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kim_j_dare's review
2.0
Eh. Seems like I'm on a kick lately, choosing books that have interesting premises-- in this case, two souls whose love keeps them connecting in different lives-- but most of the characters are so two-dimensional that they just don't hold the reader's attention. In contemporary New York, Haven and Iain pick up on their past relationship from the 1920s (when they were Constance and Ethan), and even with the devil and Rome and some fairly steamy romance between Haven and Iain, the whole thing is just kind of bleh.
librarydoc's review
4.0
This was a recommendation from one of my high school students. This book sucked me right in and I couldn't put it down. Read it in a weekend, and now I really want to read the second. The story is fast-paced and keeps you guessing.
sirrydactyl's review
3.0
I did enjoy this book; listened to it on audio. I think I would have been able to follow along a little better with the physical book since there's a lot of jumping back and forth between the past and the present. I love the concept idea for this book, but I did think Haven's whiplash of trusting people was a little overdone. Also,
Spoiler
Adam's being "The Devil" was mildly cliche. Not quite a fan of that tidbit, personally. Think I would have preferred the author creating her own myth on the ever immortal, but perhaps that's just me. Haven did grow up in an overly religious town.breezy610's review
4.0
it was really good. i didn't think this would be any good, but the book really gripped me and held on to me tight. This book also reminds me why i hate a certian religion, but i won't go into that. This is a really good book. i wonder if they is going to be a sequel.
addie13's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
mikimooooo's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
gmamartha's review
4.0
If teens like mystery, adventure, romance, and the possibility of spanning several lifetimes, they will like this one.
shhchar's review
3.0
The one thing this book had going for it was the mystery - I never could tell who was lying or who had done what. However, the romance was juvenile and I got bored with the plot so that I put it down for a few months.
stephxsu's review
4.0
THE ETERNAL ONES is a “wow” of a novel. The story started a little shakily, but then I was captivated by the uniqueness, writing style, and romance that Kirsten Miller does so well.
I will state up front that this book will not be for everyone. It reminded me most of Nina Malkin’s SWOON, with its gorgeous writing, mystical mysteries, and a romance so all-consuming it makes you feel like you’re swimming underwater with no chance to come up for air. There is a certain level of suspension of disbelief you must consciously tell yourself to engage in, or else you’ll be like that awkward wallflower at a classy cocktail party, wanting desperately to immerse yourself in comprehension of the swirls and eddies of energy and charisma around you, but not knowing how. It is all too easy to dismiss this book as one that “missed the mark” in terms of reader connectivity—but if you hang in there and allow yourself to be sucked in, you will be rewarded beyond what you can even imagine.
It is the mystery element of THE ETERNAL ONES that drew me into the story and kept my eyes glued to the pages. Past the first hundred pages, the entire book is like a perpetual ride over the last few inches before the crest of a rollercoaster’s first hill. You watch the events unfold, but something’s not quite right; you’re constantly on your toes, breathlessly dreading or anticipating what’s going to happen next. The layers of ambiguity in this novel are astounding, and you won’t ever be able to figure out what’s going to happen next, or who Haven should trust—if anyone.
Okay, so most of the characters are average in personality and definition (with the exception of Beau, Haven’s best friend, who is utterly charming and fantastic), the plot can drag at times (especially in the first quarter of the book), and there are instances where Kirsten Miller’s writing doesn’t quite ring true (i.e. it can’t decide whether it’s third-person limited or omniscient: it’s gotta be one or the other, sorry). But it’s that inexplicable, intangible feel of the book that has it churning around in my head even days after I finished it. If you’re looking for the manifestation of the reviewer phrase “The writing/story haunted me,” you’ll find it here. I would read the book again just for that feeling of intangibility, of feeling my soul depart, ghost-like, from my body, from the hands that are holding the book, from the eyes must read and process the words.
THE ETERNAL ONES is hard for me to define, and will probably be difficult to recommend. There are a number of flaws in the story, but somehow they all come together to form something unforgettable. At least that was how it was for me. If you’re looking for, and think you’re able to have, the kind of reading experience I had with this book, I encourage you to give it a try when you can. Perhaps you, too, will be haunted by it…in a good way.
I will state up front that this book will not be for everyone. It reminded me most of Nina Malkin’s SWOON, with its gorgeous writing, mystical mysteries, and a romance so all-consuming it makes you feel like you’re swimming underwater with no chance to come up for air. There is a certain level of suspension of disbelief you must consciously tell yourself to engage in, or else you’ll be like that awkward wallflower at a classy cocktail party, wanting desperately to immerse yourself in comprehension of the swirls and eddies of energy and charisma around you, but not knowing how. It is all too easy to dismiss this book as one that “missed the mark” in terms of reader connectivity—but if you hang in there and allow yourself to be sucked in, you will be rewarded beyond what you can even imagine.
It is the mystery element of THE ETERNAL ONES that drew me into the story and kept my eyes glued to the pages. Past the first hundred pages, the entire book is like a perpetual ride over the last few inches before the crest of a rollercoaster’s first hill. You watch the events unfold, but something’s not quite right; you’re constantly on your toes, breathlessly dreading or anticipating what’s going to happen next. The layers of ambiguity in this novel are astounding, and you won’t ever be able to figure out what’s going to happen next, or who Haven should trust—if anyone.
Okay, so most of the characters are average in personality and definition (with the exception of Beau, Haven’s best friend, who is utterly charming and fantastic), the plot can drag at times (especially in the first quarter of the book), and there are instances where Kirsten Miller’s writing doesn’t quite ring true (i.e. it can’t decide whether it’s third-person limited or omniscient: it’s gotta be one or the other, sorry). But it’s that inexplicable, intangible feel of the book that has it churning around in my head even days after I finished it. If you’re looking for the manifestation of the reviewer phrase “The writing/story haunted me,” you’ll find it here. I would read the book again just for that feeling of intangibility, of feeling my soul depart, ghost-like, from my body, from the hands that are holding the book, from the eyes must read and process the words.
THE ETERNAL ONES is hard for me to define, and will probably be difficult to recommend. There are a number of flaws in the story, but somehow they all come together to form something unforgettable. At least that was how it was for me. If you’re looking for, and think you’re able to have, the kind of reading experience I had with this book, I encourage you to give it a try when you can. Perhaps you, too, will be haunted by it…in a good way.