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roseleaf24's review against another edition
4.0
Three years after The Goose Girl, and much has changed for Isi and Enna. The winds have begun to intrude on Isi, and Enna has grown restless in her forest home after her time in the capital. When her brother Leifer begins to work with fire, she is torn between her own attraction and worry about the consequences. Though she believes she can retain control, she gets drawn into recklessness. To be honest, because of the differences in these beloved characters and a string of poor decisions, the first half of the book was a difficult read. But then , things developed so that the differences came into agreement with the characters I knew before, and everything resolved with the action and beauty I expect from Hale. And Finn was wonderfully steady as always.
myleejmiller's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Enna has always been an energetic person, but when her brother brings home the secret to a power which eventually destroys him, she finds herself stuck between two choices. One, to forget her brother and stay out of the war between her homeland's friends and an opposing force. Or two, learn the secrets of the fire which her brother died for, protect her homeland, get revenge... and perish in the process. When Enna's mistakes multiply and her friends' lives are put at risk, Enna faces more than the threat of destroying herself. She faces the reality of others abusing her power for their own gain.
Enna Burning has been a book I've had on my shelf for years but never had the motivation to read. As a kid, I read a lot of middle grade and only recently (after the unreadable days of High School) got back into reading. In that time, I discovered many authors and (sadly) forgot about Shannon Hale's work. I have never been gladder to have returned to an old, familiar voice in the literary world.
This book was both nostalgic for me and incredibly inspiring. As a writer myself, I completely forget that The Goose Girl, book one in The Books Of Bayern series, had inspired much of my current writing style. One of my favorite parts of Hale's work is the way she uses word choice and prose to build up and beautify her fictional worlds. Especially in The Books Of Bayern, I see so much attention to detail through the use of verbs for inanimate nouns and the way Hale creates a world based on emphasized movement. It made the novel easier to read and easier to enjoy.
The only regret I have is that I didn't read this book sooner. Although my current TBR is massive and it may take me a bit to read the rest of this series (and, hopefully, Hale's other work), I cannot wait to dive into the rest of these characters' lives and the adventures which Hale has crafted with such masterful paintbrush strokes of prose. Hale's voice is unmistakable, and her works are world changing. I cannot thank her enough for the joy her stories have brought me (and others in my life). Definitely worth the read (and reread, too!)
Enna Burning has been a book I've had on my shelf for years but never had the motivation to read. As a kid, I read a lot of middle grade and only recently (after the unreadable days of High School) got back into reading. In that time, I discovered many authors and (sadly) forgot about Shannon Hale's work. I have never been gladder to have returned to an old, familiar voice in the literary world.
This book was both nostalgic for me and incredibly inspiring. As a writer myself, I completely forget that The Goose Girl, book one in The Books Of Bayern series, had inspired much of my current writing style. One of my favorite parts of Hale's work is the way she uses word choice and prose to build up and beautify her fictional worlds. Especially in The Books Of Bayern, I see so much attention to detail through the use of verbs for inanimate nouns and the way Hale creates a world based on emphasized movement. It made the novel easier to read and easier to enjoy.
The only regret I have is that I didn't read this book sooner. Although my current TBR is massive and it may take me a bit to read the rest of this series (and, hopefully, Hale's other work), I cannot wait to dive into the rest of these characters' lives and the adventures which Hale has crafted with such masterful paintbrush strokes of prose. Hale's voice is unmistakable, and her works are world changing. I cannot thank her enough for the joy her stories have brought me (and others in my life). Definitely worth the read (and reread, too!)
mrsbrharris's review against another edition
4.0
I liked Goose Girl better, but I liked the end even if it was a little corny.
stephxsu's review against another edition
4.0
Enna is not fit to live out her life in the uneventful Forest. One day, however, her older brother Leifer brings home a piece of vellum that holds the secrets of the language of fire. The knowledge brings about his end: in Bayern’s war against their southern neighbor, Tira, Leifer destroys himself in using the fire to help out Bayern.
Enna pledges to herself to learn the magic that had possessed Leifer. The language of fire fills a space in her chest that she didn’t even know was there. All of a sudden, Enna is spurned to make secret missions into enemy camps to set things on fire and destroy. Tira begins to refer to her as the fire witch.
Then, one night on a mission, she is captured. She is the prisoner of Sileph, a wily, smooth-talking commander who charms Enna into falling for him. Sileph wants her to use her fire abilities to make herself feel better, because by then that’s what it has become: an insatiable desire to burn that she must obey. In short, the fire is slowly taking over Enna.
Luckily for Enna, she has wonderful friends. These people include Isi, the Kildenrean princess turned goose girl turned Bayern queen; Razo, a short, playful boy; and Finn, formerly sensitive, now toughened into a world-class soldier, but who always carries a soft spot for Enna. It’s not just that Enna needs to be rescued from the enemy camp: the fire is also killing her as well. How far will her friends go in order to save the spirited, brave young woman?
