Review: Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman

Last word first: (5/5) A strong protagonist, a compelling story, and a setting that will pull you right in.

Description: Eon has been studying the ancient art of Dragon Magic for four years, hoping he'll be able to apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But he also has a dark secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been living a dangerous lie for the chance to become a Dragoneye, the human link to an energy dragon's power. It is forbidden for females to practice the Dragon Magic and if discovered Eon faces a terrible death. (from Goodreads)

My thoughts: Eon had be hooked almost from the first page. This is a book with well-developed characters, an absorbing storyline and a beautiful setting. Add that to great writing and compelling themes and you've got yourself a winner.

This book reminded me a lot of the Alanna and Keladry books by Tamora Pierce, and I think it will really appeal to fans of those series. Eon is a similar character type. She's a woman seeking, at great personal risk, to succeed in an area dominated by men. She didn't always make great decisions, and I occasionally wanted to yell at her (have you noticed I tend to get REALLY involved with the protagonist when I'm reading?) when she was missing what was right in front of her. But I was still rooting for her to suceed. A sixteen year old girl, pretending to be a twelve year old boy, attempting to survive in a complex political environment for which she could not possibly have been prepared. Can we say underdog? Love it.

The setting deserves it's own paragraph. Goodman has put together a beautifully crafted, Asian-inspired backdrop to her story. Her word pictures bring the temples, gardens and marketplaces to life in a way that made me feel like I was there. There is something so gorgeously foreign (to me, at least) about this world that I was completely sucked in. I admit I have also devoured the details of her research the Alison Goodman has included at her site. In Australia, this book was originally entitled The Two Pearls of Wisdom, and had a very different cover which really conveyed the exotic feel of the setting. It might not be as compelling as the North American cover, but I still like it.

What really gives this book the staying power I think it will have for me are the themes. Eon has to face and accept herself in order to succeed, even though it takes her forever to figure that out. Honesty, bravery, responsibility and acceptance are all explored in a way that makes this a book I want my kids to read when they're old enough. This book will likely appeal mostly to girls and women, but I think guys would enjoy it too.

Though I borrowed this one from the library, I'm definitely planning to pick up a hardcover copy for my personal shelf. This is a story with tons of reread potential, and one I'll want to force my friends to read. Five stars! The only problem is that the ending was a little bit of a cliffhanger, and now I am doomed to remain in suspense until sometime next year when the sequel comes out.

About Alison Goodman: Alison lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband, Ron, and their Machiavellian Jack Russell Terrier, Xander. She was the 1999 D.J. O’Hearn Memorial Fellow at Melbourne University, holds a Master of Arts, and teaches creative writing at postgraduate level. Alison is currently working on the sequel to The Two Pearls of Wisdom/EON. (from the bio on her website)

Second opinions:

Em's Bookshelf gave it 4 stars.

Melissa @ One Librarian's Book Reviews says "setting and details were gorgeous."

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