Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

I was excited to receive an advanced copy of Midnight in Austenland. I enjoyed the first book and have looked forward to reading this companion novel. I really liked our heroine Charlotte. She was very easy to relate to. Her back story is sad, and it was nice to see the growth she goes through and by the end and the confidence she gained. Charlotte enjoys mystery novels and tends to let her imagination get away from her. As it turns out not all is what it seems at the park and Charlotte ends up right in the middle of her very own mystery. I liked the mystery elements in the story, it was fun. My only problem with the book is that it’s hard to tell what “reality” is. Since the people she interacts with at the park are mostly actors, I had a hard time telling what was real and what was fake, I guess that’s the point. But, even towards the end I still wasn’t sure. So, it’s hard for me to fall for the romance because I don’t know if it’s the actor or the “real person”. I really enjoyed the book though, it kept me going and again I really liked Charlotte and our hero. There were some fun swoon-worthy moments as well. I hope there are more books in the Austenland series!

Book One: Austenland
Book Two: Midnight in Austenland (January 3, 2012)

Forest Born by Shannon Hale

Genre: YA Fiction

Author Website: www.squeetus.com

One Word Review: Hmmm

First Line: “Ma had six sons.”

Synopsis: “Rin is sure that something is wrong with her…something really bad. Something that is keeping her from feeling at home in the Forest homestead where she’s lived all her life. Something that is keeping her from trusting herself with anyone at all. When her brother Razo returns from the city for a visit, she accompanies him to the palace, hoping that she can find peace away from home. But war has come to Bayern again, and Rin is compelled to join the queen and her closest allies—magical girls Rin thinks of as the Fire Sisters—as they venture into the Forest toward Kel, the land where someone seems to want them all dead. Many beloved Bayern characters reappear in this story, but it is Rin’s own journey of discovering how to balance the good and the bad in herself that drives this compelling adventure.” –GoodReads

Kathy’s Review: I had really high hopes for this one. This is one of my favorite series and I was so excited to read Rinna’s story. So, I was surprised that I just didn’t like this one as much as the others. I’ll start by saying that if you read and enjoyed the first three books than you should read this one. Rin is Razo’s little sister and the main character of the story. She has spent her entire life in the forest living in the shadow of her mom. She finally decides to visit the big city and to try and figure out who she is. Rin was always comparing herself to those around her, especially the strong Isi, Enna and Dasha. She has the ability to people-speak, although she doesn’t know what that is until the end of the book. She thinks there is something horribly wrong with her and is constantly down. With the example of her mom and the other three girls she tries to be good and to do the right thing. She learns to have confidence in herself, trust her abilities and learns to stop looking at others and to be her own person. I loved meeting up with Isi, Enna, Dasha and Razo. I also liked the cover.

I don’t want to give away spoilers for those die-hard fans, so I’ll list the things I didn’t like about the book in the comments section of this post. I’ve read a lot of reviews where people loved this book and thought it was their favorite, so I think my opinion will be in the minority.

Reading Order:

Book One: Goose Girl

Book Two: Enna Burning

Book Three: River Secrets

Book Four: Forest Born

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

Mormon housewife Becky Jack is seven months pregnant with her fourth child when she meets celebrity heartthrob Felix Callahan. A few hours, one elevator ride, and one alcohol-free dinner later something has happened, though nothing has happened....It isn't sexual. It isn't even quite love. But soon Felix shows up in Salt Lake City to visit and before they know what's hit them, Felix and Becky are best-friends-talk-on-the-phone, drop-everything-in-an-emergency, laugh-out-loud-at-stupid-jokes best friends. Becky's loving and devoted husband, Mike, is mostly unconcerned. Her children roll their eyes. Her large extended family and neighbors gossip endlessly. But Felix and Becky have something special, something unusual, something that seems from the outside-and sometimes from the inside too-completely impossible to sustain.

