Froi, who knows nothing about his origins, has lived in Lumatere since being given refuge there by Queen Isaboe. When Charyn rebels arrive and convince Froi to assassinate the cruel Charyn king—the man behind so much of the horror from which Lumatere is still recovering—Froi travels to Charyn posing as potential consort for the king’s daughter, Quintana. It turns out Froi isn’t the only one in the palace intent on killing the king. Gargarin, Froi’s crippled guide, is also out for murder. In the chaos following the successful assassination, Froi discovers truths about his past no less unsettling than the realization that he is falling in love with Quintana. Her mind has fractured into multiple personalities after years of abuse and emotional neglect, but it is also sharp and fierce, piercing Froi with tenderness. Meanwhile, back in Lumatere, Lucien of the Monts is dealing with Charyn refugees in his valley and with Phaedra, the Charyn wife he rejected, who is determined to comfort her people. In this sequel to Finnikin of the Rock (U.S. edition: Candlewick Press, 2010), Melina Marchetta has penned another rich, labyrinthine tale featuring characters of exceptional complexity, including a number of strong, fascinating women. The realities of war and the ways of the power-hungry are revealed and condemned in a novel that offers affirmation of the dignity that all people deserve in both life and death. (Age 13 and older)

From master storyteller Melina Marchetta comes an exhilarating new fantasy springing from her celebrated epic, Finnikin of the Rock.

Three years after the curse on Lumatere was lifted, Froi has found his home . . . or so he believes. Fiercely loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been taken roughly and lovingly in hand by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family, and has learned to control his quick temper with a warrior's discipline. But when he is sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn, nothing could have prepared him for what he finds in its surreal royal court. Soon he must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad princess in this barren and mysterious place. It is in Charyn that he will discover there is a song sleeping in his blood . . . and though Froi would rather not, the time has come to listen.