The Books of Bayern: Enna Burning by Shannon Hale (Book 2)

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

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Fire. It can give life to something while ripping it from another. It revives and consumes.

Consume. It is the only word that Enna can’t seem to escape. After returning to her simple life in the forest, Enna obtains the ability to wield fire. At first, she finds it a good thing. She thinks she can help fight Tira, the neighboring kingdom that threatens the Bayern and their borders, by going on secret raids.

Pretty soon, one small fire isn’t enough. Consume. Consume. Consume. It eats at her day and night. Will Enna’s friend be able to save her from the danger she faces as a fire wielder? Or will Enna give in to her power’s fierce, fiery will?

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale is a book about one girl’s journey to self-discovery with some excitement and deception stirred in.

Highly different than The Goose Girl, Enna Burning had less of a classic climatic schedule, but rather contained a journey. Though not quite as good as The Goose Girl, it was still a great read!

Though Enna Burning can be a stand-alone book, I wouldn’t advise you to read it before the Goose Girl. I did accidentally, this is why I say that. I wish I had been able to read each of the books in this series in order. I knew, more or less, how each book would close from the next book. I knew how each character’s arcs would end up, and that was a little sad. I wasn’t ever fully convinced of “certain” peril that could easily finish a character. I knew which ones survived and which didn’t.

The story was very enjoyable. It wasn’t such a classic telling if you understand me. In Goose Girl, I felt like I was watching a REALLY good Disney princess movie, for it had a similar climatic schedule. In Enna Burning, I felt as if I was Enna. I was following her on her journey to self-discovery. Though this does occur in The Goose Girl, it is more of a subplot than the main plot, though it does appear a lot. I loved how deeply I could connect with Enna. Aside from our similarities that make me bias, Enna was a perfect main character! She would have moments of pure joy or enthusiasm, then she was confused, then angry, then broken, wishing to be made whole. It was so great to be experiencing the same emotions as her for Shannon conveyed Enna’s character so well! It is so moving!

As in The Goose Girl, Enna Burning is written in a first-person view. Personally, Enna was easier to connect with than Ani in The Goose Girl. I loved Enna! She is so similar to me that at times it could be scary. For this reason, there were times that she got on my nerves. This, however, is a great thing! In both books in this series, the main characters, though all-together loveable, got on my nerves. I think it displays well the humane element of their characters.
However, aside from Enna and the other supporting characters, this book wasn’t as good as The Goose Girl. Yes, the story was enjoyable. Yet, the end was strange. I don’t feel as if it were wrapped-up properly. Enna “completed” her arc, yes, but then the book just ended with some random events.

I also did not enjoy the lack of cultural differences that had been heavily expressed in the first book. However, Enna Burning is set in a different place, so I understand why. I still missed it.

Triggers: violence, one minor sexual event, and kidnapping/seduction.

Overall, though Enna Burning contains some darker themes, it is a relatively clean read that is very exciting! I recommend to children of 14 or older! Lovers of exciting fantasy will love this one!

Thanks for reading my review! Let’s chat in the comments. Bye! God bless!

Books have to be heavy because the whole world is inside of them.

Cornelia Funke