#river secrets

100% on every level possible Y E S

i mean, i suppose it depends on personal taste as well, so maybe not EVERY level possible, but most of the levels possible

it's a fantasy series, definitely aimed at 13 and up, I think I read it when i was about 14. It's got a really interesting world, really adorable characters, and exciting plot.

there's 4 main female characters, and each one gets their own book centered around them

there's Goose Girl, about a girl who can talk to animals and the wind, Enna Burning, about a girl who can talk to fire, River Secrets, about a girl who can talk to water, and Forest Born, about a girl who can talk to trees. It's thrilling, adventurous, and a whirlwind of well developed culture and magic. It's an amazing series, and i love it SOOO MUCH t's really good, imo, and it's got a lot of good points, both about reality and the fantasy world it creates

shannon hale is one of my all time favorite authors, and her Books Of Bayern series is like... like...

like falling through a mirror into a fantastically terrifying universe where the monsters are people

it's fantastic

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The Goose Girl

The Goose Girl is about Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree. She is also known as Ani or Isi.

When Ani's mother tells her that she is marrying the prince of Bayern to make peace, Ani must embark on a journey. But a beytrayal awaits her, and now she is the goose girl...

I LOVED this. Five stars. It made me cry when I finished it.

Enna Burning

Enna is Isi's best friend. Enna’s brother, Leifer, has…fire powers. There is a war against Tira and Bayern, and as the queen’s maiden, Enna must go to the battle site. Leifer also fights. But he dies.

Enna realizes she must learn how to use the fire to help Bayern. She practices every day. One night, when she is going to practice, riding her horse Merry, she gets kidnapped by a Tiran camp.

She is stuck in the camp for a long time dazed because of the drug, and tired. Her friends save her, however, and she uses her powers to destroy the Tiran camp.

When she realizes that the fire is consuming her, and she and Isi try to get rid of it, will she need to sacrifice herself? Or will they find another way?

I also loved this. The characters were so deep. Five stars.

River Secrets

This is about Razo, Isi's other friend. The Bayern ambassador is going to Tira to make peace. But burned bodies and a certain girl with red hair that Razo may or may not like make his journey a lot more interesting...

Razo becomes a spy for Bayern. But when he finds out who's been burning the bodies, can he prove himself to his captain? And his family?

The Goose Girl has a lot of foreshadowing - Enna is described with fire related descriptions, Ani uses wind metaphors to describe her anxieties

But Enna Burning and River Secrets both have a little more observation based monologue ish sections, compared to Ani’s anxiety monologues

But i love the differences between the two

Enna’s are all about things she had never noticed before - whether its something about people, like Finn of Leifer - or fire “she wondered how she had never thought that before” is definitely a line that pops up multiple times

Whereas Razo’s are either descriptions of people or places or the environment - which seems a little flowery until you get to the scene where Talone points out his usefulness as a spy - and you realise Razo has been being overly observant the entire book