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Enna Burning (The Books of Bayern #2)

by Shannon Hale (Goodreads Author)

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 20,791 ratings · 2,775 reviews

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...more

Hardcover, 317 pages

Published September 15th 2004 by Bloomsbury Children's Books

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Jun 25, 2008 Tortla rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dragons, ya-like, must-own, feministy, thesisability

Shannon Hale has yet to disappoint me. Her writing is a little slow at first (even she concedes that she sucks at making a novel grab the reader from the get-go), but there's something extremely satisfying about her writing style, even when it is being slow as all get-out. She manages to make this story interesting even when it is being entirely predictable (which only happened a few times, and even then she convincingly created enough doubt that the predictable thing was about to happen that it...more Shannon Hale has yet to disappoint me. Her writing is a little slow at first (even she concedes that she sucks at making a novel grab the reader from the get-go), but there's something extremely satisfying about her writing style, even when it is being slow as all get-out. She manages to make this story interesting even when it is being entirely predictable (which only happened a few times, and even then she convincingly created enough doubt that the predictable thing was about to happen that it was still intriguing to read).
This type of novel probably isn't for everyone (a fact which I concede reluctantly, because I really enjoy her books and she's kind of my hero for being a severely well-educated and talented writer). Not only is it kind of slow, its plot is pretty much cheesy fairy tale stuff all the way through (and even though it's written in a wholly convincing and refreshing style and there are sobering twists that are more remniscent of real good ol' fashioned fairy tales than the stupid disney stuff, people who don't like the idea of this kind of story to begin with probably won't make it very far and will probably scoff at the cute/cheesy little moments that make nerds like me smile).
Wow I use a lot of parentheses. Anyway, Shannon Hale is a great writer and you should probably give her a chance, but if you don't like fairy tales (in which case, what's wrong with you?) it will probably be hard for you to get over the hurdle that is the first twenty pages or so. I had difficulty staying interested for this long and I had read the previous book and quite liked Enna's character, so if you haven't read The Goose Girl I really wouldn't suggest reading this to start out...Read The Goose Girl first so you have an idea of her style and her ability to reshape a preexisting fairy tale, and then if you enjoy it and wish the story could continue you'll happily trudge through the beginning of Enna Burning.

P.S. I really like that Shannon Hale doesn't forget that her characters are people and therefore need to eat and drink and go to the bathroom and bathe and stuff...(less)

15 likes · like · see review

Jan 19, 2012 Janell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ok - the cute little baby prince helped this book scrape by with 3 stars! :-)

For the most part, I really did not enjoy this book. If you deleted the words fire, burn and heat, you'd lose 2/3 of the book. I thought the plot was unimaginative and very forced. Kind of like when you used to add adjectives in your English papers at school to try and get the required number of pages.

Plus, any book that spent a good part of the time BURNING PEOPLE ALIVE or talking about someone wanting to burn people...more

11 likes · like · see review

May 02, 2008 LeiAnn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I couldn't decide whether to give this book 4 or 5 stars. I debated for way longer than I have time to debate about truly unimportant things like this.

I struggled a bit through the first part of the book because I was reading the really exciting part of another book concurrently. (Why did I start a book before I finished my first one? I don't know, okay? I just wanted to.) I was really frustrated with the heroine from the first Book of Bayern (Isi/Ani) because she accomplished this incredible f...more

17 likes · like · see review

Feb 29, 2008 Chelsea rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, historicalfiction, own, 2008, youngadult, fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Somewhere along the line, I had gotten the impression that Shannon Hale wrote children's books - middle reader or so. But this book falls so squarely into Young Adult Books For Adults As Well that I'd say the cover I have is a bit misleading; it looks like a kids book to me.

