Enna Burning (Books of Bayern Series #2)

by Shannon Hale

Overview

In this second book in New York Times bestselling, Newbery Honor-winning author Shannon Hale's beloved YA fantasy series Books of Bayern, the fire could save Enna . . . or destroy her.

Enna's brother, Leifer, has found the secret to an extraordinary power—to make fire without a spark. It's an ability that could be used for good . . . if he can control it. But Enna can't decide if it's a power she wants for herself, or one that should be extinguished forever.

When their home country of Bayern goes to war, the choice becomes unbearable. Enna never imagined the warm, life-giving energy of fire could destroy anything she loves, but now she must try to save Bayern and herself before fire consumes her entirely.

Don't miss any of these other books from New York Times bestselling author Shannon Hale:

The Books of Bayern
The Goose Girl
Enna Burning
River Secrets
Forest Born

The Princess Academy trilogy
Princess Academy
Princess Academy: Palace of Stone
Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters

Book of a Thousand Days

Dangerous

Graphic Novels
with Dean Hale
Illustrated by Nathan Hale
Rapunzel's Revenge
Calamity Jack

Illustrated by Victoria Ying
Diana: Princess of the Amazons

Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Real Friends
Best Friends
The Princess in Black series


For Adults
Austenland
Midnight in Austenland
The Actor and the Housewife

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781582348896
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	09/15/2004
Series:	Books of Bayern Series , #2
Pages:	300
Product dimensions:	5.41(w) x 8.01(h) x 1.25(d)
Lexile:	800L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Shannon Hale is the Newbery Honor–winning and New York Times bestselling author of the Princess Academy series, Book of a Thousand Days, The Books of Bayern, Dangerous, and the graphic novels Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack, among other books. She also wrote three novels for adults, including Austenland, now a major motion picture starring Keri Russell. She and her husband, the author Dean Hale, have four children and live near Salt Lake City, Utah.

www.shannonhale.com
@HaleShannon

Editorial Reviews

Gr 6-10-This companion volume to The Goose Girl (Bloomsbury, 2003) focuses on the best friend of that novel's heroine, Princess Isi. Two years have passed, and 16-year-old Enna has returned to the Forest to care for her dying mother. Her older brother finds a mysterious piece of vellum that teaches him to set fires with neither flint nor spark. The warm energy of the fire turns destructive as Leifer becomes controlled by the desire to burn. When Bayern goes to war, he wins a battle by burning the enemy, but dies as well. Enna discovers the vellum and its power and hopes that her new knowledge will help her protect Isi and all of Bayern, but it puts her and her loved ones in mortal danger. In some gory battle scenes, Enna burns hundreds of people alive, winning the war, but nearly dying herself. Like her ability to fire-speak, Isi's gift of wind-speak is similarly out of control. In hopes of discovering a remedy to their problems, the two young women set off for a kingdom in the south where fire-worshippers live. The answer lies in balance. Not a retelling of a fairy tale, this is an original tale that stands on its own. With a richly detailed setting, eloquent descriptions, a complex plot, a large cast of characters, and romance, this high fantasy will be welcomed both by fans of The Goose Girl and those who have yet to discover it.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Those who thrilled to Hale's re-imagining of The Goose Girl (2003) will probably be as delighted with this sequel, as Enna the forest girl takes the stage. Enna (once the closest companion to Isi, formerly the Goose Girl and now queen) watches, not understanding, as her brother learns to control fire, to hold it within himself, and to send it forth as he wills. When he chooses to consume himself in battle, she takes on his gift. Extraordinary images of fire, heat, and light fill this slightly overlong tale. Enna's fire can be seen as desire, or a drug, or the will to power, or simply as a gift that must be made manifest. Hale's burning prose, while weighted to talk rather than action, allows for many themes: the devoted friendship between women, as Isi and Enna risk their lives for each other; the appeal of the bad boy, as the soldier who holds Enna prisoner also lays dark siege to her heart; the gentle, devoted suitor Finn, who always manages to find a place by Enna's side to do what needs to be done. Powerful and romantic. (Fiction. YA)

Kirkus Reviews

"This novel's pulsing heart lies in rich writing and sharply drawn characters, elements that will be devoured by genre fans just like kindling beneath flames." - Booklist

"An original tale that stands on its own . . . with a richly detailed setting, eloquent descriptions, a complex plot, a large cast of characters, and romance, this high fantasy will be welcomed by fans of The Goose Girl and those who have yet to discover it." - School Library Journal

"Powerful and romantic." - Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Cynthia Bishop and a cast of 15 (including director Daniel Bostick) blend voices and keen music to narrate this sequel to THE GOOSE GIRL. Enna reluctantly inherits her late brother's skill of internally creating fire, used as a devastating weapon, after his flamboyant demise in battle. Enna, ably voiced by Chelsea MIXON, ponders the morality of this awful weapon. As a hostage, her quandary intensifies when she falls under the spell of a smooth-talking enemy soldier. Enna is assisted by her friend, Isi (Goose Girl—now queen of Bayern), who has powers with wind. After grisly battle scenes and daring escapes, all capably narrated but lacking gripping tension, the two women set out to seek comprehension and control of their powers. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2008 - AudioFile