Turn of the Wheel

Rating:
Summary: Good Book
Review: After a harrowing run through the narrow alleys of Madwand a lovely dark-skinned woman finally collapses into the arms of a stranger. She awakens later in a room with no idea who she is. To her dismay, she soon discovers that she is a notorious pirate and murderer, whose reputation for torture and cruelty has been written in blood throughout the world. Such is the fate of our heroine Venom who, appalled at her past, embarks on a dedicated life's mission to make amends for the evil she had wrought, before accompanying the young Light Warrior Gasqule back to Sidanthra to face her crimes and most likely execution.

Soon, she finds herself working against the devilish machinations of her former conspirators who now see her as either a potential threat. She is aided in this endeavor by a half-elf named Ellianora, who claims to be a simple minstrel, but whom appears to be much more. The half-elf also seems to be hiding some dark secret.

Joining them in their journey is Terrell, a bookworm priest with perfect recall who also rescued Venom from the alleys of Madwand. Along with Zaphrina, a talented though unschooled mage, and Venom's eager would-be arrestor, Gasqule. On their quest to defeat the dreaded Scarlet Coalition, the band begins to form a bond of trust and friendship.

Rating:
Summary: An imaginative, enthralling, and superbly crafted adventure
Review: Turn Of The Wheel by Jennifer Oberlander is an exciting and original fantasy of Venom, a dark-skinned woman who is bereft of her memories and who learns to her horror that she used to be a notorious pirate and bloodthirsty murderer. In Venom's search to make amends before her likely execution, she becomes embroiled in a struggle against the Machiavellian plans of her former allies. Aided by Ellianora (a half-elf with a disturbing secret), Terrell (a well read priest with perfect recall); Zaphrina (a mage with natural talent but little training), and Gasqule (Venom's would be arrestor), our heroine must defeat the might of a coalition that knows no mercy. Turn Of The Wheel is an imaginative, enthralling, and superbly crafted adventure.