Enna Burning (Books of Bayern)

I read this in the wrong order but it shouldn't really matter much for the Goose Girl book. This is a story about a girl whose brother finds a piece of vellum that tells him how to channel fire. When he dies she takes the vellum and as her country is at war she decides to channel the fire to help.

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However the fire is getting out of control and it may take her life like it took her brothers.

This is an interesting story, I've never read this as a fairy tale but it does come across as a fairy tale and is very readable, I can't remember how I stumbled upon this author but I'm glad I did and I'm looking forward to more of hers.

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Though Enna Burning is a sequel to The Goose Girl, it doesn't really have the feeling of a sequel to me. It shares a setting and certain plot elements of the first story, yes, but the mood and themes are different enough that it just doesn't read like a continuation. A large part of that is most

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likely because the main character has shifted from Ani to Enna, a forest-born girl who kept chickens and became Ani's friend when she was the goose girl.

Where The Goose Girl is about Ani becoming comfortable in her own skin and claiming her identity, Enna Burning is about Enna learning to rely on her friends, plus a bunch of stuff about wanting to prove oneself and emotions like lust, envy, or anger, which tie into the "fire" theme, which itself is partly represented in a war between Bayern and the neighboring country of Tira.

Enna Burning didn't enchant me as much as the first book in the Bayern series, and it felt too rushed and deus ex machina in the final parts, when Enna and Isi (Ani) learn to temper their elemental magic by learning each other's version. I would have much really liked to have fewer chapters about the war and more about the two of them learning wind and fire (respectively) in Yasid. I also wasn't entirely comfortable with the romance subplot between Enna and Finn. I would have been happier, I think, if it had never been introduced, and instead the theme had focused solely on friendship, which seemed to be the most important part of the story.

Nonetheless, I did enjoy reading the book, and I am looking forward to finally reading the third in the series, River Secrets. I just don't think that Enna Burning has quite the re-readability as The Goose Girl or other books I've read recently.

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Enna has left her friend the princess at court and gone home to the forest. He brother begins to behave strangely, but before they can work out his troubles, war comes to Bayern, and fire becomes Enna's greatest danger, hope, and desire.

Another lovely Full Cast Audio presentation.

Enna Burning which is a much darker story with elements of mind control linked with sexuality and planned and unplanned deaths by burning. My 11 year old was horrified and she and her older sister both declined to finish the book. River Secrets has some deaths but they are neither as horrific or

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detailed as in Enna Burning.

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Enna learns the power of fire. She can burn just by looking. She promises herself to stay in control of the fire that is now consuming her life and that killed her brother when he lost control. Is she strong enough? Find out in this mesmerizing fantasy.

In Enna Burning, Hale returns to Bayern, the world of her earlier book, The Goose Girl, and reminds us of the happy ending in the previous story (no spoiler there). In comparison with Princess Academy, Enna Burning and its predecessor deal with darker themes and consequences--war, manipulation,

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sickness and death share word-time with romance and friendship--but still promote the same message of empowerment, with strong-willed heroines and open-minded male counterparts. Just as enjoyable as Princess Academy, but definitely aimed at a slightly older crowd.

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A companion book to The Goose Girl. This one features Isi's friend Enna, who learns to talk to fire after her brother dies - to her detriment. I did not enjoy when Enna was a prisoner, but otherwise, it was a good book.

I liked the exploration of speaking the language of fire and how it relates to the idea from "Goose Girl" about speaking the language of wind. I thought it was interesting that this isn't something that is difficult to learn - or is it just that some people have an affinity for element speaking?

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Anyway, it was a nice follow up to "Goose Girl"

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I wish I could give this 3 1/2 stars. It was ok, but not my favorite Shannon Hale book. I can't tell if I like it less than _Princess Academy_ and _Goose Girl_ b/c the writing/story/plot isn't as good or b/c this is the first Hale book I've read rather than listened to. Both Goose Girl and Princess

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Academy are full-cast audio and they're _amazing_!

either way, I'm still a big fan.

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I read this book near two years ago. Now, thinking about it I can't wait to read it again. It was a nice book when I read it, but I find the greater value of a book is in the remembering of it. I am thinking about Enna in her fanciful little world, and like the book title says, Enna is burning. I

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have purchased my own copy of this and can't wait for it to arrive. I am coming Enna.

