The Eternal Ones

Eternal Ones #1

by Kirsten Miller

HAVEN MOORE HAS ALWAYS LIVED in the tiny town of Snope City, Tennessee. But for as long as she can remember, Haven has experienced visions of a past life as a girl named Constance, whose love for a boy called Ethan ended in a fiery tragedy.

One day, the sight of notorious playboy Iain Morrow on television brings Haven to her knees. Haven flees to New York City to find Iain and there, she is swept up in an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Is Iain her beloved Ethan? Or is he her murderer in a past life? Haven asks the members of the powerful and dangerous Ouroboros Society to help her unlock the mysteries of reincarnation and discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves, before all is lost and the cycle begins again. But what is the Ouroboros Society? And how can Haven know who to trust?

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Fiction, Mystery, Supernatural

411 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 1 out of 5]

The PR firm that handled this title did one hell of a job, believe me. I had heard all kinds of good things about this one, and was resigned to waiting for paperback to come out, when a coworker lent it to my mother, who I promptly stole it from.

Ugh.

I know it gets said a lot, but Haven might be one of the stupidest and most frustrating young adult heroines I've ever encountered. The entire second half of the book consisted of:

1. Haven spends time with Ethan, thinking about how very pretty he is, and how he would never do anything bad to her, ever ever ever.

2. Haven talks to anyone other than Ethan, all of whom are trying to convince her that he's evil and might be trying to kill her. Haven now thinks Ethan is evil and might be trying to kill her.

3. Haven sees Ethan again, is reminded of just how pretty he is, and after he tells her he would never hurt her, she is again convinced that he would never ever ever hurt her.

4. Haven talks to someone who isn't Ethan. Now she thinks he's conspiring against her again.

5. Repeat.

She literally takes the side of the last person she spoke to. Her complete lack of independence and agency was almost offensive.

But no worries, folks. There's going to be a sequel!

[Kogiopsis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It helps if you imagine this reading experience as a kind of conversation.

Book: Hey, look, reincarnation!
Me: Meh. Seen it. Hindus do it better. Wait, is this about someone who comes back as an animal but remembers being human? That would be shiny.
Book: ....no. It's about a girl who comes back as another girl and is in love with the same guy.
Me: Blech.
Book: But... LURVE! TWOO LURVE THRU TEH AGEZ!
Me: Look, can I go back to my sci-fi now?
Book: But I have true love! And a gay best friend!
Me: Not that the gay best friend isn't interesting, but...
Book: And a rabidly intolerant Southern town!
Me: I don't have to particularly like the South to dislike that.
Book: How can you resist my blatant stereotypes? Of course all Southern towns are miniature theocracies where anyone who doesn't fit the mold is persecuted.
Me: Remind me to introduce you to a friend of mine from Georgia one of these days.
Book: Okay... but... heylookROME!
Me: Rome is cool. How much of it do we get to see?
Book: Not much. Because there's more LURVEDRAMAOMGZ on the horizon! Aren't you excited?
Me: I would rather count the brushstrokes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Can we go back there?
Book: No. Now hurry up and become emotionally invested in my main character.
Me: This would be the girl who changes her own opinion based solely on what she's heard most recently from other people? Who lets herself get steamrollered by a guy because he's good looking and she thinks she might have been in love with him in past lives? Who has sex with him after knowing him for only a few days?
Book: That's the one! Don't you love her?
Me: No.
Book: Weeeeeell... what about Iain? Isn't he HAWT?
Me: No.
Book: But he's gorgeous! And he's in love with the main character! And she thinks he's amazinglygorgeousgoodinbedthebee'sknees.
Me: And I don't trust her opinions at all.
Book: Okay... what if I add echoes of Persephone?
Me: NOW I'm interested. Cheese. It took you this long to tap into something interesting/intelligent?
Book: Yup. But here's the end.
Me: Oh good, he's dead.
Book: NO HE'S NOT! GOTCHA!
Me: ...you're a jerk.


My main complaint with this book? HAVEN. She flip-flopped so much it was unbelievable; she couldn't make up her mind at all and was all too eager to let other people make it up for her. In short, she was weak-willed and annoying, and I would rather not read about her again.
However, the book itself was fine, I suppose. Not stellar, but average for today's YA market.

[Jenn Estepp · Rating 1 out of 5]

my disappointment of the year.

i kinda hated it. and i'm trying to decide how negative i want to be with this commentary, because if i give into my urges, it will be a non-stop rant. and i will straight up admit that part of this comes because i love the kiki strike books so very, very much and as such i have certain expectations of miller. which did not even come close to being met with this one. meaning that if this were written by someone else, it would probably garner maybe one star more. but still. i am a creature of my own whimsy.

i heard a rumor - totally unsubstantiated - that the reason there isn't a kiki strike no. 3 is because the first two, beloved though they may be, didn't exactly rake in the dough. so my cynical explanation for this book is that miller, a totally skilled writer, may have been disillusioned by this fact and thought practically: well then, what sort of book might i write that will rake in the dough? and the answer is obviously paranormal romance. and what paranormal romance angle hasn't been done to death? hey, why not reincarnation? so then, what elements does one need to thrive in this market? annoyingly stupid heroine? check. creepy, overprotective, manipulative boyfriend? check. gay best friend? check. totally mentally checked-out and/or dead parent? check. throw in some southern cliches, crazy religous people, judgemental small town and superficial popular kids who pick on our heroine, a crazy rich secret society and some evil threat to our true love and you've got it all.

just thinking about it again makes me angry. it's also too long and there's going to be a sequel. now i feel stabby.

[Rosanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m starting to think that it is pretty much impossible to do these eternal love stories really well. I’ll probably keep looking for one though, because I think the idea is really wonderful. This book centers on Haven Moore, a 16 year old girl from East Tennessee and her eternal (via reincarnation) love affair. Throw in some bad guys who are after Haven and her man, and you have your story.

The issue with stories like these is that because of this supposed eternal connection of souls, there is no story built up between the two main characters, they meet and instantly connect/fall in ‘love’. It is just not convincing and it lacks emotional punch. In addition to that, in this case, the protagonist’s behavior is so questionable that the reader can only assume she is a total moron. She seems to have no issue with the fact that she lost her virginity to a person who has repeatedly lied to her, among other things. She repeatedly puts him in incredibly dangerous situations, and doesn't seem too bothered about that. It is hard to craft a great story where the romance is a central focus when the two main characters are so utterly unappealing.

I think this story would have worked better if Haven were an adult, one of the major flaws in this book is that at sixteen, she tries to act like she is thirty. Not only is it illogical, but certain behaviours just don’t ring true at all.

The mysterious society that is after these two is actually quite compelling and Miller does a good job of keeping the mystery going, you are never really sure who is a danger to Haven and who is a friend.

[oliviasbooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

***Contains some spoilers from the first chapters*** Through all her childhood Haven Moore had flashbacks to earlier lives as different persons – that of Constance Whitman, a woman living and dying in the New York of the 1920s in particular. Her parents believed her, because a small child could not possibly have invented so many facts about buildings, circumstances and persons. After her father’s tragic death things started to look different, though: Haven’s mother sank into depression, to weak to care for what the religiously fanatic grandmother and her buddy, the minister Dr. Tidmore, did to her daughter. Until Haven, who generally is forbidden to read magazines or watch TV, sees 19-years-old superstar Ian Morrow on TV by chance and recognizes him to be Constance Whitman’s lover Ethan Evans, Dr. Tidmore - for years her only confidant and friend - “helped” her to keep her supposedly dangerous visions at bay using his "prayer therapy". Seeing Ian’s face convinces Haven that all her trance-like visions had been her past. She starts to avoid her sessions with Dr. Tidmore and spends more time with her new gay sidekick Beau Becker, who is – because of his sexual preferences – the other openly declared freak in the little bible-belt town called Slope City. Haven’s grandmother is furious about Haven's change of mind and denounces her granddaughter to be possessed by the devil. The minister, the congregation, the whole town and the pupils at school gladly hop onto that band-wagon after Haven has another vision, which has to look like an epileptic seizure to an outsider, right in front of her locker. Although Haven is the mobbed one (a collage on her locker pronounces her to be the devil’s associate), the principal asks her not to attend his school anymore. Before her grandmother, who has already canceled her fashion college enrollment, can stuff her into a closed facility, Haven takes all the money she and Beau had earned by sewing the town’s festive clothing and flees to New York, where she hopes to find Ian and where she wants to get answers from the Ouboro Society for the Reincarnated. On the way to her hotel Haven is chased by mysterious gray men (reminded me of Momo).

At this point the main plot of the story starts: Haven trying to decide if she should trust Ian – who is a true jerk, acts mightily mysterious and maybe even killed Constance in the 20s – or not, Haven trying to decide whether she should reveal herself to be Constance Whitman to the Ouboro Society – which has its set of shady and two-headed characters as well – or not, Haven trying to unravel the mystery of Constance Whitman’s death and whether there was any involvement of a femme fatale called Rebecca – or not, Haven asking Beau forever for his opinion, being naive and stupid, immature and undecided nevertheless, Haven being supposedly in love with Ian, but at the same time despising, hating and mistrusting him quite a lot and Haven meeting the devil in person, who – believe it or not – lives in Brooklyn, proudly collects newspaper clippings, that state his major (Hiroshima) and minor (adultery) deeds, and can be blackmailed by dangling a confession recorded on an MP3-player in front of his face.

