Book versus Movie
The book was written by the same author who wrote the movie script. But where the movie is clearly aimed at being family entertainment, the book is not.
Aside from the more in-depth look at the main and minor characters which results in additional and longer scenes, not found in the book, some elements are more brutal and less suitable for younger audiences. Or to put it with ratings, had the book been made into a movie scene for scene, it would have been R or maybe even NC-17.
For now I just give a short list of changes/additions concerning Einon in particular, once I had time to read the book again, I'll go into greater detail.
- In the book it becomes clear that Einon indeed loved his father and he hadn't been as eager to become king as it seemed in the movie, for example: Einon wasn't just filching the crown, he mearly held onto it as he rose startled as his father opened his eyes one last time.
- While Einon's mortal wound in the movie was pure accident, in the book Kara attacked him. She used him hesitating to strike her with his sword by twisting it from his gip and stabbing him in the heart.
- After the incident with Kara's father, when Bowen turned against him, there is a scene at the old fortress. In which Aislinn notices the direction Einon is leaning to and where it becomes clear that she withdraws from him.
- Einon as an adult is described a bit different. His age is set as nineteen, he has grown a beard to look older and his skin colour is described to be more pale.
- Instead of noticing Kara as she attempted to stab him, Einon brings the flagon between him and the knife, before disarming and overpowering Kara.
- Einon raped Kara in bedroom scene, it is afterwards when she gets a hold on his dagger.
- At the waterfall Kara is nearly caught by Einon's men, but Bowen kills the attackers
- After the short re-union with Bowen and the Dragon, Einon goes back to the Dragoncave where he received his heart. There he also encounters his mother and he realises she is hiding something from him.
- When Einon teaches Felton a lesson, he not only says he won't understimate Bowen, he also refers to him as the only clever man in the country.