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alboyer6's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book though not as much as the first. The first half of the book dragged a bit but the last half made up for it. Most of book struggles with the concepts of trust and power. Characters live and some die and then it just ends. I was expecting more resolution and hoping for more too, which is what ultimately disappointed me the most. Good but not great.
reddyrat's review against another edition
3.0
If you love high fantasy, you must pick up Eon and Eona by Alison Goodman. Not only does it feature dragons and Asian-influenced culture, but it is chock full of action and emotion. Best of all, it is written by an author with a fabulous (and correctly spelled) name.
I enjoyed Eona, but unfortunately, I did not love it. Eona is 637 pages long. You know how some 600+ page novels fly by? Eona is not one of those. I read the first 215 pages of Eona and then put it down. I was enjoying it, but it was so long that I was more interested in reading other books than in investing the time and energy into 400 more pages. A month later, I picked Eona back up and finished it. I read the book very quickly - not exactly skimming, but not reading every word either.
Other than the length, I don't have a good reason for my impatience with Eona. The book doesn't drag. Alison does an impressive job of inserting an action scene any time the plot even hints at becoming staid. These aren't just fights for the sake of fighting. Every scene in the book is carefully crafted to further the plot - ratcheting up conflict for later in the book until everything is resolved in one final, glorious burst of fireworks.
I can't decide whether I like Eona the girl. She reminds me very much of Katniss, in ways good and bad. She is powerful and capable of great violence. When she isn't in the throes of action, she is dithering and unsure. How should she handle the great responsibility upon her shoulders? Does she want power? Is her first loyalty to the dragons or to the emperor? Should she ally herself with Lord Ido or Kygo? In many ways Eona's indecisiveness makes her a more relateable character. I'm more likely to be friends with her than with Rose Hathaway, who always seems confident. But much of the time, I wanted to shake Eona by the shoulders and shout "Man up, girl!"
Eona falls right into the YA stereotypical romance: a love triangle. It is unusual enough that people who normally hate love triangles might not have a problem with it. Kygo and Eona are the obvious choice for a couple. As Emperor and Mirror Dragoneye, they are relatively equal. They have similar intellects and quickly build a relationship of mutual respect and trust. Well, maybe not trust. Each holds back part of themselves from the other and we always wonder whether Eona likes Kygo for himself or his power - and vice versa. Lord Ido is a much less tasteful choice. He came close to raping Eona in Eon and then murdered all the other dragoneyes. Not exactly an upstanding citizen. But they are drawn to each other. Eona has much to learn from Lord Ido and he is tied to her through her healing powers. The chemistry between the two is explosive. They could benefit well from each other.
I liked the multiple layers of Eona's plot. Not only must they restore Kygo to his rightful position as Emperor, but Eona must decide how to come to terms with her dragoneye power and whether she is best suited for Lord Ido or Kygo. The pass to Emperorship is fraught with physical dangers. Eona's path to love is fraught with moral dangers. No where is the answer clear. None of the characters are blameless or disinterested. It made for a thought provoking novel.
If Eona was 200 pages shorter, I would have adored the book. The length dampened my enthusiasm for the book and made me impatient. It's unfortunate, because the plot and characters are well written, even if Eona did annoy me at times. The novel does include a love triangle, but I thought it was done very well. Eon and Eona may be long, but I still think it is worth reading for any fantasy lover.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
I enjoyed Eona, but unfortunately, I did not love it. Eona is 637 pages long. You know how some 600+ page novels fly by? Eona is not one of those. I read the first 215 pages of Eona and then put it down. I was enjoying it, but it was so long that I was more interested in reading other books than in investing the time and energy into 400 more pages. A month later, I picked Eona back up and finished it. I read the book very quickly - not exactly skimming, but not reading every word either.
Other than the length, I don't have a good reason for my impatience with Eona. The book doesn't drag. Alison does an impressive job of inserting an action scene any time the plot even hints at becoming staid. These aren't just fights for the sake of fighting. Every scene in the book is carefully crafted to further the plot - ratcheting up conflict for later in the book until everything is resolved in one final, glorious burst of fireworks.
