Book Review: The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

Title: The Eternal Ones
Author: Kirsten Miller
Category: YA, paranormal
Published: 2010

I listened to the audio version of The Eternal Ones. The narrator is fantastic, a great match for the character, who added to the storytelling.

The theme here is reincarnation, which gives an interesting twist to the love story. There is a mystery wrapped up in Haven's search for her past identity, which has been revealed to her over the years in flashbacks. The southern vibe gave depth to the story by using Haven's strict grandmother and their judgemental small town to highlight the disconnect between religious beliefs and Haven's mysterious visions. Haven has a troubled family, but I liked that she had some support from her mother. There are hints of betrayal from some characters early on, but I couldn't pin down what would happen, which kept me reading.

Guy-pal Beau, gay but not totally out-of-the-closet, is probably the best aspect of the story. He is a great sidekick, and I felt for him when he was treated poorly by their town. Later Haven uses him as a sounding board for her array of crazy emotions, and while he listened to her, his character didn't have a lot to do with the progression of the story. I was hoping he would be utilized more in the second half of the book.

I felt conflicted over the love interest because he could never be shown in an entirely good or bad light. This was most likely intentional since he was part of the larger mystery. The covert organization catering to reincarnated souls is multi-layered and truly unsettling at times. I felt confused a few times with the addition of new characters and flashes through time, however that could have been due to listening to the book vs. reading a page.

This book reminded me of a more accessible "Society of S," which is a recent favorite of mine (by accessible I mean the language is more plain and the tone less creepy). Both have characters searching for their identity and involve a dark society controlling more than the character realizes.

For more about the author: Kristen Miller