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 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. ( )

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

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 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. ( )

Since I really enjoyed The Goose Girl, I decided to try the next book in the series. Enna lives a life of busy poverty in the Forest of Bayern with her brother Liefer. Although she misses her friend Isi and the adventures they shared in the city, she tries to stay upbeat and content. But when Liefer brings home a piece of vellum containing the secrets of fire language, life suddenly gets a lot more dangerous: Liefer becomes reckless and uncontrollable, consumed by his desire to create fire. Enna fears the fire magic but also finds herself drawn to it – and when the neighboring country of Tira declares war on Bayern, she must master the fire magic before it consumes her.

This book was a satisfying follow-up to The Goose Girl. Enna is a scrappy and courageous young woman who tries to do the right thing in some really tough situations. Occasionally she fails and makes a bad choice, which is one thing I really liked about the novel – it makes her a more realistic and relatable heroine. I also liked the way Hale described the fire magic, both in its mechanics and in its effect on Enna. The characters in general were more fleshed out than they were in The Goose Girl, and I hope to see this trend continue in the next book, River Secrets. This is definitely a worthy addition to a YA fantasy collection.

War is coming between Tira and Bayern, and Enna's brother Liefer has developed the power of fire. Enna discovers it in herself, and must save her country and her friends while learning to control the fire and discovering her own strengths. ( )