River Secrets (Shannon Hale)

Author Biography

Shannon Hale is the Newbery Honor-winning author of Princess Academy, as well as the four Books of Bayern. She lives in South Jordan, Utah.

Published By: Bloomsbury U.S.A.

Year: 2006

ISBN-13: 978-1-58234-901-5

ISBN-10: 1-58234-901-0

Reading Level: Grades 9 and up

Reader’s Annotation:

Awkward, unassuming Razo hardly seems to belong among the soldiers sent on a peacekeeping mission to Tira. But when mysterious deaths occur and threaten to cause a new war, it just might be Razo’s sharp wits and deductive skills that save the day.

Plot Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Razo is nothing special: a short, lowborn, mediocre swordsman who just happens to be a friend to King Geric and Queen Isi. But when the king and queen send an ambassadress to the former enemy land of Tira as part of their peace negotiations, Razo is among the soldiers chosen to accompany her. As the weeks pass in Tira’s seven-river capital city of Ingridan, he discovers a unique, useful talent within himself… a talent for spying. And it soon becomes clear that spying skills are sorely needed.

One by one, over the course of the summer, six dead bodies are discovered in strange places. Burned bodies, charred black. Has Razo’s friend Enna, secretly the notorious “fire-witch” of Bayern, lost control of her fire-speaking powers again? Or is some Tiran fire-speaker committing murders to frame the Bayern visitors and plunge the two nations back into war? And if so, who could it be? Might it even be Dasha, a young aristocratic beauty to whom Razo feels increasingly attracted, but who seems to be hiding something? Will Razo be able to find the answer and stop the mysterious villain before more lives are lost, either to murder or in battle?

Critical Evaluation:

This is the third of Shannon Hale’s Books of Bayern and the only one with a male protagonist: Razo, a supporting character from the first two books who now takes center stage. It also represents a bit of a genre shift. In contrast to both the classic Grimm’s fairy tale of The Goose Girl and the darkly fantastical war drama of Enna Burning, this book is a character driven mystery-adventure with a refreshingly lighter tone. While its plot is flimsier and more episodic than its predecessors’, it’s just as engaging as it balances high stakes action and deadly dangers with romance, humor and charm.

None of the first two books’ heavier themes are ignored. Besides featuring grisly deaths and the looming threat of war, this book never forgets that its heroes are already war veterans and have all experienced trauma. Particularly Enna, whose struggle to heal from the events of Enna Burning provides the most prominent subplot. But the darker moments are balanced by the central character of Razo, who still has a comic relief sidekick’s personality: warm, witty, food- and sleep-loving, endearingly awkward, and perpetually unlucky wherever his friends excel. Over the course of his adventures, he finally comes into his own as a hero and realizes that his intelligence, intuition, and ability to make friends are just as valuable as any sword-fighting skills or magic. For good measure, he also becomes luckier in love, with a girl just as skilled, heroic and likeable as Enna or Isi. Different though this third installment is from the first two Books of Bayern, it’s a worthy continuation in every way.

Curriculum Ties:

•Fantasy worlds

Challenge Issues:

•Violence

•Disturbing imagery

•Bodily function references

Why This Book?

A lighter read than The Goose Girl and Enna Burning, but no less absorbing or endearing, River Secrets is an ideal third chapter that leaves the reader looking forward to more.