But it's good. It's darker and scarier than Princess Academy, but very satisfying. I had a bit more trouble getting into it than the first Hale I read, and I have some issues with it that I'll address in a minute, but it was...more Somewhere along the line, I had gotten the impression that Shannon Hale wrote children's books - middle reader or so. But this book falls so squarely into Young Adult Books For Adults As Well that I'd say the cover I have is a bit misleading; it looks like a kids book to me.

But it's good. It's darker and scarier than Princess Academy, but very satisfying. I had a bit more trouble getting into it than the first Hale I read, and I have some issues with it that I'll address in a minute, but it was a great story about limits and loyalty. Hale has been dead on with themes so far.

First, I'll acknowledge that it's the second if not the third book in The Books of Bayern. (I'm not sure how defined the storyline/chronology is between this one and River of Secrets.) There was background that Hale just brushed over, giving me enough to figure out who the characters were, but leaving me unclear as to exactly how they all knew each other. And that's a compliment, really, because it drives me nuts when authors recap too much from previous books - if I'm reading the third in a series, it's generally because I read and liked the first two, so you don't need to remind me of everything. I just wish I'd either managed to get a hold of the first two or control myself until I had. But no.

However: the beginning felt slow and a little disconnected from the rest of the story, and it felt like Leifer was just dropped from the story; other than a couple name checks and a quick moment or two of "my brother is dead!", there wasn't much closure. I kept expecting something more definite.

I didn't like Isi. I found her creepy and a little patronizing and completely batshit. And seeing as Enna loved her, I'm pretty sure I was supposed to love her too. But, really, creepy.

Sileph: now that is a character I can get behind. I was half hoping Hale would have Enna turn traitor and marry Sileph and have ruthless little babies, because he was fantastic. Smart and evil and, oh right, ruthless and evil.

That said, I had nothing against Finn, and their little moment in the tent, with his hand on her head and "All I've ever wanted was to be near you" seemed so very adult to me, and helped push the book towards the adult end of the spectrum. It's the Gilbert Blythe fangirl in me that makes me love the sweet, steady childhood friend turned lover.

The ending was very rushed and convenient, and I would have loved to see a more complicated and ambiguous solution to Enna and Isi's problems - but this solution pushed it safely back into the young adult section, I think.

But these are the good kinds of issues, and they didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. I don't like Hale as much as I like Gail Carson Levine, but the comparison certainly works; Hale is Levine minus a coat of gloss, and dealing with a lower class, but the heart is the same.(less)

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Sep 13, 2007 Debbie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fairy tale fans

Shelves: young-adult-lit

I had to bump this one to the top of my TBR pile, as it is the sequel to The Goose Girl. Enna Burning follows Enna, who befriended Princess Anidori when Ani (also called Isi) was disguised as a goose girl. In this book, Enna learns to talk to fire, as Ani/Isi talks to wind. Enna is another ordinary girl who finds incredible strength within herself and through her friends and does extraordinary things. After almost being consumed by the fire, Enna, with the help of two loyal friends, manages to f...more

4 likes · like · see review

Sep 10, 2012 Cheryl in CC NV rated it 4 of 5 stars

After Goose Girl I was content to stop, but then I investigated, out of idle curiosity, and found that the 'series' isn't a direct sequence. Enna was a interesting character, so, ok, since this whole series is in my library system, I guess I will keep reading.

Ok, wow, glad I did. The writing style is even more lovely, the characters more complex, the concepts more original.. Why is this series not more well-known? I guess no vampires. But off I go, looking for the next already!

7 likes · like · see review

Jun 02, 2007 Jane Meyer rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: mmm, not sure

Shelves: youngadultbooks

This book was much less complex than the Goose Girl, Hale's earlier novel in the series... It had one recurring theme that ran tediously throughout. I felt the whole piece was rushed--that the language not nearly as creative as I know Hale is capable of; there was the constant description of how Enna felt when the fire overwhelmed her; and I can't say there were many twists of plot... Just one wildfire, raging through Enna and her forest, til it hit the shore.

