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.
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"an acceptably satisfactory way to end the quadrilogy, i think. this series has spaced out so much for me since i started The Goose Girl back in elementary school, if i remember clearly, and it had been my favorite book for years. Shannon Hale's incredible weaving leaves a vivid story in eager readers' minds - details were certainly not spared and that i would deem necessary. it is amazing to me how much she can describe trees, and it was definite that providing the weakest character with the most interesting and powerful art provided a deeper intrigue and darker edge to the series. well written."
— melody (4 out of 5 stars)
“This full-cast production enhances Hale’s engrossing story as the fantasy world of Bayern continues…Especially noteworthy performances come from narrators Camille Cady-McCrea as Rin and Terry LeCass as Razo…Production shows an equally high standard. In particular, the sound effect used for Rin’s thoughts is subtle, and twists of music seamlessly connect story segments.”
— AudioFile“All is told in Hale’s assured voice, drawing the details of her invented countries with precision and depth. Strong characters define the series: commanding Isi, passionate Enna, wily Razo, and now shadowed Rin. Newcomers will find this book an easy entry point, and fans will need no excuse to dive back into Hale’s fantasy world.”
— Horn Book“One doesn’t need to have read the earlier books to become enraptured by this one, but doing so adds to the richness of these very satisfying tales.”
— Kirkus Reviews" Good, but it had some painful parts, it was a tad hard to see Rin go through all this but still was a good book, it conveyed a strong emotion. "
— Katie, 2/17/2014" Another fantastic book with the Goose Girl, Enna Burning, and Dasha (River Secrets). Razo's little sister Rin is the main character and this a fantastic coming of age novel with adventure and suspense. Must admit I missed the romance. "
— Samantha, 2/15/2014" Return of the bad guy! "
— Etimmerman, 2/13/2014" This book is cute and a wonderful way to end the series it lets you know how all the characters end up and what becomes of all the challenges they face in the books. What I love about this series is the introduce new characters every book in their point of view but keep the old characters that you already love. "
— Breanna, 2/12/2014" This wasn't as good as her other Bayern books, but still okay. "
— Dixie, 1/29/2014" I love Shannon Hale! Great book without any smut or language or anything! Why can't more authors be like this?! "
— Laural, 1/18/2014" not as good as the others. about finding yourself. i didn't really like rin all that much. she was kind of annoying, always complaining about herself. and it felt a little forced, adding a new character to the bunch. i dont know... "
— Kiana, 1/1/2014" 4th book in the series, I only liked the first one, and that's only because I feel the writing style really fit the character. All the other books have too many little-kid stupid parts in them. Princess Academy by her is still pretty good though. "
— Aaron, 12/18/2013" My favorite of all the books, well tied with the first but a good round up of the books so far! "
— Jacey, 12/9/2013" This book was ok. I mean the theme was good but the girl was bad(I thought). I don't mean like a trouble child but she was very mopey. "
— Star, 11/20/2013" Not nearly as good as the first 3 Bayern books. "
— Deana, 11/18/2013" Well done, but not my favorite of the Bayern series. "
— Msdiehl, 11/14/2013" I had heard this one was not as good as the others. It did not have as much of a drive- it was predictable- but I still liked it. I love the characters and the world Shannon Hale has created in the Books of Bayern. "
— Jen, 10/16/2013" sweet! it was so good! shannon hale rocks! "
— Vicbowin, 10/14/2013" Not my favorite of the Books of Bayern. I just couldn't get on board with tree-speaking -- unlike the other languages (fire-speaking, etc.), it was a little boring. There were parts of the book that just lost me. "
— Daisy, 9/12/2013" Less dark than Enna Burning, which was a major plus. The main character was oddly hard on herself, in a pretty downer way throughout the entire book. I liked Rin's conclusion on the very last page(s) quite a lot. "
— Emily, 9/11/2013" Great book, but I admit that the Bayern thing is getting a bit old. "
— Erica, 8/29/2013" A great series I am saving for my grandkids. "
— Sherri, 8/16/2013" I like Hale's use of setting and characterization. I wish she wouldn't spend so much time on the guilt that the characters always seem to feel. The end message always seems to be that guilt is an unnecessary use of energy and clouds your overall sense of personal worth and judgment. "
— Sonja, 7/25/2013" Rinna's soul-searching really struck a chord with me, and I especially liked Enna's references to kicking someone in the shins. "
— Kami, 6/24/2013" As excellent as the other Bayern books... "
— info_priestess, 5/21/2013" I thought this one was interesting, but I didn't like it as much as the other books in the series. "
— NaDell, 5/11/2013" This book kind of wraps up loose ends, bringing back a character that wasn't quite resolved in past books. I didn't like it quite as much as past books, but it was still well-written and gave a good look into Bayern. "
— Christie, 4/4/2013" it reminds me of avatar! "
— Aleyda, 3/17/2013" had to read to finish serious love how she trys to supress her ppl speak makes her much more likable "
— 01alyssaz, 2/19/2013Shannon Hale is the author of multiple award-winning young adult novels, including Austenland and the New York Times bestselling Princess Academy, which is also a Newbery Honor book. Her first book, The Goose Girl, was an ALA Top Ten Book for Young Adults and won the Josette Frank Award. In addition to her successful young adult novels, she cowrote two graphic novels with her husband, Rapunzel’s Revenge and Calamity Jack. She received a degree in English from the University of Utah and a master’s in creative writing from the University of Montana.
Bleak December Inc. is a multimedia company founded by Canadian actor and filmmaker Anthony D.P. Mann.