Well, my plan was to have this whole feature on Book Divas' author visit with Shannon Hale, author of The Books of Bayern. I was going to have trumpets and everything. Really.
But as usual, life got in the way. But I do have a nice review of Forest Born, and I might post her answers to my questions I asked on Book Divas.
Forest Born is the fourth novel in The Books of Bayern. This book tells the story of Rin. (If you’re familiar with the story of The Books of Bayern, you may know that Rin is the little sister of Razo.) Rin has always felt close to the trees in her forest home, seeking their refuge in troubled times. but when the trees turn their back on her, as Rin believes they have, she leaves her large family, and her life as Ma’s shadows, and accompanies her brother to the city for a change of scenery.
Whilst there she meets Isi, the Queen of Bayern, and her friends Enna and Dash, whom she lovingly names the Fire Sisters. Serving as a waiting woman and caring for the young Prince Tusken, she helps to uncover a plot which aims for one of Isi’s old enemies to take control of Bayern.
I hadn’t read the first three books in the series, yet even so the relationships of the characters came through very strong. Had I read the other books, they probably would have had more gravity with me, as I would have seen them grow. All of the characters were unique, and all with their own histories and problems. the book kept me engrossed, and I couldn’t wait to get back to it every night.
The only thing that really bothered me was some of the character’s speech. The book is set in a medieval type world, yet the characters use some really modern speech. This could have been intentional, since it is a fictitious world, but it still kind of stuck out at me. However, it was used to make the dialog more humorous, so I guess it was worth it.
Recommendation – I would recommend The Books of Bayern to any fan of fantasy, medieval fantasy, and fans of Fairy-Tale retellings. (The first book, The Goose-Girl, is a retelling of a story by the Brothers Grimm.)
The Other Books – I will probably backtrack and read the first three Books of Bayern at some point. They’ll be more toward the middle of my ‘To-Buy’ list, because funds are low (I know I’m not alone in that) and I have really important things coming out. But, I think they’re worth the money when the time comes.
The Vitals * – Forest Born is available from Bloomsbury in Hardcover for about $17.99, and The Goose-Girl, Enna Burning, and River Secrets are all available in both hardback (Prices seem to to range from $17.95 to $18.99) and paperback for $8.99 each. There is also a boxed set of the paperbacks of the first three for about $26.97. (The paperback covers match the hardcover of Forest Born, while the hardcover versions have different cover art.)
Shannon Hale is chatting about her books on Book Divas until October 5th!
* All prices from Borders.com
