Eon by Alison Goodman

Eon by Alison Goodman
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: August 1, 2008

Eon has been studying the ancient art of Dragon Magic for four years, hoping he'll be able to apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But he also has a dark secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been living a dangerous lie for the chance to become a Dragon-eye, the human link to an energy dragon's power. It is forbidden for females to practice the Dragon Magic and, if discovered, Eon faces a terrible death. After a dazzling sword ceremony, Eon's affinity with the twelve dragons catapults him into the treacherous world of the Imperial court, where he makes a powerful enemy, Lord Ido. As tension builds and Eon's desperate lie comes to light, readers won't be able to stop turning the pages...

My Review:

I am often distracted by beautiful, shiny objects while browsing any store, and while browsing a bookstore, beautiful, shiny covers catch my attention very often. And this one was definitely no exception with the exquisite design of the dragon along with a figure posed with two very sharp swords. Not to mention the font of the title. Yes, I was mesmerized indeed.

This book was such a nice breath of fresh air. If I didn't have finals the same time I read this book, I may have finished it within a day. One of the strongest points in the book were the characters, and the diversity of the characters. The main character, Eon, was a female crippled disguised in order to train as a Dragoneye apprentice. Some supporting characters are a full-body disabled and a man crossdressing as a woman who is in love with a eunuch guard. The characters were simply superb, with a decent amount of development to accompany them.

I admit that during the second part of the book, the plot felt like it slowed down considerably as Eon adjusted to life in the palace, but once the pace picked back up, it was exciting once more with dragons galore, epic sword fights, and an ending that left me begging for the sequel. The novel definitely has a level of maturity I did not expect from a young adult novel, which left me pleasantly surprised.

Overall? Buy this book. Now. And relish in a beautifully told story weaved from Chinese and Japanese mythology with plenty of action dashed in.

Verdict: Five out of five

The Sunday Post

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Happy Sunday, you guys! I know most of you are grumbling, because tomorrow is Monday, which means back to either school from your two weeks off, or back to work, which is equally dreadful. I myself am preparing for the coldest weather Alabama has experienced in over 20 years. Any of you living in the United States may have heard about the polar vortex, or cold snap in simple terms, affected most of the country early this week. I'm using it as an excuse to stay bundled in my bed, and accompanied by a cup of hot chocolate and my book I've been meaning to finish. To those affected, stay warm!

I would like to thank everyone who followed my new blog within the past few days. You guys are awesome! I have so much planned for this blog, but the first on my list is to get a decent layout. It's pretty basic and boring right now, and I hope to change that in the near future.

Also, I have a couple of book reviews written out already that I'll be posting over the course of the next few weeks. I'm heading off back to college this Tuesday, so keeping this blog updated will be a challenge, but once I shall overcome!

Hope you guys have a lovely week, and if you're affected by this arctic cold, please stay warm!

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking The Shelves, a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual.

My first meme ever! I'm pretty excited about this. The list of books are those I have collected throughout the month of December, so there's quite a bit! I tend to take advantage of Cyber Monday. And Christmas money...

Changeless and Blameless by Gail Carriger

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Eona by Alison Goodman

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

The Paradise War by Stephen Lawhead

Blackbringer by Laini Taylor

Phew! I think I got everything. Instead of doing this weekly, I'm thinking of doing this meme on the first Saturday of every month, in order to sum up my book purchases of that month. 

Any of these caught your eye? Any you have, love, hate, etc? Let me know!

Kiss of Night by Debbie Viguié

Kiss of Night by Debbie Viguié
Publisher: Faithwords
Publication Date: October 7, 2011

Centuries ago, Raphael was a blasphemous knight who fought in the Crusades purely for his own mercenary benefit, and to satisfy his taste for killing. Now, condemned for his evil passions and hypocrisy, he wanders the earth a vampire, cursed with first-hand knowledge of the supernatural world he once denied existed. The powerful relic he still possesses from his days as a Crusader has been stolen by a rival vampire who has recruited an army of soulless underlings to aid him in spreading evil. At the time he learns this, Raphael has been hunting this vampire for nearly a century, and it seems the final battle is destined to take place in Prague. For help in this quest, Raphael must enlist the aid of two humans, David and Susan, who suddenly find themselves immersed in a world they never imagined, entangled with supernatural forces they can't control. Susan, in particular, finds herself conflicted as she struggles with her inexplicable attraction to Raphael. In the end, both Susan and Raphael will be called upon to exercise courage and faith, and in the process, the question, "What would happen if a vampire truly accepted God?" is answered

My Review:

It was an accident that I picked up this book to read. I was simply scanning the fiction bookshelf at my local bookstore, when the cover caught my eye. And the title to be honest. I was craving something with a heap of romance in it, and what's better than a paranormal romance? I stressing over finals, so I thought this would be a great way to get my mind off of the tests.

Kiss of Night is labeled as paranormal Christian fiction, although I didn't realize that when I first bought it, and as I read it, I myself would have classified it as only paranormal romance. But that's not important.

The characters in general were alright, but I felt a little something lacking. Especially with Raphael. I definitely would have been happier with a little more character development, such as Raphael and why he was so evil. The humans, Susan, David, and Wendy felt bland and one-dimensional at times. Since this is only first in the series, I'm hoping that there's more development down the line.

Overall, I thought the plot was decent, given that this is a first in a trilogy, but I'm still debating whether or not to purchase the next in the series. Not a good sign, in my opinion.

Verdict: 3 out of 5