As a long time lover of strong female characters, I was instantly drawn to Eon. The cover... the summary.. all of it sounded so promising. In a lot of ways, I admit that it sounded a little too promising to be true. Eon tells the story of a young female who lives as a male in hopes of becoming the chosen Dragon apprentice. In Eon's society, total there are 12 Dragons, one for each of the Chinese zodiacs.. plus the mysterious Mirror Dragon. Right away, I found Goodman to be a kindred soul. It was like she was reading my mind in regards to exactly what I wanted as a reader. Breathtaking scenery.. strong and vulnerable characters.. action / adventure. It was all there.The only gripe I had with Eon was the pacing could be slow at time. For example, I know this is going to sound silly, but hey, it is what it is, Goodman takes her time and really explores Eon's world. Usually, I love when authors take their time and let readers feel like they are there, but with Eon, most times I felt like I was in mud. Trying to pick up my foot and keep trudging along. True, this happens mainly in the beginning, but it was still there enough in later parts that the whole pacing experience bothered me.Eon, bottomline, is a good read if you are willing to invest yourself for the 544 pages. I loved the whole concept of Dragon masters and a young girl overcoming so much to prove herself in a society that refuses to accept her due to her gender and physical handicaps. But with the downside being the slow pacing in the beginning and random parts throughout. The cliffhanger ending, I will admit, has me pretty intrigued, so right now, I am looking forward to the sequel.