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I remember loving Shannon Hale’s Goose Girl and had been really looking forward to Enna Burning, but it didn’t quite grab me in the same way. Not sure why, and I did like it a lot, just didn’t LOVE it like I wanted to. The second half seemed a lot stronger than the first, though, and I found

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myself more drawn in as the story progressed past the middle. Hale creates wonderful characters—that hasn’t changed. I guess maybe Enna just wasn’t as compelling to me as some of the secondary characters, although I did fully enjoy her blossoming relationship with Finn, as well as the complicated attraction she felt for Sileph. That may have been the strongest aspect of the book for me: Enna’s complex feelings for both men and what those feelings made her feel about herself and her place in the world. It’s also hard not to be charmed by the many devoted friendships in the story. Enna’s addiction to the fire was also well done, and her transition from a sensible girl worried about her brother to a tormented and conflicted addict was totally believable to me.

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This second of Shannon Hale's Bayern books wasn't quite as entrancing for me as the first one. I very much appreciated the return of Isi from "Goose Girl," especially that she was true to her character. I enjoyed seeing Enna again, but found her somewhat changed from her role in the first book. Her

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struggle with her newfound power over fire (or its power over her), as well as her gullibility while a prisoner, just didn't sit well with me after her strength and compassion in the first book.

Still a good book, but vaguely disappointing. I'm still a big fan of Shannon Hale, though!

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"Enna Burning" was an amazing and fulfilling sequel to the fantastic novel by Shannon Hale, "The Goose Girl". "Enna Burning" takes up two years after the concluding events in Goose Girl. Enna has spent most of the time as Isis's lady-in-waiting in town and has somewhat recently returned to her

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Forest home. Her brother is acting very oddly. He is changing his mind frequently about different things and is acting impulsive. During a disagreement with Enna , her burns her. Somehow he has learned the gift of fire. When Tirden forces a War with Bayern, Enna's brother is quick to heed the call for soldiers. Enna and Isi are along for the battle because in Bayern, the men bring their women with them to remind themselves what they are fighting for. During the battle Enna witnesses the unpredictability and tragedy of the gift of fire.
Almost unable to stop herself, Enna learns to call fire to her. Although she has far from perfected her skill, she decides to use it to help Bayern fight its War. But eventually she finds herself at the mercy of the Tirden army and a handsome young captain named Sileph. Will Enna be drawn to Sileph? What about Finn fighting bravely for Bayern? Can she learn to control that fire that is consuming her on the inside before it ruins or even kills her?

I just loved this book. I loved seeing the characters from "The Goose Girl" back again in "Enna Buring". Enna is strong and stubborn heroine. She makes a lot of choices in this book and many of them aren't the smartest choices but she goes by her heart. I also loved Finn and was rooting for him the entire way. He has also matured since the events of Goose Girl. We get to see some progression in the marriage between Gedric and Isi and I loved every minute of that. I also think the author did a great job in making her two heroines so very different from each other. It would be hard to confuse bold, rash Enna with quietly strong Isi. I think that Enna has a much darker story than Isi had (although her story wasn't all sunshine and picnics either). The war is ugly and there are casualties. There is a loss of innocence as well in all our characters. Enna's gift of fire seems more dramatic and dangerous than Isi's gift of wind or her ability to speak with animals. I buy into the theory that there should be a cost to magic and Enna sure has a cost to bear.

The Bayern books aren't just for children or young adults. They fully engaged the mind and heart of this adult reader. I strongly recommend this series.

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At this moment, I'm still debating whether I like this book better than The Goose Girl...I certainly love them both, but 5 minutes after finishing this book, I'm thinking that I might like this one a little bit more. The Goose Girl was mostly a fairytale retelling; this book is a continuation of