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Nov 14, 2011 Megha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, reviewed

This was just a wonderful sequel to The Goose Girl! Although this didn't start as powerfully, I still adored it and devoured it whole!

First line of The Goose Girl: She was born Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, and she did not open her eyes for three days.

First line of Enna Burning: Enna let the fire burn out.

However, this was just a wonderful book. I loved seeing all the characters grow up and become stronger, both mentally and physically. I had loved Enna from TGG b...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 04, 2008 Siera rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I couldn't put it down! I loved it so much - probably a little scarier than the first, but the adventure kept me flipping pages. Shannon Hale continues to amaze me.

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 20, 2009 Tanja rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I find it interesting that Shannon Hale said this was her least popular book. I liked it just as much as goose girl. I like her story telling. i wish the books were longer and had more detail because the world and characters she has created it enjoyable.
In both books there is magic. Their magic is being able to speak, whether to people of animal or elements. What I like about this is that there are consequences to the magic. There is a physical affect from using the gifts of speaking. It makes...more

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Aug 14, 2008 george rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, read-in-2008, series, sci-fi-fantasy

Enna Burning takes up a little after the Goose Girl leaves off. Enna has returned to the forest and is living with her brother. She still keeps in close contact with her city friends, especially Isi and Finn. Suddenly the country is attacked and thrust into war and Enna goes along with Isi, Geric, her friends, and the other soliders. Her brother has discovered fire power and after he dies on the battlefield, Enna discovers the secret and begins her own internal struggle with the deadly force. It...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I did not enjoy this as much as Goose Girl, the first in the series. The main character seemed more distant (although maybe it was just that I didn't relate as much to her.) I also found that many of the scenes didn't ring true for me - a queen would not be present at the front lines of battle, the king and queen wouldn't hang out and seek strategic ideas from the working class, and most of the enemy soldiers were present as dolts. I did enjoy the main villain - the writing kept me wondering abo...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 24, 2013 Elise rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy

Maybe 3 stars. I can't decide. This just started out a bit rough. Like, I think Shannon Hale should rewrite the first 50 pages. The dialogue is bleh, the writing isn't as good as most of Hale's stuff, the characters seem flat, and you really almost give up on the whole book.

Luckily, the writing gets better, and while Enna's struggle does get a bit tedious and her angst feels pointless, there are some redeeming things about it. The villain is quite complex and gives more depth to Enna, and then...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 22, 2012 Allison rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, romantic, mild-sweet, library

Enna Burning really is all about fire. Much of it is dark, as fire magic is hard to control and Enna is struggling with this in the midst of a war. The depressing part of the book doesn't last forever, though, and I ended up enjoying the post-war resolution well enough to give it 4 stars.

Isi from The Goose Girl is still involved, and not just as a distant figure that you hardly remember. Enna's friendship with her is one of the best aspects of the book. The magic of both wind and fire get plent...more

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Mar 09, 2011 Reading Vacation's Mom rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

REVIEW
The first book in this series, The Goose Girl, is one of my all-time-favorite books. So, Enna Burning had some pretty big shoes to fill and I was not disappointed.
A seemingly normal Forest girl, Enna realizes that she is blessed with the gift of Fire. This book shares Enna’s struggle as she learns to balance her gift. Thankfully, she is not alone because her friends offer advice, wisdom, and support. Razo was hilarious and he reminded me of my little brother.
The plot itself started slow, b...more

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Feb 11, 2011 Leslie Jennings rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G

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Jan 19, 2013 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2007-2010

A sequel to The Goose Girl, Enna Burning follows the adventures of Isi’s friend Enna, one of the forest people who was working at the palace tending the king’s land and sheep. Enna has returned home to the forest to care for her dying mother, and stays to help her brother, Leifer, when their mother passes away. However, Leifer has discovered a way to speak to fire, much in the way that Isi can speak to wind. Unfortunately, this newfound ability seems to be changing his personality, as well. It s...more

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Sep 14, 2012 Angie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: belovedbookshelf, girls-who-do-things, ya

Originally reviewed here @ Angieville.

