Please Don't Read This Book

Such lovely reviews!

Such a lovely review for LIKE PICKLE JUICE ON A COOKIE this morning, at www.books4yourkids.com.  Won't you please check it out?  It's making me very happy!

Inside Scoop: The Evolution of the PICKLE JUICE Cover

 

The Creative Director of Abrams Books, Chad Beckerman, has a terrific blog where he sometimes discusses the evolution of book covers that he's worked on.  I've always loved those posts--and now there's one for LIKE PICKLE JUICE ON A COOKIE!  Please check it out:  http://cwdesigner.blogspot.com/2010/11/evolution-of-like-pickle-juice-on.html.  Pay special attention to the list of titles that were considered; some of them really made me laugh.

 

Eona

Eona – Alison Goodman

M: Annie and I are back for more EON/EONA talk. If you missed the first part, catch up here: EON review. Are you back? Oh, good! Let's continue. *Warning: possible spoilers ahead.* When we last left her, Eona (now Lady Eona) was 'out' as a woman and the entire nation was up in arms. Wars, battles, mutinies, political coups - you name it. Having escaped the palace, Prince Kygo must fight his uncle (with the help of the resistance, which includes Lady Dela and Ryko) for the right to be Emperor once again. Lady Eona is saddled with a mass of new duties that she is not prepared for, the biggest of which is being a symbol for the resistance.  Not to mention her growing feelings for Prince Kygo, which are not at all PG (oh, yes, pages were re-read a couple of times).

I was so (so) very happy that I didn't have to wait a year to read this sequel. As soon as I finished EON I reached over and started EONA, so I just slipped into the story once again - so much so that I'm having difficulty recalling what happened in book one versus book two (as I just remember everything as one long, cohesive story).

So let's start with a few things I was really happy to see. First off, Lord Ido. Wait, what? I was happy to see Lord Ido? Wasn't he the bad guy???  Be quiet. Yes he was. Now hear me out. Lord Ido is a very interesting character to keep. Really he should be dead, but that would mean spending the entire second book introducing a new villain. And although Lord Sethon is not a new villain per say, he is not as well developed; and we don't know/hate him as we do Ido. By keeping Lord Ido, Goodman uses him to expand on the villainy of Lord Sethon. Not to mention that by keeping Lord Ido, Goodman showed him in a whole new light.  At moments I as a reader felt swayed by his words and his actions. I was right there with Eona in her confusion and apprehension.  And I was a bit intrigued by his actions. Very well done. Annie?

A: At least one of us didn’t have to wait forever to read it! Anyways, the second book really does start right up from where the last one ended (probably because the last book ended on a cliffhanger moment. Sigh – authors kill me when they do that). So if it has been some time since you read the first one, you might want to read at least the last couple of chapters of EON again. I know I had a few issues getting back into the story – not because it was poorly written, but because I was trying to remember everything that had happened as I got thrown back in the action.  There’s none of that jaunty lead-up that some books have to recap all the previous events.

I definitely didn’t think Lord Ido is quite the same character in EONA as he was in EON.  He is much more compelling in this novel – his development, as you said, provides a whole new meaning to his actions. It makes him less a villain and provides Eona an alternate path for resolution, which definitely added a good amount of sexual tension that also acted as a tool for Eona’s self-awareness. And you’re right: Sethon is actually a pretty weak character and wouldn’t work at all without Ido there.  There just isn’t much to him other than as a catalyst for Eona to develop her relationships and understand herself and, with that, her dragon.  You need to hate Sethon for what he’s done and what he is doing, but you need complexity in the plot (which Goodman provides in heaps) so that it doesn’t just feel like it’s something you’ve read before. 

Eona is being pulled all over the place in order the deal with Sethon’s conquering, the madness of a former apprentice, the dangerous passion for Ido, her actual feelings for Kygo, and the repercussions of hew newfound powers (which by the way only covers a few of the plot points).

I have to say, I really enjoyed the path Goodman takes in dealing with Eona’s powers.  Her abilities based on her dragon link offer some great storylines regarding responsibility and identity.  She has to struggle both with her control of it as well as the ethical challenges brought on by need and desire.  Eona doesn’t initially realize the consequences of what she’s done with her power and the compulsion she’s imposed on people. Once she does, she still has to recognize what that means to her and comprehend the heart of the situation. Just as she does with steamier parts of her life.

M: Exactly, Annie. Eona is under so much pressure that as a reader you start to feel it as well. I think it's a testament to how well Goodman develops her heroine that even when she's made mistakes we (or at least I) feel the need to defend her. I haven't felt a connection like that to a character since Buffy from BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (remember that last season where no one trusted her or wanted her as a leader? That killed me! But I digress). All I could think whenever she was questioned was, "After all that's she's gone through? All she's done? How could you not understand?"