Opposed to some other reviewers I thought the thriller part of The Eternal Ones” was quite thrilling and not too slow. Sadly a lot of the suspense I felt was caused by Haven’s naivité. I constantly sat on my hands being afraid of what stupid decisions Haven would make next. Apart from the suspense the only positive element I can point out is gay best friend Beau Becker. Although drenched in clichés he was alive, sweet and fun.
What did not work at all for me was the romance subplot: It fell completely flat on his and her side: Ian is an uncaring jerk in my opinion. He can buy or build as much houses for Haven as he wants, if he does not mind her feelings. All my margin notes about Ian say things like “Somebody truly in love does not pressure the one he loves like this. Even if he wants to protect her he does not have to lie so shamelessly and cold-heartedly to her.” Haven is having the hots for Ian, although she believes him capable of murder and feels compelled to spy on him all the time.
All other persons were either completely good or completely evil/weak (most of them the latter). It was frustrating to see how very passive Haven’s mother was – even when her daughter was made responsible for torching the house down or got thrown out of school. The grandmother and the minister – who I tagged as a pedophile in the beginning – were unbelievably evil. Apropos evil: I’ve never been to the Bible Belt. But I simply refuse to believe that the behavior of the inhabitants of Slope City is anywhere near probable. To throw someone out of school, who shows signs of epilepsy or another illness, that includes fits and faintings, instead of punishing those, who did all the mobbing, to point with a finger at someone in the congregation and declare her to be possessed, contemporary High School students, who talk about demonic possession without being afraid to be ridiculed forever by their classmates, a minister who has that much power over a whole town – including the authorities. No way. But the crème de la crème has been that pathetic Brooklyn Devil. He sounds like he had been invented by Terry Pratchett, but he wasn’t meant to be funny, I am sure.
The Eternal Ones is getting no recommendation, not from me.

[Ceilidh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am very picky about my romances, especially when it comes to the notorious minefield that YA romances has become. With the paranormal YA genre populated with instant love, jerkiness masquerading as love, tragic live with no consequences, obsessive love and stalking as love, it’s all become a little depressing. With “The Eternal Ones” we have an emphasis on reincarnation with romance, something that was touched upon with disastrous incompetence by Lauren Kate in “Fallen.” When I was working in a bookshop last Christmas, the employees were allowed to take home some of the ARCs that were sent into the store and I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book but it’s taken me a long time to actually finish reading the book.

Reincarnation as a central theme in a story is an idea with fantastic potential but said potential can also be mishandled very easily. It’s all too easy to use it as a get-out-of-characterisation-and-development-free card and I’m afraid that’s what “The Eternal Ones” does for the larger part of the story, which is a shame because the initial set-up was intriguing: a young woman in a claustrophobic small town with traditional beliefs and old fashioned scare mongering coupled with her confusion over her visions and what they all mean could have been something genuinely gripping in the tradition of the Southern gothic, a genre I am a complete sucker for. Haven, cheesy name choice aside, starts out an interesting enough heroine, and the small town residents well rounded enough to keep the story going, although there are moments where they’re seriously at risk of falling into caricature territory, but the moment Iain enters the equation, it goes downhill very quickly.

There’s no development between Haven and Iain as lovers. They meet face-to-face about a hundred pages in and that’s that. While Miller tries to throw a few red herrings and speed bumps in the way of their relationship, they offer no real depth to the characters and actually served to make me dislike the couple more and more as the story progressed. Haven showed brief moments of strength and backbone but all too often she fell into stupid mode and blindly accepted Iain’s explanations even when she knew they were lies. I’m not sure how everyone else feels but I can’t be the only one who is sick of the so called hero constantly lying and keeping important secrets from his supposed love to ‘protect her’ and ‘keep her safe’, when just keeping her up-to-date on what’s happening would surely be of more use to her. Iain doesn’t come across as a gallant hero or love for the ages; he just comes across as an entitled jerk. The reincarnation element seemed like such a cheap move to pull in lieu of real development between Haven and Iain – they already know each other and loved each other in a previous life as different people so why get to know each other in this life? Because people obviously never change. Haven’s jealousy over Iain’s playboy reputation is apparently one of the reasons he loves her over their many lifetimes together, which I found to be an odd thing to like about someone. Surely such emotions aren’t a strong foundation for a relationship? There was no real fire or heat between the pair, let alone trust or mutual respect.

The plot, with its numerous red herrings and pointless dead ends that added nothing to the story, was serviceable but far too long. At over 400 pages, a stringent editor could have done wonders with the story and streamlined it more for a quicker paced read. The lack of serious development over these pages was also disappointing, especially since the potential was limitless. I found myself imagining new ways to write the story; Haven being unsure whether her visions are real, the result of madness or possession, the conflict between religion and medicine in a small, suspicious town, the conflict between religions (a brief scene involving Haven visiting a different church with a friend revealed some interesting possibilities) and the difficulties between Haven, her family and the town’s residents, etc. Some ambiguity could have done this story wonders, but everything was so clean cut and even when doubt was thrown into the equation, one never fully believes that there’s any true alternative to the designated storyline.

Haven’s visions also suffered from the typical path of magical powers in YA in that they only showed up when it was convenient to the plot and only just revealed enough to keep Haven in the dark at all times. It became rather annoying after a while. Outside of the breeding pair, the supporting cast ranged from interesting (Haven’s friend Beau was sweet and their friendship didn’t feel too forced) to clichéd (the town preacher who had potential to be much scarier than he was) and cardboard cut outs (Haven’s fiercely religious grandmother was a shrill, two-dimensional figure with potential – I keep using that word – to be so much more). The ending does pick up the pace, with the campy but interesting villain of the piece finally turning up a little late to the table, and throws in a few fun elements that I wish had been added earlier to the story in a less contrived manner, although seeing as this is the first in a series, it will be interesting to see how Miller develops his potential.

Overall, I didn’t hate this book, I just felt disappointed. It had such great potential and the prose was strong enough to support it but the plotting fell back on easy conveniences and a poorly developed romance between stock characters with no unique qualities. There is further potential for the sequel to be interesting if Miller sticks with the intriguing parts but the reliance on easy ways out left me feeling cold. Reincarnation is a fascinating idea and deserves an equally fascinating story to back it up. This just isn’t it.

2/5.

[Qing · Rating 1 out of 5]

Recipe for The enternal ones
1. Create a base for this concoction we’re making : Idea of reincarnation, soul mates and love never forgotten always makes for a yummy backdrop. Too bad there’s an eerily similar idea out there already (My name is memory by Ann Brashares)—but who cares, no one would notice as they lap this book up.
2. Mould one heroine: Do remember to make her incredibly silly, vapid and fickle; make her as unbearable and unlikable as you can. Ooh and make her sew clothes. How random and lovely and quirky!
3. Add in one love-interest: Make sure he has a too-sleek-too-suave and entirely too-smooth exterior, don’t need to bother about the interior. It’s looks that count, no one cares for how he is on the inside anyway so we shouldn’t put too much effort developing that.
4. Don’t forget to mix in the two love birds from the past. We don’t need to describe how they were or how they felt other than to emphasise on the fact that they LOVED EACH OTHER WITH ALL THEIR HEARTS AND SOUL AND WOULD DIE FOR EACH OTHER AND DIE WITH EACH OTHER OooooOH HOW ROMANTIC!
5. Sprinkle some fairy dust: Token gay best friend (Make sure your readers know that he’s gay right off the bat. Why not make him have a random and lovely and quirky hobby too—make him sew clothes too!) who loves heroine unconditionally despite how she treats him. Enough said.
6. Stir in some controversy: Insanely and altogether unbelievable grandmother, weak-willed mother and up-right one dimensional crazy priest.
7. Throw in a few unnecessary characters: strange cryptic girl #1 who predicts the future, strange cryptic man who plays with snakes, strange cryptic girl #2 who paints spooky images she sees, strange cryptic girl from the past with who may (or may not) have cheated on with one half of love- bird-from-the-past.
8. Add dashes of strange subplots: random gray suited stalkers, father who did (or did not!) have an affair, sudden flashbacks to the past (please remember to stick these at your own whim throughout the book, what a delight they will be! What lovely addition to the flavour it gives! Ooh why not create a one-paged chapter with that solely! How original! And creative!) ...
9. Wrap up this delightful creation with the promise of a sequel. It’ll leave readers craving for more.
Voila! A recipe for a complete waste of time and money :(

[Maisie · Rating 4 out of 5]

past lives, conspiracy, dealing with the devil, fate, romance......was good!

[Leanna Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a fresh, exciting new read, then this book is for you! With her tale of love across the ages, Kirsten Miller has turned the paranormal romance genre on it’s head and delivered a completely unique tale, one which I can pretty much guarantee will keep you enthralled right until the last page. The Eternal Ones is the first book in an exciting new Young Adult series, and I have to say, I can‘t wait to get my hands on the sequel! I’ve always been interested in themes of reincarnation and past lives, and when you add a shady secret society, some swoonworthy romance and a sassy heroine into the mix, what you get is a really great read!

