"The mystery of the plot really kept my interest; there were times when I thought I had it all figured out (after the first initial twist) and then with the last eight chapters there was another twist! And then another! The end of the book was absolutely perfect — I laughed and I cried." — Miss Remmers
From Amazon.com...
"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."
Why I read this: The cover really drew my attention in and then after reading the synopsis I knew I would love this novel.
Plot: It took me a while to warm up to the plot; in the beginning it was slow and I could really connect with the setting or characters. The plot also left a lot out, which adds to the mysteriousness, but frustrated me because 1/4 of the way into the book I figured I should have some idea of what was going on. With patience in check, by half way through the novel the plot thickened and deepened to a point where I couldn't put this novel down. I found myself rethinking reincarnation and wondering "what if" and thinking "how romantic." The mystery of the plot really kept my interest as well, there were times when I thought I had it all figured out (after the first initial twist) and then with the last eight chapters there was another twist! And then another! The end of the book was absolutely perfect — I laughed and I cried.
Characters: I did struggle with some of the characters and the amount of religion emphasized in this small community. Coming from a small Midwestern community, I understand how religion can play an important part of a community but I thought it was caked on pretty heavy throughout (especially) the beginning of this novel. I also struggled with Haven's back and forth mentality in regards to Iain. Speaking of Iain... loved him! I absolutely adored him... even when I really disliked him I enjoyed his character. A great character (in my opinion) is one who you can love and hate at the same time because of the depth of the character... this was Iain Morrow for me. Also, I just gotta say Adam definitely caught me unawares.
Cover: A very simple cover — but definitely cover love.
Random Thoughts: I'll admit it, I definitely googled the Ouroboros Society. I just can't get over how romantic it all is! To continue searching for "the one" for lifetimes. I would LOVE to see this novel as a movie.
Final Thoughts: This book was fantastic; I could not put it down and could not push it from my thoughts. I had about 100 pages left when school got out and read until I was able to leave (3:45) and then took it home with me. Dan was reading "Mockingjay" and when he began to shut his book so that we could "talk about our days" I begged him to continue reading. Together we sat side by side on our recliner and read. He saw me laugh, cry, and shout out in amazement over this book. He saw my despair when the novel was ending and I knew it wasn't going to end the way I wanted it to. He witnessed the small bit of hope that remained as I began reading the final chapter. And he held my hand when I shut the book and let out the sigh that goes along with the end of any great read. It's become a very fond memory that I think says a lot about our relationship and I'm so happy to say that it is a memory that involves this book.
Read it.
Originality: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 8/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 9/10
Theme: 10/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 4/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 10/10
Overall: 94/100 A
To the FTC, with love: Library Loan