This book reminds me of that time I was skiing in Park City and I ran into Robert Pattinson (when he had normal hair) and we became best friends and we called each other "Love" and my husband Tim, who only had a problem with it once, thinks it is great that we talk all the time on the phone and go on overnight excursions together. The Actor and The Housewife is as improbable as the above scenario but somehow Shannon Hale makes the story work and makes it charming. If you don't laugh right out loud at the first chapter then you have no sense of humor, and if you don't cry at least once then go to the doctor and see if he can unplug your tear ducts. I confess to wondering through most of the book where the story was going and for one horrible moment I thought there might be some spousal swinging going on...Mormon style, but thankfully I was just letting my imagination run wild. I do that sometimes. I really held out to the end to declare whether I liked or disliked this book. Hale crafted an ending that really satisfied me and I declare this a good read that I would recommend to anyone.


*Reviewed by Jessica

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale

"Two years have passed since the events of Goose Girl, and 16-year-old Enna has returned to the Forest to care for her dying mother. Her older brother finds a mysterious piece of vellum that teaches him to set fires with neither flint nor spark. The warm energy of the fire turns destructive as Leifer becomes controlled by the desire to burn. When Bayern goes to war, he wins a battle by burning the enemy, but dies as well. Enna discovers the vellum and its power and hopes that her new knowledge will help her protect Isi and all of Bayern, but it puts her and her loved ones in mortal danger. In some gory battle scenes, Enna burns hundreds of people alive, winning the war, but nearly dying herself. Like her ability to fire-speak, Isi's gift of wind-speak is similarly out of control. In hopes of discovering a remedy to their problems, the two young women set off for a kingdom in the south where fire-worshippers live. The answer lies in balance."

I love this new cover! Anyway, I've read this book a couple times and so I decieed I would try listening to it instead on a recent roadtrip, I loved going back to the wonderful world of Bayern. I had forgotten just how much I enjoyed this second installment in the Bayern series. Enna is a wonderful heroin and I loved her story and the struggles she had to go through. It was a great story of friendship, and also shows the slippery-slope of addiction. Isi and Enna are great friends and I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow. I loved Isi in the first book and was glad she was a major part in this secod story. Overall, I enjoyed the audio version, it really brought the story to life and it felt a lot more intense than when I had read it before. I didn't really love the voice of Finn, I love the character but the actor just didn't do anything for me. I highly recommend this series, and I am SO looking forward to Forest Born (book four) to come out this fall!

Book One: Goose Girl

Book Two: Enna Burning

Book Three: River Secrets

Book Four: Forest Born (This is the story of Razzo's little sister, Rin, who has the ability of people-speaking.)

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

“A magical retelling of the Grimm’s fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become queen. Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, is born with the ability to speak to animals, a gift that is nurtured by her aunt. When the king dies, the queen announces that Ani's younger brother, not the crown princess, will succeed her on the throne. Unbeknownst to anyone, the queen has promised Ani in marriage to the prince of neighboring Bayern. The devastated teen is sent with a retinue over the mountains to Bayem and is betrayed by Selia, her lady-in-waiting, and most of her guards during the journey. Ani escapes, takes the name "Isi," disguises her distinctive blonde hair, and becomes a tender of geese to survive until she can reveal her true identity and reclaim her crown from the imposter, Selia. She must convince the king of her identity and stop a war between the kingdoms.”

I have actually read this book a few times, but this was the first time I had listened to it on audio book. I am preparing for a race and a friend recommended listening to audio books, so I chose Goose Girl because it is one of my favorites. It was almost like listening to a play. I loved hearing all the different voices; they really brought the story to life. It has been awhile since I’ve read the book so listening to it really brought back all the things I loved about the story. It’s an amazing fairy tale filled with love, adventure, and self discovery. Ani starts out very unsure of herself, always living in the shadow of her mother. As the story progresses she finds inner-strength and confidence through her experiences and having to become more independent. I love this series and am so excited to find out that there will be a fourth book coming out later this year. Now, I’m off to listen to Enna Burning.

Book One: The Goose Girl

Book Two: Enna Burning

Book Three: River Secrets

Book Four: Forest Born