I'm not really sure what to make of this book, I did enjoy it but I also was confused at times and by the end getting bored of reading it.

First, this had a great and promising storyline, even though I will admit to been confused in the beginning to what was going on. That in it's self is not a bad thing keeping a bit of mystery but still a little hint has to what was going on. I was trying to work out what was happening and that was one of the main reasons I kept on reading.
The story flowed and the descriptons of New Orleans for me were well done and give me some clue as to what New Orleans is like, and I like a book that makes me feel like I am there.

This book mainly centered round 4 people, so not too many characters to keep track of, though most of the book centered on Ben and flicked to Marshall and then the others just filled in the gaps.

Ben was a well written character and I did like him. He was a strong character who knew who is and what he wants and seemed to have little regret in his choices.

I did enjoy the supernatural twist, when it was finally revealed thats when it started getting a little better the prospect of monsters but then near the end It got slow and I was like get some action going and maybe explain a little more about what the creture was that was causing the changes in Marshall, Nikki and finaly Ben.

I did enjoy reading this book but it wasn't really for me, I may have to read some of the authors other work.

This is one of a number of books I read over the holiday period, but didn't have the time (or more honestly the inclination) to write a review as I was reading it, so this review will not be as long or as detailed as my usual reviews are.  Christmas was crazy busy with cooking and last minute shopping and I just wanted to read another great book without having to use my brain to write an intelligent and cohesive review, so I apologise for my dreadful laziness and promise to do better through the rest of the year (except maybe during my two 3 week long holidays where I might be too tired to read as well as review).

 

 

I received a free Adobe Digital Editions copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, this has not compromised my ability to write an honest and critical review of the book.

 

I really enjoyed this but was surprised when it turned from a horror book where the horror was being created by a teenage serial-killer in the making with strange supernatural powers giving him the ability to continue killing despite appearing to be in a vegetative state, to a horror book where all the horror has been caused by contact with an ancient alien species.  When it turned out that aliens were involved I was a little disappointed because I wanted to continue reading about Marshall the serial killer with psychic powers, and adding the aliens confused things a bit, the aliens made the story seem to be two stories meshed together.  Like Rice couldn't quite decide what kind of book he wanted to write, so put both genres in the one book - the book has a split personality.  Mum's reading it now and she seems to be enjoying it as well.

Hadn't I loved the beginning of the story, I would have given it 2 stars. 

I feel this book was written by two people. The beginning was one thing and the end was another. I could barely put the book down at the beginning, and then mysterious force entered the second half and the story became blah; especially the supernatural part of it.

Let me start with the character of Marissa; two complete different people at the beginning of the book and the end. I was liking Marissa so much at the beginning and then she turned out to be a typical nothing.

Nikki: I thought she was going to be the main character, but it turned out she wasn't, but that's fine. It's just that was such a strong part at the beginning, and then became... nothing. 

Marshall: absolutely the best character. When I started reading I was like "Oh my fxx god!" And then he became your typical psychopath with no explanation whatsoever.

I was also rooting for Ben and Anthem but the novel as a whole left me empty.

Nothing: that is what I got after I invested so much emotion in the beginning. As I said at the beginning, did two different people write this story? The supernatural part was interesting at first, but it turned out to be just a ridiculous thing to create some mystery.

For me, this book had a very strong and powerful beginning that turned into a crappy happy ending with a bunch of senseless murders that amounted to nothing. 

I've been wanting to read a book by Christopher Rice for a while now. Was happy when I got the chance. This is not a sweet story, but a horror book. I seem to be able to handle horror books better than movies (paranormal and monster movies are good, but no slasher films). This does have blood, guts and gore, but not so much you are running for the bathroom. It has just the right amount to keep the atmosphere of horror running throughout the book.

I do have to warn those that are like me and do not like to see animals hurt. There are a lot of scenes with animals being killed or dying. However, this is more a plot driven book so a lot of these scenes are kept a bit at arms length. Still, those like me will have a bit of trouble getting through those scenes. They are there with purpose. It lends the correct amount of horror to what is going on and who is doing it.

Now even though this is plot driven more than character driven, I think it works. You do connect on some level more to the secondary characters (who really come out as primary). Still, it isn't a book where you connect to those characters deeply. I feel it is purposeful in that way so it works. It helps keep up the suspenseful world in which these characters live.

In the end I give this book 4 stars. I found the first half of the book a bit tighter than the last, but it was still enjoyable and has an opening for a series if the author wants to go there.

Title: 

 

The Heavens Rise

 

Who wrote it? 

 

Christopher Rice, New York Times Bestselling author of A Density of Souls and Light Before Day. Also, Anne Rice’s son.

 

Plot in a Box: 

 

Scientific/supernatural thriller surrounding the disappearance of the Delongpre family and Marshall Ferriot, a sadistic degenerate with mind control abilities. 

 

Invent a new title for this book

 

X-Men: Port of Call: New Orleans

 

Read this if you liked: 

 

Anything by Jeffrey Deaver, anything by Dean Koontz (but particularly Midnight), and, though Rice apparently hates the horror distinction, just about anything by Stephen King.

 

Meet the book’s lead: 

 

Though technically an ensemble piece, the clear protagonist is Ben, a dry-witted investigative journalist who helps solve the mystery.

 

Said lead would be portrayed in a movie by:

 

I could see Jay Baruchel doing a bang-up job, as he could manage the seriocomic nature of the part.

 

Setting: Would you want to live there?

 

Absolutely. The Heavens Rise is a love-letter to New Orleans. Rice points out some of the city’s biggest problems, but he also depicts it as the greatest place on earth, a landscape populated by “stately oak trees,” lush greenery, and fascinating people; a city still thriving all these years after Hurricane Katrina; a city that will not lie down and die. 

 

What wasyour favorite sentence? 

 

Marshall tapped the side of his head with one finger and smiled broadly, and that’s when Danny realized there was something in the kid’s head, something that defied everything Danny had believed to be true about the world, something that had covered his office in blood while it thrust Danny into some corner of darkness inside himself.

 

The Verdict: 

 

Read the rest of Chris Shultz's review here.