Haven't read a book that has made me stay up late till 2am finishing because I just HAD to know what happened. I have a read quite a few good books recently but they didn't have that bite-your-nails-edge-of-your-seat feeling and this was one of them, at least for me. We are introduced to a world of Emperors, Dargoneyes, Dragons, energies and a big political mess. The author put together a world dependent on the 'modern' concept of yin yang and Feng Shui, combined with a political war for power of the Empire. Some people might not like how the book talked quite a bit of the court rules, the types of bows and how people saw cripples and such. But to me that just helped me get into their world even more, it really defined their culture and their beliefs, why the people did what they did. It was all really well thought out. And of course there are going to be quite a bit of feminists out there who won't agree with the treatment of women through out the book, but you know what? It is how their world back then functioned (our world functioned like that at one point, and it sometimes still does in parts of the world), and the whole point of the book is to change that point of belief.I am not gonna lie, about 60-75% of the book I was spitting mad and was about to stop reading, but I made myself keep going. It was getting on my nerves how Eon wasn't seeing the connection between her dragon the moon energies and her adamant denial of being a girl. But thankfully they FINALLY figured it out and after that it was a whole 30% of pure sneaking around the enemy, killing people trying to get the red folio so she could call her dragon and kick some butt, which she did! Albeit it was cause of the energy of her ancestors and the swords, but that's the whole point. She wouldn't be Eona if it weren't for her ancestors and the power that runs through their veins.In other words, I absolutely loved this book and will be reading the next one as soon as I can! :)
