Many YA novel plots also boast political intrigue, but this is probably one of the few I’ve come across that had delivered on that promise, and better yet, the consequences actually mattered and had a profound impact.Īlso, the fact there wasn’t an overt romantic side plot was to me a feature, not a bug. The setting Alison Goodman has created is absolutely gorgeous, with a heavy Far Eastern flavor but also bolstered with her own creative touches, the world’s magical history and dragon lore being one of the many highlights. You probably want to know about the juicier bits, like with the magic and the dragons, the action and the epic sword fights. I was surprised that for a young adult novel, especially one which supposedly is just about a girl pretending to be a boy, the themes in it are surprisingly layered.īut okay, enough waxing philosophical from me.
What struck me with regards to Eon/Eona’s story is the author’s approach to the concept of masculine and feminine energies, and what that ultimately meant for the character and the dragon that chose her. Another one to remember is male and female. Used to describe complementary forces rather than opposing ones, it has also been applied to the many natural dualities found in our everyday life - light and dark, fire and water, the sun and the moon, life and death, and so on and so forth. In Chinese philosophy too, the concept of yin and yang is an important one. There are twelve energy dragons, for example, each associated with an animal of the Chinese zodiac – rat, ox, tiger, etc.
In the world of Eon: Dragoneye Reborn, the influence of Chinese and Japanese mythological traditions makes itself apparent from the start.
Stories involving girls disguised as boys are certainly nothing new, so what made this one special? Well, I suppose I’ve always enjoyed fantasy inspired by Asian cultures. If anyone discovered her secret, she would be killed on the spot. In truth, Eon is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl masquerading as a boy because females are prohibited from using dragon magic. But there is more to Eon than meets the eye. To be chosen by one of the twelve revered energy dragons of good fortune is a great honor each year many boys vie for the position to serve as the conduit between the dragons and the mortal world. The world knows our main protagonist as Eon, a twelve-year-old boy training hard to be the next Dragoneye apprentice. Publisher: Viking Children’s Books (December 26, 2008) YA Weekend: Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman
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