Synopses & 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 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?
Review
"Capture, drugs, deception, escape, death, and final victory for good, all take readers on a fast-paced ride into metaphorical questions that are a contemporary as tomorrow's news. Enna's story is a compelling moral tale that teens, classroom teachers, and parents will find memorable and hopeful." Children's Literature
Review
"Not a retelling of a fairy tale, this is an original tale that stands on its own. With a richly detailed setting, eloquent descriptions, a complex plot, a large cast of characters, and romance." School Library Journal
Review
"[R]eaders will need a high tolerance for grisly violence and leisurely plot development, and the payoff at the end of the book may be overly tidy. But this novel's pulsing heart lies in rich writing and sharply drawn characters, elements that will be devoured by genre fans just like kindling beneath flames." Booklist
Synopsis
* A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
* An Amazon "Editor's Pick" for Best Book of the Year
* An Association of Booksellers for Children "Best Book," Science Fiction & Fantasy category
" T]his novel's pulsing heart lies in rich writing and sharply drawn characters, elements that will be devoured by genre fans just like kindling beneath flames." -Booklist
" An] original tale that stands on its own . . . with a richly detailed setting, eloquent descriptions, a complex plot, a large cast of characters, and romance, this high fantasy will be welcomed by fans of "The Goose Girl "and those who have yet to discover it."-"School Library Journal ""Powerful and romantic." -"Kirkus Reviews"
Don't miss the companion novels:
THE GOOSE GIRL 1-58234-990-8 pb - $8.95 1-58234-843-X hc - $17.95
RIVER SECRETS 1-58234-901-0 $17.95 New See page 28-29
Video
About the Author
Shannons mother says she was a storyteller from birth, jabbering endlessly in her carriage as the two strolled through the neighborhood; once she could form complete sentences, she made up stories, bribing her younger siblings to perform them in mini plays. When she was ten, she began writing books, mostly fantasy stories where she was the heroine, and she continued writing secretly for years while pursuing acting in stage and improv comedy. After detours studying in Mexico, the U. K., and Paraguay, Shannon earned a bachelors degree in English from the University of Utah and a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Montana. In the interim, she submitted short stories and novels to magazines and publishers, saving all her rejection letters which she has since laminated into one continuous 60-foot roll which she proudly unfurls to audiences as a testament to her dedication and determination.
Since the publication of her first book, The Goose Girl, in 2003, Shannon has become a beloved author to young readers as well as booksellers and educators. Her third novel, Princess Academy, earned her a Newbery Honor and is a The New York Times, Book Sense, and Publishers Weekly bestseller. Shannon has also written two books for adults, Austenland and The Actor and the Housewife. Shannon lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband, Dean, their children, and their pet, a small plastic pig.
www.shannonhale.com
Kids Q&A
Read the Kids' Q&A with Shannon Hale