Plot: Eon, a candidate to become the powerful sorcerer Rat Dragoneye, has a secret: he is actually a teenage girl masquerading as a young boy. When the unthinkable happens, Eona is plunged into a world of formality and politics and must struggle to keep her true identity secret, or face the worst imaginable consequences.
Comments: I really enjoyed reading this book! I love fantasies like this. The dragons resemble the zodiac and the setting is somewhat Asian - and I must admit I am obsessed with dragons and Asian culture, so this story was a perfect fit! At first, I didn't like Eona that much; she was a bit of a whiner and a little wimpy, unable to do anything without someone guiding her every move. But she soon began voicing her own opinions and proved herself a sharp and strong-willed young woman, which I always admire in characters.
It's hard to say who my favorite character in this book was. Obviously I liked Eona (more and more as the book progressed), but I also felt attached to Lady Dela and her bodyguard (I've forgotten his name, which makes me feel bad, but I can't find it anywhere on the internet and I already returned the book). Lady Dela is a woman with a man's body, and a very supportive character to Eona. I love how clever she is, and how well she plays the political games in the palace. Lady Dela's bodyguard is a physically powerful and protective man, and he proves to be a kind-hearted person - though when he needs to be, he can turn into a cold-hearted killer. I didn't appreciate how he acted towards Eona when he learned her secret, even though he had trusted her and felt betrayed. The character I didn't like was Ido, the antagonist. Yes, I know you aren't supposed to like the antagonist, but I mean I didn't like the way he was portrayed. Ido felt like a generic villian, like a copy out of a mold; he wasn't very original. I think Alison Goodman could have spent more time creating him.
I also think the author could have spent less time describing everything. Personally, I like to use my imagination a little bit, so when every little detail is laid out for me, I get bored trawling through it all, so I tend to skip. I must admit that I skipped quite a lot in this book - sometimes whole pages - and I don't feel guilty about it, either. I'm not about to read a book that's uninteresting, so I'll skip the boring parts to get to the interesting parts. I think that because this story isn't set in the modern world, the author felt the need to explain what everything was like, but I still believe that less is more in some cases. Sometimes simplicity is a blessing. Another thing: Eona had way too much doubt in herself. It got to the point that I was waiting for her to have another panic attack, another self-guilt session. Frankly, it was annoying.
Rating: I rate this book a six and a half out of ten. Great story - the parts that I actually read, at least.
Comments: I really enjoyed reading this book! I love fantasies like this. The dragons resemble the zodiac and the setting is somewhat Asian - and I must admit I am obsessed with dragons and Asian culture, so this story was a perfect fit! At first, I didn't like Eona that much; she was a bit of a whiner and a little wimpy, unable to do anything without someone guiding her every move. But she soon began voicing her own opinions and proved herself a sharp and strong-willed young woman, which I always admire in characters.
It's hard to say who my favorite character in this book was. Obviously I liked Eona (more and more as the book progressed), but I also felt attached to Lady Dela and her bodyguard (I've forgotten his name, which makes me feel bad, but I can't find it anywhere on the internet and I already returned the book). Lady Dela is a woman with a man's body, and a very supportive character to Eona. I love how clever she is, and how well she plays the political games in the palace. Lady Dela's bodyguard is a physically powerful and protective man, and he proves to be a kind-hearted person - though when he needs to be, he can turn into a cold-hearted killer. I didn't appreciate how he acted towards Eona when he learned her secret, even though he had trusted her and felt betrayed. The character I didn't like was Ido, the antagonist. Yes, I know you aren't supposed to like the antagonist, but I mean I didn't like the way he was portrayed. Ido felt like a generic villian, like a copy out of a mold; he wasn't very original. I think Alison Goodman could have spent more time creating him.
I also think the author could have spent less time describing everything. Personally, I like to use my imagination a little bit, so when every little detail is laid out for me, I get bored trawling through it all, so I tend to skip. I must admit that I skipped quite a lot in this book - sometimes whole pages - and I don't feel guilty about it, either. I'm not about to read a book that's uninteresting, so I'll skip the boring parts to get to the interesting parts. I think that because this story isn't set in the modern world, the author felt the need to explain what everything was like, but I still believe that less is more in some cases. Sometimes simplicity is a blessing. Another thing: Eona had way too much doubt in herself. It got to the point that I was waiting for her to have another panic attack, another self-guilt session. Frankly, it was annoying.
Rating: I rate this book a six and a half out of ten. Great story - the parts that I actually read, at least.
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