The Eternal Ones - Kirsten Miller

The Gist

The Eternal Ones
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Haven Moore is a 17 year old girl living in a very small, southern, very Christian town. She gets these visions of a young woman named Constance and a young man named Ethan who lived back in the 1920's. Her grandmother is certain that she's being possessed by the devil, but Haven has other ideas. What she sees in her head are memories of a past life, and Haven feels herself being pulled to New York City to find the reincarnation of her Ethan. When she sees playboy Iain Morrow on the television one day, she knows he's the one. She runs away from home to find him, and gets into more than she bargained for with Iain, a web of lies, and a mysterious society that specializes in reincarnation.

What We Think
Reviewed by Living Destiny
Number of Pages: 411
Have you ever bought a book, and been super excited to read it, and it was a total let down? Well, guess what this was. There I am, sitting in the waiting area of the airport, excited to travel the country with a good book. It's a long one, so I figured I wouldn't need to bring anything else to read. Within the first ten pages, I seriously considered throwing the book across the airport and finding a new one. Ten pages, everybody.
I've always loved the idea of reincarnation. It's a nice thought that this isn't the only life you'll live. So I figured a book about reincarnation had to be good. I forgot about the author's ability to screw it up. The main character, Haven, was so annoying I couldn't tolerate her for more than fifty pages at a time. She was so wishy-washy. She changed her mind probably twelve times over the course of the book. Her love interest, Iain, was just an idiot. All he did was lie to Haven, and he assumed she would be ok with it. If my supposed true love continued to lie to me, I wouldn't take it. Why he thought she would, when he evidently knows her from a past life, is beyond me. Together, the two of them make the world's most obnoxious couple. The only good characters are bit players, as per usual. Haven's best friend Beau, a gay kid in a super conservative town, is snarky and clever, but also cares a lot about his best friend. Even if she is annoying all the time. He's the most entertaining part of the story. Second to him is Leah, another girl in Haven's town, who has visions. Maybe she's just interesting because she's different, or because she isn't overdramatic despite seeing the future. But she's a good character too, though she's not in it very much. Everyone else isn't fun to read, and that makes the book hard to read.
Another thing. I basically read this book in two parts, because I took a huge break about halfway through it. Going back and skimming it, I realize there are two very distinct parts that don't seem to fit together. Before she leaves her town, and after. Then, there are all these plot points that have no relevance, or are introduced in a way that is forgettable. So many plot holes. It's frustrating to read.
Even with all of that said, the story really did have potential. Reincarnation is, as I've said, pretty cool to think about. And the whole concept of a secret society, and all the troubles Haven gets into, could have been great. But the characters were way too unlikable, there were serious plot holes, and some parts of it were too unbelievable. Suspension of disbelief only goes so far.
One last thought. The ending was awful. And it didn't get awful until the second to last paragraph. It wasn't phenomenal, of course, but it was ok. Your average bad teen novel. But this ending. It made these vague references that didn't make any sense, and what it was implying made me actually angry. A horrible ending in a mediocre book.

Real Teen Rating ~ D+ : Use it as an excuse not to do things.