We are introduced to our heroine, Haven Moore, a small town girl whose big time dreams are being hampered due to mysterious visions she has experienced from an early age. These visions take Haven back to 1920’s New York and into the lives of doomed lovers Constance and Ethan. Haven is shunned by her deeply religious community who reject the notion of reincarnation and declare Haven’s visions to be the devil’s work. Haven knows that she is destined to be with Ethan, and so, when she sees Iain Morrow the world’s hottest movie star on an evening news report, and finds herself inextricably drawn to him, she knows she must travel to New York to uncover the truth. There she meets Iain and also enlists the help of The Ouroboros Society - a powerful secret society dedicated to the study of reincarnation. Soon enough, everyone wants a piece of Haven and the information she holds, but who, if anyone, can she trust?

I loved this book right from the start. The writing style, short chapters and fast-paced plot kept me entertained, so much so, that once I picked up this book, I didn’t put it down until I was done. Added to it‘s stunning mystery and epic romance, this book has great crossover appeal, and is one that will be enjoyed by teenagers and adults alike. At times, Haven is a little naïve in her actions and she makes some strange choices, but overall she’s a great character, as are her supporting cast. It also helps that her love interest, Iain happens to be smokin’ hot! I loved learning of the history of The Ouroboros society - secret societies are one of my major obsessions - and I was thoroughly engrossed when reading about this one. I can't wait to find out more! There are lots of exciting twists and turns in this book right up to it's stunning conclusion in the Eternal City of Rome, where you will definitely be left wanting more. Overall, this is a great read. Highly recommended!

[Amelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve been excited to read this book for forever and that’s why it was even more disappointing when I couldn’t get into it—and was sorely tempted to throw it across the room as I got farther and farther into it. I know a lot of people have really enjoyed this book, but I am not one of them. I got nearly 200 pages in, cut somewhere in the back and basically got the whole story.

There were two things that really ate at me. The writing and the characters.

The writing:

One of the first things that struck out at me were the poor scene changes. There would be a break in the story when there was no need for it. It was if it were meant to show transition when really, no time had passed. It was distracting and reflected poorly on the story.

Then, as I continued reading, I started getting frustrated by the poor execution of “show, don’t tell”. I could go through and point out several sentences/passages that could have been presented much more effectively by merely changing it so it came straight from the character and not as if it were a retelling. Due to this, there was a complete lack of personality in the style. It was plain and didn’t pull any emotion out of me, except frustration.

The characters:

Most of my enjoyment comes from characters. If the characters flop, most of the story does as well. Which makes sense, since the characters are the ones who carry out the story. No characters, no story.

There was, once again, the archetype god-like hero and the plain heroine. Please, God, give us something else. I am just downright sick and tired of reading through the same character over and over again. Also, the social rival was far too cliché. There are nasty people out there, but I don’t want the Disney channel mean girls. (They make me laugh…kinda counterproductive, yes?)

Haven might have turned out to be a decent character if she’d just stayed consistent. She had some good lines, but they flopped afterwards because she didn’t have the personality to make her reaction credible. She was also very selfish and her lack of perception just made me want to scream! Half of her actions just defied common sense. She also seemed a bit dim-witted. Most of the time I was going, “No, really?!”

I think Beau was the realest. He showed the most personality and I really took a liking to his character. Though, I wasn’t really taken with Beau and Haven’s friendship. It didn’t seem real, credible, convincing…whichever word you want to use.

Iain was pathetic. Not taken with him in the slightest. He was too cardstock without any flair or personality at all. I went about four chapters with his character and just started rolling my eyes.

The plot:

As I said before, I got 200 pages in, skipped around in the back and not only felt as if I’d gotten the whole story in a pinch, but I was uninspired to continue. I like it when, in series, you can pick up any book without having to start with book 1 but not in a book itself. I shouldn’t be able to cut in midway and know everything that’s going on.

Overall, I was sorely disappointed.

You can find more of my reviews at The Authoress: Book Reviews & More.

[ALPHAreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘The Eternal Ones’ is Kirsten Miller’s first stand-alone YA novel.

For as long as Haven can remember she has loved a boy called Ethan. When she was just a child Haven would often speak about having to find Ethan Evans in New York City, and she would refer to herself as Constance Whitman. Haven scared her parents by having ‘fainting spells’ and waking with clear memories of another life in New York City and the love of a man named Ethan.
In her small Tennessee bible-belt town of Snope City Haven quickly gained the reputation of being ‘demon possessed’. Her grandmother, Imogene, insisted that Haven have regular counselling sessions with the local preacher to try and curb her evil ways. Haven’s visions did eventually stop, around the same time her father died in a car accident and her mother went into an asylum. In those dark days all memories of Ethan Evans vanished...

When we meet her Haven is 17 and the visions are back. Haven is fainting again, and remembering blissful nights wrapped around Ethan. Her best friend, Beau, is concerned. Her grandmother is about to have a conniption fit and the entire town are about ready to burn Haven on the cross. But she can’t help herself, she can’t stop the visions and she can’t help but feel that her past is connected to Iain Morrow... a NYC dilettante play-boy whose image on the news one night sends Haven into a faint. Somehow she knows that the answers to all of her, and Constance’s, questions lie with Iain. Now it’s up to Haven to journey to the Big Apple and learn the truth of her past and past life.

I loved the concept of reincarnation and love across time. When other authors are touting the ‘vampire romance’, Miller has tapped into what is at the heart of all those paranormal love stories... immortality. That’s one of the big selling-points of any vampire romance, the idea that you can be with and love someone *forever*. But Miller takes that idea and uses the ages-old concept of ‘reincarnation’ for her star-crossed lovers. Brilliant! There’s such potential for epic love, and it’s grounded in such a familiar yet whimsical concept. I think it’s an inspired idea.

“Who are you?” Constance asked. “How do you know these things?”
“I've been looking for you,” he said. Suddenly his face was close, his lips brushing hers. She closed her eyes.
“Constance!” A voice screeched across the piazza. “Get away from her at once!” Her mother was rushing toward them, wielding her Japanese parasol like a sword.
“Now it’s your turn to find me,” Ethan whispered, slipping a card into Constance’s hand.
She looked down. Printed on the back of the card was an illustration of a silver snake swallowing its tail.

I loved ‘part one’ of this book. The first 151 pages are all about Haven living in Snope City when her ‘visions’ reach a zenith. Miller writes about small-town prejudice and pressure as town residents turn on Haven. Throughout the first chapters, as Haven recounts snatches of another life lives in New York, you get the idea that the meat of the plot will take place when Haven leaves town... but part one of the book never dragged for me. Miller does a fantastic job of scene setting the Tennessee Mountain town and communicating Haven’s suffocation. I became completely immersed in Haven’s struggles and fascinated by her ‘visions’. Miller has also written some fantastic secondary characters, my favourite being Haven’s best friend, Beau. Beau is a star football player, drop-dead-gorgeous and gay. He and Haven have been friends ever since she admired the Barbie lunchbox Beau bought to school. I absolutely adored Beau – he’s a witty, saccharine Southern gentleman and there’s real affection between him and Haven as two outcasts who cling to one another to stay afloat in small-minded Snope. Their scenes provide some of the funniest dialogue and imbue the otherwise depressing first chapters with much-needed warmth.

It does become apparent early on that the real meat of the story won’t take place in Snope City. Haven has to leave the town and travel to NYC before the crux of the story can really kick-off....But the book goes a bit pear-shaped in the middle.

In the middle of the book, ‘part two’, Haven finally leaves Snope City (and Beau) behind and journeys to New York City. Her relationship with Iain/Ethan is instantaneous and whirlwind, but in the midst of bliss Haven starts uncovering uncomfortable truths. Like the fact that Iain is in the papers, accused of murder. Or that he seems to be a ‘cad about town’. Haven seeks to discover more about Iain Morrow, while simultaneously researching Constance Whitman and Ethan Evans’s past. It is at this point that Miller starts piling mystery upon conspiracy, and throwing curve-balls to tangle already complicated plots.

At one point Haven thinks that Iain is playing her for a fool and acting Lothario behind her back. At the same time, Haven uncovers clues that indicate Constance had the same suspicions about Ethan back in the day. Miller introduces two possible ‘mistresses’ for Iain and it all becomes a bit much, especially because Iain is also being accused of murder. Meanwhile, there’s a convoluted story about a reincarnation society called the ‘Ouroboros Society’ who might be sending ‘gray men’ to follow and spy on Haven and Iain.
At that point, half-way through the novel, I thought Miller should have adopted the ‘less is more’ approach.

Miller turns Haven into a Nancy Drew girl-sleuth. But Haven doesn’t suit the role of amateur detective at all. While unearthing clues about Iain Morrow and Ethan Evans, Haven swings between thinking the men innocent, and then guilty. She flips her mood on a dime, one second berating herself for doubting Iain’s love and then utterly sure that Ethan Evans murdered her reincarnated self, Constance Whitman.
Then there’s the fact that the bulk of Haven’s ‘sleuthing’ involves phoning her BFF, Beau, in Tennessee and asking him to conduct internet searches. That plot device at once had me asking why Miller didn’t just keep Beau in the story to begin with, instead relegating him to the sidelines as Haven’s ‘phone a friend’, and also acted to illustrate Haven’s investigating incapability.
I am a reader of crime thrillers, so I love a good ‘whodunnit’ ... but there was just too much in ‘The Eternal Ones’. Miller throws out so many red herrings, curveballs and layers mystery atop of mystery that it started to do my head in.

