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carlyoc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
In a setting inspired by ancient East Asia, a young girl named Eona has been living as a boy named Eon, training to be a candidate to be chosen as the next dragoneye.
Dragoneyes are the human partners of the twelve dragons that protect the realm, each representing a zodiac sign. Every year, the dragon and dragoneye whose zodiac is active, become Ascendent, growing in power and taking on leadership of the group. That year, they also take on a new apprentice chosen by the dragon, who will train over the next 12 years to be the dragoneye when their zodiac sign is active again.
Eon is hoping to be chosen by the Rat dragon this year, but instead is selected by the Mirror dragon (representing the dragon zodiac sign I guess because dragon dragon sounds silly). The mirror dragon has been missing for hundreds of years, so no one knows what it means that a new apprentice has been chosen after all this time, especially with no previous Mirror dragoneye to train her.
This story features vibrant and epic world-building, trans representation, and some very basic character growth as Eon/Eona unlearns the internalized misogyny she learned from growing up in a society that sees women as weak and inferior.
Dragoneyes are the human partners of the twelve dragons that protect the realm, each representing a zodiac sign. Every year, the dragon and dragoneye whose zodiac is active, become Ascendent, growing in power and taking on leadership of the group. That year, they also take on a new apprentice chosen by the dragon, who will train over the next 12 years to be the dragoneye when their zodiac sign is active again.
Eon is hoping to be chosen by the Rat dragon this year, but instead is selected by the Mirror dragon (representing the dragon zodiac sign I guess because dragon dragon sounds silly). The mirror dragon has been missing for hundreds of years, so no one knows what it means that a new apprentice has been chosen after all this time, especially with no previous Mirror dragoneye to train her.
This story features vibrant and epic world-building, trans representation, and some very basic character growth as Eon/Eona unlearns the internalized misogyny she learned from growing up in a society that sees women as weak and inferior.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Transphobia, Blood, Murder, and War
Features threats of and attempted sexual assaultdreadspawn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, and Slavery
Minor: Child death, Rape, and Transphobia
maralaene's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I’ve held on to a copy of this book for a very long time, and I think that is somewhat reflected in my view of it.
I enjoyed the blend of Chinese/Japanese elements in the story, but the world building and spirit-magic just felt a little off to me. In addition, I’m normally not one to guess the twist or ending of a book, but this was so obvious that even I figured it out. And that just made me so infuriated with our MC because of how long it took her to even consider the possibility. That classic MC brooding alone over her failures and inabilities really just kind of lessened my interest in the story.
I would say I enjoyed the story overall, and I will read the second one. Just maybe not right away!
I enjoyed the blend of Chinese/Japanese elements in the story, but the world building and spirit-magic just felt a little off to me. In addition, I’m normally not one to guess the twist or ending of a book, but this was so obvious that even I figured it out. And that just made me so infuriated with our MC because of how long it took her to even consider the possibility. That classic MC brooding alone over her failures and inabilities really just kind of lessened my interest in the story.
I would say I enjoyed the story overall, and I will read the second one. Just maybe not right away!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child death and Rape
portapages's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Let me start with the good. The world building is amazing. I feel like I am in another era while reading the book, and I can almost smell the grass, timber, and steamed buns in the story. Speaking of, Eon has a very exciting story. I constantly need to know what happens next. However, a lot of this is driven by me, the reader, having already figured everything out, desperately reading on so that Eona will get to figuring it out.
Something else that really strikes me is how obvious it is that the book is written by a tourist into Chinese and Japanese culture. There is a lot she gets right, but it is still described with an exoticism and an otherness that makes it obvious it's from someone with an outside eye.
The final disappointment is a spoiler,when Eona finally joins with her dragon, she magically heals from her disability, and this is celebrated. This convenient way of handling it is so disappointing, because that was never what was holding Eona back. It would have been much more powerful if her rise to power embraces all the physical things that are supposed to set her back.
Something else that really strikes me is how obvious it is that the book is written by a tourist into Chinese and Japanese culture. There is a lot she gets right, but it is still described with an exoticism and an otherness that makes it obvious it's from someone with an outside eye.
The final disappointment is a spoiler,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Misogyny, Transphobia, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
obviousthings's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have complicated feelings about this book, especially about the trans representation. On the one hand, Lady Dela is an amazing character. On the other hand, the physical descriptions of her compare her to a man far too often. The book meant a lot to me as a young trans teen, though, and I have to commend it for having a relatively well-written trans woman (even as a side character) in a "girl pretends to be a boy for plot reasons" story - especially since it was written back in 2008. Overall, I'm glad I reread it, but I'm not sure if I would recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Slavery, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Fatphobia, Gore, and Self harm