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....
Author: Daniel Kraus
Publisher: Delacourte Books for Young Readers (Random House)
Date of publication: March 2013
Imagine your father is a monster. Would that mean there are monsters inside you, too?
Nineteen-year-old Ry Burke, his mother, and little sister scrape by for a living on their dying family farm. Ry wishes for anything to distract him from the grim memories of his father's physical and emotional abuse. Then a meteorite falls from the sky, bringing with it not only a fragment from another world but also the arrival of a ruthless man intent on destroying the entire family. Soon Ry is forced to defend himself by resurrecting a trio of imaginary childhood protectors: kindly Mr. Furrington, wise Jesus, and the bloodthirsty Scowler.
I was looking forward to reading Scowler, but I thought I was going to read something completely different than what I ended up with. I'm not even sure that I liked this book. Along with being overly written and descriptive, it was extremely disturbing and honestly just plain gross. I'm not really squeamish and horror doesn't normally bother me. This book did.
Ry Burke is just plain crazy. He is definitely a result of his childhood and the events he witnessed. After reading about what happened to his mother, I almost turned the book off. Talk about gross! In the end, I wasn't really convinced that, without extensive therapy, Ry would be able to lead a normal life.
I really have to question the labeling of this book as appropriate for 14 and up. There is extreme graphic violence as well as what I would consider adult content. Personally, I would never give this book to a 14 YO. 16 might be pushing the lower limit. Instead, I think it should have been given the "New Adult" label. I'm not sure I would really recommend this book. I remember making a comment to Autumn about needing therapy after finishing the book. While I was joking, I did need to read something very sweet and normal after to take away the icky feeling I had at the end of the book.
