1. Review: Eona by Alison Goodman

    imageA thrilling conclusion

    Warning, if you have not read Eon, you shouldn’t read this review. Mild Eon spoilers ahead!

    Alison Goodman didn’t hold back in this thrilling conclusion to Eona’ story. Finally in communication with her Dragon, Eona, Ryko and Lady Dela are on the run from High Lord Sethon and his army. Together with Kygo, they try to overthrow Sethon and return Kygo to his rightful place as Emperor. There’s only one little problem, since all the Dragoneyes are gone except for Ido and Eona, and whenever she tries to access her dragon, the other grieving dragons run to her for power making her - still untrained - unable to fulfill her duties as a Dragoneye.

    While Eon had adventure and discovery, Eona is all about seeking power. Sethon’s desire to be emperor, Kygo’s quest to take over the throne, Ido looking to regain control with Eona stuck inbetween.

    I found the tension between Ido and Eona to be a little annoying, especially since it didn’t seem authentic or realistic from Eona’s side. It also made Eona seem unaffected by what happened at the end of Eon. However, the one thing I did like was that it wasn’t a love triangle for the sake of having one, but it is a love triangle that fits well inside the storyline.

    The world building is superb, and the characters are just as enjoyable as in Eon. Even though the book is over six hundred pages in length, reading it was a breeze. The plot was engaging with hardly any drag; but at the same time, not overwhelming in pace. And, what an ending! If you loved Eon, I guarantee that you will enjoy Eona as well. 

    Publisher: Viking Juvenile|| Details →

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    November 5, 2012

  2. Review: Eon by Alison Goodman

    A great fantasy read

    Alison Goodman’s high fantasy, thrilling adventure, Eon, is easily a new favourite. Her world building in Eon is superb and her plot is engaging. I really want to say, “I loved it! Go buy it!” and be done with this review, but I will try to explain why I love it so. 

    Eona - disguised as Eon - is trying to become the Dragoneye apprentice for the Rat energy dragon, as apprentice she will learn to wield the power of the dragon and help bring prosperity to the land. Other than her gender - which her and her master have carefully hidden - Eon is also crippled and in the society she lives in, being crippled is a curse. With many things against her (her master is disliked by the current Rat Dragoneye) she attempts to become the new Rat Dragoneye apprentice, only, the results aren’t exactly what she or anyone else expected. 

    Intriguing; when you read a book and you can’t stop reading it, and you spend time obsessing about it when you’re not reading it. I whizzed through this story; it wasn’t only the plot that kept me hooked, but there is something about Alison’s writing that’s engrossing, and it allowed me to become lost in the pages. 

    With the amount of world-building that went into this book, I’m not surprised that it’s over 500 pages, but the good thing is that it doesn’t seem as thought its over 500 pages because it doesn’t drag or bog you down. For that matter, after reading the story, the world seemed so entwined in Eona and her role that it came alive in my mind and I can tell you, long after I shut the book, what the world is like. I love it when worlds stick with you after the end. 

    Eon is a flawed character, and there were times when I was frustrated with her, but never did I consider putting the book aside because I also found myself rooting for her, there is something hopeful about her character and you can’t help but cross your fingers and wish for the best outcome. All the characters were well rounded and three dimensional, even some of the minor characters were very interesting to me. 

    One of the appealing things about this book is the fantasy element. Alison Goodman did a great job integrating asian folklore and making it her own. It takes an impressive amount of work to build such a solid a world and keep the reader engaged, to strike a balance between world building and character development and Alison found that balance in Eon.

    Publisher: Viking Juvenile || Details →

    Get the book on → Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Books A Million 

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    July 11, 2012