I wanted to like this book, especially since it was recommended to me by a friend. The writing itself is really good, and I like the character interactions (when they focus on the characters' conflicting worldviews instead of romance), and the world is intriguing... but the protagonist infuriates me too much to continue. The main character's name is Birle, and she is probably the dumbest and most annoying protagonist I've ever seen. Exhibit A: One night she sees a stranger steal her father's boat. Rather than, I don't know, informing someone that there is a strange man making off with her family's belongings, she decides to follow him herself. She jumps into the boat with this man, despite knowing nothing about him, then develops a crush on him almost immediately (even though he could be planning to murder her or sell her into slavery for all she knows). He's actually a decent guy (aside from the boat theft), but Birle had no way to know this. And when this man offers to drop her off on the river bank so she can walk back to her hometown, she makes up excuses because she wants to travel with him. Need I remind you, Birle, that this is the person who stole your family's boat?! It's also worth noting that her family has no idea where she is or when/if she is ever coming back.Exhibit B: Before the events of the book, Birle agreed to marry a man because she felt sorry for him. Not because she loved him, not because she thought he was a decent person who would make a good husband, not because their marriage would provide her with some type of practical or political gain, but because she felt sorry for him and thought "if I don't marry him, who will?" This is a dumb reason to marry in general, but it's an even dumber reason to marry in a world where women don't have the right to back out of a marriage. She regrets it later (shocking, I know) and even has the gall to complain about it. The entire time I was mentally screaming "What did you think would happen if you agreed to marry someone out of pity? You brought this upon yourself, Birle!"So yes, marking this as DNF because I wanted to stab Birle with something the entire time I was reading it. Granted, I only read the first 80 pages. Maybe she gets less annoying as the story progresses (though somehow I doubt it).
image from LibraryThingLet me say how much I HATE the title of this book! It doesn't do justice to the story!Ok - that's off my chest so I can tell you about the book.The Kingdom series continues. This an intriguing twist on a series - because this doesn't follow regular idea of a series. Instead of following Gwynn in this story - it skips ahead to her granddaughter, Birle. There are definite parallels between the books - at least at the beginning. It's about an Innkeeper's daughter who is supposed to be ready to be married - and has chosen very wrongly!! And then there is a twist.Her path crosses with a strange young lord who is running away from something or other. And that is the start. There is love at first site for Birle - but is it the excitement of the journey or the cornflower blue eyes or the chance for something different or a little of all three? Whatever the draw - they (Birle and Orion) travel together to the edges of the known world and the end of all they know - including their freedom. Along the way they share their stories and their dreams and their hopes and eventually their love. And then they make their way back home - to Orion's home where he is an Earl and Birle is only one of the people. So then what?I really liked this story! I think it was my favorite of the series. I loved Birle - her steadfast love for Orion was just what the romantic in me loves! And yes - this book completely demonstrates the wheel of fortune turning. But that title makes sense for me reading this as an adult...not so sure it would for YA readers.
What do You think about On Fortune's Wheel (1999)?
Far and away one of my favorite series of all time. The kingdom series is brilliant. Not only for the very subtle modern allegories tucked into a generally well written fairytale/fable/medieval-ish story, but this series has two assets that I love:A: You don't have to read them in order. They are very loosely tied together through tiny hints throughout the books. I had many "ooohhhhhhhhh" moments when you figure out how they relate. I think this might be my favorite part of the series.B: You don't have to learn a new language, world history or geography to understand the story. It is so brilliantly simple ( north, south, east, west) with characters written in the limited third person. When they don't know something, you don't either, eliminating a ton of unimportant details that usually bog down fantasy books. Characters also dont have intense histories that have to be relayed to the reader. You are right there with them, on their journey , learning about them as you go. The stories are great, twisting and unpredictable. I recommend them to everyone who likes a good set of books.
—Erin
This book was great! It might have been a little slow in the beginning but that was totally made up for with the amazing ending. There was so many plot twist and unexpected surprises that made the book really likeable. When I read this book I was right there with the characters the whole time, the characters were very relatable. I liked the way Cynthia Voigt slowly introduced the characters. She did not give the reader a information dump in the beginning of the story.I loved the way Cynthia Voigt never forgot or left you wondering about what happened to a character. The story had a very satisfying ending. (Which I loved!!) I didn't want to stop reading this book. It was super exciting and had its far share of action and romance. I loved the way the characters dealt their problems. The characters where really down to earth people.This book is one that you must read.
—Eleni
This is the sequel to Jackaroo, set in the same universe but two generations after the previous book; On Fortune's Wheel is again the story of a young girl from that family, another Innkeeper's Daughter like the last. Birle has agreed to marry a huntsman, even though she's only just of marriageable age, but is getting cold feet. When she spots a mysterious stranger stealing her father's boat, Birle intervenes and ends up travelling downriver with him.The mysterious stranger is, of course, much more than he immediately appears and Birle is determined to go along with him, regardless of what he might think. This is a decision that will ultimately lead to much heartbreak for Birle, who is thrown from a structured society she knows and understands into one where slavery is commonplace. Her companion fares even worse than she does, though there's some resolution for both of them in the end.I have to say, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did Jackaroo, mostly because I found Birle annoyingly passive. Unlike her grandmother, the protagonist in the previous book, Birle allows herself to be pushed along by events, rarely taking charge of what is going on, while also pining about what and who she has lost - very attractive if you're a teenager, feeling that the world is against you, but damn annoying reading for an adult. The series continues in The Wings of a Falcon, but I'm not sure if I'll read it or not, given my disappointment with On Fortune's Wheel.
—Paula
