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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.
Once again, Newbery Honor-winning author Shannon Hale brings readers to a world where great friendships, unexpected plot twists, and a little dose of magic make for incredible storytelling.
Children's Literature
In this fourth installment of Hale's well-loved Books of Bayern series, Razo's younger sister, Rin, has a special affinity with the trees of her beloved forest, able to "listen" for their "calming green." But the growing self-doubt of adolescence causes Rin to become estranged from her beloved trees as well as to feel homeless even within her loving home. Rin leaves the forest to follow Razo to the city, where she joins with Isi, Enna, and Dasha (heroines of the previous three books) to defend Isi's kingdom from a subversive menace — and along the way discovers her own magical gifts, which come with their own curse and blessing. Hale's reputation as a master storyteller is well deserved. Readers will ache for Rin, the overly good girl haunted by fears of her own inescapable inner badness; they will chuckle along with Razo's lighthearted banter, savor the growing friendship among the band of four brave and spirited girls, flinch at the evil adversary's truly horrific punishments of those who displease her, and cheer both for Isi's ultimate triumph and for Rin's long-overdue realization of her own wonderful self-worth. This is an empowering book for girls—and for everybody. Reviewer: Claudia Mills, Ph.D.