So I had another one of those uncomfortable realizations while musing on which book to review. It came to my attention that the only Shannon Hale book I've actually reviewed is The Actor and the Housewife. That's the only one! As Grover would say, "How embarrassing . . ." I read and loved Hale's Books of Bayern long before that ill-fated meeting between myself and the Book That Shall Not Be Named (even though it just was). It's high time I went back and shar...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Jill rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 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. W...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Kristine rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, young-adult, fantasy, magic, children, adventure

I liked Enna better in book one when she had more common sense. There were several instances when I wanted to be IN the story just so I can smack some sense into her. Especially during the Enna-Sileph scenes? I was thinking how a levelheaded person became so gullible and so convinced of her own fire-might. Thankfully, a semi-credible explanation was given for Sileph's power over her. I say semi-credible because I'm convinced Enna's idiocy had put her in that situation in the first place and I'm...more

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Apr 05, 2012 Olivia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In this Second Book of Bayern, Ani’s (our princess from book one) friend, Enna, has found her brother Leifer acting strangly. He spends most of his time looking at a vellum that contains some very beautiful and true words. Enna asks Finn (also in book one) if he would help her with Leifer. Leifer has found that he can control fire and Enna starts getting gray hairs when Leifer decides to join in the fight with Tira. Unfortunately, Leifer couldn’t control the fire and burns to his death. In sorro...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Celise Winters rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Please go here to view the full review:
http://incandescentenchantments.blogs...

The Good:
Just like The Goose Girl, Enna Burning was a lovely written book. The vocabulary was splendid, the details only adding to the beauty of Bayern. Shannon Hale is an amazing author, who I think deserves more credit and should be more popular. Everyone should read her books!

Now, Enna is just my type of heroine. She's strong-willed and stubborn. Plus, she can control fire! How cool is that?! First, we had Princess...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was good, not as good as Goose Girl, but still enjoyable. Enna made some decisions and said some things that made me want to just shake her, but I suppose that is to be expected with a teenager.

It was enjoyable and still felt like a fairy tale, even if it wasn't an obvious retelling. The narration was still kind of annoying - read by the cast of characters. More annoying because the girl who read Ani in the last book read Enna in this one and Finn didn't sound all that appealing.

My only hes...more

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Oct 29, 2011 Cindy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 02, 2011 Josie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm glad this book has mixed reviews, because that's how I felt when I read it. I was so looking forward to a book about Enna, but this didn't quite deliver? The novelty of the fire-speaking soon degenerated into endless description of Enna's struggle not to burn even though she wanted to. The pacing wasn't great either. The book dragged towards the end/last third, which is at odds with how super fast the beginning was. (Suddenly Bayern is at war! Just like that! Leifer's burning things! Leifer'...more

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Feb 20, 2011 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2010, i-own, sent-for-review, bloomsbury

Enna Burning follows the story of Isi's best friend Enna and the war between Bayern and its neighbour. Whilst the Goose Girl was a loose fairy tale retelling, this sequel is completely its own original story. That is why it would be possible to read this book before before the first without too many problems but I really reccommend that anyone planning on reading it should read The Goose Girl first to understand the background to the story better and because it is such an enchanting story that y...more Enna Burning follows the story of Isi's best friend Enna and the war between Bayern and its neighbour. Whilst the Goose Girl was a loose fairy tale retelling, this sequel is completely its own original story. That is why it would be possible to read this book before before the first without too many problems but I really reccommend that anyone planning on reading it should read The Goose Girl first to understand the background to the story better and because it is such an enchanting story that you wouldn't want to miss it!

