Mayim de Vries's Reviews > Eona: The Last Dragoneye

Not only did I love Eon, also the majority of my personal Board of Reviewers were in agreement that the sequel is even better than its predecessor. As you see, it was not the case of high expectations, it was a case of high certainty that I am in for a real treat. Alas, as they say, nobody expected Spanish Inquisition. By the 200th page, I have changed into the grand Torquemada myself.

While I still admired the amazing world-building (so far I have only encountered something similar in Brian Staveley's The Emperor's Blades), you will agree that even the best scenery, artful props and magnificent and Oscar-worth visual effects will not save a film with bad cast and scenario. Eona suffers on both fronts. Plot-wise, the intrigue was exposed in the previous book, premised explained, all figures set in motion, the main lines drawn and the finishing line beckoned on the clouded horizon. Eona picks up promptly but it is just like a badly done pizza crust: not too long, but definitely longish, sometimes too thick to bite it, in other places so thin that the topping nearly falls through. In Eona some motifs were protracted to the boundary of pain (Kinra), some regurgitated in similar variants over and over again (Kygo), some heralded with great fanfare in order to have negligible effect on the overall story (mother), other just happen and are done with a one-liner (Chart). What is worse, a love triangle appears and the whole captivating story transmutes into a romance-driven drama.

Undeniably, most of these things would not have happened should Eona stayed who she was in the first instalment. Unfortunately, Eona is this kind of heroine whose behaviour depends not on her circumstances but rather on what she wears. The moment she is free to reveal her true identity, the ascendant Dragoneye changes into an insecure, whiny creature driven by an emotional tsunami. Oh of course, because she is wearing a skirt, so it is a must. Makes total sense.

For me the key quote from this book is "Eona why are you creating problem where there is none?" Half of everything that happens on the 600+ pages of this book happens because Eona behaves like a pregnant woman on steroids. Which is anything but the protagonist I came to love and admire in Eon.

Ido was by far the most interesting character in Eona, the most wholesome, credible and complex without becoming his own caricature (like Sethon). To the contrary, fans of Dela (count me in) will have reasons to complain as she is pushed into the shadow. Similarly fans of Kygo, who suffers because of the opposite shift, into the forefront, and becomes a dictionary version of an emperor-in-waiting.

Overall, 3 solid stars with a soft cinnamon sadness of a remembered bond.

Book 1: Eon: Dragoneye Reborn ★★★★★