Book Review: The Books of Bayern

Goose Girl:  “Ani felt a stirring, a hope, a winged thing waking up in her chest and brushing her heart with it's feathers.” 

Enna Burning: "It was strange and beautiful how drstruction and life were bound together in fire, and she marveled that she had never thought of it before...She remembered that people cry for beauty and pain, and seeing both together was almost unbearable."

River Secrets:  "'Bayern's Own? You're just a child.' Razo looked up to the sky.  'I'm not a child. I'm just short.'" (There were so many great quotes from this book, but as a 5'1'' person, I had to include it.  I feel your pain, RAzo.  I thought I had it hard trying to convince people I'm a lab scientist with  my height.  Can't imagine trying to convince them I was basically the Bayern equivalent of a SEAL or a Knight of the Round Table.)    

Forest Born:  "“..giving into despair was like eating poisonous berries to keep from feeling hungry.” 


I actually stuck to my rule!  Isn't that amazing?  I didn't review this book until I was done with the series (or at least all the series written).  It could be done.  It might not be.  The way that Shannon Hale writes this series, you retain all the same characters, but the main character changes, and there's a new story in the same universe.  So, the stories could be done, but they don't have to be.  Who knows?



The first book, The Goose Girl, is based off of the Brother's Grimm fairy tale of the same name, which I thought that I hadn't heard before.  However, when I reached the end of the book, I realized that I had heard the story before.  I had just blocked it from my memory for the nightmares it gave me.  However, I was much older when I read it now.  In a nutshell, the princess, Ani (later called Isi--full name Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee), goes from her homeland of Kildenree, to marry the Prince of Bayern.  Bayern is much larger and stronger than Kildenree, and so she has to secure their safety through the marriage. On the way, her lady-in-waiting revolts and all sorts of stuff.  Ani's aunt had told her that some people knew the languages of the world--some could speak to animals, or people, or even nature.  Could Ani/Isi be one of those speakers?

The rest of the series, Enna Burning, River Secrets and Forest Born just go from there. 

Anyways, my mother recommended these books to me very highly.  I read the first one, The Goose Girl, and I just wasn't feeling it.  It wasn't a bad book, but I couldn't understand why she liked it so much.  She basically told me, "I can understand not liking The Goose Girl, but read Enna Burning.  You can't give up on the series until you read Enna Burning."  I dragged my feet for awhile, and then, a few months later, I read Enna Burning. Holy cow!  One of the best YA fantasies that I've ever read.  Hands down.  River Secrets and Forest Born were really good as well--not quite as good as Enna Burning--but really quite good.  So, I repeat the words of my mother, do not give up on the Bayern Books series until you read Enna Burning.

What made The Goose Girl flop, in my opinion?  I have a few theories.  1) It is an adaptation of a fairy-tale.  So there were parts of the fairy tale that Shannon Hale was forced to honor that just didn't quite gel with the rest of her world building, or story or plot.  The rest of the series was not bound by any pre-existing story or expectations. It was free to fly.  2) Like I said, each book has a different main character.  Enna Burning has the main character of Enna.  She is fiery and vulnerable at the same time, headstrong and lovable, and just complicated.  River Secrets has the main character of Razo.  He is sarcastic, and snarky, and irritating in such a lovable way, and has a deeply flawed self-esteem, but has value and worth, and is probably the best big-brother ever born (but you don't really see that until Forest Born...), but he is a character that I want to hear about.  Forest Born has the main character of Rinna (Razo's younger sister).  She is gentle and perceptive, and flawed and self-doubting and will grow up to be an amazing mother.  The Goose Girl's main character is Isi/Ani.  She is...vanilla.  And pop-up cardboard.  Frankly, I didn't much care for (or about) her.  She gets a personality in later books, and my sister suggested that perhaps the problem was that Isi was raised to have no personality.  She was raised to be a bartering chip for political relations.  Not to be her own human being.  I think that's a good thought, but I'm not sure that makes me care about her.

Enna Burning is way darker than a lot of the others, and even gets into some questions of abusive relationships and such--without actually including anything risque, which is fantastic and talented--so keep that in mind.

But as a whole, I would definitely recommend the series.  Just get through The Goose Girl and then it's all happy sailing that you can't help but read.  Almost in one sitting.  They are deep and thoughtful but exciting and entertaining at the same time.

Goose Girl 3 stars
Enna Burning 5 stars
River Secrets 4 stars
Forest Born 4 stars.
Whole series non-mathematical-average: 4 stars.


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