*Enna Burning by Shannon Hale

Where I Got the Book: Barnes and Noble, in the store. I have one of the original paperbacks (that is, the ones with the gorgeous Alison Jay covers, not the funky photographs. Bleh).

In Short: adventurous, exciting, romantic

I don't think I need to tell you all what a huge fan of Shannon Hale I am. Book of a Thousand Days is my favorite book of all-time, and Princess Academy is lodged in a special place in my heart. Not to mention that this author is a Janeite, has a cardboard Colin Firth Mr Darcy at her house, and is absolutely amazing to meet in person--she's so down-to-earth, so sweet, and positively hee-larious (as is her husband--these two are a bona-fide comic act together).

With all this in mind, it's hard for me to not like any of her books. They're all special to me in their own ways. However, The Goose Girl, though one of the most beautifully written books written in modern times (imo), was, in my opinion, not quite as good as the others. I heard many say that its follow-up book, Enna Burning, was not as good--that it was quite lackluster and fell flat. I beg to defer. Enna Burning is my favorite, favorite, favorite Book of Bayern, and, though not as good as what Thousand Days did for me, it certainly gives Academy a run for its money in my personal standings.

From the moment I cracked open the spine of my delightfully illustrated copy (as I stated before, mine has Alison Jay's artwork on the front) and read the first few pages, I was in love. The Goose Girl had done the same for me when I first read it--I was absolutely spellbound by its first few lines and pages filled with stunning imagery through lyrical structure. Yet, The Goose Girl was slow. It was long. Don't get me wrong--I don't have anything against long books. But the action came in rather sporadic bursts in the first Bayern book.

Enna? Different story. Instead of a wind-speaker, we have our eponymous heroine. Enna had a few lines in The Goose Girl, and from the moment she steps into the picture in that book, she's a joy to read about. A whole book about her should be absolutely fun, right? Yes, it is...however, we're used to Enna's friendly and teasing nature, but her own book is anything but a joke. Funny lines here and there, yes. But much, much darker. I won't give too much away because if you have read it you don't really need to read this summary (and if you haven't, I'll end up spoiling everything), but unlike its predecessor, Enna begins with action, and said action is constant throughout. Our main character's brother, Leifer, seems to be able to control fire, but this "gift" instantly reveals itself to be a blessing in disguise: Leifer easily loses control of the fire, ultimately ending in his demise early in the book when in a battle between Bayern and the neighboring country of Tira. Thence, Enna discovers about her brother's gift and learns to adopt it herself. Determined to control the fire without letting it control her and eventually burn her up, Enna tries to help the soldiers by secretly practicing her power, only to get so carried away as to get captured by the enemy and held prisoner. While remaining captive, Enna must struggle against giving into not only the fire speech but also the Tiran captain Sileph, who may be trying to lure her into using her gift against her own country.

I simply adored Enna's kick-bum character; the wonderfully charming supporting cast (much of whom we met in TGG--my favorites would include Finn and Razo at the top of the list, and TGG enthusiasts will be delighted to see Isi and Geric hop along for the ride as well); the writing (of COURSE); the storyline; the quotes (TGG had many good quotes, but somehow, EB has more quotes I absolutely love)...I'm pretty sure the list simply goes on. Even if you've never picked up a copy of a Shannon Hale book, I definitely recommend this book. (To be really honest, I highly recommend this to those who've never read one of her novels--huge fans of TGG somehow find themselves more disappointed by EB...well, different strokes for different folks).

Red Flags: Granted, it is darker than TGG. There's more violence (not graphically described), and your usual SH clean romance/quasi-romance (kissing is the max). Nothing to be too concerned about...there have been some Amazon reviewers who claimed that it was much too dark. Characters are drugged, tricked, burned, but nothing too blush-worthy.

Grading
Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Writing: 10/10
Originality: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 50/50

Tidbits
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
Original Release Date: August 26, 2004

*Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Where I Got the Book: I actually own two editions of the book; after I heard about the movie, I got an older version (paperback) from Amazon, but much later(as you will read a little later), a friend got me the copy (also paperback) that you see to the left.