But just when I thought to put this book down as a ‘DNF’ Miller miraculously brings it all together. In the last 100 or so pages the pace quickens and the plot tightens – the mystery finally narrows down and comes together for a helter-skelter conclusion. A truly heinous bad-guy with demented motivations is presented for the final curtain, and the ending makes up for a few of the previous grumblings.

The back covers touts ‘The Eternal Ones’ as being “epic, paranormal romance like you’ve NEVER read before...”
The thing is, the book isn’t terribly romantic. The concept of reincarnation and coming back to this world because you’re drawn to one particular person is very romantic. But Miller works so hard to cast doubt on Iain/Ethan and she weaves such a complicated mystery surrounding the men that (like Haven) I was never sure about them. I never completely warmed to them, or trusted them. Miller invested so much energy in the conspiracy ‘whodunnit’ plot, casting Iain/Ethan in the worst light, that by the time she wanted Haven (and readers) to warm to them I was beyond being convinced, unable to shake my suspicions of them.

I think ‘The Eternal Ones’ has a great concept at its centre. Reincarnation as the crux of an epic love-story is a book I’d like to read.... but Kirsten Miller’s execution of the idea is a little lacking. She focuses too much on a convoluted mystery storyline, and leaves the romance ‘too little too late’. If the mystery plot had been culled and the romance amplified this would have been a truly terrific book. As it is, Miller just misses the mark; with a great idea, poorly delivered.

[Nafiza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I begin my review, I’d like to talk about reading lest I come over as pretentious in my thoughts and observations about the books I read. Before I started taking classes that dealt with analyzing literature, I used to be able to jump into a book and surf the plot to the finish without any other thought than my enjoyment of it. I read the story but I didn’t read what the characters said and did beyond their presence in the book. To elaborate, I was entirely unaware of the stories that the characters were telling simply by being in a certain way or saying things in a certain manner. I’m sure many of the book bloggers out there are English Lit majors or have taken classes that deal with analyzing stories critically so hopefully what I’m saying will resound with you in some manner. My point is that once you start reading critically, you can’t turn it off. You are always aware of the space between the lines and you are always trying to infer what they are saying. You analyze a smile in a hundred different ways and you will realize a new way of reading a sentence at 2 am in the morning after you wake up from a nightmare about jumping jellybeans. (Okay, that’s just me but still…)

Right. Now that we have established that I am not some nitpicky reader who loves to criticize, let’s move on to The Eternal Ones.

If you’ve read this and Ann Brashare’s My Name is Memory, you will surely have been struck by the similarities in both their plots and well, it just seemed like it was the same story that was told by two different authors who took certain creative licenses in the way the story was shaped. But other than that, it’s identical. Am I the only one who is amazed by the huge coincidence? I mean, as far as I know both authors wrote their books separately – or were they given ideas by their agents? Ah, I don’t know but I find it fascinating anyway. I wonder if they’ve read each others books and how they felt about their colleague’s work. Someone want to ask? I’m curious.

I’m just saying that comparison between the two is inevitable. Perhaps even welcomed.

I quite liked The Eternal Ones. While it didn’t have the poetic prose of My Name is Memory, it more than made up for it with its cohesive narrative and strong characterizations. I felt like I knew Beau – okay hold ont, this is weird. Constance is the name of an earlier incarnation of Haven and she is also the name of an earlier incarnation of Lucy from My Name is Memory. That totally threw me off – okay so like I was saying, I felt like I knew Beau, I felt his frustration with his best friend. I pitied Mae Moore and hated Haven’s grandmother. I was intrigued by Leah and her family. Miller writes small towns and their (stereotyped) narrow mentality really well – so well that she moves you to anger and nausea at the treatment the protagonists get from the townspeople.

What was most interesting to me was the relationship between the main characters. Iain Morrow and Haven Moore are supposed to be star crossed lovers, who meet time and time again. Who are reborn once again just for the purpose of being together. So it is really not surprising that when they do meet in this lifetime, there is no sense of newness to their relationship which they simply take up again as though dying and being born again was just a huge detour that took about ninety years. Okay fine, it was a surprise. I was surprised. I expected some sort of prelude to the kissing but I was kinda pleasantly surprised when there wasn’t any. I mean, they probably got over the first kisses and the blushes in the first three lifetimes. Heh. However, Haven’s continued yo-yoing about her feelings for the man left me feeling frustrated. You either love him or you don’t. Iain Morrow isn’t too awesome either. He’s seriously flawed. Like seriously, “lying to protect you” kind of flawed. So I can’t really blame Haven for being …”I seriously am going through these many lives for this man?” (She doesn’t actually say that, that was my internal commentary.)

Miller sacrifices the initial building up of the chemistry between the two by immediately jumping them off into a relationship. I don’t engage with them in the same manner that I did say, with Peeta and Katniss. But I am not averse to them either so…

The Baddie. Who is strikingly similar to the Baddie in My Name is Memory. He’s a very shadowy character who is not really developed at all. He is very one dimensional and his entire motive for the things he does is simply because he can. He could be called Chaos, I suppose. But he falls in love with a woman who simply can’t feel the same way about him (not that I blame her, the man is hella creepy). But yeah, he is the catalyst that sends Iain and Haven running towards each other though he was trying to do otherwise. Poor him.

In conclusion, I liked this book much, much better than I liked My Name is Memory (which I have reviewed in case you are curious). The pace of the plot is fast, the characterizations are spot on and the dynamics leave you breathless. The villains, while not exactly as well crafted as the other characters, retain their sinisterliness (yes I made that up) and are sufficiently threatening. The hero…well, he’s human. I could see this as a movie – a better one than My Name is Memory because this one involves more than one chapter of relationship between the two leads. So I recommend this to you. If you are into star crossed lovers who keep on meeting, breaking up, dying and being born again and again. Read it for Beau.

[Dwayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed @ Girls Without a Bookshelf.

This book tested my patience in so many levels. I was constantly swinging between loving it and hating it, and it was not until the end that I realised it was all so very worth it. To say it's an engaging book is an understatement. The Eternal Ones will invoke readers to feel, think and try to guess all sorts of things.

Haven Moore is a protagonist I have not settled my mind about. She is like a swinging pendulum, constantly undecided and going back and forth about trusting, loving and believing. On the one hand, I think she is practical in keeping her walls up and not trusting Iain - the reincarnated Ethan - wholeheartedly until she finds the answers he cannot and will not give her. She is aware of her visions being only snippets and not the full picture of her past - and despite her yearning for him, she reserves her judgment on Iain until she finds those elusive answers. On the other hand, it seems rather stupid of her to trust fully someone else who she cannot recall at all nor is she related to, while not trusting Iain when she knows and feel their love and history. She wasn't a character easy to relate to, no. I could not imagine a toddler having visions from previous lives, let alone visions about a lover. Her reserved attitude and need for answers are believable, but her rationale and actions are sometimes questionable.

I was surprised to not have read much of Iain in this book. There is little characterisation on his part, and often times I found him overshadowed by the wonderful secondary characters - like Beau, Haven's best friend. I really would have liked to know more of Iain and to see more of Ethan in him too. He appears in crucial, defining moments but I felt the need for more romance. What Iain shared with Haven is brief but intense, and their connection well-played. The mystery and secrecy behind their relationship adds flavour to the romance, while the twists and turns that had me gaping is a good bonus.

The concept of reincarnation is fascinatiing to say the least, but The Eternal Ones takes that concept and wields it with mystery, romance and religion to become one bloody good book. I personally love how the characters connect with each other, and how they fit together in the greater scheme of things. It's worth noting that there are major religious undertones in this book. Haven springs from a small, close-knit and religious town in Tennesee and that, and her grandmother's religious fervor portrays a very realistic small town narrow-mindedness which I enjoyed reading. With the other half of the book being set in New York, the contrasts in the atmosphere and environment is well highlighted.

I had a small issue with the narrative. Don't get me wrong, the Eternal Ones is well-written, but I was not sure what the time frame was in the first few pages because the words used seem to indicate a usage in a different time. It took me some time to get used to it but when I did, it was a blessed relief. Although I thought the climax was not a climax at all, I can hardly complain - I really enjoyed this book. It ends in a way that is open and ready for the sequel.

Recommended!

[Gus · Rating 1 out of 5]

If this book had a face, I would punch it.

Seriously, I can't really even describe why I dislike this book so much. The premise could have been really awesome, I find past lives and reincarnation really interesting. It was so so so poorly written and the plot pretty much never went anywhere. Everytime there was a "twist" (I'm not stupid, I can see whats coming!) I had to roll my eyes. The main character goes back and forth and back and forth and back and forth so many damn times that I wanted to throw her in the fire myself. (Also? How the hell does a 17 year old book a train and hotel and run around New York without her guardian's permission??? Pretty sure you have to be 18 to book a hotel, damnit!) The "bad guy" is so utterly ridiculous that I even had to tell my husband about it. I don't want to spoil it for those who are gluttons for punishment, but save your time (this is a few hours I'll never get back) and pick up another book instead.

Oh, and saying "he smiled like a slow kid at the carnival"? Not very funny. Or even relevant. And the whole gay best friend thing was so utterly contrived and stereotypical, it made me want to curb stomp the book as well. Too bad its an ARC and I can't sell this stupid thing.

