The sequel to The Goose Girl tells the story of Isi’s friend, Enna, when she learns the ability to control fire.

Enna’s brother comes home one day with an ancient sheet of vellum on which is written instructions for manipulating fire. But the power quickly consumes him, and Enna vows she will not have anything to do with such a dangerous magic.

But once she has one small taste of the power, it is hard to let it go again. War has come upon Bayern, and so Enna uses her fire to assist the war efforts. She sets rules for herself to make sure what happened to her brother doesn’t happen to her … but as time goes on, she realizes it might be an unavoidable fate.

It’s a very thought-provoking story about balance and surrender. I was surprised to find out that Isi’s own wind-speak ability had progressed since the first book in a similar way to Enna’s power, which I wasn’t expecting. Now I’m curious to see how the other books in the series will handle other magic types. ( )

Great young adult read. I really enjoyed it. ( )

This wasn't as good as The Goose Girl, but was still a very good read. There's war! Intrigue! Fire magic! New and strange lands! Enna Burning explores the darker side of the nature gifts, including Isi's wind power. There is a prevalent theme of control - both over powers and over yourself - while the story is set in a situation where the characters have no control. A neighboring kingdom has invaded Bayern and declared war. In this setting, the characters we first met in The Goose Girl have a harsh coming of age, and trial by sword and fire to deal with. ( )

This story follows Enna, after the first book, Goose Girl, told Izzy’s story. Enna comes across a parchment from which she learns Fire Speech, and what follows is how she learns to use it, and how it is more than she expected. Add to it a dash of Stockholm Syndrome, a young girl having to take responsibility for the dangerous and deadly choices she makes, and a healthy dose of true friendship, and it makes for a very interesting story, one I couldn’t entirely predict. As I’ve come to expect from Shannon Hale, the story is heavy on action and political intrigue, light on the romance, and not only aimed at female readers. There are definitely similarities between this series and the Princess Academy series, but not so many as to diminish the quality of either of them.
For myself, the descriptions of battles and Enna’s inner struggle that eventually led her to take lives is something I’ll save for when my daughter is probably 12 or older. ( )

Weak. When you can't like the main character who can you like? Certainly not her boyfriend who disappears for half of the book. Or her best friend who is barely there. Or the enemy. ( )