For the past fifteen years (going on sixteen, in May 2009) of my life, I have been a huge Hayao Miyazaki fan. So of course, when Oscar season rolled around back in 2006 and I heard that a new Miyazaki movie was nominated, I was dying to watch it. Without having seen it, I bought it almost immediately from Amazon. I don’t mean to segue into a whole topic about Amazon and its awesomeness, but thanks to that site, I’ve made some amazing discoveries. One of them was the book that Miyazaki made an adaptation of. The book sounded amazing, so obviously I stuck it in the cart along with the movie. Sadly, after the first two or three chapters, I abandoned the little gem until I decided to pick it up again when my pal from Wise Review left me a copy on my doorstep as a Christmas present (nota bene: Wisdom of Youth is a friend of mine whom I met when I was in the eighth grade). And then, reader, I began the most fascinating, the most intriguing, the most hilarious, and the most magical journey around Ingary in Diana Wynne Jones’s Howl’s Moving Castle.

“In the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three.” For Sophie Hatter, it is just her luck to be born the oldest child out of three daughters of a hat shop-owner. So with this common belief in mind, she is certain that between her and her sisters Lettie and Martha, she will have the most miserable fate. As if that didn’t hurt Sophie’s self-esteem enough, Sophie’s father dies, leaving Sophie to become an apprentice of the hat shop. While she stays home trimming hat after hat, her sisters go off to seek their fortunes in pastry shops and apprenticeships with witches. Sophie’s destiny seems to be sealed to be terrible after her father dies and she is forced to become an apprentice of the hat shop and do mind-numbing hat trimming while her sisters go off to seek their fortunes. As if Sophie’s destiny isn’t sealed to be miserable enough, the infamous Witch of the Waste, for reasons unknown to Sophie, turns her into an old woman. Having aged more than seventy years, Sophie heads off to better her life and stumbles upon the treacherous Wizard Howl’s moving castle, where she strikes a bargain to rid her curse with a fire demon named Calcifer, befriends Howl’s fifteen-year-old apprentice Michael, and stands up to the notorious wizard himself! So many questions pop up that you want answered, and these keep you on the edge of your seat turning page after page, just dying to find out what happens next.

First of all, if you are a Miyazaki fan and are thinking about reading this book, keep this in mind: someone wrote a Book-a-Minute version of the story, Miyazaki read it, and changed it in his own way. Alright, so maybe that’s not what really happened, but it sure feels like it; the only thing that is the same between the book and the movie are Sophie’s and Howl’s names (and even “Howell” was not mentioned in the movie), and Sophie’s curse. That’s about it, just keep the movie and book separate. As for my thoughts on the book itself? Read below.

Pros: Everything about it! The characters were amazingly real, including their many flaws; the plot is breath-taking; and the integration with John Donne’s “Song”? Definitely a work of a genius! It takes the poem to new heights and new meanings.

Cons: Sometimes the writing seemed too elementary for me, but perhaps it was because I had just finished Shannon Hale’s The Goose Girl right before starting this one. Also, I feel like the book wrapped up a bit too fast—so fast, in fact, that the romance (hint hint) didn’t realistically develop (and yes, I know it is in the fantasy genre, but social and behavioral situations can still be realistic!).

Red Flags: Ehh…none that I really remember, though it’s been awhile. It seems that this book is all clear with Common Sense Media as well. :)

Grading:

Plot: 10/10

Characters: 9.5/10

Writing: 8/10

Originality: 10/10

Enjoyment: 10/10

Overall: 47.5/10

Tidbits

Genre: Fantasy, Juvenile Fiction, Young Adult Fiction

Original Release Date:

Also Recommended:

• The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley
• The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
• Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Check It Out!

• Diana Wynne Jones’s official site
• Official page for the Castle series

I have just recently found out that Diana Wynne Jones is currently suffering from cancer. Please pray for her, or if you are not religious, please keep her in your thoughts. Thank you.

*Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Where I Got the Book From: Bought the hardcover version (seen left) from Barnes and Noble.

Ever since I was able to read (when I was about four years old, I believe), I always found something admirable about authors. Perhaps it was just so magical the way they picked out words, stuck them here and there, sewed them together, and, voilà! had their stories collected in nicely-bound books. It was as if they were a sort of literary witches and wizards. But now, they also strike me as chefs; some give you a tasty but calorie-packed hamburger with deep-fried French fries that fill you up but make you want something more (your everyday fluff fiction—which I’ve read none of), others cook up a plate filled with a perfect piece of filet mignon along a delectable side dish of vegetables (beautiful classics, e.g. Pride and Prejudice), and a few serve way a Thanksgiving dinner-type meal with too much to take in but are very good otherwise, like a Thanksgiving dinner (War and Peace, A Tale of Two Cities—not that I’ve actually read or finished either). If this was so—if those cheesy YA lit authors flipped burgers at McDonald’s and Jane Austen was the Julia Child of this world—then Shannon Hale would most likely be a sous-chef of the latter. Or perhaps I’ve just been watching a tad bit too much Food Network and cooking-related shows.

