Review: Eternity

Eternity by Heather Terrell

Released: June 28, 2011
Published By: Harper Collins
Pages: 304, Paperback
Young Adult
Source: The {Teen} Book Scene
Overall: Fabulous!
| Website | Goodreads | Facebook | 

Purchase: Amazon 

The end . . . or a new beginning?
As Ellie comes to grips with her destiny as the Elect One, her relationship with Michael grows tense. When she meets a mys­terious boy named Rafe, things get even more complicated.
Yet the time has come for the Elect One to stand against the group of evil fallen angels who are bent on destroying the world. In order to face the immeasurable malevolence heading her way, Ellie tries to put her personal life aside. But she soon learns that whoever holds her heart also holds the key to mankind’s salvation—or destruction. As the end days approach, Ellie is faced with an epic decision. Who does her heart really belong to? And is her love strong enough to save the world?

My Thoughts:

With Eternity, Heather Terrell pulled us into a world of Angels and all that it entails.  Good Angels, Fallen Angles, prophecies, biblical references, and of course the insta-love.  I will say despite this being a sequel book that I chose not to read Fallen Angel before reviewing this book.  I wasn't sure at the time if that would be a good thing or a bad thing but by the end of the book I was sound with my decision.

I found Ellie to be a pretty danged strong protagonist for being put in the situation she was.  Her attitude, her hope, her loyalty it all emitted off of her so strongly it was hard to watch when things didn't always go in her favor.  The same could be said about Michael who shared the same strength and loyalty that Ellie possessed.   So much about their attitude and their life force together was appealing to me but they seemed so easily distracted when other opportunities presented themselves and their case of insta-love I didn't initially find all that convincing or attractive.  Perhaps it was coming into the story when I did but I don't think I could have handled much more of their supposed love for each other if the book would have dragged on at any one point. I liked them both as individuals but together everything seemed a little thick.  I was rolling my eyes at how cliche the whole thing really felt despite how well the two worked together, the way their mind (most of the time) seemed to work together and their trust in each other was unwavering.

I found myself preferring Rafe in Eternity.  He seemed to be the most real of the bunch alongside Ellie's very strong, understanding, and loyal best friend Ruth.  I thought Ruth's strength and ability to stay calm and help Ellie and Michael how she did brilliant.  Lots of times we see best friends who possess loyalty that wavers when the other b.f.f. gets all the attention, gets the guys, and gets the limelight.  With Ruth it truly wasn't like that.  She offered a breath of fresh air and acted a bumper between the insta-love just how Rafe did.  Though Rafe had a purpose in Ellie and Michael's story I found myself more intrigued by his own journey, his own feelings, and his own despair even though we truly were only included in on a fraction of it.

The action in Eternity I found pretty impressive thought it was spotty.  I found myself wishing the last action scenes would have held a little more weight and emotion it seemed to breeze by so quickly almost leaving the feeling of the story of being anti-climatic when it was truly the opposite.  So much happened that it seemed slightly rushed.

Overall, I really enjoyed Eternity.  I love Angel stories and I accept that there are going to be similarities between them, like the biblical references.  The characters all complimented each other, balancing each other out. There was a good amount of action and romance, and Ellie and Michael seemed to serve their purpose (even when it didn't always result in a happily ever after.)