Another one to remember is male and female. Used to describe complementary forces rather than opposing ones, it has also been applied to the many natural dualities found in our everyday life - light and dark, fire and water, the sun and the moon, life and death, and so on and so forth. In Chinese philosophy too, the concept of yin and yang is an important one. There are twelve energy dragons, for example, each associated with an animal of the Chinese zodiac – rat, ox, tiger, etc.

In the world of Eon: Dragoneye Reborn, the influence of Chinese and Japanese mythological traditions makes itself apparent from the start. Stories involving girls disguised as boys are certainly nothing new, so what made this one special? Well, I suppose I’ve always enjoyed fantasy inspired by Asian cultures. If anyone discovered her secret, she would be killed on the spot. In truth, Eon is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl masquerading as a boy because females are prohibited from using dragon magic. But there is more to Eon than meets the eye. To be chosen by one of the twelve revered energy dragons of good fortune is a great honor each year many boys vie for the position to serve as the conduit between the dragons and the mortal world.

The world knows our main protagonist as Eon, a twelve-year-old boy training hard to be the next Dragoneye apprentice. Publisher: Viking Children’s Books (December 26, 2008) YA Weekend: Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman

Eon dragon