This book has a slightly different feel to Goose Girl as I found it to be more dark than the first book in the Books of Bayern. The Goose Girl gives a much clearer picture of the lands of Bayern and Kildendree but this one is much more character orientated. However, I loved it just as much as the Goose Girl, just in a different way as it was a more pacy read with a lot more action happening at once. I am happy to say though that the beautiful descriptions that give Shannon Hale her distinct writing style are retained and I was submerged into Enna's world just as much as Isi's.

Opening the pages of this book is a bit like returning home after a short break away as all the characters- such as Isi (Ani), Geric, Razo and Fin- and the setting felt so familiar to me. Despite this the start was a little slow moving but this is more than compensated for by the fact that once the story gets going, it really sucks you in.

Enna's character is the complete opposite of Isi's as she is much more headstrong, fiery, strong minded and opinionated, (which suits her magical gift well!) but she is also fiercely loyal as is Isi. She is not as likable as Isi but I think that is what makes her such an interesting character. I really enjoyed getting to know her character more as not much was revealed about her in the first book. Also, I liked seeing how she grew as a character throughout the book and dealt with the challenges and need of inner strength and courage that come special powers as well as the effects that her gift with fire has on her. There are many times when she makes the wrong choices but she is very well meaning at heart and wants the best for all her friends and Bayern.

As I mentioned before, there was a lot more action because of the war between Bayern and its neighbour, which naturally creates quite a stir. Quite soon into the book, I was launched into scenes of violent battlefields but Hale descriptions of it are very clean but still manage to capture the brutality of the war but also the tension within the young men fighting and their family.

I loved Shannon Hale's take on the use of magic because she shows that there is always a consequence to using it and that it cannot be used carelessly. Also, the magic of the natural elements and the balance that two of them can create as shown in this book is something I found more captivating than more fantastical magic perhaps because it is closer to reality. A lot of fantasy books just seem to take using powers it for granted and I found seeing the consequences making up a lot of the storyline very refreshing.

Verdict: The Goose Girl is a masterfully crafted wonderfully unique and vivid story using the foundations of The Goose Girl that portrays war, bloodshed and magic along with the power of friendship and trust that brings out the best in everyone (less)

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Jul 07, 2010 Emily Michelle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My least favorite Shannon Hale book. I mostly only kept going because I knew I had to in order to get to the third book, and also because I'm kind of in love with Finn. But for a book in which a ton of things happen, it was really quite boring.

Each of the Books of Bayern features a hero struggling with a major character flaw. Enna's is her need to stand out and do something special, which drives her to learn fire-speaking in spite of the dangers, and the need to burn almost kills her. If you rea...more

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Apr 19, 2010 Edwina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-childrens

Synopsis :
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 b...more

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Mar 10, 2010 Jenifer Bunker rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't like this one as much as Goose Girl. I probably would give it 3 1/2 stars if they would let me. It didn't reel me in as quickly as Goose Girl. But, the last 100 pages or so were great. I ended up liking the book a lot more after reading the last section of the book. What a great idea for a book fire-wind-animal-people speaking. In the scriptures you read that everything has on the earth has spirit, ie. animals, plants, mountains, water, ect. So therefore, wouldn't your spirit be able to...more

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Feb 09, 2010 Angie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Like always, I love Shannon Hale's vivid and unique descriptions. I wasn't sure I'd like about about a different character than Isi (in Goose Girl), but Shannon Hale made Enna just as strong and engaging. I accepted the "fairy tale" aspect of these stories, and just enjoyed reading how Enna struggled to learn and control fire-speech. I like positive endings, so I was pleased how this finally turned out---I was always wondering how the characters would get out of the next tight situation---at tim...more

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About Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale is the New York Times best-selling author of six young adult novels: the Newbery Honor book Princess Academy, multiple award winner Book of a Thousand Days, and the highly acclaimed Books of Bayern series. She has written three books for adults, including the upcoming Midnight in Austenland (Jan. 2012), companion book to Austenland. She co-wrote the hit graphic novel Rapunzel's Reveng...more

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Enna Burning (The Books of Bayern #2)

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