River Secrets by Shannon Hale

River Secrets is the third book in Shannon Hale's Books of Bayern series.

Razo, once a sheep boy, is now a soldier in the King's Own. Though he's not the best fighter, or the strongest, he is inexplicably chosen to accompany the ambassador of Bayern to Tira in an attempt to form a truce and prevent another war. Razo believes he is little use to the ambassador's party...until he discovers the first body. Someone is murdering people, burning them to death, in an attempt to frame the Bayerns and prevent peace. And it is Razo's job to discover who.

River Secrets differs from its prequels in its male main character and the slightly different writing style Shannon Hale uses. It's a very interesting and enjoyable change though, and Shannon Hale's Razo is just as convincing and realistic as Isi and Enna, and even more endearing. His clumsy but clever habits and antics are funny to read, and his road to self-confidence is bumpy, witty, serious, and even suspenseful. Hale introduces just enough politics to keep the plot believable and appropriately complex, but doesn't overload it to the point where the book becomes droll. River Secrets is a delightful book with new characters and new places and plenty of adventure that will make fans of the Books of Bayern very happy.

Cover Comments: Once again, I'm a fan of the original artwork, but this one's new cover did quite an excellent job at capturing the two leads very well! The expression of Razo's face is perfect, and Dasha is perfect!