The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

Haven Moore is not destined to live a quiet life. For a long as she can remember, she’s had fainting spells and vivid visions in which she is not Haven but Constance. Even though Haven knows there must be more to what increasingly feels like memories of a past love of someone named Ethan, she is never quite afforded the chance to find out. It seems Haven will pass her days being accused of being possessed by the devil in small town Snope City until seeing Iain Morrow on television sets her visions off once again. Defying the wishes of her family, Haven sets off for New York City, intent on figuring out this business about past lives. Could Iain really be her beloved Ethan? Or is there something about their past lives that Haven still can’t remember? Haven finds herself bewildered in this strange and dangerous new world of possibilities. Unsure of whom to trust, Iain or the mysterious Ouroboros Society that professes to help people like her, Haven will somehow have to unlock the secrets of the past and the present before it’s too late.

The Eternal Ones is a very long story about reincarnation, eternal love, and possibly a lot of other things. Although the idea of love that can span lifetimes isn’t very original, Miller manages to craft it into a passable novel. I enjoyed the first part of the story as well as the very end. However, things started to get messy in between. Firstly, there’s a lot going on to keep track of, like who was who in which past life, and more importantly, who did what in that life. Then there was the whole matter of figuring out which tale was the true version of the events that transpired in the past. There were basically two versions that mattered: the one where Iain is good and the one where he’s the bad guy. It got really tiring watching Haven go back and forth in her opinions and it made the love story frankly not very romantic. I also didn’t like how certain details seemed to jump out of nowhere, especially when these details were supposed to explain rather significant portions of the novel. To top that off, there was this whole religious angle that felt out of place. As with most novels, if you ignore all these little details, the story is a great read. I definitely think it could’ve been better refined, but on the surface, it’s still a worthwhile, if not terrible romantic, read.

The Eternal Ones appeals to those who enjoyed Fallen by Lauren Kate, Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn, and the Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz.

Rating: 3.5

Review copy from publisher Penguin