Eon: Dragoneye Reborn

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn
By Allison Goodman
Viking, 2008. 531 pgs. Teen fiction

In the fantasy world where Eon lives, there are 12 dragons, based on the Chinese zodiac. that affect the political system. While the emperor is the ruler, each dragon has a Dragoneye and an apprentice who will eventually become a Dragoneye. These men can tap their dragons' power and are major players in the country's political system. The apprentices are chosen from a group of hopefuls, selected by the dragons themselves. As the year of the Rat Dragon approaches, Eon hopes to be selected as the apprentice. However, Eon is crippled and, worse, a girl, Eona. Although she is disguised as a boy, if she is found out, she will be killed. Yet, she has the dragon sight, meaning she can see the dragons, and she knows that becoming the apprentice would change her life. What she doesn't know is just how much things will change and how dangerous her situation really is.

I don't consider myself to be a hard-core fantasy reader; I like fantasy like Harry Potter where there's a slow introduction to magical things but there are Muggles and everyday things to relate to. Well, this fantasy is NOT like that; readers are thrown into a foreign world. While it's skillfully developed, for some readers (like me), it will be difficult to follow all the intricacies of the world. However, Eon's struggle to find her place in the world and to stop the kingdom from falling apart is an intriguing story (although, really, it took her a long time to figure out the major point, which I won't mention because I don't want to ruin it). Overall, this might be a big investment for readers who aren't adept fantasy readers, particularly since the sequel is another hundred pages, but for readers who like fantasy, adventure, and a girl dominating in a male world, this is a good choice.

4 stars.