Finnikin of the Rock
by Melina Marchetta (Viking, 2008); audiobook read by Tom Wren (Bolinda, 2010)
![Book cover: “Finnikin of the Rock” by Melina Marchetta](https://www.derelictspacesheep.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Marchetta_Finnikin-of-the-Rock-201x300.jpg)
YA fantasy that builds into its characterisation and gradually shifts focus, subverting expectations of its titular protagonist. Marchetta knows how to build a story, and weaves a much-needed female perspective through the plot, pointing the way forward for both genre and world.