Eona by Alison Goodman (Eon #2)

Genres: Young Adult, High Fantasy, Mythology, Romance
Publication Date: April 19th 2011
POV: Female - First-person, Past tense
My Rating: 4 out of 5

_______________

Eon has been revealed as Eona, the first female Dragoneye in hundreds of years. Along with fellow rebels Ryko and Lady Dela, she is on the run from High Lord Sethon's army. The renegades are on a quest for the black folio, stolen by the drug-riddled Dillon; they must also find Kygo, the young Pearl Emperor, who needs Eona's power and the black folio if he is to wrest back his throne from the selfstyled "Emperor" Sethon. Through it all, Eona must come to terms with her new Dragoneye identity and power - and learn to bear the anguish of the ten dragons whose Dragoneyes were murdered. As they focus their power through her, she becomes a dangerous conduit for their plans.

Eona, with its pulse-pounding drama and romance, its unforgettable fight scenes, and its surprises, is the conclusion to an epic story only Alison Goodman can create.

_______________

This was as good as the first book and perhaps a little better. It had the mythology that I loved so much about the first book, but more adventure and romance, which were two things I mentioned in my review of Eon that I wished there had been more of. There was so much adventure, and absolutely no court intrigue in this one. Almost the entire book dealt with the dragons' power, Eona trying to understand it, and finding a way to use it to save the kingdom. Perhaps at times I thought there was too much magic and I wished it would stop. There was always a new force to deal with, but it was important to the story.

I feared that most of the book would be about finding Kygo and reuniting with the resistance, but Kygo found them within four chapters. I was very happy to have him back since I anticipated a romance starting. And we got not only romance, but a love-triangle. It was not a bad love-triangle, since its the last book in a short series, we knew it would be quickly resolved. And Ido never really had a chance anyway, even if the scene on the boat was super hot, he was the bad guy after all.

 

One thing that disappointed me about the first book was not resolved in the second. Eona never truly trusted anyone. I always felt so uneasy about the amount of secrets she kept. She couldn't tell Kygo because he could use it against her. She couldn't tell Dela because she was loyal to Ryko and Kygo. She couldn't tell Ido because he would use it for his own gain. It was not fun watching her struggle with it all, but at least she didn't make as many mistakes as she did in Eon.

I really wish more had been resolved in the end. As soon as the main conflict ended, the book ended. It finished with the words, "Balance has been restored to the heavens and earth, but we have work ahead of us to restore order to the empire." I wish we had seen some of the work, at least a glimpse of what became of the kingdom, how the people responded to their new emperor and the lack of his symbol of power, and where Eona's place would be in this new world. One more chapter or an epilogue would have been sufficient, although a whole third novel would have been even better. But I will hope for the best. Eona and Kygo will work hard to make it work, the kingdom as well as being together.

"The She of the dragon will return and ascend 

When the cycle of twelve draws to an end... 

The She of the Dragoneye will restore and defend 

When the Darkforce is mastered with Hua of All Men."

Eon by Alison Goodman (Eon #1)

Genres: Young Adult, High Fantasy, Mythology
Publication Date: August 31st 2008
POV: Female - First-person, Past tense
My Rating: 4 out of 5

_______________

Sixteen-year-old Eon has a dream, and a mission. For years, he's been studying sword-work and magic, toward one end. He and his master hope that he will be chosen as a Dragoneye-an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune.

But Eon has a dangerous secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been masquerading as a twelve-year-old boy. Females are forbidden to use Dragon Magic; if anyone discovers she has been hiding in plain sight, her death is assured.

When Eon's secret threatens to come to light, she and her allies are plunged into grave danger and a deadly struggle for the Imperial throne. Eon must find the strength and inner power to battle those who want to take her magic...and her life.

_______________

This was a really complex YA high fantasy. Like a cross between Eragon and Fire. It is extremely heavily influenced by Chinese mythology. The characters were not described in enough detail to know whether or not they were supposed to be Asian, but I imagine them that way anyways, because of the world they are in.

In this world, there are 12 spirit dragons that correspond to the 12 points of a compass, and the Chinese calendar. The ox dragon, tiger dragon, rooster dragon, snake dragon, etc. Each dragon has a master and an apprentice Dragoneye. Every 12 years the master retires, the apprentice is raised, and a new apprentice is chosen. These Dragoneyes use their Dragons' magic to serve the people and control the weather. Dragoneyes are always men. Eona is a 16 year old girl disguised as a 12 year-old boy, Eon, and is in training to compete to be a new Dragoneye apprentice.

I found the world, mythology, and story very interesting but hard to understand. My brain might need more exercise but I still enjoyed it. There was so much plotting and political intrigue, but also a lot of magic and descriptions of Eona's power and how the dragon magic works that was extremely complex. Hopefully it will be explained more in the next book.

Most of the book was about Eona's political maneuvering. I kept waiting for her to whip out some awesome dragon powers, but she never did. She never really figured out how to use it until the end, which was a bit disappointing. There was a big battle at the end but besides that there was no action, but lots of drama. And I didnt enjoy her isolation. I wish she would have had someone she could confide in. At least one good friend who she could trust with all her secrets. But she always had things to hide and I felt very anxious for her. She made a lot of mistakes and I wish she could have had someone for counsel. But she has some good friends in the end that I hope she can trust throughout the next book. And I read mostly YA romance so I was disappointed that there was no romance in this book. But the next one is listed as romance, so I am looking forward to that. I hope it is with the Pearl Emperor.

There is one more thing that confused me and slightly bothered me. Eona's master, Brannon. He bought her as a slave because he saw her potential to be a Dragoneye. It was his idea to disguise her and train her. When Eona finds her sewing needle in his room she realizes that he loved her. But she doesnt specify if he loves her as a child, or as a woman? Because he is in his 40s and she is only 16, so that's kind of gross. There is this scene which leads me to believe that he loved her as a woman.

"I didnt think I could do it. But I did." 

I felt the smock slip from my shoulder as he pulled me against his body. "Yes, you did," he murmured against my hair. I pressed into him, my body blindly molding itself into his approval. His breath against my ear was like the soft press of lips. "You've done well."  

I rested my head on his shoulder as his hands stroked my hair, my neck, the dip of my collarbone. A sharp spark of energy snapped between us, breast to hand, leaving a singed smell.

And then I was standing alone, my arms still holding the moment before. 

He stood a few paces back, cradling his hand, his eyes fixed on my bared skin. 

"The dragon is still in you," he said. He lifted his fingers to his mouth, sucking away the pain.  

I hugged my arms across my chest. The sting of our contact already fading, "I'm sorry, Master."

It seems kind of obvious there, but the rest of the time he just treated her like a child he was very proud of. Like a father. He even smacked her around a bit at one point when he was disappointed. So that one scene is just hard to come to terms with.

This book was set almost entirely in the Emperor's palace, but at the end Eona is on the run and the next book promises much more adventure than this one. I really enjoyed the intrigue, but I still look forward to having more adventure in Eona.

"You are wrong when you say there is no power in being a woman. When I think of my mother and the women in my tribe, and the hidden women in the harem, I know there are many types of power in this world...I found power in accepting the truth of who I am. It may not be a truth that others can accept, but I cannot live any other way."