The Books of Bayern: Forest Born

The last novel of The Books of Bayern focuses on Razo’s little sister, Rin, in a novel that brings things full circle with plenty of magic, nature and more danger. In fact, I’m tempted to put a “Water, Trees, Fire, Wind, the four languages lived in harmony until the Kingdom of Kel attacked” quote at the beginning.

For this is the adventure, Rinn finds herself on and in no time soon because she cannot bear to return to the Forest.

Rinn has always loved her Forest home with numerous brothers, and over twenty nephews and nieces running underfoot. As the youngest, Rinn has a special place in the flock and it is well-known to be her mother’s special favorite, her little helper, her shadow.

But even among so many, Rinn finds peace and relief in the trees. Not sure of the language she is pulling from them, all she knows is that they give her relief. But they have suddenly stopped speaking to her. All she can feel is naseua, and loathing, an unescapable knowledge that she is a bad girl, that no one will love her. She stays quiet, trying to lock her badness within herself and mimic others, being a mirror so to be invisible. Yet she hopes this journey will change her like Razo has changed. Maybe the queen who supposedly speaks to the wind can help. Maybe Rin can become good.

Poor Bayern just can’t get a break from being invaded. This time it seems fire-speakers are coming from the northern kingdom of Kel, and refugees from the border villages have been corrupted by Kel’s hatred as Rinn quickly surmises that one of those refugees has dastardly plans for Geric and Ini’s son.

Ini wants to wrap this up quickly after the troubles with Tira, and takes Dasha and Enna with her to form a power trio that Rinn internally nicknames “the Fire sisters.” Unsure of her own tree-language, Rinn primarily tags along as Tusken’s nurse-mary but provides a vital resource as her tree-language allows her to sneak invisibly past soldiers and read people like a living lie detector. Until they meet the villain who has been operating everything behind the scenes and it is someone you would never have suspected!

Since that all goes into spoilery territory, I will just say it is unexpected return and brings things full circle by forcing Ini to confront her previous insecurities of being a bad queen and a coward while pushing Rinn to own her voice and her language.

As for Rinn, she may be almost as fascinating as Enna. Initially, it seems like her constant anxiety over being a bad person seem to be irrational anxiety. One traumatic moment that distorts Rinn to think the worst of herself and hide. But there’s an actual reason. She can people-speak, the most corruptive and dangerous language of all and all her hiding was to prevent the slippery power from consuming her as it feels so good and easy to use it for bad.

It’s just wow. Hale offers great commentary of how humans are capable of the worst, that there is darkness inside us all but it depends on how you use it. Rinn fears the people-speaking she has as the few times she uses it, it’s intoxicating. it makes her feel special, desirable, and that she could elevate herself over others, the exact opposite of how she feels most of the time as the invisible, runty girl of her family.

But it doesn’t mean people-speakers are born bad. Rinn describes the trouble she has in denying the language, that the constant mimicking and mirroring of others’ wants, desires, personalities is exhausting that to control them and elevate hersef is what brings her relief thus the dark slope of corruption.

Her arc of learning the powers she has, the root of her fears, her despairing resolution that she must live alone as she’s too dangerous to others, and her strength in overcoming it because it’s not bad to be powerful felt empowering and unique, balancing the thin line that is between power and control. It does help that Rinn balances it with the tree language that was lost to her. Tree speaking is the opposite of people speaking as trees do not obey commands. Nature is immutable and honest.

Rinn cannot control trees, but must listen to them, feel her way to the roots which makes for a simply awesome action scene in the climax. I have never read an author that could so perfectly describe a slow motion action scene like it was a movie, but Hale does. It was epic!

The other characters have a great amount of page time too like the ‘fire sisters’ between Enna and Dasha’s friendly bickering to Ini’s steadfast protectiveness over them all to how they stand together in battle, it is clear their friendship is just as powerful as their nature-speaking. Their communication, empathy and humor are so real, they feel like the friends you’d like to hang out with in real life, a chosen sisterhood.

As for Rinn’s siblings, Razo is an admitted favorite of Hale and he has lots of time, bring comic relief and sensible big brother advice when Rinn is at her lowest. He’s a joy yet he has his own scars as it is clear he is still haunted by what he had to do during the war. Gotta love the depths in the comic relief.

I also must mention that this may be one of the darkest books in this fantasy series in its Grimm Brothers’ elements. It’s spoilery so I won’t go into detail but there’s suicides, finger chopping and self-immolation. Hale doesn;t hold back.

But all dark must be balanced by joy and there’s a long awaited wedding for the end, bringing things full circle with the promise that these beloved characters finally can rest and live with happiness of their evolving selves in their home.

4 stars.