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Bayern, but it does not revolve around a specific fairytale, and I think that enabled Shannon Hale to write with more artistic and creative freedom. Yes, this is still a "fairytale" book: as in, characters are complex and well-rounded, but not vice-like as you may find in "grown up fiction" or a lot of other YA-books out there. So once again, if you wrinkle your nose at love stories or happy endings, go find something else, because you may not like this story. Have we rooted out all the anti-happy people? Okay, good, on with the review! So there's a whole lot of what I would call "natural magic" in this series: powers of wind, fire, water, etc., and the ability to communicate with them. The main character of The Goose Girl, Ani/Isi, switches out with Enna, who becomes the main (and titular) character in this story. Central to the plot is Enna's firespeaking ability, a gift/curse that threatens to destroy her if she cannot learn to master it. I really thought that was such an interesting premise, and one that has an obvious theme we readers can take away and apply to our own lives. There are actually many themes that are so easily spotted in Shannon's writing, and I think that is one of the many things I admire about her. She's not one of these authors who spends the whole book trying to point a finger at some societal issue, and she never goes "after school special" either; instead, her story and characters reinforce themes: messages we as the readers can take away and apply to our own lives. And yes, I agree with other reviews: this book is "darker" than the first one. Enna has an urge to burn. The fire has a life of its own, and it starts to feed off of Enna's life (reminds me very much of The Ring!!!! Remember how the Ring had seemed to be "alive"? Remember how the Ring "wanted to be found"?!?! It's just like that!) The story was intense, in my opinion, but not inappropriate. I'll expand on that later. But one thing I want to ask all the criticizers: have you ever heard of siege warfare? Well, thoughout history (as in, REAL LIFE: not the stuff of fairytales) armies used fire at their enemies: fireballs, flamethrowers, Greek fire, lighted arrows... In other words, people got set on fire in real life...that is not something Shannon Hale just thought up. But I mean, from some of these reviews you'd mistake Enna for Bellatrix Lestrange! She's not particularly happy about setting people on fire... it stinks and everything, but yes, that happens. It's not presented in a graphic way: if anything, it's presented in a blunt, dull way. I kept thinking, "umm, these people are on fire, why is she not *screaming*?" But anyway... Okay and Sileph... wow. I have to admit, I really didnt think he'd be Book #2's "Designated Bad Guy." Yeah, he has one those cocky personalities, and he's a bit on the manipulative side, but I kept waiting for him to redeem himself, somehow... but then...well, I wont say anything. I just didnt expect him to actually be bad. So that was a shocker. Oh, back to why Shannon Hale is Not Inappropriate: she's pretty much the only author I can think of who can take an otherwise provacative situation and make it perfectly tame. Here's a scenario: a girl and a guy sleeping next to each other in a tent. And. Nothing. Happens. At. All. I just want to fax her scenes to some of these other YA authors out there, goodness gracious! Parents, Shannon Hale does not need to be on your Hit List. She's okay. And when two characters who are *actually* in love with each other camp together at night, nothing happens either. Don't you just love that? Nice, sweet romances with no content issues. In fact, the only content issues in this book relate to scenes of war. I didnt find them that disturbing, actually, but IMO this should probably be a Middle School and Older series (YA). But I found book so much harder to put down than the first one...and I really loved the first one, too :D I like the conflict in this book: Enna's a great character: strong and spunky, yet still human enough to need others. And I loved the struggles she endured: she was relatable and human, but never self-pitying. Cant wait to read #3!

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This is book two of the series that begins with The Goose Girl, a retelling of the fairy tale of the same name by the Brothers Grimm. I thought The Goose Girl was charming, and couldn’t wait to be with the characters again.

Enna Burning was not what I expected. Most of the focus is on Enna, a

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16-year old girl who was best friends with Isi (a.k.a. Ani or "The Goose Girl") in the first book. Now, Enna has left the capital where Isi is queen, and returned to the forest to care for her sick mother. When her mother dies in the spring, Enna becomes the mistress of the house. But she is bored, and yearns to do something of importance.

Her brother Leifer discovers an old vellum that teaches him how to harness the power of fire, but he can’t quite get the skill under control. Enna is convinced she can do better. When Isi and Enna’s kingdom of Bayern goes to war with a land-hungry territory to the south, Tira, Enna decides to use the power she learns from Leifer to make a difference. But there are so many risks: what if she loses control? What if she gets captured by the other side and is forced to use her power against Bayern? What if she gets consumed by the flames herself? All of these possibilities are real and ever-present dangers.

Discussion: This is a darker book than The Goose Girl, and not as satisfactory to me. Enna recognizes her moral dilemmas, but could exercise no power over a force as strong as fire, so after a while her angst just felt repetitive to no purpose.

