Quintana of Charyn: The Lumatere Chronicles

This was a really incredible conclusion to a truly fantastic trilogy. SO MANY FEELS, SUCH TENSION, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! I think Froi of the Exiles is my favorite of the series overall but I loved so much about Quintana- the action, the many secrets (how can there still be this many secrets?!), the characters and their relationships with one another. I didn't love Quintana herself as much as I did in the previous book but I understand why. And Phaedra was amazing. It's such a cool series because on the surface we should only be on the Lumatere side always but then you understand the Charyn side as well and seeing the characters come to terms with this was difficult and breathtaking. There are a lot of dark, harsh things in this book and in this series but there is more humor than you'd ever expect. And even though there are conveniences and neatly tied bows, I still feel like the journeys and the outcomes were earned the hard way. It's a brilliant trilogy, written so well, with such depth and emotion. I loved the different lands and customs and people. And I wish we could have more stories from this world. Plus the ships oh my GOD. Such a conclusion; I had tears in my eyes for basically the last 40 pages. Really glad I gave all the detailed worldbuilding and overwhelming names a chance because this was an amazing reading experience this year.

When a reader is compelled to keep turning the pages even when it’s way past the time you meant to sleep, you know that a book is good. If a book manages to make you weep with sorrow, seethe with anger, yell in frustration, chuckle with amusement and smile with joy, then you know it’s a great book. And, you may ask, what if a book manages to do both these things at once? Then, in my opinion, it’s a phenomenal read.I didn’t know what to expect when I started Quintana of Charyn, but I definitely finished it feeling like a hollow place in my heart had finally been filled. This book is the last of The Lumatere Chronicles and Marchetta could not have chosen a more striking, more perfect, more right way to end this saga. Each character meets their appointed fate, each story is wrapped up, each revelation is finally brought into the open – and I completely loved it.Once again, readers are greeted by the extensive set of characters that we’ve met in the previous novels. Chief among the characters we follow are Isaboe and Finnikin, Froi and Quintana and Lucian and Phaedra. Each individual in the group I’ve mentioned has their own part in this thrilling conclusion and they’re each given a surprisingly satisfying amount of time on the page.While there were certainly moments where I was frustrated or annoyed, in the end, I could not help but love them all. Their actions were born out of love and fear, hope and desperation, and I cannot fault them for the choices they made that I didn’t particularly like. Marchetta’s strength when it comes to her characters is her ability to not just show them in black-or-white; she chooses instead to show them in black, white and all the shades of grey in between. This not only applies to her main characters, but also to most of the minor recurring characters too. I found that this helped me forge a stronger connection with them, as I got to see the reality of who they were, good and bad.Honestly, the mastery with which Marchetta has woven this story is incredible. I didn’t think I could be shocked any more than I had been while reading Froi of the Exiles, but I was proven wrong with this novel. There were revelations that shocked me and twists I could not have foreseen. There were reunions that I had hoped for and deaths that I had (unfortunately) counted on. The storytelling is truly very artfully done, and I commend Marchetta for her impressive ability to draw on details half-forgotten and make them relevant again.Quintana of Charyn is the conclusion to The Lumatere Chronicles. This complex, well-woven tale has finally come to a startling, surprisingly emotional end. I may have stayed up till 3:30AM on a weeknight to finish this book, but it was totally worth it! If you’re a fantasy fan in search of a new favorite series, please know that I wholeheartedly recommend The Lumatere Chronicles.

Excellent conditions and fast shipping!

best series ever!!!!!!!!!

I really enjoyed this final chapter in this series, although at times it did seem a little slow or hard to follow. The ending is particularly good and the construction of the novel (like the other 2 books in this series) is excellent.

We met Quintana in the last book, and she is perhaps the most bizarre fictional princesses I have ever encountered--but tragically, with good reason. She manages to escape at the end of Froi, but she's all alone and has no idea if Froi is alive. So she heads towards the one place she knows Froi will eventually go to, if he is alive: Lumatere.Froi is alive--but barely. He recovers slowly and, accompanied by his newfound relatives, begins traveling across the land to find Quintana and raise an army to fight against the old king's men. If Charyn has any chance at a future, then Quintana's unborn child needs to be free to rule. But as tensions rise and conspiracies escalate, Charyn and Lumatere are in danger of going to war with each other, and their neighbors. It's up to Froi to use his connections and love for both countries to bring them together--but their future depends on what Isaboe and Quintana decide to do when they finally meet.I love this novel because it has all of the action and intensity of the first novel, and the emotional heft of the second novel. Like with Froi of the Exiles, perspectives shift quickly between characters and countries as the consequences of decades-long injustices come to light and play out. Characters experience heartbreak, and connections are drawn between countries that span across the years as the characters slowly uncover some of the best-kept secrets of the land. And there is heartbreak--lots and lots of heartbreak as the characters push through to the final struggle between Lumatere and Charyn.The ending is impossible to guess at because there are so many threads. I found myself clenching the book when I got down to less than one hundred pages because I was so worried--these are characters I've come to adore, and I wanted every single one of them to get a happily ever after, even if that was improbable. Silly me. I should have known that I can trust Marchetta to wrap things up in a beautiful, believable, satisfying, but not perfect manner. No one is forgotten, and the ending is not storybook, but it is right. The final words made me cry and gave me a new motto to live by--we should all live on the side of wonder.These books left me in a stupor. I read them more slowly than I needed to, just to savor the storytelling. And I couldn't pick up another novel for a few days after I finished, either--it wouldn't have been fair to the other book. The Lumatere Chronicles are the types of books that lodge themselves in your brain and just never leave. I'm looking forward to re-reading them already, many times. And pushing them on many others. That's love.

Finnigan of the Rock, Fro of the Exiles, Quintana of Chryn.The Lumatere Chronicles. I quite often buy the first 2 books in a series so that if the first one is good I don’t have to wait too long for the second to arrive by post to my home in the Western Isles of Scotland. I couldn’t get into Finnigan of the Rock, the characters seem to be too thin and more than anything they were inconsistent.So I nearly didn’t start Fro of the Exiles. But oh my! how glad I am that I persevered,because it is a brilliant book. The author really got into her stride with this book and she evolved and elaborated the story in such a deep and meaningful way.Then came Quintana of Charyn.This is definitely the best of the three books and had me laughing and in tears by turn.Your heart gets wrenched about by this beautiful beautifulstory and the protagonists becomes so dear to oneself.it is very exciting, very moving, you almost don’t want to finish it, because then there are no more.I can highly recommend this book if you want a story that is deeply emotive,and will keep you on tenterhooks Be aware that these wonderful storieswill leave you feeling bereft once it is finished. Can I dare to ask for more, or would that be too much and impossible?Thank you Melina Marchetta

I'd read the first in the series which was amazing, so thought this would be too, but it's difficult to get into, too many characters presented at once without a chance to get to know any of them much, and all the different stuff going on is too confusing. BUT I haven't read the book in between the first one and this one, so once I've read the middle book I'll have another go at this one and it might be easier to read once I am already familiar with situations and characters . . . I will certainly give it another read at that point, because the first book was one of the best I've ever read.

Perfect ending to the series.

Best book ever

It is debatable weather to call this series: The Lumatere Chronicles or The Charyn Chronicles. As almost 2 of the 3 books in the trilogy deal with events happening in Charyn.That aside, this book was a bloody fantastic read. I found that the characters were complex. Especially Quintana. Discovering the qualities and flaws of each character was as interesting as the journey through the clever plot. From one point to the next you are never sure where Marchetta is taking you. That is the point of a great story. Isn't it? To keep you in wonder.