The kingdom of Bayern is in trouble. Their longtime foes and neighbors, the land of Tira, are on the move, positioned to invade in a move that will take advantage of Bayern’s current peaceful state. And as war disrupts the lives of Bayern’s inhabitants, several young people from the Forest will find their loyalties tested, and their worthiness measured. One young woman, Enna, has more than most to contend with, however. In the wake of her brother demonstrating his possession of an old, frightening power to control fire, she develops the same ability, and it threatens to consume her from the inside, while also destroying everything and everyone she holds dear. As Enna becomes a pawn in a game between countries, it’s up to her closest friends, including Bayern’s new queen, Isi, to help her find the inner strength to survive and make the right choices. Because if Enna surrenders to what’s inside her, fire will devour the land she calls home.
Enna Burning is a sequel of sorts to Hale’s previous book, The Goose Girl, featuring several minor characters from that book. While The Goose Girl was pretty much a direct retelling and expansion of the fairy tale of the same name (complete with mistaken identities, a talking horse head, and a princess disguised as a goose girl), Enna Burning is a much more original work, one with a darker, wilder tone to it. Fire isn’t presented as friendly, controllable, or harmless here. No, as it takes root in Enna’s body and soul, fire is a wild, dangerous, hungry thing, and it’s only due to her strength of will that she copes as well as she does. Which is, to say, that it leads her into great trouble, and disturbing moral compromises. Enna Burning is very much a fairy tale for older teenagers, Firestarter with a magical background and a wartime setting. It has plenty of twists, and there are genuine moments where it’s not clear which way Enna will go, and if she’ll remain true to herself. With this book, Hale thoroughly claims a spot as a great storyteller, and I look forward to seeing her next work.