Eon: Dragoneye Reborn [Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged] [MP3 CD]

Alison Goodman (Author), Nancy Wu (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 26, 2008

Twelve-year-old Eon has been in training for years. His intensive study of Dragon Magic, based on East Asian astrology, involves two kinds of skills: sword-work and magical aptitude. He and his master hope that he will be chosen as a Dragoneye – an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But Eon has a dangerous secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been masquerading as a boy for the chance to become a Dragoneye. Females are forbidden to use Dragon Magic; if anyone discovers she has been hiding in plain sight, her death is assured. When Eon’s secret threatens to come to light, she and her allies are plunged into grave danger and a deadly struggle for the Imperial throne. Eon must find the strength and inner power to battle those who want to take her magic...and her life.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up—In this Asian-inspired fantasy world, political power belongs to the emperor, but also to the Dragoneyes: men who harness the power of the 12 energy dragons named for animals from the Chinese zodiac. Each year, a new one comes to power, and the dragon itself chooses a new apprentice from a pool of 12-year-old boys. Physically lame Eon is thought least likely to be chosen and also has a secret: Eon is truly Eona, a 16-year-old girl. At the ceremony, the Rat Dragon chooses fellow trainee Dillon for the role of apprentice. Eon thinks that all is lost until she sees a dragon no one has seen in 400 years: the Dragon Dragon—also known as the Mirror Dragon. The Mirror Dragon chooses Eon as an apprentice, and because there is no current Mirror Dragoneye, she must serve on the Dragoneye Council herself. She is thus plunged into the dangerous world of the court, which is sharply divided between the emperor and ruthless Lord Ido, the powerful Rat Dragoneye. Fans of Tamora Pierce will appreciate both the strong female protagonist and the cast of shrewd misfits who support her. Although the pace is initially slow, patient readers will be rewarded with high-stakes action in a well-crafted fantasy universe. A second volume will follow, but this one has an ending satisfying enough that readers will not feel cheated.—Megan Honig, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Bookmarks Magazine

Since J. K. Rowling's ascendance to the throne of young-adult fantasy (and the recent challenge to the throne waged by Stephanie Meyer and her Twilight series), the genre has made significant inroads into mainstream fiction. In Eon: Dragoneye Reborn, first published in Australia, Alison Goodman takes advantage of that interest, crafting a tale full of the elements that have become familiar to readers -- and a few that haven't, particularly her clever take on gender and identity. Goodman is a fine storyteller, turning what could have been boilerplate fantasy into something engaging and important. Only one critic commented on a lack of tension. Eon will appeal to both adolescents and adults, and readers of both types will certainly clamor for the planned sequel.
Copyright 2009 Bookmarks Publishing LLC --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• MP3 CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on MP3-CD; MP3 Una edition (December 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423379578
• ISBN-13: 978-1423379577
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (107 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,323,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great concept, sags a little in the middle, still worth reading, December 19, 2008

By 

Storylover (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Eon: Dragoneye Reborn (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

This is a very engaging novel about a young girl who is forced to live her life as a young man in order to fulfill her destiny. It is a coming of age story, like many great works of fiction in the young adult fantasy genre. Alas, this novel is certainly good, but not great: the story is exceedingly predictable. This in itself if not a reason not to read the book--there is definitely some comfort in understanding exactly what you are getting when you pick up a book--mysteriously gifted young person unfairly kept down by circumstances out of their control, young person's potential finally recognized by those around them, a dire secret keeps young person's full capacity from saving them from a certain doom, young person goes on a journey of personal discovery to become who they really are. This plot works for Harry Potter, for Star Wars, and for Snow White. So, not much there that you haven't seen before...but the trappings, and the journey itself are quite nice. I haven't read much recent YA fiction set in China (although technically, this is a made-up country, not China itself, the tone is very Chinese with occasional bits of Japanese influence thrown in), although the current Temeraire series (see Temeraire Vol 1-3 Box Set With Bonus Poster)has a very very charming Chinese dragon in it, and one novel takes place in China. The historical details are quite interesting, and nicely done. The writer has a light touch, and although I felt on occasion that she gave away too much too quickly in the beginning, overall she was very readable. Both my wife and I read this book, and we both ended up satisfied with the ending, which was very very exciting. We had a hard time putting the book down for the last 100 pages or so, and by the last page, I was out of breath. Unfortunately, we also both agreed that the middle section could have been edited down significantly to make a tighter story. The task that the heroine needed to accomplish was so obvious to readers that watching her struggle through the problem was dull and frustrating. It was important to the plot that this struggle not seem overly facile, but I think that about 250 pages in the middle might have been condensed to about 125 and it still might have been a bit saggy.

