Ruby

Eona was a fantastic sequel to Eon that kept up with a great story and engaging characters and a world that felt authentic.The story was refreshing in that it was all a struggle and nothing came easy. Both the internal and external conflict of these characters never felt convenient. There was a natural buildup of events and consequences that were believable and had a major impact on the characters and setting. I’m most impressed with how well every character was handled in both Eon and Eona because they act and feel like real people. This, to me, is the real indicator of a great book. There are actual reasons for character actions. Hallelujah! Eona is a a great dynamic heroine. She is smart, outspoken, and there’s a selfishness that I appreciated about her. I really liked that she had a sort of moral ambiguity about her. The other characters are just as complex and I often times felt conflicted and frustrated with them.The world building was well done. There was a separation of the Chinese and Japanese culture being used as an influence and that of the actual fantasy world. It didn’t feel borrowed or slapped on, it felt original. Some of the naming conventions bothered me, I have to admit, the just felt odd.I do wish we could have seen what became of certain characters and had a bit of a glimpse into there lives in the aftermath. But overall it’s a great fantasy with great characters.