Froi of the Exiles: Book Two in the Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta.
(Gr. 9 & up)
Candlewick Press, March 2012. 400 pages. Reviewed from eARC provided by the publisher.
Froi of the Exiles takes place three years after the events in the first book, Finnikin of the Rock. The former thief and vagabond Froi has finally found a place he can call home in the city of Lumatere and a life as a member of the Royal Guard. That comfort is shattered when Finnikin and Queen Isaboe request that he embark on a secret mission to infiltrate the enemy kingdom of Charyn and find the half-mad Princess of Charyn, Quintana. The road to Charyn is long and dangerous and the city is rife with unrest. Charyn has been 18 years without a single child being born and is becoming increasingly angry with the Mad Princess, who they see as the reason for the Curse.
Throughout the course of his mission, Froi discovers secrets about the Princess and about the circumstances surrounding the curse and he must decide whether to follow the instructions of his Queen or to follow his heart. This high fantasy adventure saga features a rich and detailed world in the vein of JRR Tolkien and George RR Martin and is recommended for fans of Kristin Cashore’s “Graceling”.
I was surprised at how much Froi has changed since the events in Finnikin (you know what I’m talking about!) and I found him really sympathetic and likeable… something I’d never thought I’d say! While the book focuses mainly on Froi and Quintana, we also get a glim
Froi of the Exiles takes place three years after the events in the first book, Finnikin of the Rock. The former thief and vagabond Froi has finally found a place he can call home in the city of Lumatere and a life as a member of the Royal Guard. That comfort is shattered when Finnikin and Queen Isaboe request that he embark on a secret mission to infiltrate the enemy kingdom of Charyn and find the half-mad Princess of Charyn, Quintana. The road to Charyn is long and dangerous and the city is rife with unrest. Charyn has been 18 years without a single child being born and is becoming increasingly angry with the Mad Princess, who they see as the reason for the Curse.
Throughout the course of his mission, Froi discovers secrets about the Princess and about the circumstances surrounding the curse and he must decide whether to follow the instructions of his Queen or to follow his heart. This high fantasy adventure saga features a rich and detailed world in the vein of JRR Tolkien and George RR Martin and is recommended for fans of Kristin Cashore’s “Graceling”.
I was surprised at how much Froi has changed since the events in Finnikin (you know what I’m talking about!) and I found him really sympathetic and likeable… something I’d never thought I’d say! While the book focuses mainly on Froi and Quintana, we also get a glimpse into the Monts and specifically, Lucian and his estranged relationship with his “wife.” I can’t wait for the next one in the series!
Seth Baumgartner’s Love Manifesto by Eric Luper.
(Gr. 9 & up)
Balzer + Bray, 2010. 293 pages. Library owned copy.
Seth has just been dumped. Not only that, but while being dumped (at Applebees!), he spies his father having lunch with someone other than his mother. To top it all off, these two incidents cause him to be fired from his fourth, yes, fourth job this year. As his life seems to be collapsing around him, he copes by starts an anonymous podcast called “The Love Manifesto” to try to help find out “what love is, why love is, and why we’re stupid enough to keep going back for more.” As Seth and his best friend Dimitri run around town trying to discover the identity of his father’s lunch date, Seth has to figure out a way to keep his detective work (and his feelings) from his father while they practice for an important father-son golf tournament. To make matters even worse, his mother has been sharing Seth’s plight with the world via her radio show “Gayle’s Romantic Rendezvous” and slowly, the anonymity of his podcast is being compromised. Will Seth ever finish reading his list of “156 Reasons I Love my Ex” or will his podcasting days end as soon as they began?
Filled with pop culture references and a playlist of each song included in Seth’s podcast, this book will resonate with anyone who has ever been on the losing end of a break-up and wondered why we even bother with love in the first place. In the end, Seth learns that sometimes falling in love means doing things you never thought you’d do, including eating the worst chicken salad sandwich in the history of the world. Grade 9 & up
Sigh… I’m not a consistent blogger by any means, but my new position as Teen Services Librarian (which I got back in March, right after my last post!) has keep me super busy. The previous librarian was on an extended maternity and FLMA leave, so there was plenty that needed to be done to get the department back in shape! Now that I’m settling in, I’m hoping to devote more time to my blogging endeavors.
So bear with me people, we’ll get there! 
Here’s a round up of this week’s book news for the kids & YA crowd!
The 2011 L.A. Festival of Books (taking place April 30-May 1 at the USC campus) will feature artwork of Madeline and friends. Ludwig Bemelmans introduced the character in 1939 and his John Bemelmans Marciano has continued the legacy with a new title “Madeline at the White House.”
Simon & Schuster aquired the rights to Tonya Hurley’s (ghostgirl) new YA Series, The Blessed. The trilogy is a modern retelling of three famous martyrs: St. Lucy, St. Ceceila, and St. Agnes.
Remember Mr. Men and the Little Miss books by Roger Hargreaves? I know I STILL can’t keep those little books on the shelves. Twentieth Century Fox Animation will team up to create an animated film adaptation of the beloved series. Hope the Misses show up!
Disney-Hyperion has acquired a four-book sci-fi/fantasy series by Rachel Cohn. If you haven’t read Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares, you must remedy that IMMEDIATELY!! I can’t tell you how much I loved that title (co written with the fabulous David Levithan).
The end of the Sookie Stackhouse books is drawing near. Author Charlaine Harris confirmed that the next two books will “probably” be the last. Many teens have been drawn to the series, especially since the superbly done series by Alan Ball has become such a powerhouse. I’ll be sad to see Sookie go, but even more heartbroken to say goodbye to my Viking.
Simon & Schuster’s Atheneum imprint will publish the first two books in William Joyce’s new series, The Guardians of Childhood, which will present the histories of such childhood icons as Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and the Easter Bunny. William Joyce is easily one of my top ten favorite children’s authors/illustrators and I’m THRILLED to see that he will be co-directing a DreamWorks animated picture to coincide with the second round of books.
The cover of the latest book in the Parasol Protectorate series, “Heartless“, has been released by Orbit on February 1. Now, I LOVE this series… but I’m not digging the cover as much as the previous ones (and the comments in the thread seem to agree with me). But I do adore the puce 
While not precisely book news, YA author Richelle Mead announced via her Twitter that her and her husband are expecting! No word yet if it’ll be a dhampir Congrats!
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