River Secrets (Books of Bayern, Book 3) Paperback – October 1, 2008

This is a Christmas present for my DIL. The item has a library cover and other stickers. I removed the stickers and used stuff to remove the sticky glue. It looks great. (Be aware this was one of my jobs when I worked in library land.)

I'm a bit disappointed in the condition it arrived in-otherwise I'm happy with the purchase.

River Secrets continues with the Bayern characters that we are all familiar with at this point in the series. But I will say that it isn't my favorite book in the series. It follows Razo, who to me was not much a main character in the other novels, so I was not feeling ready to jump in to his story. His character is definitely not as strong as Isi or Enna. But you will enjoy continuing on the journey with these characters.There are some good twists and turns in this novel. However, Razo's character is a little weak. But I would definitely recommend that you read through this book before going on to the fourth.

This book is what I've come to expect from Shannon Hale: good story, good characters, good writing, and a good ending. I've loved the previous books in this series The Goose Girl and Enna Burning and was not let down by this story. Rizo is a great character who undergoes a lot of changes as he discovers himself in this book. My favorite part of Shannon Hale's books is that they are prefect faire tales without being overly fantastical or magical. There is just a sprinkle of magic and good common sense. While I think her previous book would be good for boys and girls this book is the first with a male lead and may bring her books to the attention of more young men. Overall, I think this is a great story for both kids and adults. I highly recommend it, but if your new to the series you may want to start at the beging so nothing is given away.

Sweet story. Great main character. It’s sometimes weird to read a female author’s voice for a male character but I have to say that Shannon Hale’s Razo sounds like the boyish musings of one coming of age and finding their worth.

For some reason I'm always surprised by how much I enjoy these books. The characters are all great, the world building is well done, and the powers are interesting. I particularly enjoy series like this one where books focus on different characters but incorporate characters from the other books. It was nice to see Enna and Finn's story play out some more in this book; I think Enna is my favorite in the series thus far. These are good quick reads for fantasy fans, and I think the books are getting better as the series goes on, which is always nice!

Although The Goose Girl will always be my favorite of The Books of Bayern, River Secrets takes an easy second place. I loved the change to a male narrator, and this story is effortlessly told in a beautiful world that comes alive with color and detail and character as only Shannon Hale can tell it. I highly recommend this entire series for readers of all ages, but River Secrets holds a special place in my heart.

Very enjoyable book to read. Shannon Hale is one of my favorite authors - all of her books are excellent.

I enjoyed this book as it was from a male character's perspective, which is different from the last two books. A good mystery is always enjoyable for me, trying to figure out who was burning who and chemistry between Razo and Dasha was believeable.

I would say that these books are aimed at the 10-15 year old girl, but both my daughter and I loved them. Shannon Hale is a wonderful writer, she really transports you to the land of Bayern. I would describe these books a more grown up fairy tale, with a strong female heroine.

Another rather dark twist on the traditional fairy tale - but fabulous stuff. All three make a very satisfying if often rather uncomfortable read.

A really lovely book

Received as expected :)