Editorial Review
Razo has no idea why he was chosen to be a soldier. He can barely swing a sword, and his brothers are forever wrestling him to the ground. Razo is sure it's out of pity that his captain asks him to join an elite mission--escorting the ambassador into Tira, Bayern's great enemy.
But when the Bayern arrive in the strange southern country, Razo discovers the first dead body. He befriends both the high and low born, people who can perhaps provide them with vital information. And Razo is the one who must embrace his own talents in order to get the Bayern soldiers home again, alive.
Newbery–Honor winner Shannon Hale returns the reader to the intrigue and magic of Bayern, first introduced in her critically acclaimed novel, The Goose Girl. Enter a world where even those with no special magical skills find in themselves something they never imagined.
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Customer Reviews
Will please young adult readers seeking action and psychological understanding alike. 
2007-09-07
Razo is too short to be a good soldier and it's mainly out of pity that his captain asks him to join an elite mission as an ambassador's escort, but it's Razo who discovers the first murder, and who is the only one able to befriend both high and low born people, who together can fill in details about the murderer. As Razo begins to learn the real secrets of the river he finds a newfound appreciation of his unique abilities in RIVER SECRETS, which will please young adult readers seeking action and psychological understanding alike.
Not Hale's Best 
2007-07-03
I should preface this review by noting that Shannon Hale is easily one of my favorite fantasy writers. Her creative writing ability is notable and obvious. Take for instance the sentence "spring poked out everywhere." This book is rife with marvelous metaphors and the plot is great...but it's been done before and better in both "Goose Girl" and "Enna Burning." Added, Hale seems to make little effort to differentiate the bevy of characters she releases onto the reader in the beginning pages. I've read both of her previous Bayern books and "Princess Academy."I felt this book was cliche and overkill.
Overkill? Case in point: at the finale of our epic hero and heroine step into a boat and kiss their way to the final page. It was cliche and could have been done better.
Did I love this book? No. But I liked it. Regardless of the flaws I pointed out, this book still floats on Hale's excessive talent and imagination. Bayern is a place I want to go over and over again. I welcomed the chance, even if it wasn't as memorable as the last two times I went. For Hale's ability I give this book a three. In the general writing crowd where Hale stands a head taller, this book gets a four.
More tales of Bayern 2007-06-06
In this sequel to The Goose Girl and Enna Burning, we return to Bayern. Just because the war is over, doesn't mean there is peace between Bayern and Tira. Isi's going to the Tiran capital on a peace mission and Enna is as well.
But really, this is Razo's book. He's always considered himself rather useless because of his small size, so he's more than surprised when he's asked to be part of the elite band of soldiers accompanying them. He's going to be a spy.
Once in Tira, someone is burning people and Enna is being blamed. It's up to Razo to figure out who's framing his friend and trying to restart the war.
I am always surprised by Hale's amazing skill to paint an entire landscape, people and culture perfectly in a mere few sentences. Her lyrical language and voice is back and this latest installment, while shorter, is just as strong as her earlier works.
Not as good as its predecessors 
2007-05-16
I loved The Goose Girl, loved Enna Burning, and couldn't wait for this one to come out and complete the trilogy. Sometimes, however, that 3rd book just isn't necessary: it tries to spin more story where things have been nicely wrapped up. This is such a book. The story felt thin; the language is nice, but not inspired as in the first two books. The characters pleasant, but not compelling. Some of the plot developments felt contrived, especially the entire line involving Enna. Wish I'd checked it out from the library instead of buying it. The first two books are a wonderful duet. This one's okay, but not a keeper.
Even my 12 year old son loved this book. 2007-05-15
He has enjoyed the whole series beginning with "The Goose Girl", but this one was his favorite, probrably because a boy was the main character. Shannon Hale is one of my new favorite authors. And what a great deal we got all the books for through Amazon!
Hilarious & thoughtful 2008-07-02
pre script: [This is not the last book of the Books of Bayern! There is a fourth book coming out.www.shannonhale.com!!] This book is the most humorous of the three that Hale wrote. Razo, the main character, seems to be born to be funny! If you read the other two books, you might note that the plot is quite fast-moving. The plot for this book is not as fast as those, but perhaps has more amount of surprises. It gets a little boring, maybe, in the middle bacause it is slow. Each surprising information that Hale reveals doesn't really come together until much later in the book. In that case, read the book again later, sometime not too soon. You will find that you enjoy the book more. Do remember to read all the way to the end; do not skip some pages when bored.
About Razo: Short(he grows later in the book), uncertain, seventeen years old (in the beginning of the book), easygoing, hilarious(or at least funny), black-haired. Socializes a lot, a prefect spy, an experienced slinger(Finn helps Razo find that out), flexible. The main character; fun to see the book in close third-person view of him. Caught up in the intrigue between Bayern and Tira, solves everything out(with some help) at the end. Likes food!
Enna: Eighteen years old(again, at the beginning of the book)
Finn: Very patient; Eighteen years old
Isi/Ani: Twenty-one years old (I thought she was 20...)
Geric: Twenty-five
Megina: 20
Talone: I guess he is at least 40
Napralina: Eighteen years old; the second daughter of Kildenree
His Radiance the Prince: I guess he is 20 or something
More on Goose Girl Characters 2008-04-10
Once again, some of the characters from Goose Girl continue in this book. I love Shannon Hale, but got a bit lost in the plot of this book. Still, it is excellent and captures the imagination of all. Not as light-hearted as Goose Girl and Princess Academy, and may be more suited for an older reader.
River Secrets 2008-03-02
If you enjoyed the first two Goose Girl books you will enjoy the third one.
River Secrets 2008-02-15
Such a good read! I know and love the characters as my own friends. I am sorry to have the Bayern series end! I highly recommend the whole "Goose Girl" series.
great book, but not as good as "Enna Burning" 
2007-12-26
This was a great addition to the Goose Girl series, and I loved it, but I was a little disappointed with the lack of action and intensity, that you found in the previous two books. I would still recommend this book for anyone who enjoyed "Goose Girl" and "Enna Burning". If there had been a twist in this story, like in the previous two, It would have made this story much better.