I can't decide whether I like Eona the girl. She reminds me very much of Katniss, in ways good and bad. She is powerful and capable of great violence. When she isn't in the throes of action, she is dithering and unsure. How should she handle the great responsibility upon her shoulders? Does she want power? Is her first loyalty to the dragons or to the emperor? Should she ally herself with Lord Ido or Kygo? In many ways Eona's indecisiveness makes her a more relateable character. I'm more likely to be friends with her than with Rose Hathaway, who always seems confident. But much of the time, I wanted to shake Eona by the shoulders and shout "Man up, girl!"
Eona falls right into the YA stereotypical romance: a love triangle. It is unusual enough that people who normally hate love triangles might not have a problem with it. Kygo and Eona are the obvious choice for a couple. As Emperor and Mirror Dragoneye, they are relatively equal. They have similar intellects and quickly build a relationship of mutual respect and trust. Well, maybe not trust. Each holds back part of themselves from the other and we always wonder whether Eona likes Kygo for himself or his power - and vice versa. Lord Ido is a much less tasteful choice. He came close to raping Eona in Eon and then murdered all the other dragoneyes. Not exactly an upstanding citizen. But they are drawn to each other. Eona has much to learn from Lord Ido and he is tied to her through her healing powers. The chemistry between the two is explosive. They could benefit well from each other.
I liked the multiple layers of Eona's plot. Not only must they restore Kygo to his rightful position as Emperor, but Eona must decide how to come to terms with her dragoneye power and whether she is best suited for Lord Ido or Kygo. The pass to Emperorship is fraught with physical dangers. Eona's path to love is fraught with moral dangers. No where is the answer clear. None of the characters are blameless or disinterested. It made for a thought provoking novel.
If Eona was 200 pages shorter, I would have adored the book. The length dampened my enthusiasm for the book and made me impatient. It's unfortunate, because the plot and characters are well written, even if Eona did annoy me at times. The novel does include a love triangle, but I thought it was done very well. Eon and Eona may be long, but I still think it is worth reading for any fantasy lover.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
theemptybox's review against another edition
3.0
A satisfactory ending for this series. The world that Alison created was quite beautiful and full of interesting characters. However, it fell back into the dreadful love triangle trope that took up far too much of Eona's thoughts and pages. The first book was more intricate with it's world building and made me want more. This one felt like a duty to get through just to see how the story of Eona ends.
nourarchive's review against another edition
5.0
“History does not care about the suffering of the individual. Only the outcome of their struggles.”
Can't articulate my thoughts at the moment, but this sequel was too much awesomeness and i was glued to every single page. There was so much in this book to dwell on, the flawed characterizations that i always seek, the games of ambitions and backstabbing, the mythology with unraveled secrets, all this mixed with tons of actions, a heroine to root for and an angsty good romance and a sly villain that makes sense that it's hard not to like or care about.
“Men were always quick to believe in the madness of women.”
Eona is definitely one of the best heroines i've read about. I admired her stubbornness, her faults and how unapologetic she became about her powers and how at the same time, her heart was still in the right place.
The plot is more action-packed, unlike the prodding slowness of the first book (which was understandable to build up the world) this installment is very quest driven, we know what our party want and need. The twists and betrayals near the end pushed the stakes higher and i was on the edge of my seat.
“You have seen me at my worst and at my weakest. Let me show you my best.”
The romance plotline was quite surprising but in a good way, i also dare say that this is the only love triangle that i was enjoying thoroughly. The romantic angst was so good. I have a confession though, while Kygo and Eona are well-rounded characters and i love how the author planted seeds of mistrust and understandable, complex feelings between them; huge part of me was rooting for Ido. I can't help it, there's something about his attitude and his dynamic with Eona that i found ten times sexier than the good lad Kygo. Although i'm on the fence when it comes to Ido's ending, i still don't find his betrayal that surprising, he, afterall, has always been ambitious. It's not often an author can make me like a despicable character in a span of a book, Ido was horrible in the previous installment, but my opinion flipped 360 degrees and he became a character that i was anticipating his appearance on page.
I wanted more of the ending, i think another chapter would've acquiesced my interest. With how things ended, i'm left wondering what will the world be now without the dragons' powers and what will happen between Kygo and Eona, obviously she will be his trusted adviser, but will she be more?