[Yukimaru Hatake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entretenido, pero no el mejor libro del mundo. :(

[Γιώτα Παπαδημακοπούλου · Rating 4 out of 5]

Έχετε βρεθεί ποτέ σε κάποιο μέρος και να έχει γεννηθεί μέσα σας η εντύπωση πως δεν είναι η πρώτη φορά που πατάτε το πόδι σας εκεί, που τα πάντα γύρω σας έχουν κάτι το γνώριμο; Έχετε συναντήσει ποτέ κάποιον άνθρωπο και η οικειότητα ή ο φόβος που σας εμπνέει να είναι τόσο άμεσος σα να γνωριζόσασταν από παλιά; Έχετε ερωτευτεί ποτέ με την πρώτη ματιά, έστω κι αν δεν μπορείτε να εξηγήσετε το λόγο, απλά γνωρίζετε βαθιά μέσα σας πως δεν θα μπορούσατε να αποφύγετε τα συναισθήματα αυτά ακόμα κι αν θέλατε; Τότε ίσως να είστε κι εσείς ένας από τους "Αιώνιους"! Ίσως αυτή να μην είναι η πρώτη σας ζωή σε τούτο τον πλανήτη. Ίσως να έχετε επιστρέψει από κάπου μακρύτερα από εκεί που μπορεί να φτάσει ο νους σας. Ίσως... Αυτό όμως που είναι αναμφίβολο είναι ότι όταν διαβάσετε τους "Αιώνιους" θα γοητευτείτε και θα βουτήξετε για τα καλά στα πιο βαθιά νερά της ανθρώπινης ψυχής και ακόμα κι αν δεν πιστεύετε, θα αναρωτηθείτε αν αυτή μπορεί να ζήσει για πάντα και να επανέλθει, με τις ίδιες αναμνήσεις και τα ίδια συναισθήματα σε ένα νέο σώμα.

Η ιστορία μας ξεκινάει από μια επαρχιακή πόλη του Τενεσί, μια πολιτεία που στην λογοτεχνία του μεταφυσικού κατέχει εξέχουσα θέση και όχι άδικα αφού, η ίδια η ιστορία του τόπου βρίθει από θρύλους και αρχέγονες δοξασίες. Εκεί ζει μια νεαρή κοπέλα, η Χέιβεν, της οποίας η ζωή κάθε άλλο παρά εύκολη είναι. Με τον θάνατο του πατέρα της, η γιαγιά της ήταν εκείνη που ανέλαβε την ανατροφή της, καθότι η μητέρα της δεν ήταν σε θέση να φροντίσει ούτε τον εαυτό της. Αυτό ήταν αρκετό για να καταδικάσει τη Χέιβεν σε μια καταπιεσμένη, ηθικοπλαστική και θεοσεβούμενη ζωή, με τους πάντες να την θεωρούν ως μια αλλόκοτη ύπαρξη. Λίγο πριν φύγει από την πόλη που την πνίγει για να να σπουδάσει, η Χέιβεν λιποθυμά και βλέπει ένα όραμα μιας κοπέλας κι ενός αγοριού, της Κονστάνς και του Ίθαν, κάτι που 8 χρόνια πριν αποτελούσε καθημερινό φαινόμενο και μετά τον θάνατο του πατέρα της και εξαιτίας της γιαγιάς της και του ιεροκύρηκά τους, αναγκάστηκε να τα θάψει βαθιά μέσα της, να τα ξεχάσει. Όσο όμως κι αν προσπαθεί να πνίξει για μια ακόμη φορά το οράματα που απειλούν να καταστρέψουν το μέλλον και την ελευθερία που τόσο πολύ αποζητά, δε μπορεί και στην πραγματικότητα, δε θέλει.

Τα οράματα γίνονται όλο και πιο έντονα, έρχονται και τη συνεπαίρνουν όλο και πιο συχνά και η Χέιβεν ξέρει πως αυτό δεν είναι τυχαίο. Κάτι ή κάποιος τα πυροδότησε. Βαθιά μέσα της ξέρει πως η Κονστάνς ήταν η ίδια σε κάποια προηγούμενη ζωή και πως ο Ίθαν υπήρξε ο άντρας που αγάπησε. Όταν βλέπει τον Ίαν Μάροου στην τηλεόραση, διάσημο πλέι-μπόι της Νέας Υόρκης, κάτι σκιρτά μέσα της και η πεποίθηση πως αυτός είναι ο Ίθαν του παρελθόντος της φουντώνει μέσα της. Με την παρότρυνση του φίλου της Μπο, αλλά και των σημειώσεων του πατέρα της που ανακαλύπτει πως κρατούσε απ' όταν ήταν παιδί, πιστεύοντας ότι έχει μετεμψυχωθεί και προσπαθώντας να την βοηθήσει, αποφασίζει να εγκαταλείψει την μικρή επαρχιακή της πόλη και την αυταρχική γιαγιά της, οδεύοντας προς Νέα Υόρκη για να βρει τον Ίαν και να ανακαλύψει αν είναι αυτός που πιστεύει. Και πράγματι το κάνει κι εκείνος με το που τη βλέπει την αναγνωρίζει και ξεκινάνε να ζήσουν τον μεγάλο έρωτα που τερματίστηκε άδοξα 90 χρόνια πριν. Όμως η Χέιβεν δεν είναι σίγουρη για τον λόγο που η Κονστάνς την οδήγησε στο να τον βρει και ορισμένες κινήσεις του Ίαν κάθε άλλο παρά αθώες φαίνονται.

Η Kirsten Miller δουλεύει πάνω στην ιδέα της μετενσάρκωσης και της δυνατότητας που έχει ο άνθρωπος να ανακαλεί μνήμες και συναισθήματα που βίωσε στις προηγούμενες ζωές του. Πάνω απ' όλα όμως βασίζεται στην ιδέα της αιώνιας αγάπης της οποίας ο κύκλος ανοίγει σε κάθε νέα ζωή με σκοπό ο καθένας μας να αναζητήσει και να βρει το αιώνιο ταίρι του, την αδερφή ψυχή του. Τι γίνεται όμως όταν στο δρόμο τους υπάρχουν εμπόδια; Τι συμβαίνει όταν κάτι ή κάποιοι δεν θέλουν αυτοί οι δύο άνθρωποι να βρεθούν ξανά; Τι θα συμβεί στην πραγματικότητα αν ο κύκλος της επανένωσής τους σπάσει σε κάποια ζωή; Θα μπορέσουν να ξαναβρεθούν ή αυτό θα είναι το οριστικό τέλος; Η Χέιβεν και ο Ίαν μπορεί να έχουν υπάρξει ζευγάρι σε προηγούμενες ζωές ωστόσο η συγγραφέας δεν έχει σκοπό να τους αφήσει να ζήσουν ευτυχισμένοι έτσι εύκολα. Κάποιος φαίνεται να μην τους θέλει μαζί και έτσι, τους κατατρέχει. Από την άλλη η Χέιβεν αρχίζει να μην εμπιστεύεται τον Ίαν πιστεύοντας πως Κονστάνς δεν την έστειλε σε αυτόν επειδή τον αγαπούσε αλλά, επειδή θέλει να αποκαλύψει πως εκείνος την σκότωσε, όπως ακριβώς και τον άνθρωπο η κατηγορία του φόνου του οποίου βαραίνει τον Ίαν. Και όσο κι αν η έλξη της Χέιβεν γι' αυτόν είναι μεγάλη, δεν μπορεί να παραβλέψει τα σημάδια καθώς η αμφιβολία θεριεύει μέσα της.

Η συγγραφέας, λίγο μετά τις πρώτες σελίδες του βιβλίου όπου μοιάζει να ψάχνει να βρει τον ρυθμό τη, μας ταξιδεύει σε μια ιστορία που συνδυάζει με γοητευτικό τρόπο το παρελθόν με το παρόν, την αγάπη με το μίσος, την εμπιστοσύνη με την αμφιβολία. Οι αναδρομές της στην προηγούμενη ζωή των πρωταγωνιστών κάθε άλλο παρά κουραστική είναι αφού καταφέρνει και είναι ισορροπημένη, χωρίς υπερβολές στην έκτασή τους, αφήνοντάς μας να αφομοιώσουμε κάθε φορά μόνο όσα στοιχεία χρειάζεται για να παραπλανηθούμε ή να βγάλουμε συμπεράσματα συνδέοντας σταδιακά τα κομμάτια του παζλ που θα οδηγήσουν στη λύση του μυστηρίου που καλύπτει το σκοτεινό παρελθόν. Η πλοκή του βιβλίου είναι καλοδουλεμένη, ακολουθώντας μιας γραμμική εξέλιξη των γεγονότων, χωρίς άσκοπες παρεκκλίσεις, επιτρέποντας έτσι στην αγωνία μας να κορυφωθεί όσο η δράση εξελίσσεται και γίνεται όλο και πιο φρενήρης, κάνοντάς μας να αμφιταλαντευόμαστε συνεχώς ανάμεσα στην αιώνια αγάπη και την πιθανότητα να εθελοτυφλούμε εξαιτίας της.

