Dragons and Their Lords

So continuing with my young adult literary kick, I've finished reading Eon, Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman. It is, I believe, the first of two books. It was originally published in 2008 by Viking. I have rather mixed feelings about this one, though.

The story is fresh. It's riveting. There are very complex relationships between characters, a fully imagined world, and it's very vividly descriptive. The plot has several interesting twists and turns, following a sixteen year old girl who is posing as a twelve year old boy in order to present herself as a candidate for apprenticeship to a Dragon Lord. It has a very Oriental feel, from the twelve year calendar, represented by the ox, snake, rat, rooster, etc., to the Imperial Court full of eunuchs and concubines. I loved that part of the book. The whole concept appealed to me. Especially since the dragon that the girl is presented to rejects her, but another chooses her, totally unexpectedly.

However, I do have some serious issues with Ms. Goodman's novel. First things first, although the overall feel of the novel is Oriental, some of the names sort of, well, clash. It's rather jarring to be reading along, fully immersed in a feudal Oriental sort of environment and suddenly coming upon completely modern, Westernized names. The majority of the character names are what you'd expect to find in a Far Eastern culture...Ryko, Kygo, Ido. Most place names fall along the order of Daikiko and Ryoka. But then there are the names like Dillon, and Baret, and Brannon. In my opinion, immersion in a story is a wonderful thing. But when there's unexpected names, or a sudden departure from the "feel" of the story, it's hard to keep the flow going in your mind.

Another thing about this young adult book...I would NOT recommend this book to anyone under the age of about sixteen. There are several references to rape. One of the Dragon Lords (the bad one) finds out that the "boy" is not a boy, but rather a sixteen year old girl. So he tries to force her to do his bidding...by forcing himself into her mind. Another reference to yet another kind of rape, in my opinion. There's also a near-rape scene toward the end of the book, complete with mental dialogue allusions. And, there's one of the eunuchs (which in itself is difficult to explain to anyone under the mid-teen range) who falls in love with one of the emperor's concubines (again, explanations) who happens to be a transvestite. I have teenagers, one young teen, and one in the mid-teens. My older one, I think, could process all that. My younger one however, no way.

I am inclined to read the next book, Eona, the Last Dragoneye by Ms. Goodman, simply because I want to see what she makes of her world. But I am in no hurry to find out. There are other books that don't have such a culture clash and that make for a more relaxing read.