Shaala, Made of Stone by Marsheila Rockwell

Synopsis:
In a dark land of sand and sorcery, one woman takes up her staff to defy the dictates of tradition and break a terrible curse.

Shaalaraharrah was once the favored daughter of a sultan, trained in the art of martial dance. Then (the stories claim), she disobeyed her father and was transformed into a fountain as punishment, doomed to stand alone in his gardens forever, weeping for her folly. In truth, she has become simply Shaala, a warrior wandering the desert in search of a way to lift her curse–one that turned her not into literal stone, but which made her both impervious to pain and incapable of experiencing pleasure. In the land of the River People, she becomes embroiled in a dispute between desert tribes and meets a young man who might be able to break her curse at last–but at a terrible cost.

My thoughts:
The author had me hooked with the synopsis, so I could not help but want to review this book. The action and revenge have you intrigued throughout the short story, keeping you turning the pages until you find that you are at the last page. The author weaves such a mystically beautiful tale that you are left wanting more from her. Wonderful story with an awesome ending. I recommend this to anyone who likes a good "far away" read :)

About the Author:
Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell was born [redacted] years ago in America's Last, Best Place. A descendant of kings, pilgrims, Ojibwe hunters and possibly a witch or two, she spent the first few years of her life frolicking gleefully in a large backyard that is now part of one of the nation's largest Superfund sites. Perhaps that explains her early penchant for fantasy and horror - the first book she ever read (at the tender age of three) was Frank L. Baum's "Ozma of Oz."

Marcy sold her first short story to Marion Zimmer Bradley while in college and her first novel to Wizards of the Coast in 2005. She now lives in the desert in the shadow of an improbably green mountain with her Naval officer husband, their three sons, the requisite black lab, and far too many books. In odd moments stolen from her family and her writing, she can be found browsing eBay for Wonder Woman/Girl figures or Seabees…


You can stalk her on her Website, Facebook and Goodreads.
You can buy her books on Amazon and Musa.