Και τελικά αναρωτιόμαστε... Υπάρχει μετεμψύχωση; Και αν ναι, υπάρχει για μα ένα και μοναδικό ταίρι, μια αδελφή ψυχή που μπορούμε κάθε φορά να αναζητήσουμε; Μπορούμε να εμπιστευτούμε αυτό που λέει η καρδιά και η ψυχή μας ή πρέπει να δίνουμε μεγαλύτερη βάση στα γεγονότα που εξελίσσονται μπροστά μας, στις μικρές εκείνες λεπτομέρειες που μέσα στην ασημαντότητα τους μπορεί να είναι εξαιρετικά σημαντικές στην πραγματικότητα; Αυ��ό που κατάλαβα εγώ είμαι ότι η έννοια της αγάπης και της εμπιστοσύνης πάνε μαζί. Δεν μπορείς να αγαπάς πραγματικά και ολοκληρωτικά κάποιον αν δεν τον εμπιστεύεσαι και τότε μπορεί να διακινδυνεύεις να χάσεις τα πάντα, όχι γιατί εκείνος δεν θα είναι αρκετά δυνατός για να προσπαθήσει να σε πείσει αλλά, επειδή πάντα θα υπάρχουν εκείνοι που καραδοκούν για να σας καταστρέψουν. Μια γοητευτική ιστορία αγάπης, συνωμοσίας, προδοσίας, έρωτα, γεμάτη ανατροπές, που εξελίσσεται με κινηματογραφική δράση, εκτοξεύει την αγωνία μας και παράλληλα, εξιτάρει τη φαντασία μας αλλά και μας συγκινεί.

[Yelania Nightwalker · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

Haven Moore creció teniendo esas visiones de una vida pasada, a lo largo de los años, su vida se ha complicado por ese "don" que posee de recordar lo que vivió en otros tiempos. Su amor del pasado, Ethan, ha reaparecido y ella tiene que encontrarlo, tiene que descubrir lo que Constance desea que Heven sepa en esta vida, así que sin nada que la detenga en su pequeña ciudad, se embarca en un viaje lleno de sinsabores, de eventos frustrados, situaciones extrañas y muchas malas influencias. ¿Cómo puede saber Haven a quién creer, en quién confiar?

¿Crees en el amor a primera vista?
¿Crees que hay alguien con quien te reencontraras siempre a pesar y en contra de todo?
¿Tienes la certeza de que alguien en este mundo esta esperando por ti?
¿Has sentido que vives en el lugar y momento equivocado?

Entonces sumérgete en el inolvidable mundo de los ETERNOS y acompaña a Haven en la búsqueda de respuestas, y el amor...

Eternos me gustó, es una historia compleja, con una red bien trazada y personajes con mucha personalidad. La primera parte del libro es un poco lenta, siendo el primer libro de una serie, es preciso que todos los datos sean presentados a fin de no perdernos (cosa que se agradece); no obstante hay poca acción lo que vuelve un poco cansada la historia. Pareciera que no pasa nada, cuando en realidad suceden muchas cosas. Por fortuna, la narración es muy ligera, muy fresca y eso ayuda a que el lector no se canse o se aburra como con otros libros. Claro que cerca de la mitad del libro y antes de que se desencadene la acción, hay un par de capítulos un tanto pesados, sobrecarga de información, me temo :)

El romance es secillito, no es el punto fuerte de la historia, y nuestra protagonista se pasa de desconfiada un par de veces que de verdad quieres darle unos golpes ver si así reacciona... Un poco influenciable, lo cual, desafortunadamente, se debe a su escasa información con las visiones de su vida pasada.

El malo... representa a un personaje que debe ser malo. Creo que le faltó un poco de esencia o de que comiera más picante ese día (llévenle unas tortas ahogadas, por favor, a ver si así se pone un poco más ardido ?~ Momento antojo, sorry!). Y Beau, el amigo de Haven, un amor. Espero que para el siguiente libro siga teniendo esa personalidad tan intensa que pocos personajes secundarios consiguen. No es del montón, no es de relleno, ni molesto, es un personaje que de verdad, verdad, terminas amando.

Qué les digo, he disfrutado Eternos. Es una pena que un par de cosillas le dieran esos bajones a la historia, por lo demás, creo que es una novela muy interesante, que vale la pena leer y que nos aleja de los muy presentes hoy en día vampiros-lobos-ángeles que abarrotan los libros.

Kisten Miller hizo de Eternos un historia tensa y caótica, con una prosa exhuberante que amenaza con corromper todas tus creencias en la reencarnación y el amor. Vale la pena, sin duda.

[Pricky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had been waiting for over a year for our library to order this book so it was with much anticipation to finally be able to delve into this mystery.

Which lasted about 61 pages. I. just. can't. go. on....

First off, I'm not a big fan of the 3rd person POV--especially with YA; and unless the author is a very talented writer, the 3rd person perspective ends up making it sound like a narration from a screenplay.

Miller is case-in-point. There were about 5 pages covering 2 short chapters where there was nothing but a long description and retelling of Haven Moore's life. (I almost forgot I was reading a novel; it sounded so much like an bibliography.) What happened to the "Show, not Tell"?

Some of the scenes were pieced together so jaggedly that I was left confused. There's a scene in the past followed by another scene in the past but linked by the word "Now" which makes me think of the present. (e.g., p.24) I was also puzzled by which time period this story takes place in. For a story that supposedly takes place in the "present day," I felt very backwards; the insistence that Haven's visions are due to demon possession seemed very forced and ridiculous; mind you, I've never been to the "bible belt" states, but the way the townspeople acted seemed unrealistic.

None of the characters seem interesting enough to me. The "soul mate" theme is a little tiresome. The gay best friend, the domineering grandma matriarch, and the hot love interest are too cliche. I'm also puzzled by Haven's mother who initially acts subservient and yet a few pages later suddenly stands up to grandma and then persuades Haven to pursue the truth.

I can't say much about the rest of the plot nor Haven's future love interest. It's a VERY thick story and if it was shorter, and if I didn't already have a stack of "To-Reads" I might, just might have forced myself to finish.

[Linna · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I found most interesting about my read-through of THE ETERNAL ONES was that the romance wasn’t the strongest point at all; in fact, I thought it was kind of weak. We literally know nothing about Ethan/Iain, except that they loved Haven in a past life… hardly any discernible character traits, and most of the plot you’re split by the possibility that Iain is a cold blooded killer. (Hardly soul mate material.) And I couldn’t find any reason for them to be together at all… even their romance in their past lives wasn’t really elaborated upon. We’re told that they have an undying love for one another, but it isn’t really shown.

So now we have a book classified as a ‘romance’ that deals with love, but the actual aspect isn’t very appealing at all. Which isn’t a problem, because what THE ETERNAL ONES succeeds at is this: being an excellent mystery. There’s careful development of the setting, the concept of reincarnation is slowly built upon, and it all builds up to a fantastic, heart-stopping race for Haven to discover the truth and save herself. Unfortunately, the action takes a LONG time to arrive, because nothing much happens for more than half the book, which is generally unacceptable for people with short attention spans.

And I really need to devote an entire paragraph to Beau, Haven’s best (and only) friend. I’m starting to notice more and more stronger supporting characters, instead of the bland, one-dimensional friends who only serve as a prop for the main character’s problems. Beau had more personality than a good half of the other characters combined, plus some to spare.

[Valentine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. Reading this book was very frustrating because I could see it had potential to be a great book. The idea of incarnation and love that spans lifetimes was good, but the execution was so awful.

The writing was painfully amateurish. The dialogue was annoying and unrealistic, filled with several exclamation marks for emphasis! The main character was colorless and lifeless. The side characters were caricatures and seemed really...stupid. I don't mean that as an insult, I literally mean they did not seem intelligent. There's the crazy evil grandmother, there's the suspicious priest, there's the push-over mother and there's a town full of people who seemingly believe in the literal devil.

What about the love story we've been promised? Well, we don't meet Prince Charming until almost half-way through the book...and I kind of wish we never did. To call him one dimensional would be kind. The love story that lasted lifetimes consisted of Haven (the main girl) thinking Iain (the main guy) was a murdering womanizer. Haven's obtuseness was so dense it was infuriating. They have zero chemistry. Tip to the author: having your characters say over and over again that they love each other does not make the reader believe it if they never once show it.

All in all, the story was tepid and never really moved, the characters were flat, and the author's take on reincarnation left much to be desired.

[Brandon Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tenía bajas expectativas de este libro por todo lo que decían acerca de el, pero la verdad es que me gustó bastante, la historia esta bien y es atrayente, aunque lo que le baja puntos es Haven. Es de las chicas más...ugh, no se si realmente era crédula o qué, pero no creo que nadie más que solo ella haya caído en todas las cosas que le decían acerca de Iain, y si no fuera por ella mi puntuación hubiera sido mil veces mejor. Su reencuentro no era lo que yo esperaba, fue muy...no se como describirlo, no hubo magia, por así decirlo. Pensaba que el libro iba a ser muy dulce, pero me gustó que en realidad sea más "oscuro". El final tenía cosas predecibles y otras no, pero aún así no pude dejar de leer, la primera parte si se me hizo muy aburrida, pero luego poco a poco la autora encuentra una manera de atraer al lector, pero alejarlo a la vez de lo tonta que es Haven. La historia de Ethan y Constance fue lo que más me gustó en el libro, y aunque el romance entre Iain y Haven no se me hizo especial no fue malo, pero si necesitaba esos toques que hacen que una historia de amor te enamoré. Me gustó Iain pero no me encantó. Y en cuanto a los personajes secundarios solo me agradaron Leah y Beau. Imogene, bueno, es una bruja, pero no es alguien a quien odiar...tanto, se la podría justificar por alguien que es así por lo que le ha tocado vivir. (Aunque no podría convivir con una fanática religiosa como ella) Mae es muy despreocupada acerca de su hija. Los antagonistas sabían como lavarle el cerebro a Haven, pero yo no podía creer nada de lo que decían. En fin, la historia estuvo bien, pero tal vez si hubiera profundizado mejor sus personajes y hubiera hecho una protagonista menos crédula me hubiera gustado más.

