Quintana of Charyn

By: Melina Marchetta

I feel like I've been giving a lot of really really good reviews.  After this book there won't be so many from me because every other book pales in comparison to Quintana of Charyn.  It was simply the most beautiful book I have ever read.  It follows Finnikin of the Rock and Froi of the Exiles in the Lumatere Chronicles.  It was beautifully written and clearly portrayed how painful both hate and love can be as well as how strong forgiveness can be.  It was perfectly paced and extremely thought provoking.  This book intricately ties together all the characters from the first two books.

Basically, you should read this book.  Finnikin of the Rock is the first in the Lumatere Chronicles and is followed by Froi of the Exiles.  Neither of these books are as good as Quintana of Charyn but they are still good.  Froi of the Exiles left off at a cliff hanger which is where Quintana of Charyn picks up.  I was looking forward to this book for a long time and it was better than anything I could've imagined.  If I say anything plot based about this book it ruins Froi of the Exiles so I'm not going to.  Quintana of Charyn is a true 5.  It had absolutely no flaws.  Lumatere, Charyn, and all the characters are beautiful and everyone should experience them.  Quintana of Charyn has many beautiful quotes because of the eloquence Melina Marchetta writes with.  To close up I will leave some quotes to sample the actual beauty of the words Melina Marchetta wrote.

"'You said to me once that you weren't what I dreamed of.  You were right.  You surpass everything I dreamed of.  Even the rot in you that's caused you to do shameful things.  Some men let the rot and guilt fester into something ugly beyond words.  Few men can turn it into worth and substance.  If you're gods' blessed for no other reason, it's for that."

"There it was.  Suddenly the strangeness of Quintana of Charyn's face made sense.  Because it was a face meant for laughing, but it had never been given a chance.  It robbed Phaedra of her breath."

"Take care of the little king...tell him he was made from love and hope....This is your bond to him, Dorcas.  If you're good for nothing else, follow a bond that makes him a good king."

Finally one of my three favorite quotes (I can't find one of them and the other one gives away the ending)

"'Do I have to be here to belong to you?' Froi asked.  'Can't I belong to you wherever I am?'"

There are more quotes here http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/15064476-quintana-of-charyn-lumatere-chronicles-3 but I picked out the best ones and some of these give away the ending.

Rapture Practice by Aaron Hartzler

Rapture Practice opens with a note from the author, Aaron Hartzler:

"Something you should know up front about my family:
We believe that Jesus is coming back."

This initial detail introduces us to Aaron's family, a family that believes in the rapture, the idea that Jesus is going to come back down to earth and bring good people up to heaven. Aaron has been a part of his family's religious lifestyle for his entire life. He performs in plays of Bible stories with his family. They don't go to movies, don't have a TV, don't listen to many kinds of music. They are focused on living properly so that when Jesus comes back, they will get to go to heaven.

At first glance, Rapture Practice probably seems like one of those sensational stories that we see nowadays, books about someone's abusive childhood or crazy cult. What's so refreshing about this book is that it isn't sensational. The entirety of the book can be summed up in one conversation that Aaron has with his friend Bradley:

"But what happens when the truth inside me feels different from what my parents say is the truth?" I wonder aloud. I don't expect Bradley to have an answer to this question, but he does.

"I think that's called growing up," he says.

This is, at its core, what Rapture Practice is about: growing up. It is the coming-of-age story about a character who goes through the "journey of change and self-discovery" that we have all discussed in English class. And I loved it for that. I love how Aaron describes this universal experience through the lens of his own unique situation, all the while making it clear that his parents do love him and want what's best for him. We can't hate them, even if we don't necessarily agree with what they believe.

I just have a few relatively minor complaints about the book. First off, I felt like it was missing an epilogue. The conclusion of the regular part of the book was perfect, bringing the story full circle to return to the idea of rapture. However, Aaron leaves the reader wondering where he is at now--after all, he's not a teenager anymore. He begins to question his sexuality during his story and I would have liked to know how that played out with his parents. Secondly, the writing wasn't always stellar. It was perfectly functional, but a bit awkward at times, and the simplistic voice used for 4-year-old Aaron doesn't evolve too much as Aaron gets older.
Overall, I'd give Rapture Practice a 3.9. I would read it again, and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good coming-of-age story. I'm not really sure about a food, but perhaps I'll think of one later.

Here's Aaron Hartzler's website: http://www.aaronhartzler.com/