Once again the talented author Shannon Hale weaves a tale of magic and realism. The characters in ENNA BURNING are well drawn out, and their predicaments are unique. Fans of Hale’s first book, THE GOOSE GIRL, are sure to love this companion.
Enna pledges to herself to learn the magic that had possessed Leifer. The language of fire fills a space in her chest that she didn’t even know was there. All of a sudden, Enna is spurned to make secret missions into enemy camps to set things on fire and destroy. Tira begins to refer to her as the fire witch.
Then, one night on a mission, she is captured. She is the prisoner of Sileph, a wily, smooth-talking commander who charms Enna into falling for him. Sileph wants her to use her fire abilities to make herself feel better, because by then that’s what it has become: an insatiable desire to burn that she must obey. In short, the fire is slowly taking over Enna.
Luckily for Enna, she has wonderful friends. These people include Isi, the Kildenrean princess turned goose girl turned Bayern queen; Razo, a short, playful boy; and Finn, formerly sensitive, now toughened into a world-class soldier, but who always carries a soft spot for Enna. It’s not just that Enna needs to be rescued from the enemy camp: the fire is also killing her as well. How far will her friends go in order to save the spirited, brave young woman?
Once again the talented author Shannon Hale weaves a tale of magic and realism. The characters in ENNA BURNING are well drawn out, and their predicaments are unique. Fans of Hale’s first book, THE GOOSE GIRL, are sure to love this companion.
jamiehandy's review against another edition
4.0
I read the goose girl (the first in the series) way back in 2007. I liked it, but I was not immediately curious to see if it was a part of a series . . . So I picked up Enna burning at a book sale and it sat on the shelf for the last year or so. I just couldn't seem that motivated to read it. But the day finally came and I picked it up and really had a hard time putting it down. I think it much better than the Goose girl and thought it dealt with a lot of interesting themes.
1. the price of war
2. the value of friends
3. the role of balance in our lives
1. the price of war
2. the value of friends
3. the role of balance in our lives
sallyavena's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the story, but found the detail of "burning" a little too vivid. Hale is truely a master story teller.
toritoot's review against another edition
4.0
I read the first two Bayern books sometime in high school. I instantly loved The Goose Girl, but for some reason, I really struggled with Enna Burning. My main difficulty was the dynamic between Enna and Sileph. Maybe (probably) I wasn't a very sophisticated teen, but their entire relationship confused me and made the book as a whole difficult for me to get through. After a recent reread, I found the pieces of the story finally beginning to fall into place, and much of my confusion dissipated, but there is one aspect of the storytelling which I believe may have been the cause of my confusion during my first read through and that I still have thoughts on today.
I have to start this review off though with praise for Hale and say that her prose is utterly beautiful. Reading The Goose Girl made me jealous of her ability to weave a sentence and find some of the most unique and unexpected descriptions and metaphors I've ever read. Enna Burning is no different with lines like '...and thought how people start with wrinkles and end with wrinkles, grow into their skin and then live to grow out of it again.' I don't know about anyone else, but reading Hale's writing is always a pleasurable experience for me.
Similarly, Hale’s characters and storylines are very strongly written. The characters feel lived in and real and singularly unique compared to many other YA protagonists. You’d be hard-pressed to boil down her main leads to a few general descriptors, as they are always too complex for that. And while her storylines have plenty of what you would expect from a YA novel, there is always much more going on beneath the surface. I go into a Shannon Hale book expecting deep themes and consistently engaging plotlines.
The thing that stood out to me most though about Enna Burning (and this is going to sound odd at first but bear with me) is the difference in book length compared to The Goose Girl. It's not a significant difference, but it's enough that I could feel it as I read. I'm not sure why Hale chose to make Enna Burning shorter, but for my part, I was saddened by the decision, as there were a few points where I wish Hale had spent more time exploring the story.
Specifically, when Enna is still at home with her brother and he's becoming more and more surly, I would have really liked to see more of a build up before he finally snaps. Equally so, I would have liked more plot development towards the end when Enna and Isi go to the kingdom in the south looking for a way to stop Enna's fever and keep the fire from consuming her. Their eventual breakthrough happens quite quickly and felt almost too easy.
But the one place where I think not spending more time actively harms the story is during Enna's captivity under Sileph. I realized after finishing the book, that Hale had wanted to keep Sileph's people speaking ability a secret until a later reveal, but the whole time he and Enna spent together, there was this underlying feeling of discomfort for me. I didn't understand why Enna was so unguarded with him, and his behavior was inappropriately familiar. I never bought it that either of them had genuine feelings for each other. I think the story would have benefited from more buildup of this relationship, easing the reader into the dynamic so it didn't feel so obviously odd and abnormal. Alternatively, some well-placed phrases from Enna about feeling inexplicably pulled in by Sileph and not knowing why would have helped.
