Review: The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

Title:  Eternal Ones Author: Kirsten Miller Publisher: Penguin Young Reader Group/Razorbill Published: August 10, 2010 Format: Hardcover ($22.50CDN) Age Group: Young Adult Copy: Provided by the Publisher

From the Publisher:

Haven Moore cant control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan, and a life in New York that ended in fiery tragedy. In our present, she designs beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend Beau. Dressmaking keeps her sane, since she lives with her widowed and heartbroken mother in her tyrannical grandmothers house in Snope City, a tiny town in Tennessee. Then an impossible group of coincidences conspire to force her to flee to New York, to discover who she is, and who she was.

In New York, Haven meets Iain Morrow and is swept into an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Iain is suspected of murdering a rock star and Haven wonders, could he have murdered her in a past life? She visits the Ouroboros Society and discovers a murky world of reincarnation that stretches across millennia. Haven must discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves, before all is lost and the cycle begins again.

My Review:

I have been in somewhat of a reading rut this past week but The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller pulled me out at breakneck speed.  I have read a few books that could be considered somewhat similar in regards to the theme of young love and past lives however this novel engaged me so much so that I only put it down when I absolutely had no choice.

In most novels I have pretty good intuition when it comes to “figuring out” the plot and the characters but for the majority of this novel I could not put a finger on who the “evil” characters were.  I had my suspicions and in the end they turned out to be correct but I was second guessing myself as I was drawn though the twists and turns of each chapter. 

For the most part I enjoyed all the characters of this novel however I will say that Haven is a character who’s indecisiveness drove me crazy from time to time.  She was either to trusting or to suspicious but based on her life experiences (constant persecution for her peculiar tendency to black out and talk about a past life, being labeled as demon possessed, and being lied to my trusted members of her family about her early memories of her past life) I could empathize with why she was constantly second guessing herself and those around her.  What I really enjoyed about the character development in this novel was learning who in Haven’s present life was also connected to her in her past lives and understanding the role they played in the mystery of this novel.

While I don’t really believe in love at first sight, taking into consideration that reincarnation is a fact of The Eternal Ones, the instant attraction and love between Haven and Ian is believable.  This book is incredibly mysterious and from chapter to chapter I was held in a constant state of suspense and anticipation. The idea of reincarnation is incredibly fascinating to me and when paired with a passionate love affair that transcends time, a complex mystery, and a battle between good and evil that is truly sinister this book has rocketed to the top 20 list of my favorite YA reads of 2010.

If your a little tired of vampires and werewolves but still want something with a supernatural flavor I highly recommend The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller.  If you have already read and reviewed this novel please comment and link to your review as its always nice to read a different perspective!

My Rating: 4/5