Enna Burning :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

LOVE THIS BOOK

2007-12-01
I loved this book, it was my favorite of the three, and would suggest the whole series to anyone.

Enna Burning

2007-10-08
Enna Burning is a book about a young woman named Enna who finds herself in a troubling situation. The story begins when Enna's older brother, Leifer, starts to act very strangely. His temper sparks without notice and his aggression is terrifying. The reason for Leifer's strange behavior is that he has found a vellum which taught him how to set fires when he wishes. The story picks up the pace when Bayern, Enna's home country, goes to war. Leifer decides to fight for his country, and in the process kills himself. He was killed because of a fire that forms inside of him seamed to burn through his body. Enna then finds the vellum and curiosity overtakes her as she reads it. Enna makes a decision to use her new power for good, and attempt to save Bayern. Will she succeed or will she end up as Leifer did?
This fairy tale definitely had it's ups and it's downs. There were parts of the book where I could not force my eyes off the page, but there were also parts where it was difficult to continue reading and the pace slowed down tremendously. This made Shannon Hale's story not as interesting as some of her others, in my opinion. However, Hale's smooth words and descriptive writing were very enjoyable and inspiring. Her descriptive writing often made me laugh or smile. It often made me sad and sometimes even frustrated with the character's actions. Her writing was so detailed that it almost made me feel as if I was in the story myself. Enna Burning relates to another book by Shannon Hale called The Goose Girl. They had the same characters, but it is interesting how different the plots are. Enna Burning was much more dark, while The Goose Girl was so cheerful. It also relates to my life, in that I have an older brother whose foolish mistakes often rub off on me!

Not for children...but to discuss with your teens

2007-07-25
Having read and enjoyed "The Goose Girl" and "Princess Academy" with my daughters, it was only natural that we follow the citizens of Bayern in the next companion novel, "Enna Burning". It was well written and worth reading, BUT I wouldn't have wanted my children to read it without being able to discuss addiction and frankly, skip over the gruesomeness and extent of the main character's cruelty. Burning is such a horrible way to suffer and die. Yet the author accurately illuminates the problem of addiction. In the book, Enna's addiction costs her nearly everything. We used this book to talk about the process and impact of addiction on the lives of people, but without that discussion, I am afraid that it just might desensitize young people to the suffering of others and be read as a rather morbid fairy tale.

Much darker than Goose Girl

2007-06-08
I can't fault Shannon Hale's marvelous writing. Once again, her characterization is amazing. It was the story itself that makes me give it three stars. This book is decidedly darker, as there is an attempted rape scene, mass-murder, and Enna deals with emotions that echo strongly of lust (which fire, her gift, has always been associated with). Also, I felt the end was wrapped up too quickly, almost like the author was eager to finish this book and start on another one. "Princess Academy" is still her best work.

Moral dilemmas

2007-04-28
I loved Goose Girl and River Secrets. Enna Burning is equally masterful. Hats off to Shannon Hale! However, this story is very dark. We begin the story already liking Enna who was such a good friend to Isi in Goose Girl. Here, Enna is captivating and lovable. Therefore, her inability to control this horrible destructive power of fire is deeply disturbing. How do young readers feel about her setting fire to hundreds of humans? Are they supposed to just shrug it off, because "Those people were strangers, anyway," or "It was okay, because it was war"? Really, it's not okay. This book would be a great prompt for older teens' discussions of moral dilemmas, but it's certainly not fare for an eleven-year-old at home alone.
Preteen readers feeling the need to get back to the real world after this frightening fantasy might enjoy Danger, Long Division, where Becca solves her problems through hard work and persistence without any uncontrollable magical powers.

Enna Burning

2008-07-12
I have read several books by Shannon Hale, and have enjoyed them very much. This story may be a little intense, however, for young readers, because several people are destroyed by burning. I did like "The Goose Girl" better, but I did enjoy the continuation of several of the characters from "The Goose Girl" in this story.

Exciting.

2008-06-08
This book is the second to Goose Girl. I really enjoyed how she continued the story from the first book in a different character's perspective.

a nice relaxing read

2008-05-31
Loved it! It was a great spin off of Goose Girl. The price was unbeatable!

A Bit Different from Goose Girl

2008-04-10
This book is a continuation of the characters in Goose Girl. It is not as light-hearted as Goose Girl, but does have some messages for youth in how the characters handle their situations and talents. Some might say it is a bit dark and scary, so maybe it is not for the same age group as her earlier books.

Enna Burning

2008-02-15
This goes on my favorite's list. The story keeps you turning pages. It is a bit darker than "Goose Girl", the first book in the series, but just as captivating.