Everyone gets grounded by their parents for misbehaving once in awhile; sometimes a ten-year-old can’t watch his or her favorite TV show for a week, or a teen is forbidden from calling their friends every night for a month. What would you do if you had the option to stay with a friend who was to be grounded for seven years in a tower, and if you didn’t step up to stay with her, no one would? This is exactly the question that Dashti, a young mucker living in medieval Mongolian times, faces when given the chance to become the maidservant of Lady Saren, who is given this sentence for refusing to marry a man she has feared ever since she was a young girl. If Dashti said no, this story would be nonexistent; but she said yes, and thus, an adventure began. I really can’t say more than that, or I’ll give it away, but if you read the “recipe” above, that is exactly what this three hundred-odd paged book contains: an intriguing plot, marvelous lyrical writing, characters you feel like you’ve known all your life, and fantastic adventure fantasy with the right amount of romance that will keep female readers young and old swooning (here’s a secret: I totally LOVED the romance and swooned for days on end :D ).

I’ll be honest. I love fairy tales, especially Brothers Grimm ones. But never in my life had I heard of “Maid Maleen”, not until I heard about this novel. So after reading the synopsis of it on Wikipedia, you’d think Hale’s version of it would be exactly the same, just written and lengthened in typical Hale flair. In reality, it’s almost as if the author combined “Maid Maleen” with a trillion other classics: Mansfield Park, Persuasion, Cyrano de Bergerac, and Jane Eyreto name a few; in addition, there is a scene towards the end that is easily comparable in artistry and intelligence to the famous pivotal trial in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Even if you don’t know me very well, you would—and should—be aware of my secret and unbearable obsession with this book, which I recommend to even the most reluctant readers. But allow me to put it this way: if you hate plots that are absolutely stunning, if you hate fantasy with a classic feel to it, if you hate heroines who have a little naïve goody two-shoes side to them, then you won’t like this book. But really, who doesn’t want at least one of those things?

Pros: Pretty much everything and anything about it, but see below for the one thing I didn’t like.

Cons: As much as I rave about this book, I may honestly say that there was one part near the ending that turned the story into complete YA (which is a little shocking, being that this is a Hale novel) and almost adult; it was a somewhat edgy scene (I don’t know if that’s the right word), and it totally came as a surprise for me. I wasn’t fond of it, and I think it could have been done without and changed.

Red Flags: As stated in the “cons” section, there is a tad bit of weird stuff that those desensitized to edgy stuff will totally ignore and those not desensitized (like me) won’t.

Grading:

Plot: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Writing: 10/10

Originality: 10/10

Enjoyment: 10/10

Overall: 50/50

Tidbits

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction

Original Release Date: September 30, 2007

Also Recommended:

· The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

· Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

· Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Check It Out!

· Shannon Hale’s blog, Squeetus

· The official page on Shannon Hale’s site

*The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Where I Got the Book From: I bought the paperback version with the Alison Jay illustrated cover (like the one left, except that one is a picture of the original hardcover, which I LOVE) from Barnes and Noble.

Imagine that you are a princess–you live in a luxurious palace that is filled with hundreds of servants, you can go on exciting rides on your very own horse, who is also your closest friend, any time you want. But think again: what if, even with all the riches surrounding you, you were lonely and constantly self-conscious of your actions? And, just what would you do if your own mother commanded you to marry a prince from a faraway land, a prince you’ve never even met? Or perhaps worse: what would happen if an acquaintance you trusted turned her back on you and forced you to face the troubles of lower class, the threat of death, and the possible outbreak of war?

