Reviews of Eon by Alison Goodman

Eon

Dragoneye Reborn

by Alison Goodman

Eon by Alison Goodman X
Eon by Alison Goodman
  • Critics' Opinion:

    Readers' Opinion:

  • First Published:
    Dec 2008, 544 pages

    Paperback:
    Aug 2010, 560 pages

    Genres

  • Rate this book


Book Reviewed by:
Beth Hemke Shapiro
Buy This Book

About this Book

Book Summary

Action - a stunning magic system - swordplay galore for ages 12+.

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. After a dazzling sword ceremony, Eon's affinity with the twelve dragons catapults him into the treacherous world of the Imperial court where he makes a powerful enemy, Lord Ido. As tension builds and Eon's desperate lie comes to light, readers won't be able to stop turning the pages . . .

First published in Australia as The Two Pearls of Wisdom.

From the Primer Scrolls of Jion Tzu

No one knows how the first Dragoneyes made their dangerous bargain with the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. The few scrolls and poems that have survived the centuries start the story well after the deal was struck between man and spirit-beast to protect our land. It is rumored, however, that a black folio still exists that tells of the violent beginning and predicts a catastrophic end to the ancient alliance.

The dragons are elemental beings, able to manipulate Hua - the natural energy that exists in all things. Each dragon is aligned with one of the heavenly animals in the twelve-year cycle of power that has run in the same sequence since the beginning of time: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each dragon is also the guardian of one of the twelve celestial directions, and a keeper of one of the Greater Virtues.

Every New Year’s Day the cycle turns, the next animal ...

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Reviews

BookBrowse Review

BookBrowse

With its richly detailed setting and engaging characters, the first installment in the Dragoneye series is a riveting read. Detailing an exotic land that brings to mind an ancient Chinese imperial dynasty, author Alison Goodman uses intricate descriptions of clothing, food, and architecture to create extraordinary depth and believability...continued

Full Review (496 words).

This review is available to non-members for a limited time. For full access, become a member today.

(Reviewed by Beth Hemke Shapiro).

Media Reviews

The Washington Post - Rachel Hartigan Shea
Quickly paced and full of surprising twists, Eon transcends standard fantasy fare.

The London Times (UK)
A refreshing change from the generic. This intelligent, vividly written tale grips from the first page.

Booklist
Starred Review. Eona's pivotal acceptance of her femininity, so ruthlessly repressed by both herself and her culture, gives this intricate fantasy particular weight.

Kirkus Reviews
[T]his adventure, filled with intrigue, friendships, combat and magical allies, is a winner. Ages 12-14.

Parents Express
Fans of Tamora Pierce and Garth Nix will be riveted by this fast-paced gender-bending fantasy. Goodman's rousing mix of swordplay, magic, adventure, and Asian astrology is inventive and enthralling."

Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Enthralled readers will be hard-pressed to wait for the story's second half, Eona:The Last Dragoneye, scheduled for 2010. Ages 12+

Australia Courier Mail
Alison Goodman has created a wonderfully well-rounded story in this, the first of a duology set in a faux Asian world.

Reader Reviews

ULTRA-READER223

Good quality read
This magical fantasy was simply amazing and you can trust me, I have 1150 A.R. points (in other words impressive). This book includes fantastic adjectives and a great plot. I own a personal library but I have something called the "GOLDEN SHELF&...   Read More

Write your own review!

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Beyond the Book

The Chinese Zodiac

Author Alison Goodman models her concept of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune after the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Falling in an established order within the cycle, the animals, according to legend, once bickered over who would head the cycle of years. The gods held a contest to see which animal would first reach the opposite side of the river; that animal would lead the cycle. Although the ox was winning, the rat had ridden across on its back and jumped onto the bank first. The pig swam lazily, lost the race, and consequently fell to last in the twelve-year cycle.

In the Chinese zodiac these animals appear on a circular chart, ...

This "beyond the book" feature is available to non-members for a limited time. Join today for full access.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Readalikes

Read-alikes Full readalike results are for members only

More books by Alison Goodman

If you liked Eon, try these:

  • The Red Wolf Conspiracy jacket

    The Red Wolf Conspiracy

    by Robert V. S. Redick

    Published 2010

    About this book

    More by this author

    The Imperial Merchant Ship Chathrand is the last of her kind. Six hundred years old, the massive vessel dwarfs every other sailing craft in the world. It is on its most vital mission yet: to deliver a woman whose marriage will seal the peace between Arqual and its mortal enemy. But the ship's true mission is not peace but war.

  • Graceling jacket

    Graceling

    by Kristin Cashore

    Published 2009

    About this book

    More by this author

    Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight - she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. And now she is forced to work as the king’s thug. But she never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po...

Non-members are limited to two results. Become a member
Search read-alikes again
How we choose readalikes
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Become a Member

Join BookBrowse today to start discovering exceptional books!

Find out more


Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: A Mystery of Mysteries
    A Mystery of Mysteries
    by Mark Dawidziak
    Edgar Allan Poe biographers have an advantage over other writers because they don't have to come up ...
  • Book Jacket: Moonrise Over New Jessup
    Moonrise Over New Jessup
    by Jamila Minnicks
    Jamila Minnicks' debut novel Moonrise Over New Jessup received the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially...
  • Book Jacket
    The Magician's Daughter
    by H.G. Parry
    "Magic isn't there to be hoarded like dragon's treasure. Magic is kind. It comes into ...
  • Book Jacket: The Great Displacement
    The Great Displacement
    by Jake Bittle
    On August 4, 2021, California's largest single wildfire to date torched through the small mountain ...

Book Club Discussion

Book Jacket
The Nurse's Secret
by Amanda Skenandore
A fascinating historical novel based on the little-known story of America's first nursing school.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    The Last Russian Doll
    by Kristen Loesch

    A haunting epic of betrayal, revenge, and redemption following three generations of Russian women.

  • Book Jacket

    The God of Endings
    by Jacqueline Holland

    A suspenseful debut that weaves a story of love, history and myth through the eyes of one immortal woman.

Who Said...

I have lost all sense of home, having moved about so much. It means to me now only that place where the books are ...

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

R Peter T P P

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.