[Marbook_gr · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

[The Novel Strumpet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this so understand that it is not out for mass consumption yet. I really was hoping for this one b/c it would be a good alternative for all the vamp/were/fairy stuff out there in YA but alas...nay. The main character is one of the stupidest girls in literature. I have not been so insulted by the ignorance of a character in a very, very long time. Saying Haven is too stupid to live is being polite b/c in the end I found myself hoping that the 'Demon of Chaos' (for lack of a better description) that's been hunting her for centuries would either A) Kill her and start the whole cycle over again or B) Possess her so she'd lose her soul to him. I'm not joking, I wanted Haven to be tortured in ways you can't even imagine. And the love interest, Ian, is either a masochist or completely whipped to follow a woman through lifetimes who is obviously so thickheaded. Not stubborn, thickheaded. *sigh* The 'twists' and 'mystery' were so obvious anyone could figure them out w/in the first 30% of the book, or as soon as you meet a new character, and despite her 'visions' of the past Haven never can put 2 and 2 together until it's too late, and even then she has no clue as to what's going on. I found myself screaming at the book in frustration.

It's hard for me tell if the author is just that bad, if she didn't realize how completely brain dead Haven would come off looking, or if she meant for the reader to hate Haven. As for Adam (the 'demon') and Ian...they deserve all the pain and misery she's put them through over lifetimes if they continue to seek her out.

There are some characters who are interesting, but the thing that I found really upsetting is that it seems the author has no sense of driving a plot forward. In fact there were so many things the author brought in that should have been used as catalysts to drive the plot forward, but only wound up being peripheral subplots, I nearly couldn't finish the book.

This is NOT a love story, it's a practice in futility, and may the heavens help any female who sees it as a great romance. I really, really, really wish I could say something more positive b/c I wanted to like it sooo bad. I've never read Kirsten Miller before, and I probably won't again.

[♡°• Marisa Martínez •°♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tres y media... la idea de las vidas pasada es algo que me gusta mucho y que es muy importante para mi, a lo que le tengo un respeto, siento que para mi es lo único bueno del libro...

Tengo un problema y es que talvez este libro llego a muy tarde para mi, 😅 es algo que mi yo de 13 o 14 años le hubiera encantado en su momento y probablemente lo hubiera releeido muchas veces como lo suele hacer.
Pero actualmente, si me costo y eso que es muy digerible y se podría decir que se puede leer rápido. Y eso funciona, pero mi conflicto viene con los protagonistas y hablo de los tres principales.
Uno se guarda muchas cosas y no se comunica, el otro no aparece y no toma protagonismo casi que hasta el final y la última y creo que a quien más odie fue a Haven no es personal y hasta cierto punto se porque es así, pero esta bien mensa y hace muchas cosas que solo hace que de vueltas y vueltas en la trama que no ayuda en nada, y de ese tipo de personajes son los que menos me gusta.

No es personal y no es contra el libro, si está bueno pero si llego un punto en que ya no tubo sentido para mi, talvez le este pidiendo mucho ya que es de una época a la que pues ya pase y pues llego tarde.

Pero no todo es malo, tengo sentimientos encontrado con todo esto debido a que me recordó cuando estaba en secundaria y estas lecturas eran de mis favoritas, pero actualmente creo mis gusta han cambiado y precisamente eso también influye en mi pensamiento, eso no quita que si le tome cariño además que me enseñó una que otra cosa y eso siempre para mi será bueno.

[Dulce Espinosa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 estrellas.

¿Saben cuántas veces intenté leer este libro? como más de 10. Lo juro. Siempre que abría el libro me parecía súper aburrido. Cuando lo busqué y cuando al fin lo encontré (en la FIL 2014) me pareció interesante pero no sé por qué no estaba preparada jaja pero ya me parecía que llevaba bastante tiempo en mi librero pues esta vez sí me decidí a leerlo y fue un poco decepcionante. El principio es muy flojo, después se vuelve interesante pero no lo suficiente y el final es pésimo. Y aunque explican el por qué de los eternos, creo que no se entiende bien el punto. Obvio hay romance bobo pero no me lo creo. No me parece natural, real. No como narran la historia. Falta más... historia de fondo(? de los personajes, le faltó mucho mucho para que realmente me gustara este libro, y es triste porque no seguiré con la historia. Hay tantos libros por leer como para detenerme en una historia así. No me malentiendan, me gusta el paranormal romance,...bueno, ya no.

[starryeyedjen · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 33%

I give up. This is just terrible. And it's apparent that Emma Galvin will never be one of my favorite narrators.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the most powerful emotions come from chaos —fear, anger, love— especially love. Love is chaos itself. Think about it! Love makes no sense. It shakes you up and spins you around. And then, eventually, it falls apart. - Adam Rosier

The basic idea behind The Eternal Ones is what would you do for your soul mate? What would you sacrifice? How much would you be willing to believe? It is a romance/ murder mystery mixed with reincarnation. The story runs in two-time frames. Haven Moore and Iian Morrow's arc is set in contemporary Tennessee and New York City. This contrasts with the arc of Constance Whitman and Ethan Evans, set in the 1920s. The story is told entirely through Haven and Constance's perspectives, with Constance's being told through italicised flashback. It follows Haven as she unravelled what transpired in the 1920s, why she died so young, who killed who and who Iain/Ethan is. All while stumbling into other people from their past and being entirely unsure of how much trust to put in her heart, mind and memories.

From the time 17-year-old Haven Moore was a small child she has been getting flashes of memories not her own. Memories of the life of a young woman living in New York City called Constance, her strongest sensations in these memories surround Constance's lover Ethan. These memories come both as dreams and during fainting spells. Living in a small town in Tennessee this has seen her ostracised as possessed by the devil, not least of all by her own grandmother. While Haven is only getting snatches of her life as Constance, Iain remembers not only his life as Ethan but virtually every life he has lived for the last couple of thousand years. All of them involve Haven/Constance, theirs is a great love, an addiction. In order to get Haven's attention in this life, Iain is living life in the fast lane. Fast cars, fast women you know the shtick. Now he's under suspicion for murder after an acquaintance died. They are an opposites attract couple where the disparity is not really an issue or noted due to the uniqueness of their situation.

My opinion of this book is that it could have been better. There were some twists that I didn't predict. But knowing that Iain remembers basically their whole histories some more stories of their pasts would have been appreciated. We are left with some unanswered questions at the end largely about one character. Some of the support cast are just sort of ignored at the end, as YA as it sounds I wanted to see what happened to some of the good guys (because I am almost certain this book was intended as a once off). That isn't to say I didn't enjoy it, I did or I wouldn't be giving it 4 stars. I just feel like there were marked places for improvement. I did like the way the story unfolded, revealing the stories of Haven, Constance, Iain and Ethan throughout the book rather than in chunks. With 67 chapters over 411 pages, the chapters are really short too. It's possibly a great book for travel reading able to be picked up and put down with ease (but it does also lend itself to just one more a lot too).

This is not a book to read if you do not believe at all in reincarnation, the theory is integral to the story. There is no discernible theological reasoning attached to Miller's lore, she runs with what she says. Due to the reincarnation, this is not a book I can see myself recommending people. Reincarnation is antithetical to multiple religions and divisive among atheists and agnostics.

My reading experience in a gif:

[Dark Faerie Tales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: This was a good read filled with epic romance, a good mystery, and fun characters. It was a little slow at first, but it picked up nicely towards the middle.

Opening Sentence: Haven was back.

The Review:

Haven Moore lives in a small town called Snope City, Tennessee. She has lived there her whole life, but she has always felt that she lived another life. She has had visions ever since she was a little girl of a woman named Constance. Constance was madly in love with a man named Ethan, but they both tragically died in a fire over ninety years ago. Haven believes that she was Constance in this other life and she needs to find Ethan in this life. While watching TV one day she sees the party boy Iain Morrow and she soon recognizes him as her modern day Ethan. She knows that she needs to go to New York to find him, but that’s easier said than done.

Haven has grown up in a very strict Christian home. Her father died in a car accident when she was younger and her mother went a little crazy after that. So Haven grew up with her grandmother. Her grandmother thought that Haven was possessed by a demon and that was what was causing her visions. So she made Haven attend counseling until the visions went away. She was able to stop the visions, but she was already ostracized by all the other children in the town until Beau Dickerson moved to town. Beau was totally gorgeous, athletic, charming, and also gay. People in the town had a hard time accepting anyone that was different so he and Haven soon became best friends.

Haven is now 17 and the visions have returned. She knows that New York will give her answers. When she finally makes it there she finds herself right in the middle of a mystery that involves murder. She finds Ethan, but she’s not sure if she can trust him or anyone else for that matter. She needs to figure out what’s going on before history repeats itself again.

