Book Review: Eon’s Door

Media Type: Ebook
Title: Eon’s Door
Author: J.G. McKenney
Publisher: Self-published
Pages: Ebook; 316
Release Date: July 10, 2011
Source: Author
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Intended Reading Group: Young Adult
Content Screening: Fantasy Violence
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HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart
Recommend for: Lovers of Fantasy

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Eon’s Door should not be open.

Two thousand years after three clans flee the world of humans through Eon’s Door to find sanctuary in a realm called Erla, a prophecy left to them by the ancient race that created the tree portal is coming true. A trusted sage has stolen the portal’s key and is using the awesome power that separated the worlds to tear apart the very soul of Nature. The key must be taken back and Eon’s Door closed–before it’s too late.

Hope lies with a “child of doubt” from the world the clans left behind and the courageous young Erlan who’s been sent to find him. Together they must retrieve the key and close Eon’s Door. It won’t be easy. Abominations of beasts and trees stand between them and their goal. Even worse, the sage knows the prophecy and is expecting them.

Lovers of Fantasy should be well aware that we are awash in a world of clones. Despite my deep love of this genre, it’s true that a lot of times every story is like the one before, and so I become a bit jaded when it comes to starting a new book. However, lucky for me, J.G. McKenney approached me with Eon’s Door. From the moment I opened it on my ereader I was swept away into a beautifully crafted world. With deep ties to nature, and a distinct lack of complicated character names or races, this book stole my heart.

Miann, the young protagonist in this book, was an extremely dynamic and well-written character. His love for his people, for his family, and for the connection he had to the Nature around him, was beautifully done. I fell in love with his persistence and compassion. However what really brought the book home for me was McKenney’s ingenious tie to the world that we , the reader, live in. He brings a character from the outside world, from a place where Nature is stagnant and flat, into this gorgeous world of his. The dynamic between Miann and Bobby truly, in my opinion, is what makes this book. Each from a separate home, yet fighting for the same end goal. I adored them.

As I’ve already mentioned, the world that is built in Eon’s Door is utterly breathtaking. I’ll admit the fact that there were times when I found myself wanting to know more. One thing that you won’t find in this book is over explanation or an overload of imagery. Instead, there is a generally flowing and descriptive sense to the writing that pulls you just far enough into the world to understand what is going on, without being confusing. There is a depth to Miann and Bobby’s story that builds up slowly, adding and adding, until it all fits together in the end and you’re left breathless at the thought that it all worked out so wonderfully. In my opinion, the story line is executed perfectly.

If there is one thing I honestly did miss in this book, it was the lack of forward motion that occurred at times. Although Miann and Bobby are on an epic quest to save Erla, there are times where things just seem to stop. At certain points I felt a void of emotion coming out of the characters. It was almost as if they were just moving where they needed to go, and not really thinking about it. I also felt that there were scenes whose brevity was unnecessary, especially as they were important to the overall story. Certain events were just brushed over in a matter of pages. It wasn’t often enough to hamper my overall enjoyment of Eon’s Door, but it did cause me to knock off one star in my rating.

Still, I’ll be the first to admit that this is the first book in a long time that stood out to me in this genre. It’s ties to Nature, the depth of the story line, and the wonderfully written characters, all mesh together to create something that is wholly immersive and enchanting. I may have had my slight qualms, yes, but overall I fully believe that J.G. McKenney has written a gem. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more of his work, and I highly suggest that you do the same.

FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.