Reviews

Bent Heavens by Daniel Kraus

akernan33's review

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

steph01924's review

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2.0

What the hell did I just read? Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.

im211's review

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4.0

What in the world....
(p. S Character psychology on point!)

alongreader's review

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3.0

I really don't know how to score this, or even how to review it. It's not at all what I thought it would be from the blurb. It's hard to read, hard to stick with; I wanted to throw it down a lot as I was reading, as Doug descended into mania and Liv became more and more depressed. The ending doesn't resolve things and there are a lot of loose ends.

But I didn't put it down. I kept reading. Make of that whatever you want.

captainladyv's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The twist of this book had me shook. I thought I knew what was going on until the big reveal occurred. The pace throughout the book was very constant until the last hour and a half of the audiobook and then it was a rollercoaster downhill in the absolute best way. 10/10 absolutely recommend 

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amy_lauren's review

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4.0

I had such a roller coaster of a reaction to this book, which, upon finishing it, I think is exactly what the author intended. I nearly stopped reading about a third of the way in when Liv and Doug were torturing A – I felt so much concern and compassion for A, and I couldn't handle the way they were treating him, even as Liv struggled with her own resistance to Doug's methods. The way the story unfolded, though, truly threw me for a loop. I wound up loving the overall message of it (though it was pretty heavy-handed at times in making sure the reader understood that message loud and clear), that "alien" is sort of in the eye of the beholder and just because we consider someone to be Other, we don't have the right to decide who gets treaded with humanity and who doesn't.
Overall, the story was bizarre, wild, exciting, genuinely upsetting, and fascinating. I never would have picked this book up for myself, and even as I'm sitting here writing a four-star review of it, I'm not convinced that I liked it. That's not to say that I regret reading it, but it's one of those stories that is so hard to read that while the experience was absolutely worthwhile and will stick with me for some time, I wouldn't go so far as to say it was enjoyable, per se. Sort of like the movie The Revenant. Fantastic story, and I never want to watch it ever again.
This book is going to sit in my brain for a little while, I think.

knaveryact's review

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5.0

I am not okay, thank you very much.

shinesalot's review

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4.0

Holy moly, WHAT A BOOK. I wasn't sure what to expect...the summary promised an alien, subject headings suggested horror....not only does Kraus deliver...there are surprises and twists I never would have guessed.

The horror isn't super graphic, more creepy than anything else.

EXCELLENT read. OH, the audio is phenomenal. I HIGHLY recommend.

magicalbooks's review

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4.0

(3.5)

adamskiboy528491's review

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4.0



"Little Green Men about Four foot One,
Maybe they want to have some fun
Little Green Men about Four foot Two,
Maybe he wants to mate with you...
Little Green Men about Four foot Three,
Maybe they want to be set free...
Little Green Men about Four foot,
Maybe they want to kick some butt."

- Steve Vai

Bent Heavens by Daniel Kraus is brilliantly crafted and tightly plotted, and I don't think I'll ever re-read it because it is emotionally brutal to the core and will wreck your day! After Liv's father went missing for two years, claiming he's been abducted by aliens, Liv and her friend Doug find an alien trapped in one of her father's traps. It sounded like the kind of thing that might be right up my alley (being an avid lover of Science Fiction and Horror), so it seemed like a fun book to look into. Having now finished it, I can say that it was a good decision on my part.

The central theme that I enjoyed exploring was the theme of trauma: the trauma of losing a parent in such an upsetting way & also the trauma that comes with what Liv and Doug do to the alien they've captured. Later on, the novel shifts to examining the trauma that comes with how they treat this alien and the weight that is keeping the secret on them. It illuminates (in an unexpected way) just how completely trauma and loss can shape our thoughts and actions and send otherwise reasonable people into an inescapable downward spiral. Although, the latter part of the book contains graphic torture scenes that are sometimes painful to read through. The writing was beautiful, the story was compelling, and I couldn't put this book down. 

The search for life beyond the planet often takes looking beyond the Sun's reach, to distant stars in search for life. But sometimes extraterrestrials are a lot close than even the nearest stars, and you only need to look within the Solar System itself for them.