Series Send Off: The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta

Check out past Series Send Off posts in which I finish the last book in a series & chat about it plus introduce new readers to the series with my general & non-spoilery thoughts about the series as a whole!

OH MY GOD. I’m bursting with my love for this series and these characters. I honestly did a lot of joyful crying towards the end.

Goodreads // Amazon

Upon finishing the series I say to all of you who haven’t started the series:

I HAVE NEVER LOVED FICTIONAL CHARACTERS MORE THAN I HAVE LOVED THESE ONES. TRULY.  The main ones. The secondary ones. Even a whole lot of minor characters who sometimes only get a couple pages in the whole series. I AM BURSTING WITH LOVE. WITH JOY. WITH SORROW. WITH PRIDE. I’m also a a bit sad because I can’t fathom not knowing all the details of their lives through alllll the years to come. I just don’t want to let them go. It feels a bit like mourning right now. It’s a bit of a slower fantasy series in some ways when compared to other fantasy I’ve read (it totally is action-packed at times) but the character development and the EMOTIONS and the ferocity in which you will care for these characters and their kingdom is unparalleled. I loved all Melina Marchetta’s contemporaries and I’m happy to say these, like those ones, are 5 star reads for me.

What The Series Is About:

Oh man, how can I even describe this series as a whole?? A kingdom. A horrific attack. A curse. A people group in exile. A people group finding their way home. AND THEN SO MUCH MORE. I don’t even want to spoil a MOMENT of it.

Recommended For People Who Love:

epic high fantasy series, Melina Marchetta’s other books and are open to fantasy, character driven stories, badass females and all so differently badass, amazing world-building, amazing and complicated relationships, unparalleled character development

Thoughts On Book 2 & Book 3
(Skip below to the next section or read my review for book 1 if you haven’t read the series yet!)

Finnikin of the Rock — I already shared my thoughts on this book so I’m not going to but it’s crazy how I thought this was so amazing and then Froi and Quintana blew it out of the water (even though it’s still very awesome).

Froi of the Exiles: OH MAN. Froi. FROI. This book was so freaking awesome. I love that we still are with the characters we love from Lumatere but OH MAN the characters we meet in Froi of the Exiles just captured my heart (even the more prickly ones) and are all just so intriguing and their stories are fascinating. I loved learning more about Charyn and what was going on there and a lot of their history that intersects with the characters from book 1. I felt like that book kept shocking me and revealing things and I couldn’t keep a handle on my emotions. But let’s just talk about Froi himself. I did NOT like Froi in Finnikin of the Rock but oh the character growth that happens…MARCHETTA MAGIC.  Learning his background and having answers to the questions he’s been wondering about his life was just this constant rush of emotions to read. I finished Froi so mad at myself for not having Quintana of Charyn on hand, despite being warned, because holy CRAP the ending of this book is too much too handle. Random aside: maybe it was because I was doing an Orphan Black binge but I kept picturing Quintana as Helena from Orphan Black.

Quintana of Charyn: HOLY ROLLERCOASTER OF EMOTIONS. I thought the first two books were a rollercoaster of a ride but this book felt like a rollercoaster on steroids — one that had my insides all out of place and kept me in free fall through a good part of it. I am serious…I cried for at least half of this book at different points — sad and just bursting with happiness kind of crying. My heart was swelling so much I thought it might just take off out of my chest. All the things that come full circle and Froi’s two worlds colliding and all the things we find out and OMG I AM CRYING RIGHT NOW. I’m serious. I care too much. As I was finishing this book I was just weeping and Will was like, “wow this book must be sad” and I’m like “but I’m not even cry because I’m sad or devastated…I just have so many emotions and pride and love and my body doesn’t know what to do with it so I’m just crying.”  This book broke my heart and restored it. I mean, I’m telling you Marchetta outdoes herself because there are single sentences or words spoken that could just bring me to my knees. “It’s not our time.” “Do you honestly think I’d stay there knowing they were using you as bait” THOSE ARE ONLY A FEW THAT GUTTED ME. Everything did really. It was the book that kept on hitting me hard.  ONE OF THE BEST ENDS TO A TRILOGY/SERIES EVER.

Rating Broken Down By Books

I don’t really need to break it down for each book because honestly each book gets the same rating for different reasons!!

 Rereadability: OH YES.
Will I buy it for my collection?: UM YES. I library-ed all 3 of them and I fully intend on purchasing them.

I normally write my little farewell to the series and right now I’m just crying whilst trying to write it because I just want to go on and on with them. It seems so final to say goodbye. I just want to reread already because….it can’t be over. DEAR CHARACTERS OF THIS SERIES I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. MORE THAN PROBABLY IS HEALTHY. From the main characters to the minor characters who were so integral to this story, you are all SO IMPORTANT AND I FEEL A SURGE OF PRIDE WHEN I THINK OF YOU. This series is one of the best I’ve ever read. Melina Marchetta remains my queen and in my top 5 favorite authors of all time.

What did you think of the conclusion to this series if you’ve read it?? What did you think of the series overall?? If you haven’t read it, have I piqued your interest?