The novel explores the story of Enna, who was first introduced as a secondary character in Goose Girl, as she learns the magical ability of manipulating the element of fire.

It received the 2004 AML Award for Young Adult Literature and has been published in eight languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Korean, and Vietnamese.

[3] Both Enna Burning and River Secrets stemmed from Hale's desire to further explore characters she'd previously created; she "wanted to hear their own stories.

Finn volunteers, but comes close to death during the fight until he is saved by Enna, who burns the hilt of the prisoner's sword.

While Sileph is away at a battle, a disguised Isi visits the camp to comfort Enna, who is so grateful that their friendship is not lost that she burns the vellum.

Finn, Enna, and Isi reach Yasid and find the fire-speakers, who reveal that they balance their gifts with water-speaking, a skill that unfortunately takes years to master.

Critical reception of Enna Burning was largely positive, with reviewers highlighting Hale's storytelling abilities and development of the protagonist.

Dennis Lythgoe of Deseret News wrote: "As she did so well in The Goose Girl, Hale has created natural, interesting dialogue that leads to keen understanding and culminates in a strong moral.

"[1] Charles DeLint for Fantasy & Science Fiction praised Enna's characterization, stating: "A good author gives us secondary characters as fully rounded as the leads.

"[12] Jennifer Mattson at Booklist called Enna Burning "a meaty, sprawling companion" to The Goose Girl, and praised Hale's "rich writing and sharply drawn characters," though it warned readers that the violent book has a "leisurely" pace.