RIVER SECRETS
Shannon Hale
Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Fantasy
ISBN-10: 1582349010
ISBN-13: 9781582349015
304 pages

When Razo is invited to join a diplomatic mission to a neighboring country, he can't understand why he's been chosen. He is an indifferent soldier, has no political importance, and feels much more comfortable in his role as animal keeper at the palace. But the war between Bayern and Tira has changed everything about his life. Razo no longer knows what to expect, even from his closest friends.

His friend Enna is most damaged from the war. She seems to have learned how to control her fire-speaking powers, which decimated the Tiran army and threatened to burn her from the inside out. But when burned bodies start turning up, threatening the hard-won peace between the countries, Razo worries that Enna might be responsible.

Razo's investigations lead him into a complicated puzzle of intrigue. Despite his lack of supernatural powers, Razo's keen powers of observation, his skill with his slingshot and his ability to make friends wherever he goes make him a formidable foe against those who long to return to war.

One of Shannon Hale's greatest strengths as a writer is her commitment to creative conflict resolution. Hale's book PRINCESS ACADEMY features a heroine who helps her village withstand an invasive culture through non-violent resistance. Not only is it a powerful study of the kinds of tools that are used to control people, it is a testament to the strength of ordinary people to resist.

RIVER SECRETS is the third book in Hale's Companions of Bayern series, which began with GOOSE GIRL, her highly original retelling of Grimm's fairy tale. RIVER SECRETS contains elements of creative conflict resolution, notably Razo's unarming charm, but ultimately the book tends more towards polarized conflict between good and evil. While never suggesting all Tirans are bad (there are many likable Tiran characters), Hale doesn't spend very much time exploring why many of the Tirans would prefer to be at war than to make peace with their neighbors. Likewise, there are no Bayern characters questioning the peace between the two countries. The final showdown features a predictable fight between Tirans and Bayerns with no surprises as to the identity or the nationality of the villain.

Hale is a fine author with a lively, world-building imagination. As a fantasy author she is only limited by what she can invent and by what readers will accept. RIVER SECRETS is not as emotionally gripping as the previous volumes in the series, but it will satisfy fans eager for the next installment. It is my hope that Hale continues to push the borders of her worlds to explore the potential available to her within the fantasy genre.

   --- Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood

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