Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith

From the Publisher

Now in paperback! With diabolical wit, the author of TANTALIZE revisits a deliciously dark world where vampires vie with angels — and girls just want to have fangs.

At last, Miranda is the life of the party: all she had to do was die. Elevated by none other than the King of the Mantle of Dracul, she goes from high-school theater wannabe to glamorous fiend overnight. Meanwhile, her guardian angel, Zachary, demoted to human guise as her personal assistant, has his hands full saving his girl’s soul while planning a fast-approaching Death Day gala. In alternating viewpoints, Miranda and Zachary navigate a cut-throat aristocracy as they play out a dangerous, diabolically witty love story for the ages.

Publishers Weekly

Smith's latest revisits the dark alternate world of Tantalize (2007) with a new set of characters. Despite the efforts of Zachary, her guardian angel, Dallas teenager Miranda joins the ranks of the undead as an "eternal" (vampire), courtesy of the current Dracula, their aristocratic ruler. A year passes, and as Dracula's pursuit of power begins to affect his sanity, Miranda struggles to acclimate to her new regal life in Dracula's castle (in Chicago). Meanwhile, Zachary has been cast from heaven for revealing his angelic nature while trying to save Miranda, so he poses as a human-and Miranda's personal assistant-trying to save her. Smith balances the story's bloody details with frequent touches of humor (when Zachary is taken aback by Miranda's enormous SUV, she replies, "We're eternals.... We are evil. We are not fuel efficient"). The confessional style, alternating between Miranda and Zachary's points of view, is intriguing as a diary-readers should be hooked by this fully formed world, up through the action-packed finale. Ages 14-up. (Feb.)

Children's Literature

Eternal is narrated by both the protagonist—16-year-old Miranda, an insecure teen girl who aspires to dramatic success on the stage even though her talent is mediocre, and her guardian angel (GA), Zachary, who we find out is a gorgeous and perfectly muscled being who has looked after Miranda her whole life. Miranda's best friend, Lucy, is more confident, gregarious, and daring. She also has a thing for scary movies and, coincidentally, the cute guy named Kurt who works at the video store. By page twenty, Miranda and Lucy have agreed to meet Kurt, who turns out to be a vampire, and his friends at eleven P.M. in the local cemetery to have some fun and "a real-life adventure." Zachary watches all of this, knowing Lucy is leading "his girl" into trouble. Realizing Miranda is about to fall into a freshly dug grave and probable death, Zachary breaks the rules of the universe by stretching his wings to shine some heavenly light and attempts to save Miranda from falling. Zachary is then scolded by the archangel Michael, stripped of his wings, and left to wander the earth as a human. After saving Lucy, he delves into drunken behavior with girls that look like Miranda, who he was unable to save, as he wanders aimlessly. Two pages are then dedicated to a blog, "Missing Miranda," set up by Lucy two weeks after the cemetery event. Then the book returns to Miranda's narration, as she wakes up to a male voice calling her "Sugar." This man, who turns out to be Dracula, the leader of the Eternals, announces that he has turned her into a princess of the Eternal aristocracy. She is now to call him "Father" and her new residence is a vast castle in Chicago. Another two pages of the blog tell thereader that it has been a year since Miranda disappeared. Miranda begins to narrate again; she is now well indoctrinated into the world of Eternals where there is a lot of gossip, glitter, and their own group of paparazzi. The world of Eternals is "all about maintaining appearances." Miranda is, of course, now beautiful, rich, and working toward becoming powerful. It just so happens that she needs a personal assistant. Zachary fills the position; his new mission from the angels involves assisting in the take down of the Dracula. The first hundred pages of this novel left me wanting more substance, primarily a stronger plot and more character development. It is well over halfway through the book before Miranda misses anything about her life or family. In fact, she mentions missing her gerbil before anything else. Since there are only about twenty pages of introduction to Miranda before she becomes a vampire, there is not much to draw the reader into liking her character. Likewise, the next 80 to 100 pages contain too much of the glitz, castle, and superficial Miranda, so it becomes a bit tedious. I was hoping for more of her personality. The second half of the book moves a bit faster, as Miranda and Zachary fulfill their destinies. Some of the references to other pieces of literature are fun, and the bantering conversations keep the story moving quickly. This book is recommended as a very light read. Reviewer: Stephanie R. Pearmain

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up–This dark romance is told in alternating chapters from the perspectives of 17-year-old Miranda and her guardian angel, Zachary, in an alternate America in which vampires and werewolves exist. Early in the novel, Zachary falls from grace as punishment for materializing in his full radiance in a failed attempt to save Miranda from being bitten by a vampire. The tale resumes a year later with the now-vampire Miranda a revered princess living among vampire royalty and feasting regularly on humans. Zachary, meanwhile, has sunk into a life of aimless debauchery and is resigned to never regaining his wings when an archangel suddenly gives him the opportunity to become Miranda’s personal assistant. Determined to save his former ward, with whom he has fallen in love, Zachary takes the job. Miranda finds herself drawn to him, and the murders she has carelessly committed begin to weigh on her conscience. With his help, she is determined to find a way to redeem herself and help him return to grace. The plot is occasionally choppy and frequently grisly, and the dialogue seems forced in places. Neither Miranda nor Zachary is particularly likable, and the ending, while logical, is not one that romance fans will favor. The story lacks the elegance of Stephenie Meyer’s hugely popular novels, but serious vampire buffs will undoubtedly add the novel to their must-read list.–Leah J. Sparks, formerly at Bowie Public Library, MD

Kirkus Reviews

Plain Miranda ascends to the rank of vampire princess in this imaginative but somewhat underdeveloped horror-comedy. Revisiting the same world in which bloodsuckers and animal shape-shifters exist alongside and in full view of mortals that was the setting of Smith's 2007 novel Tantalize, the locale has changed from Austin to Chicago. Additionally, guardian angels become part of the cast, providing a rather sardonic love interest for this offering's protagonist in the form of Zachary, who falls from grace while attempting to rescue Miranda from a vampire attacker. In order to save her and himself, he infiltrates the house of Dracul, where Miranda now lives as an unwitting accomplice to the head vampire's grisly schemes. Focusing on the aesthetics of the castle and on the A-list monster world that Miranda now inhabits, Smith falters a bit as she increasingly relies on descriptions of the setting and campy dialogue instead of fleshing out her characters. Still, the pace of this entertaining romp is quick and the action plentiful-a painless, if not particularly memorable, read. (Horror. 14 & up)

Product Details

• Read an Excerpt

Read an Excerpt