Ani needs to embrace her gift before she can become queen.
Enna learns how to control the flames before they consume her.
Razo embarks on a special mission to save his kingdom.
Rin leaves behind the forest she loves to find herself.
Spun from a classic German fairy tale, master storyteller Shannon Hale weaves together a series that is equal parts fantastical and romantic, with unforgettable protagonists to root for at its center. Now all together in a single volume, readers will dive into a world of hidden magic, epic quests, and above all, friendship.
Shannon Hale is the New York Times best-selling author of six young adult novels: the Newbery Honor book Princess Academy, multiple award winner Book of a Thousand Days, and the highly acclaimed Books of Bayern series. She has written three books for adults, including the upcoming Midnight in Austenland (Jan. 2012), companion book to Austenland. She co-wrote the hit graphic novel Rapunzel's Revenge and its sequel Calamity Jack with husband Dean Hale. They live near Salt Lake City, Utah with their four small children, and their pet, a small, plastic pig.
I read this as a kid and remember loving it so I wanted to give it another go as I’ve grown up. I didn’t love this series as much as before but can appreciate the originality of the storyline and world that Shannon Hale created. Book 4 was extremely slow for me and I struggled that Rin didn’t have a personality since the previous books’ characters where strong and either brave, funny, or kind.
Even though I didn’t like the last book, it was still fun to read and reminisce.
Reading these books as an older adult really highlights how I've progressed as an adult. Things that were obscure to me when I first read the books are clear to me now. In fact, I was a little surprised how easy it was to see through the plots in the background and it wasn't just because I was re-reading the books.
Although I know I read the first two books in the series years ago, hardly anything about them seemed familiar this time. Not quite sure what that means....