Young Razo is chosen to accompany the group from Bayern that travels to Tira in an exchange of ambassadors. Razo is young, small for his age, and without the skills or the strength that others in the expedition possess. He is a goofy, Bantam rooster kind of kid, with great personal charm, an interest in other people, and unusual powers of observation, but he feels inferior and doesn't know why he has been chosen for this mission.
All of the members of the group are aware of the danger that threatens their mission in Tira (recently defeated in the war with Bayern). Not all of Tira's citizens are over the grief and outrage of their losses, and some are actively calling for a return to fighting.
When Razo discovers a burned body on their journey to Tira, no one is sure who caused the death and their concerns increase, only to multiply when they are actually ensconced in Tira itself and more burned bodies are discovered.
Enna (of Enna Burning, the second novel in the series) is also part of the group. Although she has come a long way in conquering her gift of fire, Razo and Finn worry about her for several reasons: they fear that she is not yet fully in command of her powers, they fear the Tirans discovering that she is responsible for so many of the Tiran deaths during the war, and against their wills, her friends fear that Enna may be the one who has burned the bodies they find.
I loved The Goose Girl and liked Enna Burning, but Razo's personality marks this book in a different way. It is a coming of age story about a rather delightful young man and is lighter in tone (despite the many dangers) because of Razo's outlook on life.
The beginning is slow, and it took me a while to become fully invested in the story, but once there...a pleasure and a very fast read!
Fiction. Fantasy. 2006. 310 pages.
This sounds delightful...and I've read the other two, so I really ought to pick up the third one!
ReplyDeleteCheryl -- This one is really young for young readers, and Razo is a fun character that will appeal to them. There is a 4th one out as well, that I guess I'll get to next year.
ReplyDeleteI read this series with my youngest daughter when she was in her late teens. It was so fun to discuss it with her. You mention it's for young readers, and based on today's fare that may be true, but we both liked the series a lot. My favorite of Shannon Hale's is A Book of a Thousand Days and Goose Girl.
ReplyDeleteBooklogged - Your blog is where I first saw a review of The Goose Girl, and I still remember your enthusiasm as you and your daughter read the series.
ReplyDeleteI didn't mean that River Secrets was "childish" -- only that I think the first two in the series are more suited to the older range of young adult and that Razo's story extends to younger readers, which doesn't negate the pleasure for older readers.
I loved Goose Girl for its exploration of the myth and the great characters. I love River Secrets for Razo's boyish enthusiasm.
And I loved A Book of a Thousand Days, too (read for a previous Once Upon a Time)!