Mary Quattlebaum (Children's Literature)
Shannon Hale follows her critically acclaimed The Goose Girl with a companion novel Enna Burning. Enna, friend to the princess of the first book, discovers a powerful secret and learns “how destruction and life were bound together in fire.” This brave young woman must fight her own desire to release the destructive force. Hale’s lyrical language creates a vivid fairy-tale world, complete with details that allow the reader to experience the harsh land of Bayern, the strange beauty of fire, the frightening final battle and the bond of friendship between the girls. This story goes far beyond the usual magical props to tell a story of heart and depth. 2004, Bloomsbury, $17.95. Ages 10 up.

Janice DeLong (Children's Literature)
Enna was first introduced to the Young Adult audience in Shannon Hale's award winning prequel, Goose Girl, as the faithful friend to Isi, who is a renowned heroine in her own right. Two years later, Enna faces challenges, dangers, and adventures even greater than before. Living peacefully among the forest of her origin seems to be the path of Enna's future until her brother, Leifer, following the directions of a mysterious cloth, learns the art of fire-talking. Although Enna fears the powers demonstrated by Leifer, she is also fascinated by the possibilities for patriotism, especially when Bayern, home of her beloved Isi, is swept into war. Readers are impelled along as Leifer suffers the consequences of his hypnotic discovery, and Enna experiments with fire, just for the benefit of the country, she tells herself. Although she has warned Leifer that fire can only live by destroying, Enna becomes entangled in the web of fire-talking, destruction, and secret sorties into enemy country with her friends Razo and Finn. 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. Readers will eagerly anticipate the third book in the series. 2004, Bloomsbury Publishing, $17.95. Ages 12 to 16.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 17))
Those who thrilled to Hale's re-imagining of The Goose Girl (2003) will probably be as delighted with this sequel, as Enna the forest girl takes the stage. Enna (once the closest companion to Isi, formerly the Goose Girl and now queen) watches, not understanding, as her brother learns to control fire, to hold it within himself, and to send it forth as he wills. When he chooses to consume himself in battle, she takes on his gift. Extraordinary images of fire, heat, and light fill this slightly overlong tale. Enna's fire can be seen as desire, or a drug, or the will to power, or simply as a gift that must be made manifest. Hale's burning prose, while weighted to talk rather than action, allows for many themes: the devoted friendship between women, as Isi and Enna risk their lives for each other; the appeal of the bad boy, as the soldier who holds Enna prisoner also lays dark siege to her heart; the gentle, devoted suitor Finn, who always manages to find a place by Enna's side to do what needs to be done. Powerful and romantic. 2004, Bloomsbury, 336p, $17.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 13 up. © 2004 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Claire Rosser (KLIATT Review, November 2004 (Vol. 38, No. 6))
Readers need to have read The Goose Girl to enjoy this sequel, because so many of the characters grow out of the first book. The fantasy world created by Hale is rich indeed, and Enna's story adds a further dimension. Enna is one of Princess Isa's friends. Isa had received a gift of controlling the wind in book one; in this volume, Enna is given the gift of fire. But this is very dangerous. Not only can the fire be destructive outside of Enna, but if she tries to keep it contained inside her body, the heat can kill her. There are horses, battles, romance, and mysticism--a combination that appeals to YA readers. (Sequel to The Goose Girl) Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: JS--Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2004, Bloomsbury, 317p., $17.95. Ages 12 to 18.

Timnah Card (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, November 2004 (Vol. 58, No. 3))
With her best friend, Isi, happily married and ruling the country of Bayern (see Goose Girl, BCCB 11/03), Enna returns to the Forest to live quietly with her brother, Leifer, who has found a piece of vellum that explains how to speak the language of fire and so control it. Unfortunately, this knowledge works in the user like a powerfully addictive drug and usually leads to a rather crispy death, i.e., burning from the inside out. The power seems the perfect weapon to defend Bayern from the attacking forces of neighboring Tira, so Enna commits to memory the writing on the vellum, in spite of the fact that Leifer burned himself to a shell during the course of just one battle. Soon Enna's power over fire is discovered, and she is captured by the Tirans and brainwashed into using her talent against her own people. Isi, too, has found that her ability to speak with the winds is more a burden than a gift--the constant flow of information from the living air is beginning to drive her mad. In spite of Enna's exploits as a spy and a saboteur, her story is more an exploration of self than a tale of adventure. However, Hale's lifelike characters and down-to-earth dialogue invigorate the story throughout the development of Enna's supernatural powers and her (and Isi's) subsequent descent into addiction and madness. Equally potent is the balance between the despair generated by Enna's mistakes and misfortunes and the hope given to her by the love of her friends and her own resilience. A poignant exploration of dependency, abuse, and recovery but also a finely crafted fantasy, this novel will be appreciated as much for its reflection of the real world as for its development of a complex imaginary realm. A map is included. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2004, Bloomsbury, 317p, $17.95. Grades 8-12.

Ed Goldberg (VOYA, December 2004 (Vol. 27, No. 5))
In this exciting sequel to the fairy tale Goose Girl (Bloomsbury, 2003/VOYA October 2003), Bayern is at war with Tira. Sixteen-year-old Enna, best friend to Bayern's Queen Isi, uses her magical power to start fires against the Tirans. Beginning with small fires behind enemy lines, she has the urge to set larger and larger fires, an urge that increases beyond her control. On one mission, Enna is captured and comes under the mesmerizing "people speak" of a Tiran Captain who manipulates her into destroying Bayern hideouts. Enna's actions test the limits of her friendship with her two close friends, Razo and Finn, as well as with Isi, whose power over the wind is slowly consuming her. Enna and Isi's journey to gain control over their powers, Enna's internal battle to do the right thing in war, and the dedication of strong friends make for a fulfilling tale. This engaging novel has something for everyone. Enna's raids and the battle scenes provide action while her friendship with Isi, their battle with their powers, and hints of romance provide human interest. Readers will share Enna and Isi's loss of control and feel their despair. The book is rich in description. It contains strong male and female characters who develop as the impact of their struggles takes its toll. One need not read the prequel to enjoy this book, which is appropriate for public and middle and high school library collections serving teens aged ten to fifteen. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2004, Bloomsbury, 336p., $17.95. Ages 11 to 18.