Haven is a pretty strong female character. She is independent and smart. There are times I felt she was a little naive, but I felt she tried to always be a good person. She was always treated different throughout her whole life, but it made her a stronger better person. She didn’t have the best upbringing, but she still loved her family even with all their faults. There were times where I felt she should have been a little more trusting, but she was lied to so much it was somewhat understanding why she had trust issues. Overall, I thought that Haven was a good strong character and I really liked her.

Iain Morrow is a very mysterious character. He is a totally rich party boy that has never wanted for anything in his life. He is beautiful, but he has quite the reputation of being a womanizer. As soon as he meets Haven he knows who she is. He immediately whisks her away on a romantic trip to Rome, but their perfect romance is short lived. They soon have to return to New York where Iain is the main suspect in a murder. He keeps lying to Haven, and soon Haven doesn’t know what to believe. She starts to wonder if Iain really cares about her or if he is trying to get rid of her. I love the mystery surrounding Iain and I thought that he and Haven were cute together. The romance was a little bit too fast for me, but at the same time they have been in love for many lifetimes so it was understandable.

This was a pretty good read for me. I have read my fair share of reincarnation books, but I felt that this one had a good take that was different than most of the others I have read. I am going to be honest, the first half of it dragged quite a bit for me, but once Haven met Iain it got a lot better. I enjoyed the mystery and was pleasantly surprised by some of the plot twists. I enjoyed the characters and felt that they were developed really well. Overall, I enjoyed the story and I am excited to read the next book. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys reincarnation love stories.

Notable Scene:

For a few seconds, Haven didn’t bother breathing. The world had gone quiet and still around her. Though he looked nothing like Ethan, Iain Morrow was more beautiful in person that Haven had imagined. Tall and lean, with a body that could make any outfit look fashionable. Dark brown hair worn delightfully unkempt and the sort of tan one only acquires while lying on hidden beaches in the south of France. Arched brows that hovered mischievously over bright green eyes. As he moved closer, Haven instinctively tried to take a step back, wishing she could vanish into the crowd. But she found herself pinned against the rope, unable even to turn away. Just as the trio passed by, one of the models caught her heel in the carpet and stumbled toward Haven, all whirling arms and smudged mascara. Haven reached out to the girl’s rescue. A jolt shook Haven, and she felt herself totter just as the model regained her balance. Haven looked up to see Iain Morrow peering down at her, a lopsided grin on his lovely face. He turned to one of his bodyguards and pointed to Haven. His lips moved, but she couldn’t hear his words.

“Her?” The bodyguard mouthed. Iain gave the man a sharp nod and continued down the red carpet with his two tipsy strumpets in tow.

Still trapped at the front of the mob of spectators, Haven could only watch them leave. She didn’t notice the bodyguard ducking under the velvet rope. He lifted Haven by the waist and carried her through the crowd.

“Hey! What are you doing? Let me down!” she cried, thought only a few people seemed to hear her and no one seemed to care.

The man lugged her through a service entrance at the side of the building and down a long, dark corridor. Weak Fluorescent lights flickered from the ceiling and exposed pipes gurgles along the walls. Haven had given up demanding an explanation. The bodyguard remained mute no matter what threats she hurled at him. Finally, they came to a plain metal door. The man opened it, turned on a light, and set Haven down inside the empty room.

“Wait here. He’ll be down soon,” the man informed her brusquely before leaving.

“Who will?” Haven shouted at the closed door.

She paced the room, searching for a means of escape. The air was dank and musty, and she was starting to shiver when the door opened. Iain Morrow stood in the hall, looking unusually disheveled and slightly out of breath. For a moment, he didn’t move. He just stared at her with wide eyes.

“There you are,” was all he said before he took her in his arms, bent down, and kissed her. Once she’d managed to convince herself he was real, Haven began to kiss him back.

FTC Advisory: Razorbill/Penguin provided me with a copy of The Eternal Ones. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[Romy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I’ve mentioned this before about a hundred times but I am a huge sucker for romance in novels so from simply reading the blurb of The Eternal Ones I was sure I’d fall in love with it I mean the whole premise of eternal love and searching every lifetime for your soulmate super duper romantic. Alas however romance was seriously lacking, I mean there was a bit but not much at all, the story was more of a mystery which worked quite well as it had me double guessing myself a couple of times, I thought I knew what happened but then I was thrown through the loop again. So basically if your looking simply for romance this probably wont be the best book to read however if you enjoy a little mystery you should definitely give this a go.

Ever since Haven Moore was little she has had visions from a past life as a girl named Constance - all of which involve or are about the love of her life Ethan - making Haven very different from the rest of the inhabitants of the small, tight knit community of Snope City. Consequently when living in a small community such as Haven does being different is never a good thing even when Haven hasn’t had any visions in years. Soon however Haven’s visions suddenly return when she sees Iain Morrow an impossibly handsome and rich movie star on TV who Haven’s convinced she’s met before but how exactly? Could this Iain actually be Ethan, Haven’s true love? Now with the visions back Haven’s grandmother along with the rest of the inhabitants of Snope City are convinced Haven is once again possessed by the devil. Haven’s only real friend and confidant is Beau who can really understand what Haven has to go through everyday with the stares and whispers as being gay in this small town is also not very fun. Soon it becomes clear to Haven that she must go to New York and meet with Iain and discover about her past life. However once in New York things don’t turn out as expected, something sinister is going on involving both Iain and the Ouroboros Society (a society whose members have all led multiple lives), secrets are being kept and Haven must find out what’s going on before she gets herself into trouble and loses Ethan all over again.

I’ve never read anything dealing with reincarnation before that said I find the whole concept really fascinating I mean being able to come back from a past life, pretty cool. Miller’s description of Haven and Iain’s past lives was so detailed and interesting, whilst Miller concentrated on Haven’s past life as Constance in the visions, the very beginning of the love affair between Haven and Iain was detailed so the reader knows how it all started and let me tell you what a beginning!

Haven was a strong lead character, I especially loved her interactions with her grandmother, which I’m sure were unintentionally hilarious. Nothing seemed to phase Haven she knew what she had to do and she did it. Whilst many girls would take the gorgeous looking Iain’s words as gospel Haven always questioned what he was or wasn’t telling her which is refreshing. That being said however her indecisiveness towards Iain did cheese me off a bit, I mean pick your position and stick with it! The supporting characters were also well developed with my favourites being Beau, Haven’s best friend and Haven’s mean, nutty, tough as nails, take no crap from anybody (phew that’s a lot of adjectives) grandmother Imogene Snively who has to have one of the best surnames ever!

I love how Miller took us on a journey from the small rural town of Snope City to the bright lights of New York and then to the ancient city of Rome. I particularly relished the parts in Rome as I absolutely adored Rome when I was there and with Miller’s descriptions I could perfectly picture the beautiful settings such as such as the bustling piazzas and the magnificent buildings that make up Rome which surrounded Haven and Iain.

A fair portion of the start of the book is dedicated to Haven’s back story and her life before she leaves for New York which I really found interesting. I love reading about the different dynamics of societies and Miller did not disappoint when describing Snope City and its inhabitants as well as the day to day life experienced by Haven. Miller does such an excellent job describing the prejudices and fears that can surface in small towns where people who are different find themselves on the wrong side of the majority who I guess are just scared of people who are different as they don’t fit into their narrow view of what they define as ‘normal’, but really who’s to say what’s normal anyway, okay so that will be the extent of my philosophizing in this review I getting a bit off track.

Haven’s story really starts to pick up once she gets to New York and is confronted with the mystery of Constance’s death which she must solve in order to work out who she can trust. Whilst at first it appears simple to Haven that Iain is her one and only, and she can trust him entirely her view begins to change can she really trust Iain because if she can why is he hiding things from her and telling her to stay away from the Ouroboros Society? The last quarter of the book really picked up the pace and was really engrossing as the mystery was coming to a pretty spectacular conclusion where many of our questions were answered, my main one being can Haven trust Iain or not, because frankly I had no idea!

What did irk me sometimes was Haven’s attitude towards Iain, boy was she a flip flopper, I was like girl just pick whether you’re going to trust him or not. At one point in the story she decided that she could trust him and then all of a sudden she didn’t and then once again she changed her mind and went back to him, can you say frustrating! Perhaps I’m being to hard on poor Haven I mean I’ll admit that I was pretty flummoxed at who to trust or what was going on sometimes especially when I thought I knew what was going on, oh how wrong was I, don’t you just love that in a book when you have no idea what’s going to happen next, I know I do.

The Eternal Ones was a thoroughly enjoyable read even though the romance aspect was not as all encompassing as I believed it would be as the mystery aspect really kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what was going to happen next. Whilst the ending did conclude nicely there is definitely room for a sequel which will hopefully delve more into Haven and Iain past lives.


Rating 3.5 out of 5

[Melissa Bennett · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was promising in the beginning. Started out with a strong likable main character named Haven and her best friend Beau. I liked that no matter what Haven went through, she was still smart and acted responsible. The relationship she had with Beau was very close knit. Then as Haven started having episodes of passing out and remembering a love she could not get a handle on, she decides to go to New York. She knows her love must be there. This is where things fall apart quickly. Haven becomes gullible, self absorbed and none too bright. The last half of the book was so hard to struggle through. There were no redeeming qualities to it. Couldn't stand the main character. The relationship she had with Beau turned to be all about her. Iain (her true love) wasn't that fantastic either. They kept running back and forth making stupid mistakes.
I felt this book could've went somewhere great but it didn't. I won't be continuing with the series.