Enna Burning
Enna Burning (The Books of Bayern, #2)by Shannon Hale
Enna and Princess Isi became fast friends in The Goose Girl, but after Isi married Prince Geric, Enna returned to the forest. Enna's simple life changes forever when she learns to wield fire and burn anything at will. Enna is convinced that she can use her ability for good—to fight Tira, the kingdom threatening the Bayern borders—and goes on secret raids to set fire to the Tiran camps and villages. But as the power of the fire grows stronger, she is less able to control her need to burn. In her recklessness she is captured by the Tiran army and held captive by a handsome, manipulative young captain who drugs her to keep her under his influence. Can Isi and her old friends Finn and Razo rescue her without sacrificing themselves? And with the fire still consuming her, will Enna find a way to manage the gift that threatens to destroy her? (goodreads.com)
A while back I bought the box set of the Books of Bayern. I fell in love with Goose Girl when I was forced to read it (ha) but the book belonged to Monkey, so I just made a mental note that one day I would buy it. Gosh, that "while back" was actually last Christmas I think because I bought the box set with gift cards. ;) Of course once I had the box in my happy little hands I never read any of the books. I'm like that sometimes.I have been in such a slump lately I suddenly had the urge to be comforted by fairy tale. I recall Goose Girl making me happy and warm inside, this book? Not so much. I had trouble connecting with the story and I can't say I liked Enna all that much in her own tale. I found Enna to be selfish and stubborn and not in a charming way. When she gets captured I could only think "Well, you brought that on yourself, yo!" and had no sympathy for her plight.I had a feeling Enna was being manipulated while in captivity though I had hoped that perhaps I was wrong about that, even though I just wanted to smack the girl every time Sileph told her what seemed to be a really big lie and she just went along with it. Luckily it was explained in the end and I was correct in my assumptions which sort of added to the disappointment I was feeling with this story.A lot of the problem I had with the book was that this story is focused more on the war that is happening between Bayern and Tiran and I do not care for war-oriented fantasy books. They bore me. Enna Burning was more fantasy and less of a fairy tale than I found Goose Girl to be. I was hoping for fairy tale and I didn't quite get it.There is something quite addictive about the way Shannon Hale writes a story though. Her words can wrap around you like a fluffy, warm blanket and keep you safe from everything around you. A person can lose themselves in the world she creates even if they aren't quite connecting with the characters. I am looking forward to reading the next 2 Bayern books even though I don't think I will be reading them right now!Have you finished this series? If so, what can I expect from the next two books?Books of Bayern