Book Review: Eon, Eona, & The Iron Thorn

I've been reading quite a bit the past few weeks, so I'm going to try and catch up with some quick reviews of several titles:

Eon & Eona, by Alison Goodman

I read Eon many months ago, and then finally snagged the sequel Eona from my library just recently. I love these books for their heft (570+ and 630+ pages each, respectively), their gripping story-telling, and their rich, unique world setting. 

The story follows a familiar arc of a girl masquerading as a boy in Eon, but in a Far Eastern-inspired world of dragons, Emperors, warriors, and magic. The culture is what really sets this story apart, and it was so refreshing to be taken away from the familiar forests and mountain of usual Fantasy books and plunked down into paper-screened houses and Zen-like gardens - not to mention these dragons all have beards. :)


The story is definitely for older YA readers, with darker undercurrents of sexual tension and even an attempted rape, but nothing graphic or excessive. There's also plenty of action, death, and intrigue to keep the pages flying by, with characters beautifully fleshed out - flaws and all - and a heroine you can both admire and relate to.

Eona sheds her masculine disguise in the second book, and the story follows her plight in assisting the Emperor to reclaim his kingdom. She's a bit more mature here, and far more powerful, so it's interesting to watch her growth (and regression, in some ways) as she struggles with life-and-death responsibilities and her own morality. Again, tons of action, great characters, and a story that I just didn't want to end.

Eon did not have a very neat ending; it was definitely one of those cliff-hangers that will force you to run out for the sequel. In fact, I wish I hadn't waited so long to read Eona; there are enough characters that I was a bit muddled for the first chapter or two, what with the action picking up immediately where Eon left off. There are only the two books, though, so you get a nice wrap-up and resolution with Eona. So all in all, I highly recommend these for any YA fantasy lover.

The Iron Thorn, by Caitlin Kittredge

Billed as a steampunk novel, The Iron Thorn is set in an Alt-Victorian world plagued by madness and monsters. The heroine, Aoife (whose name I still have no idea how to pronounce) sets out to find her lost, mad brother, facing plenty of horrors along the way.

[UPDATE: per the comments, Aoife is pronounced "Ee-fah" or possibly "Eve." Thanks, guys!]

This story starts out well, and clips along merrily for most of the book. In some ways it tries to pit the supernatural world and its magic against man and his machines, but that's not clearly spelled out, and I felt the steampunk elements were a bit weak when compared to, say, Cheri Priest's Boneshaker. To be honest, I was hoping for more gadgets and goggles. Even the strongest steampunk element, a mechanical house, was portrayed as more magical than mechanical. I want to see the gears and smell the grease in my steampunk; not just be told that something magical is really clockwork on the inside. But that's a minor complaint, so let's move on to the actual story:

Again, the story clips along well, until about the 3/4 mark. Then it takes an abrupt left turn, with a major plot twist/revelation that was so unbelievable I felt the author lost credibility. It was like someone drawing back a curtain and going, "TADA!! I've been hiding a Yeti over here the entire time." It just didn't make sense with the rest of the story, and I flat-out didn't believe the author.

Needless to say, from there I had a major disconnect from the rest of the story, and when it ended with the mother of all cliff-hangers, with absolutely NO plot resolution, I was a bit miffed.

And while I'm being negative over here, can I take a moment to ask what is up with that cover art? It's a book about a Victorian-age teenager fighting off monsters; so why does she look like she's about to be ravaged by Fabio on the Moors?

Seriously, there is very little romance in this story, and even that is comprised of a few chaste kisses. I'm pretty sure nobody gets to second base, much less unlaces anyone else down to wardrobe-malfunction zone. So what... the heck? And isn't it a little insulting that a strong female protagonist has to be portrayed as a half-clothed vixen fresh from a roll in the engine room to sell a book that isn't even a romance novel?

Sorry; I know I got a little tangent-y there. This was another Kindle read for me, so I'm starting to realize just how much the cover art can influence your thoughts on a book, both before and after reading it.

So, to sum up: The Iron Thorn isn't as bad as I'm probably making it out to be, but it's also not going in my favorites list. If you're looking for something in this vein, I'd recommend either Boneshaker or Leviathan for better steampunk, and Foundling (aka The Monter Blood Tattoo) for better slightly-steampunky monster fighting. If you've already ready all of those, THEN you can read The Iron Thorn. ;)

I still have two more reviews to write, but I've rambled long enough for one post. Stay tuned for my thoughts on Red Shirts and Bossy Pants in a few days, and as always, feel free to share more book recommendations in the comments!