Eternal: Zachary's Story

by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Ming Doyle (Illustrator)

Overview

Cynthia Leitich Smith’s New York Times bestseller is reimagined as a graphic novel seen through the eyes of Zachary, teenage guardian angel.

Reckless guardian angel Zachary has an unusual assignment. He’s meant to save the soul of Miranda, high-school theater wannabe turned glamorous royal vampire. Completely devoted to Miranda, Zachary takes his demotion to human form in stride, taking a job as the princess’s personal assistant. Of course, this means he has to balance his soul-saving efforts with planning the Master’s fast-approaching Deathday gala. Vivid illustrations by Ming Doyle elevate this darkly funny love story to a new dramatic level with bold black-and-white panels.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763651190
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	02/12/2013
Series:	Tantalize Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Cynthia Leitich Smith is the acclaimed and best-selling author of Tantalize, Eternal, Blessed, and Diabolical as well as the graphic novel Tantalize: Kieren’s Story, all set in the same fictional universe. She lives in Austin, Texas.

Ming Doyle, the illustrator of the graphic novel Tantalize: Kieren’s Story, has depicted the sequential exploits of zombie superheroes, demonic cheerleaders, vengeful cowboys, and dapper mutants. She lives in Boston.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 9 Up—Whereas Smith's novel Eternal (Candlewick, 2009) focuses on the character of Miranda and her introduction into the culture of the vampires, called "Eternals," this graphic-novel companion depicts the same set of events from the perspective of Zachary, Miranda's depowered guardian angel. Given this forced perspective, the plot and pacing are often confusing because they require knowledge of events that occur in the novel. That this story is formatted as a graphic novel only serves to emphasize these issues, as passages of time are often inexplicable, secondary character motivations are impossible to decipher, and backstory is nonexistent. Doyle's illustrations are the standout feature here. Her black-and-white ink work is detailed and uses shading to provide clear depth. Furthermore, the framing of each illustration helps to provide a cinematic feel, especially through the use of extreme close-up to highlight facial expressions and character reactions. Overall, this graphic novel cannot break free of its shortcomings and often seems to cram as many supernatural tropes into as few pages as possible. Purchase if students are looking for this specific title after reading the novel.—Ryan F. Paulsen, New Rochelle High School, NY

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