Knighted Review: Eun Na and the Phantom

Title and Author:
Eun Na and the Phantom by Erica Laurie
Name of Reviewer:
Jolyn Safron

Rating: 
PG
Reason for choice of rating:
Sex - two characters spend their wedding night together in the story but no sexual content included in the story
Language - 'bastard' used two times in agitation directed at dragon companion
Violence - one accidental injury and two deliberate deaths although none are graphically described
Religion - a character says he no longer believes in God because shaman failed to heal his mother when he was a child; mudang (local shaman) converses with God and spirits and makes several talismans including some for use on wedding night mentioned above

The Review:
I really enjoyed this Korean fantasy story.
I wasn't sure what to think of Eun Na when the story began. She seemed like a dedicated daughter but rather haughty based on her initial interaction with two young men Min Jae and Tae Kyung who she met. She is poor and they are rich and she makes many assumptions due to their wealth. However as the story unfolded and relationships developed, she started to relax with her new friends and her character became more clear. She was indeed an incredibly hard worker who did everything in her power to help her parents and she also inspired devotion among those around her as they grew to love her. And as secrets were revealed about those whom Eun Na loved and cared for, she refused to abandon them.
The villain of the story was truly dastardly and caused immense pain and sadness for Eun Na but due to the strength of her character and the help of those around her, she was able to persevere.
All in all, this was a wonderful story where the characters displayed love and commitment to each other despite difficult situations.

Books and movies you would compare this to:
Eun Na struck me as similar to Mulan in the Disney story in many ways

Did you have a favorite character or least favorite character?
Min Jae was a wonderful character. He could have been a spoiled rich boy but instead he grew into a wonderful man who was NOT like his father and stood with his friends.

What mood did this book leave you in?
Satisfied

Applicable Tags:
Dragon, Fairy Tale, Historical, Paranormal, Romance, Magic