Eona by Alison Goodman

Eona, by Alison Goodman, begins where the first book, Eon, left off with the ten dragoneyes murdered and the ruling emperor, Kygo, being overthrown by his uncle, Lord Sethon whose coup was aided by Lord Ido, the last male dragoneye. Sethon fears Ido's power and has him imprisoned. Meanwhile, Eona, the first female dragoneye in one hundred years, has cast off her masquerade as a boy and discovers she cannot control her dragon power without the help of Lord Ido. Ironically she has to free him so she can learn to control her dragon and block the 10 grieving dragons that rush her when she links with her dragon. Emperor Kygo wants his throne back and needs the power of the two dragoneyes to get it. A love triangle between Eona, Kygo, and Ido ensue where Eona must learn who she can trust.

The action in the book is nonstop with a heavy dose of romance in the love triangle. The characters are complex and embody good and evil with only Lord Sethon being completely evil. The internal conflicts and plot twists make the story interesting and engaging. The writing is well done and Eona is a strong character who tries to do the right thing. The author does a nice job tackling eastern culture. I would have liked more exploration of what it was like for Eona to be female (after masquerading as a male for 16 years) in a male dominated society. Goodman does some when Eona is chosen as a naiso. 

This book is for an older audience than the first book, Eon, and has more sexuality, torture, and violence. While there is no sex, Eona controls Ido by tapping into the energies of his sexual side. It might be too confusing for younger readers because it happens when Eona and Ido enter an alternate, energy realm. There is a little swearing at the end which stood out because there wasn't any earlier in the book.  Fans of Graceling, by Kristin Cashore, will like this book.

Young Adult

:-) :-) :-) 3.5 out of 5 Smileys