Review of Eona by Alison Goodman

Viking Juvenile

Eona: (Eon: Book 2)

Alison Goodman

4 Scribbles
spoiler alert!

Eon returns to the stage as her true self, Eona, female Mirror Dragoneye in the service of the Pearl Emperor, Kygo, who is fighting to regain his throne. In order to win the fight against the imposter Emperor, Lord Sethon, Eona must discover how to control her connection with the Mirror Dragon and her power, otherwise, innocent people nearby will die. In her quest for mastery, she and her companions discover that the struggle for the throne might not be the only battle they face.

From the start, Eona struggles with sharing secrets and with each choice she makes, partly because she lacks trust in other human beings; clearly her lack of trust is understandable given her childhood and maiming. Although the reader may find it frustrating that she cannot share everything with Kygo, especially since she is fighting for him, it does show a more human side to Eona—that just because she is the heroine, she doesn’t have to be decisive and perfect—being loyal is enough. What the reader may not understand is the relationship that develops between Eona and Ido. The reader will be shocked to see that Goodman develops the theme "absolute power corrupts absolutely" by causing Eona to be physically attracted to Lord Ion. It seems a bit far-fetched that any woman, especially one so badly abused as Eona, would choose to become intimate in any form with someone who previously tried to rape her! Thus, the love triangle between Eona, Kygo and Lord Ion that the author attempts to develop is unconvincing at best. As in book one plot twists abound, sword fights and bloodletting are plentiful, and the tension builds in every chapter. Those who have not read book one will likely want to read that book first; it might be difficult to jump into the story and understand its complexity without the background. And, just as in the first book some characters are cross-dressers or eunuchs, so it may be a bit controversial to those not comfortable reading Asian-themed action epics. Overall, Eona is a satisfying conclusion to this epic action adventure.