Yikes. Talk about harsh. Well, that’s exactly what Ani, short for Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, goes through: unable to live up to her mother’s expectations of a proper Crown Princess, Ani is sent away from her home country of Kildenree to the country of Bayern, where she is to be wedded to the prince. However, her own lady-in-waiting, Selia, leads a mutiny, forcing Ani to run away from her escorts and try to stay in Bayern–but as a humble goose girl. Although her new path is tough, Ani learns valuable lessons and gains many things; for example, she learns the gift of friendship, story-telling, and communication with animals and the wind. However, when Ani discovers that Selia plots to start war with Kildenree and Bayern in order to hide her deceit, Ani knows it is about time that she takes back her rightful title and throne. But with even all her new talents, gifts, and loyal friends, will Ani succeed in bringing justice and fairness to all?

I really, really, really liked this book. I can’t say I absolutely loved it (that’s what I would say about my #1 favorite book), but it is definitely one of my favorites. Shannon Hale’s writing style shines more in this book than in any of her other works, and the simple Brothers Grimm tale was beautifully retold. Would I recommend it to someone seeking a good read? Absolutely. It is like no YA novel I have read before.

Pros: As I said before, the writing is stunning, and the lyrical style perfectly fit in with the nature-speaking concept; the character development is extremely realistic one oft forgets that this is fantasy and not historical fiction; in addition, I thoroughly enjoyed the humor inserted here and there (a few times I would recall a
hilarious scene while at school or somewhere else, and would have to really fight to stifle my giggles. In that case, I can’t even imagine how funny and comical Austenland is. ).

Cons: Even though I love the writing, sometimes I wished there was a tad bit more dialogue in some parts

Grading

Plot: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Writing: 10/10

Originality: 10/10

Enjoyment: 9/10

Overall: 49/50

Tidbits

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction

Original Release Date: August 8, 2003

Also Recommended:

• Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
• Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
• Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling

Check It Out!

• Shannon Hale’s blog, Squeetus
• The official page on Shannon Hale’s site

*Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Where I Got the Book: Bought the paperback version from Barnes and Noble in 2007.

Everyone who has been or is a teenager has to admit it: one of the most trial times of your life is in your mid- and early teens. If you think about it, these are the times when you have the most conflicts in your life--those with family, friends, neighbors, and probably the greatest, with yourself. Young adult fiction writer Shannon Hale takes a look at these same conflicts. Though the main character of the novel Princess Academy lived in an entirely fictional, made-up time and place, she faces, accomplishes, and learns the same things that we have done and do. If you haven't read this novel yet, it's about time you pick it up the next time you visit the library or bookstore. There is much to learn this wonderful tale of young adulthood. Miri Larendaughter has been living in Danland's quarry mountain village, Mt. Eskel, for all her fourteen years. While her widower Pa and older sister Marta head to the quarry to carve out the valuable linder, Miri tends her family goats, as she is forbidden from quarry work. She is convinced that she is of no use to the village, until, one day, it is announced that Mt. Eskel is the home of the Prince's bride, and all young ladies, from 12 to 17, are to be taught and disciplined in an academy. Here, Miri encounters several obstacles, including the cruelty of their tutor, Olana, and the unkindness of the other academy girls. Tutor Olana teaches the girls reading, writing, conversation, poise, and diplomacy to name a few, but her discipline is harsh, as she slaps the girls' palms at the slightest misbehaviors, and locks them in a dark closet if they stand up for themselves. Miri learns her own gifts, and is especially recognized by Prince Stefan himself. But does Miri really want to marry the prince and become a lowlander for life, or should she stay in her mountain village where here childhood friend is? I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! Although it is a work of fantasy, all is brought to life by the fantastic lyrical writing. There is a reason why this is a Newbery Honor book, though I personally believe that this should have won the Newbery Medal.

Pros: The writing, the characters, the setting, the quarry songs at the beginning of every chapter--everything about this book is wonderful.

Cons: Honestly can't think of any, except maybe the title might seem irksome to a few who will stay away from it thinking it's a fluffy, princess-y or fairy book. If you've read other reviews, you'll be sick and tired of hearing that it isn't. I'll be the one-thousandth person to tell you it's not.

Red Flags: As stated by Common Sense Media, a teeny-tiny bit of violence: fighting, murder, and a death. Nothing terribly graphic though.

Grading

Plot: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Writing: 10/10

Originality: 10/10

Enjoyment: 10/10

Overall: 50/50

Tidbits

Genre: Fantasy, Juvenile Fiction, Young Adult Fiction

Original Release Date: July 6, 2005

Also Recommended:

• The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
• Half Magic by Edward Eager
• The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittney Ryan

Check It Out!

• Shannon Hale's blog, Squeetus
• The official page on Shannon Hale's site