Review of Eon by Alison Goodman

 ★★★★

Eon
By: Alison Goodman
Review by: Kaede

Publisher: Firebird
Pages: 531
Star Rating:  ★★★★/ Exceeded Expectations.

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.       

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 He released me, his face tight with disgust. "Always half the story. Never the whole."

Living a life constructed only of lies, 16-year-old Eona, disguised as 12-year-old Eon, has been training for years to be chosen as a Dragoneye apprentice. However the secret of her gender is said not only to bring misfortune, but will, if discovered, be the very cause of her death. Eona must hold the cold, hard fact that if the secret she and her master took every length to conceal should ever come to light, danger would not only be inflicted on to her, but to everyone she holds dear.

Faced with impossible odds, the gap between Eona and the other candidates seem to grow by every passing day. And if only to make meeting impossible ends more impossible, Eona is crippled. But we soon learn that Eona possesses not one secret, but many. One being that she can link herself to all the living energy dragons of good fortune, a feat unheard of. But will that advantage serve to be enough?

The world of Eon is a splendid blend of the Japanese and Chinese cultures, but still manages to hold a place of it's own. Eon is as entralling as it is imaginative and unique, but it is not without flaws. But it is those very flaws that enable to readers to connect to Eona, to her world of the dragons in the state of a battle for the Imperial throne.

There was one other course I could take, but Ido had seen my true nature; it was not in me to chose suicide. Perhaps it was cowardice, but I was not ready to die. Not for my emperor, not for the prince, not even for my friends. And for this shameful lack of courage, I was now slave to Ido's desires.

Eona, or if you prefer, Eon, is nothing like the typical damsel in distress. It's true that she is far from perfection, but who isn't? Eona is not invulnerable, but at least she knows where her loyalties lie, even if she is not able to act on them. If forced to draw a sword to save her friend's life, it would not be in Eona to drop her weapons and flee alone. I grew to admire her, slow and selfish as she may be, Eona was the kind of person who'd try and try again, and if she failed, she'd try again. With a man's appearance but a woman's heart at core, Eona is able to live the best of both worlds.

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.

Encountering and eventually befriending Lady Dela and Ryko, even if Eona did not know it then, would serve to be a great assist if she still wished to live after everything she'll go through. Being a strong believer myself that without well-developed and strong side characters, a book would not be even close to the level it could be, I must admit that I expected to prefer Lady Dela and Ryko over Eona and Ido the moment we were introduced to all of them. However, much to my shock but satisfaction, I found that I adored all of them. Down to the very last of the characters, even the very evil High Lord that sought to control by force. I was able to see a light to those who seemed to fall on dark side. Ido, Ido, Ido. That man sure is, if anything, something.

"He grunted. 'You have the courage of a warrior."
I watched him turn away and gather the clothes from the ground. He thought me courageous? But I was terrified - always terrified.
"No," I said flatly. "I don't."
He paused from stuffing the invaluable robe between two bales. "Are you frightened now?"
I nodded, shame flushing my skin.
"Is it going to stop you?"
"No."
"That is the courage of a warrior."

Indeed it is, my friend. Indeed it is.

Eon has pulled of quite the feat here. Not only has it managed blown away any disregard I had towards it, Eon left me wanting more. Now there's something that hasn't happened in months. Eona, the sequel, seems so near, yet so far. The size of the two books are really something, eh? And that's just about the only thing that's stopping me from tearing through Eon's successor. That and a ridiculous pile of to-be-reads.

And oh, so you say you've yet to read Eon? Well, darling:

Just what in the dragon's name are you waiting for?

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And yes, this was the slump-breaker book.  Don't know what that means? Refer back to this article.

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Review also found at: Goodreads.

Contact me: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com