What started out as a quick, fun read about a teenager who has visions of her past life and love in the first section, became an off-the-rails mess in the second half. Which is a shame, because so much of the teenage angst Haven Moore takes place against modern cultural conflicts. Her overbearing, God-fearing grandmother is only too ready to blame her troubles on Hellfire and brimstone. Her best friend is her classmate Beau, who is both gay and the star of the football team. They are smart kids who don't quite fit into the small-town mentality of their high school.

Haven and Beau have created a successful business for making prom dresses for their schoolmates and they are looking forward to using their earnings to help put themselves through college. But after Haven sees the face of Iain Morrow on TV, and her childhood visions are brought back to her from her late father's notes, things begin to change swiftly for them. And not for the better, so Haven takes her earnings and heads to New York City where she hopes she can solve this mystery once and for all.

In the second half of the book, she meets Iain who has a clearer understanding of their past lives together and that part is fascinating. Instead of continuing a cohesive narrative, however, the book suddenly takes a turn into doubt, then drama, then even more crazy turns when members of the Ouroboros Society play a larger and larger role with Haven and Iain. Characters are introduced who played a role in Constance and Ethan's past lives and rather than dealing with Haven and Iain as competent young adults, Haven goes on the run in NYC for no good reason other than maybe just adding pages.

Great idea and in the same vein as the Twilight and Hunger Games series, but just falls apart with the teenage tour of NYC taking over any semblance of a plot. ( )

I'm a big fan of Kirsten Miller, otherwise I wouldn't have been at all inclined to read this, not being fond of romance novels. While it was completely over the top dramatic, it was also really good. Her vivid descriptions of New York as a city with so many secrets in its past are as captivating as they are in her other novels; and I have to admire her complete lack of fear of so many plot twists. The second Kiki Strike is still the best, but this is a fun, engrossing, and bizarre mystery. ( )

There was something unsettling about this one. Perhaps I will like it more when I read the sequel... ( )

This is another book that has been sitting on my shelves for over a year. The first few chapters annoyed me and I couldn't stand the Grandmother, but things soon started to get interesting. I fell in love with Beau, he’s the perfect best friend and Haven was a little annoying at first, but I soon learned to love her too.
I have always believed in reincarnation, and the story was a great one. I am not sure that I would really want to go through everything that Haven went through, the shunning, and everything that she received from her town, and having to remember her past life. It all seems like it would really be too much for a high-schooler to handle. When Haven ran off to New York to find “Ethan” I was a nervous wreck. I was so sure that things would turn out differently, and the whole Haven going back and forth with not trusting Ethan or herself was awful! I really wanted to reach through the pages and smack her upside the head! She just couldn’t make up her own mind, she listened to everyone else, and then became totally wishy washy. But I guess that would be typical 17 year old behavior. The last couple of chapters had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t walk away. I was worried that the story would just end there and I don’t think that I could have handled that. I had to know if the whole story was a waste or if things changed for the better!
Kristen Miller is a powerful storyteller, and her writing had me wishing that I could live the story more than any other book that I have read. If you don’t have your own copy, run to the nearest store or library and get yourself one TODAY!!!
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I almost didn't read this book because of some of the reviews. I am so very glad that I did! it was awesome and part of my enjoyment came from the fact that the main character came from a small TN town and the portrayal of small TN life was so close to my reality in parts. I loved the intrigue and character building. a fun read. ( )