The Eternal Ones

Reader: Elise S
Age: 14
Title: The Eternal Ones
Author: Kristen Miller
Publisher: Razor Bill (Penguin)
Pub Date: Aug. 2010
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: No
Recommend: No
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I wanted to see how many times she would change her mind about Lain. Is he good? Is he evil? Is he good? I also really loved the idea of the plot, the whole reincarnation to find true love concept had the potential to be a stunner.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I was disappointed with Haven. At first I thought that she would be a cool, independent girl, more of a kick-butt character than she turned out to be. She was all "I don't care what you think of me, I'm awesome!" But then she met the Lain guy, and all of a sudden she's extraordinarily gullible and stupid. Somebody tells her that her true love is evil, then the accused just has to tell her that he's innocent and she believed him. And back and forth again. She turned weak. And then there's Lain. Eternal Ones: "Dark brown hair worn delightfully unkempt." Twilight: "with untidy, bronze-colored hair." Eternal Ones: "a body that could make any outfit look fashionable." Twilight: "with their remarkable good looks, the style with which they carried themselves, they could have worn dishrags and pulled it off." And we could go on. Lopsided smile - check. Piercing eyes - check. Body of a 'Greek god' - check. What I really want to see is one of these true-love-at-first-sight situations with a love interest who isn't physically perfect. Maybe they are in a wheelchair? Have acne? Are overweight? Have really bad hair? And could the girl not be standard shy, pale and gullible.
Cover: This cover was great. It definitely tied into the book. I really like the bright, boldness of the red, it seems like a lot of covers right now are softer, and it grabs your eye. It's a nice break from the boldness (but way overdone-ness) of the black-with-red-and-white that immediately sends a little “Twilight” flag going up in my head. The simplicity of the image is also really great. And I love the little catch line, it made me curious! "What if love refused to die?" da, da, DA!
Did you finish: Yes
Age Range: 12-17
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal