River Secrets (Books of Bayern) by Shannon Hale Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $8.98 You Save: $10.01 (53%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $2.24 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of River Secrets (Books of Bayern)
Book Review: Hilarious & thoughtful
Summary: 5 Stars
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
Book Review: More on Goose Girl Characters
Summary: 4 Stars
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.Book Review: More tales of Bayern
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Book Review: Not Hale's Best
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
Book Review: Not as good as its predecessors
Summary: 2 Stars
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.