Books of Bayern Series
(Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets, Forest Born)
By: Shannon Hale
I started reading these books several years ago (before I had this blog), and absolutely loved them. I finished reading Forest Born a month or so ago and really wanted to write a review on it. But it seemed weird to only review the last book in the series. So, I decided to do a mini review of the whole series. If you haven't read the books, you may want to hold off reading the entire review, since there are bound to be spoilers... Just warning you ahead of time.
Goose Girl
This is possibly one of the best books I've ever read. I think I picked up this book based on a librarian's recommendation 5 years ago. I had just finished Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (another favorite), and was looking for more fairy tale retellings.
I was hooked on this book from the beginning. A few people have mentioned that it was slow starting. I didn't think that at all. The evolution of Isi's character was amazing. I loved that she was a strong character, even though many times she didn't think she was. Her friendship with Enna and the Forest Boys was endearing and heartwarming. They were the kind of friends that I'd want to have around, and oftentimes did. Geric was a very solid character as well. None of this "I'm so dangerous that you must be with me" stuff. He was a good guy. There just aren't enough Geric's in this world.
I gave this book 5 stars. If I had a 6th star, I'd give it.
Enna Burning
Enna Burning wasn't nearly as good as Goose Girl. However, I found Enna's story to be compelling as well. I think that the plot moved a little slowly at first, but by the end I really enjoyed the story. Even though this book was not as fast-paced as Goose Girl, it dealt with deeper human emotions than Goose Girl did. Enna struggled much more with her power than Isi did, I think due to the fact that hers is naturally more destructive. Enna was a supporting character in Goose Girl, and definitely became the character in need of support in the sequel.
I gave this book 4 stars.
River Secrets
This was probably my least favorite book out of the series. That doesn't mean it wasn't good, just not as good. Razo's story just wasn't as interesting to me as Enna and Isi's were. Also, by now the powers were a little predictable. I wasn't taken by surprise like I was in the first two books. I think Razo's character just wasn't developed enough for him to warrant his own book.
But, Razo is fun and lighthearted and brought a new perspective to the series. It was a good continuation to the story.
I gave this book 3 stars
Forest Born
This book was the perfect way to round out the series. Rin, Razo's younger sister, makes an appearance in this book. She was a wonderful main character full of insecurities. Okay, maybe that makes it sound bad. Rin's gift of Tree and People speaking made for an interesting "opposites attract" type situation. Rin doesn't feel like she fits in at home anymore. As the youngest child she's kind of forgotten and is sometimes used by her family.
Rin's character development was a lot of fun to read. Rin dealt with a lot of social problems that I think a lot of readers could identify with.
It's hard to give much more of a review without giving away some of the plot. But, this was a great way to end the series, and I loved it.
I gave this book 4 stars.
