, but because of the tone in which Melina Marchetta addresses it: Finnikin is a sexually active young man who has almost died. He’s slept with other women before, and he’s unhampered by any squeamishness about sex and women. I loved this too because of the way it contrasts with the way Finnikin views Evanjalin compared to the prostitute, who is nameless, faceless, but not degraded or in any other way LESS to Finnikin. You know? Like, he doesn’t think that he is obliged to take advantage of her because she’s a prostitute. But Evanjalin is clearly something MORE to him, and he to her, based on the fact that she’s TOTES JEALOUS that he slept with the prostitute. I can appreciate the forthright attitude towards sex, though.

9. What do you think about Sir Topher and Finnikin’s conversation about hope?
I’m really enjoying Finnikin’s relationship with the important male figures in his life. He’s loyal and close to Sir Topher, whom he admires, and he’s fiercely loyal to his father. I can’t recall reading about these kinds of relationships between a son and his father/father figures before. So yes, I did enjoy Sir Topher and Finnkin’s talk about hope. It’s such a turning point in Finnikin’s M.O.

10. Did you feel a little weepy inside when Evanjalin told Captain Trevanion that Beatriss remembers what he whispered to her?
OMG I cried when I read this part. Cried, and highlighted this whole quote:

There are too many people to worry about, and she wonders how she will be able to make things right. How can she be someone other than Beatriss the Beautiful or Beatriss the Beloved? But then, just when she’s about to lose hope, she remembers what you would whisper to her, Captain Trevanion. That she was Beatriss the Bold. Beatriss the Brave. To all others she was a fragile flower, but you would not let her be.

This is perfect. I cannot WAIT to read more about these two. I would read a whole book about them, I would. Because they sound amazing. Just that last line: “To all others she was a fragile flower, but you would not let her be.” BOOM. A man who encourages his lady to be strong and fierce is ALWAYS going to take over my heart. I just LOVE these two so much, and I’m devastated that they can’t be together. DEVASTATED.