This is not going to be the next HP--there may not be another one of those for a hundred years, to be honest. But there is no shame in not being HP. This book is a fun, at times thrilling adventure, full of heart and intrigue, and with an excellent ending and very engaging characters. Eon, Lady Dala, and Ryko are all folks I would like to get to know better in the next book, and I confess that by the end, even the "villain" Lord Ido gained some real appeal as a character. I confess that I am quite looking forward to the sequel--I will be buying it as soon as I see it!

If you are a fan of young heroines, a fan of Chinese flavored fantasy, and are willing to embrace a truly fascinating vision of dragons, this book will certainly satisfy. If you are looking for true originality...well, there is enough new here to make things interesting for a time, but you may loose interest about 200 pages in. I encourage you to march on through, because the ending is a wonderful ride.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Writing. Good Story. Difficult Ending., November 16, 2008

By 

B. Merritt "filmreviewstew.com" (WWW.FILMREVIEWSTEW.COM, Pacific Grove, California United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eon: Dragoneye Reborn (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

EON DRAGONEYE REBORN is a fantasy-action, swordplay novel dealing with Eastern culture and mythical dragons. At its core is the study of how female culture was subdued only to break through in times of desperate need.

The dragon culture of the novel permeates throughout, but only for the masculine ...that is until Eon (actually a teenage girl known secretively as Eona) fights her way into the fire-breathing realm. Mystical and not-just-a-bit enchanting, Eon is an interesting read that plunges the reader deeper and deeper into this nearly fairytale land. Author Alison Goodman (a woman writing in a sword and sorcery action novel?!) is to be commended for her ability to keep the reader engrossed in the story, especially as Eon/Eona falls and falls and falls, giving us a sense of dread that keeps getting upped as the novel progresses.

Death is ever-present in the story, too, as favorite characters get poisoned, beheaded or run-through with sharp blades. The main antagonist is a deeply disturbed dragon master named Ido who's lust for power might hold the key to Eon's life and his/her ability to call the Mirror Dragon, a beast that hasn't been seen for many years and is, apparently, a female dragon too.

The big battle that ensues toward the end of the novel is interesting but pretty transparent (I knew how Eon could call up his/her dragon about halfway through the story).

The other annoying part of the story is how it ends; obviously a tie-in for a future book. Although I accept this ending, it was bothersome to not learn what had happened to a few characters by the end of this story rather than (forcibly?) pulling it into a sequel.

Also, there were just a few too many kowtowings going on. I understand the need for decorum within such a culture, but it caused the story to drag at times.

But all-in-all the depth of the tale and the extreme struggles that Eon/Eona had to go through kept me reading, as did some nicely worded fight scenes. A good read; it just bugs me that I now have to wait to read what happens to these characters when I feel Mrs. Goodman could've given us more on the characters and a few less ceremonial kowtows.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Read!, August 24, 2009

By 

Mimi DiFrancesca "lightseven" (Michigan USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eon: Dragoneye Reborn (Hardcover)

How I do so wish that book reviewers would start eating more fiber in their diets. "8th Grade and up" Ya know, The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings was originally considered a children's story as well. Let's all get over the "Young Readers" badge of shame that keeps adults from reading a good story.Perhaps it got it's Young Reader status because it doesn't drop the F bomb or depict explicit sex and gratuitous violence? Ignore all that, find a comfy sofa and a good reading lamp and sit down to a very enjoyable day of storytelling.

Eon is a VERY well written story that weaves together Chinese horoscope/dragon/political intrigue/gender bias and other themes beautifully.

Well done Allison and I look forward to the next installment. Say hello to The Fairy Tree in Fitzroy Gardens for me - Melbourne is my most favorite city on Earth.

This REALLY needs to be a movie. Move over Eragon.