The most heartwarming parts were between Eona and her Dragon, seeing their bond and mutual care makes me emotional.
tani's review against another edition
5.0
More than six years ago, I read the first book of this series. And I really liked it! So, why did it take me six years to read the second? I don't know, take that as a sign of how scattered my reading is. I'm trying to force more focus on it, but we'll see.
Anyway, I loved this book! Obviously, I didn't remember a lot of the details of the first book, and I think it would have been better if I had read the two closer together. It would have given more emotional impact to the story, I'm certain. Still, even with only a vague memory of what happened, I was completely drawn into this book. The action starts quickly and it never lets up. The pacing of this was great. I never wanted to put the book down, and I would find myself reading it for hours at a time, without even debating with myself over whether there was something else I wanted to do.
The questions that this book asked were another big part of why I loved it so much. They addressed power, trust, privilege, pragmatism vs. morals. There were a lot of big questions here, and no easy answers, ever. I found myself just as confounded by the problems that Eona faced as she was. I would wonder, what would I do in a similar situation? The answer, generally, was that I wasn't sure.
I thought that the characters remained a strength as well. There are a lot of strong and interesting characters in this book, each with their own motivations and feelings. Eona is a complex character. She wants to do the right thing, but often is at a loss as to what that is. Or, she's faced with such difficult choices that there is no right choice. She's often at odds with the other characters in this book, which I liked. No one was willing to just wave their hands and forgive Eona for her choices. She had to face the consequences of them, again and again, and I enjoyed that friction. So often, I feel like the character conflicts in books, especially young adult, is kind of manufactured, but I never felt that way here. I did occasionally wish that the other characters could be a little more understanding, but I always understood why they weren't.
Romance was another factor in this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed that as well. Eona finds herself torn between two choices, and it's a very real dilemma, even though on the surface it seems clear cut. I really enjoyed the interplay there, and could completely understand why Eona was torn. It all came back to the overriding issues of trust and power, and I lived the way that linked into everything.
In short, I was a big fan of this book. I wish I hadn't taken so long to read it, but I'm glad that I finally did. It was worth the wait.
Anyway, I loved this book! Obviously, I didn't remember a lot of the details of the first book, and I think it would have been better if I had read the two closer together. It would have given more emotional impact to the story, I'm certain. Still, even with only a vague memory of what happened, I was completely drawn into this book. The action starts quickly and it never lets up. The pacing of this was great. I never wanted to put the book down, and I would find myself reading it for hours at a time, without even debating with myself over whether there was something else I wanted to do.
The questions that this book asked were another big part of why I loved it so much. They addressed power, trust, privilege, pragmatism vs. morals. There were a lot of big questions here, and no easy answers, ever. I found myself just as confounded by the problems that Eona faced as she was. I would wonder, what would I do in a similar situation? The answer, generally, was that I wasn't sure.
I thought that the characters remained a strength as well. There are a lot of strong and interesting characters in this book, each with their own motivations and feelings. Eona is a complex character. She wants to do the right thing, but often is at a loss as to what that is. Or, she's faced with such difficult choices that there is no right choice. She's often at odds with the other characters in this book, which I liked. No one was willing to just wave their hands and forgive Eona for her choices. She had to face the consequences of them, again and again, and I enjoyed that friction. So often, I feel like the character conflicts in books, especially young adult, is kind of manufactured, but I never felt that way here. I did occasionally wish that the other characters could be a little more understanding, but I always understood why they weren't.
Romance was another factor in this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed that as well. Eona finds herself torn between two choices, and it's a very real dilemma, even though on the surface it seems clear cut. I really enjoyed the interplay there, and could completely understand why Eona was torn. It all came back to the overriding issues of trust and power, and I lived the way that linked into everything.
In short, I was a big fan of this book. I wish I hadn't taken so long to read it, but I'm glad that I finally did. It was worth the wait.
jholloed's review against another edition
5.0
Even better than the original, compelling story of a girl figuring herself out. But I love the eastern mideval instead of the western mideval, nice twist.
Ended well and satifying, fine with 2 books, But still leaves plenty of think about
Ended well and satifying, fine with 2 books, But still leaves plenty of think about
cls34's review against another edition
I don’t like when romantic relationships seem to be compelled by magic
zoelinea's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Sexism
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun, escapist read. The pacing seemed uneven, especially during the battle scenes, but I will definitely recommend it to some of my students.