Review: Bent Heavens by Daniel Kraus

Author: Daniel Kraus
Publisher:Henry Holt & Company
Publication Date: February 2020

Liv Fleming's father went missing more than two years ago, not long after he claimed to have been abducted by aliens. Liv has long accepted that he's dead, though that doesn't mean she has given up their traditions. Every Sunday, she and her lifelong friend Doug Monk trudge through the woods to check the traps Lee left behind, traps he set to catch the aliens he so desperately believed were after him.

But Liv is done with childhood fantasies. Done pretending she believes her father's absurd theories. Done going through the motions for Doug's sake. However, on the very day she chooses to destroy the traps, she discovers in one of them a creature so inhuman it can only be one thing. In that moment, she's faced with a painful realization: her dad was telling the truth. And no one believed him.

Now, she and Doug have a choice to make. They can turn the alien over to the authorities...or they can take matters into their own hands. 

I was excited to read Bent Heavens.  I thought the premise sounded really interesting. Alien stories are always a fun read.  However, I really didn't care for this book.  I was all in for the beginning, and then the story took a dark turn that I just couldn't get behind. This review may be a bit spoilery, so if you want to read it, then skip the rest of this post...


 First,  I am in no way one to call myself a feminist. However, I didn't care for the way Liv was portrayed and how she seemed to need a guy to be her savior.  It just didn't sit right with me.  Second, I didn't care for the torture scenes.  It was way overboard  for the situation and seemed out of character for Liv.  I would NOT recommend this to younger YA readers, just for that aspect alone.  And lastly, I really disliked the reveal and ending.  It was extremely disappointing and left a bad taste in my mouth.  

I'm probably in the minority when it comes to this book, so maybe you'll have to see for yourself. It's a short read, so there is that....