J.W. Chew’s 'The Green Eyed Girl' book review

The Green Eyed Girl, by J. W. Chew, follows a young, beautiful girl with brilliant emerald-green eyes, as she battles to build trust, peace, and understanding between the warring humans and dragons. After centuries of war fueled by hatred and mistrust, war that can only end with the absolute, utter destruction of one, Khaajd, also known as Lyssa, decides that she must stop this inevitable fate.

Khaajd, a young female dragon, has the rare ability of being able to turn into a human being. Every part of her body transforms except her emerald green eyes that remain the same. Khaajd turns into a human being named Lyssa and lives among other humans for twenty two years, only turning back into a dragon when she comes across the dead body of a dragon she recognizes. Lyssa realizes that her dragon people need her so she becomes a weapon that can destroy the humans from the inside.

The book seems like an obvious allegory, one that any reader will decipher within the first few chapters of the book. The book is called The Green Eyed Girl, with a green eyed girl on the cover of the book, yet we learn nothing about this girl throughout the book. She lives with humans for twenty two years, which makes it implausible that she would so carelessly discard of human life. Did she not make any human connections of note? We also learn nothing about Khaajd’s life as a dragon. These gaps in the storytelling leave too much to be desired.

It is hard to gage what audience the author hoped to speak to with this book. The lack of a love story makes it less appealing to much younger audiences; additionally, the lack of intrigue and a cohesive plot means that neither younger nor adult readers are likely to enjoy it.

The story seems unfinished and rushed. It is as though the author chooses to take the easy way out multiple times: One such moment that highlights this is when Lyssa gathers information from the lieutenant regarding the town’s security walls. Lyssa does no work in order to attain the information. The information just falls into her lap. Another particular occasion that underpins this theory is the disaster that forces the humans to require help from the dragons. The disaster seems like a way to force the story. It is not organic and feels like a lazy cop out on the author’s part.

I give this book 1 ½ stars for simply seeing the plot through to the end. However, this novel has too many pitfalls. There is a lack of cohesion, and the tempo of the book is far too slow. What really sours it is the lack of connection between the characters and the reader. The author does not provide enough information and backstory for the reader to create this much needed connection.