Last one!
22. Shannon Hale, Enna Burning
Since I really enjoyed The Goose Girl, I decided to try the next book in the series. Enna lives a life of busy poverty in the Forest of Bayern with her brother Liefer. Although she misses her friend Isi and the adventures they shared in the city, she tries to stay upbeat and content. But when Liefer brings home a piece of vellum containing the secrets of fire language, life suddenly gets a lot more dangerous: Liefer becomes reckless and uncontrollable, consumed by his desire to create fire. Enna fears the fire magic but also finds herself drawn to it - and when the neighboring country of Tira declares war on Bayern, she must master the fire magic before it consumes her.
This book was a satisfying follow-up to The Goose Girl. Enna is a scrappy and courageous young woman who tries to do the right thing in some really tough situations. Occasionally she fails and makes a bad choice, which is one thing I really liked about the novel - it makes her a more realistic and relatable heroine. I also liked the way Hale described the fire magic, both in its mechanics and in its effect on Enna. The characters in general were more fleshed out than they were in The Goose Girl, and I hope to see this trend continue in the next book, River Secrets. This is definitely a worthy addition to a YA fantasy collection.
Cross-posted to 50bookchallenge.