Eon's Feminist Message Takes Flight

 


It was the best theme ever that you could have for a book club month (besides fairies) DRAGONS. 

There were so many books to choose from on the list but I knew I didn't want a cliche dragon story about a shifter or something like that so one of the members recommended Eon to us. I picked it up and started to read. 


NON-SPOILER: Eon is about a 12 year old boy who trains with other proteges in hopes of becoming Dragoneyes for their country. In order to become a Dragoneye, they must be chosen by a dragon. This year, the Rat Dragon is choosing. (The dragons are based on the dragon zodiac calendar, so the dragon dragon is called the Mirror Dragon.) Unbeknownst to others, Eon is actually a 16 year old girl, Eona. She must hide her identity, however, because women are not supposed to be Dragoneyes and the consequences can be dire. During the ceremony, she is chosen by a dragon and becomes a Dragoneye apprentice, living it up in the Emperor's home until she unveils a plot against the emperor and the crown. 

WHAT I LIKED: I was totally digging the Mulan vibe which is why I wanted to read it in the first place. I also love all the detail about dragons and Chinese culture that went into this book. The people themselves do not shift into dragons, but instead have a bond with their dragon spirit. 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The villain of the entire novel is evident from the very beginning so there's no real twist there. Also, the big "plot twist" was evident from the very beginning. I would've liked more of a surprise but there wasn't. 

OVERALL RATING: 4 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend for fans of Mulan, dragons, and feminism! 

******* 🐉 


SPOILERS! 

WHAT I LIKED: As mentioned above, the whole dragon culture thing is very thought out and evident throughout the novel. There was a lot of research put into it. Obviously it doesn't mirror Chinese culture exactly but rather takes inspiration from it. Eona is such a good character. Yes, she can be annoying at times but we all have our flaws. My favorite character, however, is actually the transgender concubine in the Emperor's Court. (It's been a while since I've read the book so unfortunately I don't remember her name.)  I also liked that there was no imminent romance ANYWHERE in the book between Eona and the Prince. It's refreshing to have a book without romance once in a while. 

Also, in her showdown between her and Iro, she easily could've kicked his butt but she didn't! She used his emotions against him. It's such a smart move because throughout the whole book they say how women are weak and have no power because they have so many emotions and she just totally used it against him! DOWN WITH THE PATRIARCHY! 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The whole "name of the dragon" thing was drawn out for waaaaaay too long. I guessed it was Eona (you know, 'cause of it being the MIRROR DRAGON and a FEMALE) and knew the name by the first part of the book. I feel like it should have been less obvious to be a major plot twist. 

Eona, she's great but the SUN DRUG. I wanted to strangle her at times for her thinking that she needed to take more of it in order to connect with her FEMALE dragon. HELLO EONA! So that's not really a writing thing but more of just an "Eona" thing that I found annoying. 

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