Eona: The Last Dragoneye
By Alison Goodman
*Caution: This review contains spoilers for EON (book 1).
Summary
After discovering that the Mirror Dragon was actually a female, and revealing that she herself is also female, Eona is now on the run with the resistance. High Lord Sethon has taken over the empire, and has the only remaining Dragoneye – evil Lord Ido – in captivity. Now Eona, Ryko and Dela must overcome insurmountable odds and find the true heir to the throne so that they can take back the empire from Sethon. But can an untrained Dragoneye and a small number of resistance fighters really accomplish such a grand feat without any assistance?
Review
In Eona: The Last Dragoneye, Alison Goodman continues to build on the rich and layered universe that she created in Eon, the first book in the Dragoneye series. This time Eona is away from the palace and her journey takes us through a variety of settings in the Empire. The story starts out with plenty of action right off the bat, and as Eona and her friends travel across the countryside there are many battles along the way. Despite all the battles and action scenes, I did find the middle of the story a bit long and slow to get through. There is a nice twist that I wasn’t expecting at the end, and I was happy with where the story left off.
The characters in Eona are darker and possibly less likable than they were in EON, but with the Empire having fallen, times are harder, and as they are hunted by rebels at every turn, it makes sense that they would have to develop their darker sides in order to survive the hardships that seem to be following them.
Many interesting gender issues are touched upon, as Eona who spent the first novel desperately trying to pass herself off as male has to learn to play the role of a woman, and Dela who spent the first novel as a man presenting himself as a woman is now playing the role of a man. The struggle between ultimate power and right and wrong is also explored in detail, which always makes for fascinating reading.
Verdict
While not quite as captivating as Eon, Eona is an enjoyable read, and closes Eona’s story satisfactorily.
*I received this book for review from the publisher.