On the other hand, it is very interesting to me that Hale seems to be evoking the psychological association between starting fires and sexual passion. Enna gets overtaken by the need to start fires, and apparently, whenever she does so, gets so much satisfaction and such a transformed look on her, that orgasms come to mind… [I mean, not to MY mind, needless to say….] This fits with the whole idea of fairy tales reflecting the subconscious.

There is also an intriguing side story about a Tiran warrior, whose approach to gender would be great to discuss but for spoiling.

In other words, there is actually more going on in this book than just an extension of a fairy tale.

However, in the final analysis, and in spite of a couple of provocative aspects of the story, Enna was never as interesting to me as Isi. Unlike Hale’s usual female characters - who are valorous - Enna struck me as too whiny and self-absorbed, only remembering others as an afterthought.

Nevertheless, I still enjoyed it, and will definitely pursue the third volume of the Bayern series.

Evaluation: I didn’t think this book came up to the level of Book One of the Bayern Series, The Goose Girl, but it’s still worth reading. You do not need to have read the first book to catch on to this one.

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When Shannon Hale set her story of the Goose Girl in the make believe land of Bayern, she thought it was simply for that story. One character, however, spoke to her and she felt this character had her own story to tell, and the result became Enna Burning. Unfortunately, I found the story very slow

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to evolve and overall, it felt a little forced.

What at first was a rather tedious read did become much more interesting toward the middle of the book as the action picked up. Perhaps my expectations were too high for this book but with a main character that I found difficult to like and an overall darker edge to the story, I missed the charm of the first book.

Shannon Hale has more stories set in the land of Bayern and, although I wish I had enjoyed this one more, I am not ready to give up on this series yet and will certainly try the next book in the future.

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I would have given this five stars, it probably deserves it, if I didn't read Goose Girl first. I find I can't give a sequel (or companion book) as good of a rating if it wasn't as good as the book that preceded it.
But it was good, great even, just not as good.
Hale has an amazing way with

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characters and dialogue (and plot too). She's a truly great author.

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Companion novel to The Goose Girl, with a focus on Enna, Isi's best friend. Two years after the events of the first book, Enna has discovered the power to control fire. At first she uses it to aid Bayern in a war against the neighboring country of Tira, but as she grows in power she feels

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overpowered by it. She and Isi go together to a kingdom in the south to find a way to control their powers.

I liked the characters in the first book and it was nice to see how things had changed with them after two years, but since they had grown apart, it created a number of subplots that felt disconnected most of the time. It felt like the war with Tira was just a big distraction to throw at the characters while things got worse with Enna's powers, and they only got back to finding a solution to that near the very end. Then the last subplot to be tied up is Isi's, so the focus isn't even on the main character in the end. Each part by itself was okay, but together it was a mess.

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This second book in the series shifts its focus to a (secondary) character from Book 1 (The Goose Girl). In this book, the character develops the ability to harness the power of fire. She aims to not to use it for harm, but can good intentions prevail, or will the scorching flame consume its host?

Really good. Although I liked Goose Girl better, I liked Enna Burning and am excited to read the rest of the series.

Meh. One note, totally predictable. Not nearly as interesting as Goose Girl.

Continues the tale of the Goose Girl from the perspective of Enna, who has to learn to master her new found power over fire.

I love Shannon Hale's writting because she writes fairy tales and does not try to hide it. Its a straight forward lyrical style that I love. Not only would I suggest reading Enna Burning, but also read the Goose Girl (you may want to read this first as it introduces the main characters) and the

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Princess Academy. All are lovely books that I really enjoyed through the course of an afternoon.

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Following on from The Goose Girl but this time an original tale, this story focuses on Enna, who befriended and defended Ani/Isi in the first book. Not as gentle as the first book as there are deaths and killing (so it's more suitable for a higher age group).

Enna has returned to the Forest after

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her adventures of the first book. Her brother Leifer discovers how to talk to fire and uses it in defense of the realm when the neighbouring country of Tira attacks Bayern. Enna learns it from him but finds it harder and harder not to give in to the desire to burn. Fortunately, even through the intensity and confusion of war, her friends prove to be as loyal to her as she was to Isi in The Goose Girl.

A good sequel but, with the war and Enna's fire, more harsh than the first book.

3.5

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