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knihomila's review against another edition
4.0
Eon je totálna krava. Keby je Eona od začiatku, tak je to dokonalá Fantasy. Ale malo to tak byť, tak budiš :D
eesh25's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
Twelve-year-old Eon has been in training for years. His intensive study of Dragon Magic, based on East Asian astrology, involves two kinds of skills: sword-work and magical aptitude. 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 boy for the chance to become a Dragoneye. Females are forbidden to use Dragon Magic; if anyone discovers she has been hiding in plain sight, her death is assured.
And I got this synopsis right from the Goodreads page. The world is complicated and has so many aspects to it, I couldn't figure out the best way to phrase things so that they actually make sense.
The world that Alison Goodman has introduced is fascinating and unique and is, quite honestly, the best part of the book. The characters are also very well-developed and distinct. Some of them are very likable and the villain is sufficiently loathsome. Unfortunately, the protagonist Eon, or Eona, is not one of those likable characters.
She lies a lot, is constantly afraid and struggles to find a backbone. She also whines and is overall a pretty. But that can be excused by saying that the series is her journey to becoming awesome (I'm hoping for that in the sequel). But it doesn't excuse how dull she was. She spent so long trying to find the solution to a problem (a solution that was so fucking obvious), all the while doing every wrong thing she could. She didn't even figure it out later on. Someone else did.
That "solution" was the problem with the second half of the book that made reading frustrating. The problem with the first half was that it was very slow. I struggled to get through it.
The final twenty percent was easily the best portion of the book even if I do have mixed feeling about some things. I still want to read the sequel. It was the reason I read this book, to read the sequel. I've been excited about the sequel ever since I read this book's synopsis (it's strange, I know).
One last thing I want to mention is the "chosen one" trope. It could've been done better. I think I'll discuss the trope in a separate article/rant.
Finally, I'll say that if you're patient, a fan of high-fantasy and want to read about a cool new world, you should give this book a shot.
mallikadesai's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. The Ancient China-Dragon theme was great. The book was long and had lots of details.
meg_beatty_jr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
rattledragons's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
annashiv's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
It was okay, but has some serious problems, mainly with the characters.
The writing is actually pretty good, and the pacing was spot on and was ultimately what kept me reading, but the main character is just so stupid. It takes her forever to figure out the most obvious things, and I think it's because the author chose to reveal too much too quickly. I think she was eager to explain this world and set it up so she could prove she knew what she was doing, but it made everything extremely predictable. There wasn't a single surprise other than the deaths of characters, which weren't all that shocking. I don't think the front of the book should list what each dragon is the keeper of and I didn't find the map all that helpful. Knowing the Mirror Dragon was the keeper of truth just made everything super obvious which made it annoying that the character couldn't figure it out.
The author really holds your hand through the entirety, and it just made the book so much worse. I think 30% of it could have been cut, mainly the internal dialogue the character has with herself and the comparisons of events to previous events. It just really doesn't allow the reader to be tested or be smart because you're told who you can trust immediately and we're given every step of every little thing, and it just made it all seem forced rather than naturally impactful.
Overall, it was just fine. It held my interest and had an interesting concept, but I think it was poorly executed in the end. I won't be picking up the second book. Mostly because I just doubt Eona's going to get all that much smarter.
It was okay, but has some serious problems, mainly with the characters.
The writing is actually pretty good, and the pacing was spot on and was ultimately what kept me reading, but the main character is just so stupid. It takes her forever to figure out the most obvious things, and I think it's because the author chose to reveal too much too quickly. I think she was eager to explain this world and set it up so she could prove she knew what she was doing, but it made everything extremely predictable. There wasn't a single surprise other than the deaths of characters, which weren't all that shocking. I don't think the front of the book should list what each dragon is the keeper of and I didn't find the map all that helpful. Knowing the Mirror Dragon was the keeper of truth just made everything super obvious which made it annoying that the character couldn't figure it out.
The author really holds your hand through the entirety, and it just made the book so much worse. I think 30% of it could have been cut, mainly the internal dialogue the character has with herself and the comparisons of events to previous events. It just really doesn't allow the reader to be tested or be smart because you're told who you can trust immediately and we're given every step of every little thing, and it just made it all seem forced rather than naturally impactful.
Overall, it was just fine. It held my interest and had an interesting concept, but I think it was poorly executed in the end. I won't be picking up the second book. Mostly because I just doubt Eona's going to get all that much smarter.
queenoferebor's review against another edition
3.0
Había oído tantas cosas buenas sobre el libro, que me esperaba otra cosa. En general, es un buen libro, aunque quizás demasiado lento durante las tres primeras partes en las que se dedica a la construcción del mundo fantástico.
El punto a favor más importante es la protagonista, desde luego. Una niña que se hace pasar por niño para poder labrarse un futuro. El malo malísimo, el Señor Ido, también es un personaje muy interesante, de estos que dices "ay, qué gusto da odiarlo". La mitología y el ambiente alejado del centralismo europeo de la novela fantástica también es un punto muy a tener en cuenta si quieres alejarte de la típica novela fantástica de con aires a la Europa de la edad media.
El punto a favor más importante es la protagonista, desde luego. Una niña que se hace pasar por niño para poder labrarse un futuro. El malo malísimo, el Señor Ido, también es un personaje muy interesante, de estos que dices "ay, qué gusto da odiarlo". La mitología y el ambiente alejado del centralismo europeo de la novela fantástica también es un punto muy a tener en cuenta si quieres alejarte de la típica novela fantástica de con aires a la Europa de la edad media.
beepatriz's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
0.5
Holy crap this was so bad. So much potential wasted by poor writing.
byp's review against another edition
3.0
I've never seen such complex ideas about gender identity and gender performance in a YA book. Hell, rarely even in adult books!
araym007's review against another edition
4.0
Just re-read this book and it was just as addicting as the first time through. Heavy on the mythology, which I loved and a great sense of adventure throughout. Complex characters were developed amazingly well and were my favorite part of the book.