"The Eternal Ones", by Kirsten Miller

The Eternal Ones
Author: Kirsten Miller
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Razorbill
Available: August 10, 2010

Haven Moore can’t control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan, and a life in New York that ended in fiery tragedy. In our present, she designs beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend Beau. Dressmaking keeps her sane, since she lives with her widowed and heartbroken mother in her tyrannical grandmother’s house in Snope City, a tiny town in Tennessee. Then an impossible group of coincidences conspire to force her to flee to New York, to discover who she is, and who she was.

In New York, Haven meets Iain Morrow and is swept into an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Iain is suspected of murdering a rock star and Haven wonders, could he have murdered her in a past life? She visits the Ouroboros Society and discovers a murky world of reincarnation that stretches across millennia. Haven must discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves¸ before all is lost and the cycle begins again.

Excerpt
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My Thoughts:

As Haven Moore’s story opens readers are introduced to an eccentric 17 year old who is looking forward to finishing high school and attending the Fashion Institute in New York City in the fall. Haven is a gifted dress designer and she along with her best friend Beau Decker have managed to earn and save a nice little nest egg for themselves through designing and sewing gowns for fellow classmates. Haven and Beau are essentially square pegs that have never fit into the round hole that is “Snope City”, Tennessee. Haven, you see is not accepted by her fellow classmates or the God fearing citizens of the town because of a pervasive belief that she is possessed by the devil. Beau is openly gay and needless to say his sexual orientation is not accepted in a town deeply attached to their little church and it’s creepy fire and brimstone spewing pastor “Dr. Tidmore”.

Why, you may ask is Haven thought to be possessed? Well, Haven has been prone to blackouts during which time she has visions of a past life with Ethan, a young man with whom she was deeply in love. She has tried to suppress the visions for a good portion of her life but they come rushing back with a vengeance when she sees a picture of Iain Morrow on television, a young billionaire who lives in New York City. As Haven’s visions and blackouts escalate, so does her grandmother, Imogene Snively’s (her name fits her perfectly) alarm and belief that Haven is a possessed teenager.

Through a cruel twist of fate, Imogene is Haven’s guardian and using the reemergence of her visions as an excuse she not only calls in Tidmore to counsel her granddaughter, she also puts the kibosh on the post secondary school plans. It was at this point I totally hated the repressive bully that is Imogene.

Haven is crushed at her grandmother’s proclamation and even though her 18th birthday and freedom isn’t that far off, she is fearful that Imogene is going to have her locked away in a rubber room somewhere to be treated for her visions. Haven is inexorably drawn to New York and a need to find something that a woman we come to know as Constance is trying to lead her too. Haven witnesses the events surrounding her relationship with Ethan through Constance’s eyes. In fact, it was Constance and Ethan who were in love approximately 90 years previously.

Due to no fault of her own, and after what can only be described as a series of bizarre and frightening events Haven flees Snope City and travels to New York knowing in her heart that Constance has a reason for wanting her there. Ms. Miller is extremely clever because the book is divided into two parts. The first deals with Haven’s teenage life in Snope City. The second concerns her life in New York, a city she knows very well even though she has never been there in this lifetime. Constance however, lived there with her family so, Haven knows the city too.

Since seeing him on the television, reading about him in the rag magazines and on the Internet Haven has been drawn to Iain Morrow like a bee to honey. The guy is a celebrity, he has a coterie of followers and bodyguards but Haven is able to find him entering a society event with a model on each arm. Iain immediately recognizes Haven and whisks her away to the little house where Constance and Ethan were together. Iain has cultivated a celebrity status as a means for Haven to find him and had the house restored for her, knowing she would find him sooner or later.

“After a long, leisurely shower, Haven padded down the stairs barefoot, wearing the same black dress she’d worn the night before. She found Iain toasting bagels in the little kitchen that was tucked in the corner of the ground floor, pulling plates from the cupboard and gathering silverware from the drawers. He hadn’t heard her. Haven stopped by the front door and watched him, entranced by the movement of his long, tan arms. It was hard to believe that Iain Morrow might belong only to her. There was so much about him that seemed familiar–his crooked smile, the grace with which he moved, the way his eyes always lingered on her face. Everything else was different. Still, Haven had never felt so attracted to anyone. It took all the self-restraint she could muster to keep from bounding across the room and throwing her arms around him.”

The Eternal Ones © Kirsten Miller

Initially Haven is quite enamored with Iain and quite overwhelmed by his proclamations of love for her which according to him is eternal. However, when it becomes evident Iain hasn’t been entirely truthful with her and the evidence begins to mount that he is a murderer, Haven naturally questions whether he is sincere. She then starts turning over stones to try and find out exactly what is going on and moreover what Iain is up to.

What transpires in the weeks following Haven and Iain’s ‘reunion’ is suspenseful, at times frightening, and bittersweet. Ms. Miller weaves a complex story of treachery and integrates an evil so vile, it made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I have to admit, there were moments that I along with Iain wanted to strangle Haven as she is a headstrong and obstinate young woman. However, at other times I admired her courage, maturity and intellect. She and Iain are after all, old, old souls. As for Iain, I too questioned what his motives were and while I wanted to believe he was a good guy, I had difficulty trusting him because of his deceptions. It turns out, Iain has good reason for telling a lie, or two.

In the background of what can only be described as a tumultuous relationship between Haven and Iain is the mysterious Ouroboros Society. An organization that recruits individuals with gifts and memories of past lives. In essence it is a society of reincarnates, and readers along with Haven are introduced to the intricacies of the organization, it’s structure, and to the evil that at it’s helm. And, then there is Iain’s connection to the society. What is it?

The questions you will be asking yourself if you choose to read “The Eternal Ones” are answered by it’s closing pages. I will say the possibility of a sequel is certainly there and I for one would love to read it.

“The Eternal Ones”, is considered appropriate for age 12 or Grade 7 and up, I found it to be a excellent read. Ms. Miller addresses a number of issues that today’s teens are exposed to, drug addiction, sexual orientation, relationships, peer pressure and religion. As well, I found it to be a riveting cross genre story combining fantasy, paranormal with a touch of horror. Ms. Miller’s prose and graphic imagery can only be described as beautiful, and she integrates a cast of extremely well developed secondary characters into a plot that is full of exciting twists and turns.

“The Eternal Ones” was a nice change from what I have been reading lately and has encouraged me to read more Young Adult novels.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars.

Many thanks to Razorbill Books for submitting “The Eternal Ones” for review.