This is the second book in the Books of Bayern series, which begins with The Goose Girl.
There is talk that people can speak many languages: that of the wind, of the animals, that of fire. Queen Isi has these skills and Enna learns that her brother Leifer has them as well. When Leifer dies, Enna finds his secret. Without meaning to, she finds herself able to control and command fire. Or is it controlling and commanding her?
Enna Burning is a book about strong women. It is also a book about war. A sharp contrast to its predecessor, Enna Burning is dark, scary and conjures up the type of images that haunt nightmares. Shannon Hale does not shy away from the horrors of war. She describes them (see below) and also makes it very clear the emotional and psychological damage that is done to characters as they face battles, killing and their own mortality.
Honestly, I love the book. It’s riveting and there’s a bit of fairly chaste romance mixed in with all of the war and fire. But it’s also a very grown-up book. While referred to as girls (Enna-girl, specifically is sometimes used as Enna’s name) it is quite clear that these are women, one even becomes pregnant and gives birth during the course of the book. And because it is not about little girls, it’s probably best left to the older reader. While Goose Girl would be enjoyed by readers as young as third and fourth grade, this is definitely more intended for teen audiences. Select tweens who are able to handle the violent imagery may also enjoy it. However, please check out my post about children’s thoughts on reading violent books (specifically The Hunger Games), paying attention especially to kids’ concerns #2 and #3.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – Boys courting girls is mentioned. There is talk about Isi’s wedding. Girls talk about getting married. Enna is asked about her feelings for a boy. Everyone expects and wants Isi to have a child. A prisoner sneers that the girls of the country they have invaded are lovely. There is definitely talk of boys liking girls, pursuing girls and people being together and others being jealous. A male and female share a tent, platonically. The girl undresses behind a cloth for modesty. A couple who have not yet fully acknowledged their feelings for each other sleep next to each other. He strokes her hair. A man strokes the stomach of a woman he holds captive. He also holds her in his arms and rocks her. There’s initially nothing sexual about this in the book, but I do think it speaks to personal space being violated and to the type of psychological manipulation that is being used. A guard who lost a friend to fire threatens the woman who set the fire, the implication is that he will rape her but it is not stated outright. This is around pages 175-176 in my copy should you wish to review it. A woman begins to have feelings for a man whom she should not care for. They hold hands, he strokes her hair, they kiss. He kisses her hand. A woman tells a man she would have followed him and borne his children and loved him. A man covers a woman’s cheeks and hair with kisses. A woman is pregnant. There is more kissing. A woman goes through childbirth.
Profanity – “drat,” “goat-bastard,”
Death, Violence and Gore – A woman’s eye is scorched. She mentions having seen horrors and burned people. She is waiting to die. A girl’s mother died. The plot to kill Isi that occurred in The Goose Girl is mentioned. A man wants to start a rebellion and threatens to burn people. A man sets a woman’s skirts on fire and she is burned. The prince’s brother died of a fever. Isi’s horse died after going mad. A large part of the book is about war. Enna recalls how men have learned to fight, has seen men cut other men down, how war leaves corpses and how those who have killed in war are haunted by the experience. It is said that the attackers won’t stop until Bayern bleeds twice for every Tiran life lost. Bodies are on the ground. The battles are described in detail, how men are killed before they have the chance to fight. Men are lit on fire. Fires burn many men on the field. The lives of the main characters are continuously in danger. The battles are bloody, the screams of those stabbed and dying are described. The king is killed in battle. A soldier wades through bodies, quickly killing those who are gravely injured to end their suffering. A man who has burned to death is described as recognizable only by the cut of his tunic and the laces of his boots. His skin is black and stiff; he is charred through. He is so burnt that those who move him for burial are concerned his body will be reduced to ash. Other burned bodies suffocated on smoke, their skin red and black or missing entirely. Dead bodies are piled for burning. The odor of them is described as “burning meat”. A woman watches the bodies in the fire. A woman threatens to whip the hides of some men and shoves them. She offers to flog them. Men try to capture a main character. A war augury is held in which two soldiers from opposing sides fight to the death in theory to foretell the outcome of the war. This fight is described in detail. There is blood from wounds during the fight and it ends when one man brings his sword down across the other’s neck. A woman is threatened with a spear. A woman debates burning a man alive, then she does it. A squirrel roasted alive does not taste good. A boy’s favorite story is about a mother who bathed her child in her own blood to make him invincible. There are gallows built. A woman tries to set someone dear to her on fire. Archers aim at an intruder’s heart. Someone is hit on the head and knocked unconscious. A man repeatedly punches another man. Two soldiers (characters we know and care about) are take prisoner and are bloodied and bruised. One has a knife held to his throat, the person holding the knife is prepared to slit his throat. They will be killed if someone else does not do as instructed. One has an open cut on his face. A boy is killed in trying to save a friend’s life. A woman punches a man in the jaw. He throws her to the ground. A woman threatens a man with a knife. Archers take aim at her. A house is set afire with people still inside. An archer shoots a man. A person is prodded with a spear. There is more swordfighting. A camp is burned and many people likely burn with it, although there is some willful ignorance about the burning. Fire becomes a weapon in war. Many soldiers are burned to death. Hundreds of people are burned alive. A character we’re fond of has taken a sword to the ribs but will survive. The description of setting a person on fire is detailed, of sending heat into a person’s flesh and bones and igniting him. A girl had seen her father killed. A woman has a dagger at her throat while archers aim at her companion. A woman tells a man that she bet his da beat him. A horse bites a man. An arrow hits a man in the thigh. Someone attempts to strangle someone else, but he is knocked to the ground and punched. Multiple daggers hit a man in the back killing him. People throw stones and rocks at a man. Townspeople once killed a woman. A way to help a woman be better includes putting a hot coal to her tongue and hands.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Buying a drink in a tavern is mentioned. Someone is drugged when held captive. Wine casks are burned. Flasks of wine are passed around and drunk. Men become drunk.
Frightening or Intense Things – Men are taken prisoner during the war. A daughter drugs her father, has him declared incompetent and rules in his stead. Enna is kept captive for a fairly long period of time. Fires are set and burn whole camps. A main character is dying and needs immediate help. If she sleeps she may not wake up.
