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. ( )

I wish I could give this 3 1/2 stars. It was ok, but not my favorite Shannon Hale book. I can't tell if I like it less than _Princess Academy_ and _Goose Girl_ b/c the writing/story/plot isn't as good or b/c this is the first Hale book I've read rather than listened to. Both Goose Girl and Princess Academy are full-cast audio and they're _amazing_!either way, I'm still a big fan. ( )

The follow up to the wonderful The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale sees the return of many favourite characters from the first book in the series. Enna is now the main character and themain focus is on the fabled three gifts people were said to possess; people speaking, animal speaking and nature speaking. Her friend Isi is able to speak with some animals and the wind which she can bend to her will. It seems Enna's brother Leifer has somehow learnt to hear fire, but it is destrustive burning everything it touches including the speaker.

War suddenly descends on Bayern and it is up to Enna to decide if she too wants to learn fire speak. An augery tells her she will win the war using fire, but at what cost. It has consumed many others in the past and if she learns it will the same happen to her. Isi hears of a tribe in the desert who may be able to provide answers on how to control this gift and her own wind speaking, which is now becomming difficult for Isi to manage as well.

This is the story of Enna's journey, to find out who she really is and who she really loves. To discover the true power of friendship and sharing as well as grief and how to let go. I did really enjoy this tale, though it wasn't quite as good as The Goose Girl. Razo is one of my favourite characters and I liked reading his interplay with Finn and Enna. I was also glad that Isi remained central to the story whilst still giving Enna her time to shine. I look forward to reading River Secrets and completing the series soon. ( )

I liked the exploration of speaking the language of fire and how it relates to the idea from "Goose Girl" about speaking the language of wind. I thought it was interesting that this isn't something that is difficult to learn - or is it just that some people have an affinity for element speaking? Anyway, it was a nice follow up to "Goose Girl" ( )