She was born Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, and she did not open her eyes for three days.
“She was born with her eyes closed and a word on her tongue, a word she could not taste. Her name was Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, and she spent the first years of her life listening to her aunt’s stories and learning the language of the birds, especially the swans. And when she was older, she watched as a colt was born, and she heard the first word on his tongue, his name, Falada. From the Grimm’s fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become queen, Shannon Hale has woven an incredible, original, and magical tale of a girl who must find her own unusual talents before she can lead the people she has made her own.”
The Goose Girl has to be one of my favorite books of all time. It’s right up there, next to Harry Potter. Yeah. It’s huge. There’s a funny thing about this series, the Books of Bayern… they’re just completely amazing! On a more personal note, imagine my surprise when I moved into a new neighborhood… right down the street from Shannon Hale, the author? Yeah, it was pretty amazing. I’ve met Hale on more then one occasion, and she’s such a sweetheart. And did I mention I love her books?
That’s why this week, they’re being spotlighted.
There are four books in all. The Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets, and Forest Born. Goose Girl follows the story of Ani (who changes her name to Isi, and it sticks through the rest of the series) and her journey. During The Goose Girl, you meet Enna.
“Enna’s life was not meant to be simple. When her brother, Leifer, brings home a mysterious piece of vellum that teaches him how to set fires — without a spark, without flint — Enna cannot decide if this power is one she wants for herself, or something that should be extinguished forever.
And when Bayern, their country, goes to war, the choice becomes nearly unbearable. Enna never imagined that the warm, life-giving energy of a fire could destroy everything she loves, but she must now save herself and Bayern before fire consumes her entirely.”
Enna is amazing, and it’s rare that I like a sequel better then I liked the first book, but somehow, it happened with Enna Burning. It’s interesting… well, I’ll save that for when I blog the individual book (:
The third book, River Secrets, follows Razo, another character you meet. Razo is one of my favorite characters ever. The whole entire book, I just want to squee and give him a hug. I have absolutely convinced myself that if Razo was real, him and I would be biffels (that means best friends… forever!)
“Razo–short, funny and not a great soldier–is sure it’s out of pity that his captain asks him to join an elite mission–escorting the ambassador into Tira, Bayern’s great enemy.
But when the Bayern arrive in the strange southern country, it’s Razo who discovers the first dead body. He’s the only Bayern able to befriend both the high and low born, people who can provide information about the ever-increasing murders. And he’s the one who must embrace his own talents in order to get the Bayern soldiers home again, alive.”
River Secrets was witty. And awesome.
The most recent (though I don’t think it’s the last, Hale has said: “I’ll never say never again when it comes to Bayern, but I am not currently writing one.”) book in the Bayern series is Forest Born, following the tale of Razo’s little sister. She’s not little, she’s in her teens… but still younger then Razo. Forest Born is most definitely darker then the previous books, but amazing just the same.
"Rin is sure that something is wrong with her…something really bad. Something that is keeping her from feeling at home in the Forest homestead where she’s lived all her life. Something that is keeping her from trusting herself with anyone at all. When her brother Razo returns from the city for a visit, she accompanies him to the palace, hoping that she can find peace away from home. But war has come to Bayern again, and Rin is compelled to join the queen and her closest allies–magical girls Rin thinks of as the Fire Sisters–as they venture into the Forest toward Kel, the land where someone seems to want them all dead. Many beloved Bayern characters reappear in this story, but it is Rin’s own journey of discovering how to balance the good and the bad in herself that drives this compelling adventure."
That’s it for the four Bayern books, and once a week till the end of this month, I’m going to do a blog/review for each of the books, in order. Have you read Shannon Hale’s books? She’s also written another one of my favorite books, Princess Academy, which is signed. Her website is:http://www.squeetus.com/
Adieu! -Chelsea
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