As I was nearing the last few pages I worried that there wasn't enough time for a resolution, but I must say I was very happy with where Goodman left it. It felt the natural place to end the journey for the reader. What did you think, Annie?

A: Absolutely. I don't think she could have left the ending on a higher note.  So, yes - perfect place to end it.  All the meaningful loose ends were tied up nicely, and she still left me craving just a little bit more of that world. But I was happy with where things were - which is always a nice feeling to have when you finish a book.  I'm definitely curious to see what Goodman will do next.  But until then I'm glad I’ve had the pleasure of escaping into this world for a bit

Winner of Eon!

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Eon: Dragoneye Reborn

EON – Alison Goodman

Note: Book giveaway below!

Marirosa Mia: My dear friend, Annie (of Anniezilla) is back for another round of book reviewing! If you didn't catch our first round where we reviewed the addicting SWEEP series go check it out if you get the chance. Now, take it away, Annie.

Annie: About a year and a half ago, you sent me a lovely book called EON: DRAGONEYE REBORN, by Alison Goodman. Read it, loved it, realized it was by the author of a book and short story combo that I had enjoyed previously, loved it some more. Much to my dismay, it was another year before you would read it (tsk tsk – though at least you didn’t have to wait long for the sequel).

Our heroine Eona starts out hiding her true identity by pretending to be a boy, Eon, in the hopes of becoming a legendary Dragoneye, with control of a dragon aligned to one of the Chinese zodiac signs. As a contender, she is bound to a master focused on helping her become the next Rat Dragoneye (the current astrological sign).  At the same time, she must deal with her own physical disability, which weakens her capacity to train with the other potentials.  Not to mention the fact that she must hide her female self for fear of death.  Throughout the book ‘Eon’ struggles with her true self in order to become Eona. Politically, the atmosphere is changing and Eona must also confront the repercussions of actions that reflect her internal confusion and development.

Eona is not the book’s only strong character.  Goodman also skillfully develops secondary characters, each with a unique voice. I know you must have loved Lady Dela and Ryko, Mia. They certainly stand apart from the standard trope of the secondary character.

M: I love me some well-developed secondary characters, Annie! Especially ones as genuine as Lady Dela and Ryko. Their relationships with Eona and each other were so well created, I yearned (yes, yearned) for Eona to confide in them and trust them as much as I did. I’ve got to tell you, Annie, I L.O.V.E.D this book and its sequel EONA (which we'll talk about at a later post), and I'm so very happy I didn't have to wait a year to read EONA. This was one of those "just another ten pages" books that you can't put down, and before you know it it's 2 a.m., and you're having a small panic attack because you have to go to work tomorrow in the morning, and you aren't sure 4 hours is enough time to finish the book. Yeah. One of those books. Once I finished I started making a list of people to make read it. 

I loved how frank it was in terms of the story; how Goodman was aware of her lead female character as a female. It didn't feel like a ploy or a device - 'oh look! a girl pretending to be a boy!'  It felt instead natural and accurate, which I'm not sure is the right word. There’s no ignoring Eona as a woman.  You might say, "Of course not! The whole plot is that she’s a girl pretending to be a boy!" But there’s more to it in this story. She isn't just a girl wearing a slouchy shirt, putting on a funny 'man' voice and trying to swagger like John Wayne. She's binding her breasts, she's going against biology, she's fighting against her own body to be anything but a woman, which would get her and her master killed. I liked how denying her true self took on a very negative form even in the ways she went about it: poison, painful binding, crippling, etc. By refusing who she was, she was essentially killing herself. Pretty powerful stuff. Now I'm babbling. Annie?

A:  I think you're pretty spot-on regarding the denial of Eona's femininity and resulting injury. As the story progresses, the theme of identity emerges.  It’s even more prominent in the sequel. EON has plenty of characters besides Eona who must deal with their place in the world and their performance of their role, including your much-loved Lady Dela and Ryko. Also, the other pivotal characters, Lord Ido and Prince Kygo, each have a level of strength that is based on their ability to understand their own identity or role. As with Eona, the more the characters understand themselves, the more strength they gather.  And, as Eona also establishes, the characters fully in denial of themselves or lacking personal conviction tend to, how should I say this? Not fare as well.

 By the way, my fiancé actually read the book before me (as he was scouting through my pile of books to see if anything was for him). He was right there with you, urging me to read it. Luckily I had the weekend to zoom through it. I hope our discussion will encourage other people to pick it up. The book creates a much richer and more vibrant, if not stunning, world then I think is indicated by the book jacket. 

M: Yes! Go out and get EON! (Or comment below and enter to win a free copy of the EON paperback! Winners will be announced next week!) And stay tuned for our follow-up review of EONA which comes out in April!! (Which means go get EON now so you can run out and get the second part of this duo-logy as soon as it hits the shelves.)