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ratgirlreads's review
Cynthia Voigt’s On Fortune’s Wheel tells the story of two runaway teenagers and their eventual return to their homeland. The central character, Birle, is the younger of the two, and she follows the elder, Orien, who is escaping from his hereditary earldom to leave it to his brother. Birle, though seemingly mature, and about to be married, actually seems more childlike than she realizes—she tells Orien of her machinations to avoid the chores assigned by her stepmother Nan or to foist the work on another family member proudly, even when Orien suggests shirking isn’t something to be proud of. She insists Nan treated her like a servant, but it seems clearer from her recollections that her work was merely that necessary from a child of a family that must run an inn to earn its keep, and her subsequent experiences lead her to the conclusion that not only is work a common, but a necessary and desirable part of life. Birle seems to have little affection or concern for her family at the inn, including her father and half-sisters, and never seems to miss or even regret the pain she may be causing them, suggesting an immature level of empathy—especially when, at her return in the end of the book, Nan drops everything she’s doing to go see Birle—her home was a loving one, however she may have felt at the time that the life didn’t suit her.
However, Birle’s role in the story is wonderful. When Orien, who isn’t entirely honest with Birle about the situation he left behind in his earldom, and does as poor a job gauging his brother’s intentions as Birle does with her family, runs cockily off into the unknown beyond the borders of the Kingdom, and promptly gets himself and tagalong Birle captured by slavers, it is Birle who manages (in part through the luck the title contemplates of being purchased by a gentle and well-protected master) to locate Orien, learn of the precarious political situation in the city, and to get them safely out before the threatened invading armies arrive. She learns the information she copies for her master, and thus is able not only to use herbal remedies to care for and heal Orien when he’s dying of the infection in his brand, but to begin to grow her own herbs and dispense remedies after she is established in her grandparents’ holding. Birle, though young and immature, still manages to play the role of a strong, heroic character well.
jessicabeel's review
2.0
It's a well-written story - with everything (i.e. a grand adventure, a romance, a war, some pirates, etc) that usually peaks my interest and imagination. I wanted to like this book.
However, the story was dull with characters that seemed unremarkable until the very end. Everything in the story felt muted with an undercurrent of sadness and resignation. It's almost like the story had no hope written into it from the very beginning.
However, the story was dull with characters that seemed unremarkable until the very end. Everything in the story felt muted with an undercurrent of sadness and resignation. It's almost like the story had no hope written into it from the very beginning.
bookwyrmknits's review
I ADORED this book when I was a young teen, and though now I can remember the basics of the plot and characters, I do not remember the specifics. I know that there were aspects of the book that I glossed over then which I wouldn't enjoy as much now.
Part of me wants to re-read this book again, to revisit the comfort read it used to be when I was young. Most of me, however, is too afraid that if I read it now I won't like it, and I'm not willing to sacrifice the memory of this book in order to re-read it.
Part of me wants to re-read this book again, to revisit the comfort read it used to be when I was young. Most of me, however, is too afraid that if I read it now I won't like it, and I'm not willing to sacrifice the memory of this book in order to re-read it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery
emakay's review
I’m not much of a romance reader, and the main character annoyed me—also, an unexpected defense of feudalism?
bewarethebookwyrm's review
5.0
I love this series! This is the second one in the series and I think I like this even more than the first one.
kitm's review
4.0
Don't make fun of me, but I loved this book as a teen/tween. And I totally didn't know it was the second in a series. It does stand alone really well. I might have to read the first book now.
graculus's review
2.0
This is the sequel to [b:Jackaroo|91836|Jackaroo A Novel of the Kingdom (Kingdom, Book 1)|Cynthia Voigt|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171236049s/91836.jpg|2815], 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 [b:The Wings of a Falcon|95910|The Wings of a Falcon (Kingdom, Book 3)|Cynthia Voigt|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171307404s/95910.jpg|3163771], but I'm not sure if I'll read it or not, given my disappointment with On Fortune's Wheel.
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 [b:The Wings of a Falcon|95910|The Wings of a Falcon (Kingdom, Book 3)|Cynthia Voigt|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171307404s/95910.jpg|3163771], but I'm not sure if I'll read it or not, given my disappointment with On Fortune's Wheel.
jamierose's review
3.0
I really enjoyed this book when I first read it as a teenager, with it's sweet romance and sense of adventure. Re-reading as an adult I found it a little simplistic, and the romance lacking in depth, but it wasn't by any means a bad read, and unlike some books where I've re-read much later and been disappointed, I'd still say I liked this one overall.
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