I can say though that as a more sophisticated adult rereading this book, I understand what Hale was doing now, and I appreciate her attempt at using Enna and Sileph’s dynamic to explore a type of ‘relationship’ that many of us have probably experienced. A relationship that fools you into a false sense of kinship and love but eventually turns out to have no foundation underneath it.
Part of me thinks that if The Goose Girl hadn't been as long as it was, then I might feel differently about Enna. Goose Girl created a certain expectation for the follow up books that I could never shake. I expected Hale to wade luxuriously through the story of Enna Burning, really spending time on every moment and filling in all of the cracks the way she does in Goose Girl. But she doesn't. I won’t say this was the wrong choice on her part because it’s a legitimate writing decision. Enna Burning is still a fantastic book. I’m just sad she didn’t do it.
But I can absolutely say that when Hale tells a story, beautiful things happen, and I'm really looking forward to reading the other two books in the series, as I have never read them.
I have to start this review off though with praise for Hale and say that her prose is utterly beautiful. Reading The Goose Girl made me jealous of her ability to weave a sentence and find some of the most unique and unexpected descriptions and metaphors I've ever read. Enna Burning is no different with lines like '...and thought how people start with wrinkles and end with wrinkles, grow into their skin and then live to grow out of it again.' I don't know about anyone else, but reading Hale's writing is always a pleasurable experience for me.
Similarly, Hale’s characters and storylines are very strongly written. The characters feel lived in and real and singularly unique compared to many other YA protagonists. You’d be hard-pressed to boil down her main leads to a few general descriptors, as they are always too complex for that. And while her storylines have plenty of what you would expect from a YA novel, there is always much more going on beneath the surface. I go into a Shannon Hale book expecting deep themes and consistently engaging plotlines.
The thing that stood out to me most though about Enna Burning (and this is going to sound odd at first but bear with me) is the difference in book length compared to The Goose Girl. It's not a significant difference, but it's enough that I could feel it as I read. I'm not sure why Hale chose to make Enna Burning shorter, but for my part, I was saddened by the decision, as there were a few points where I wish Hale had spent more time exploring the story.
Specifically, when Enna is still at home with her brother and he's becoming more and more surly, I would have really liked to see more of a build up before he finally snaps. Equally so, I would have liked more plot development towards the end when Enna and Isi go to the kingdom in the south looking for a way to stop Enna's fever and keep the fire from consuming her. Their eventual breakthrough happens quite quickly and felt almost too easy.
But the one place where I think not spending more time actively harms the story is during Enna's captivity under Sileph. I realized after finishing the book, that Hale had wanted to keep Sileph's people speaking ability a secret until a later reveal, but the whole time he and Enna spent together, there was this underlying feeling of discomfort for me. I didn't understand why Enna was so unguarded with him, and his behavior was inappropriately familiar. I never bought it that either of them had genuine feelings for each other. I think the story would have benefited from more buildup of this relationship, easing the reader into the dynamic so it didn't feel so obviously odd and abnormal. Alternatively, some well-placed phrases from Enna about feeling inexplicably pulled in by Sileph and not knowing why would have helped.
I can say though that as a more sophisticated adult rereading this book, I understand what Hale was doing now, and I appreciate her attempt at using Enna and Sileph’s dynamic to explore a type of ‘relationship’ that many of us have probably experienced. A relationship that fools you into a false sense of kinship and love but eventually turns out to have no foundation underneath it.
Part of me thinks that if The Goose Girl hadn't been as long as it was, then I might feel differently about Enna. Goose Girl created a certain expectation for the follow up books that I could never shake. I expected Hale to wade luxuriously through the story of Enna Burning, really spending time on every moment and filling in all of the cracks the way she does in Goose Girl. But she doesn't. I won’t say this was the wrong choice on her part because it’s a legitimate writing decision. Enna Burning is still a fantastic book. I’m just sad she didn’t do it.
But I can absolutely say that when Hale tells a story, beautiful things happen, and I'm really looking forward to reading the other two books in the series, as I have never read them.
mlnguyen91's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
saranies's review against another edition
2.0
Could barely finish this book. Only continued because I didn't have anything else on my kindle, but it was not great. I didn't care about the characters, did not believe anything, and was just annoyed most of the time. A whole series of unbelievable events. I know there's a third book, but meh. Chalk this one up to a series I will not be finishing.
katiebtatton's review against another edition
4.0
I was excited to read the sequel to [b:The Goose Girl|179064|The Goose Girl (The Books of Bayern, #1)|Shannon Hale|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255633605s/179064.jpg|2715267] by Shannon Hale, but I had to trudge through the first two thirds of Enna Burning. Enna learns to conjure fire out of the heat in the air and living things around her just in time to help out in the imminent war between her country of Bayern and neighboring Tira. I've commented before that Hale's work seems to be hit and miss for me, and I was sure this one was a miss. But when Enna is captured and identified as the Fire Witch by Tiran warriors, the book became a page-turner for me. The four stars are for the last third of the story---the beginning two thirds is probably two-stars.