The Eternal Ones (Eternal Ones, Bk 1)
Author:
Genres: Children's Books, Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genres: Children's Books, Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Hardcover
Helpful Score: 3
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. 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 whats going to happen next. The layers of ambiguity in this novel are astounding.
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 doesnt 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. 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 whats going to happen next. The layers of ambiguity in this novel are astounding.
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 doesnt 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.
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