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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
I loved these books as a youngster. There was something about the melodramatic world that hooked me. As adult they seem too overdone, but back then they were fun. I need to re-read it for a proper refresh. This series wasn't as good as the Dollanganger one, but took different turns and still remained one of the best Andrews series. The series got less interesting as it progressed - I liked Leigh and Heaven's books more - but this one was decent.
This was by far the weakest book in the Casteel family series, partly because it shifted POV from Heaven (who I'd grown to love and had been so used to from the other three books) and partly because of the unsatisfying "ending" to Heaven's story. I felt like she deserved so much more. The story lines seemed a bit redundant by this book (although I understand why they were written). It still had the same feel as the other books but I think I had just hoped for something different.
5/5
One thing I found very out there was this book only occurred in less than a week. Like that's crazy and a bit unbelievable. Still think it's interesting and a good book but there's that to consider.
BTW lowkey wanted more of a love triangle between Drake, Annie, and Luke, and I felt it sort of, but it never was given.
And this Daddy and Mommy thing, no thank you.
One thing I found very out there was this book only occurred in less than a week. Like that's crazy and a bit unbelievable. Still think it's interesting and a good book but there's that to consider.
BTW lowkey wanted more of a love triangle between Drake, Annie, and Luke, and I felt it sort of, but it never was given.
And this Daddy and Mommy thing, no thank you.
[b:Gates of Paradise|53072|Gates of Paradise|V.C. Andrews|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552469408l/53072._SY75_.jpg|565241]
So, I wanted to watch this movie with my mom on lifetime. So, I decided I was going to read the book first. I had no idea it was the fourth book in a series but I have some thoughts.
I'm not sure that Heaven had to be killed here, but I suppose we wouldn't have seen Tony Tatterton any other way; or at least in the way he did here. He turns out being the controlling, manipulator, He tells Annie that he has the chance to make amends and wants to, and maybe he did which is the sad part. Unfortunately for him he can't be any other way so he literally pays off Drake so they could keep Annie away from her past and what's left of her family especially Luke. I loved Luke and Annie’s forbidden love story in the beginning because it was written in the true Andrews style.
I don't agree with many of the reviews where Annie is accused of being whiny and spoiled; no Annie is not as strong as Heaven but in all fairness, she never had to face the obstacles Heaven did and had no reason to until now. Considering what happened to her I think Annie did show a lot of strength and defiance in some ways, especially when she was faced with Tony and Drake's lies, but she was annoying in her near obsession of Luke who she thought was her half-brother at one time. I was annoyed that she be upset at the thought of his finding a possible girlfriend why were they allowed to become so close like this? They weren't locked up together like Chris and Cathy so in some ways its bizarre. It's okay that they were close but to develop those kinds of feelings. It's not like they didn't have lives outside each other's and yet it seems that way. Oh well. In getting back to Tony like I said just pathetic. That he could still have that old lust for the young Leigh; how sad. I guess Leigh came back through Heaven and then through Annie and so on.
Still not a bad book just wish Heaven didn't have to die and the way she did too. No surprise that Fanny's jealousy drove her to her death practically. But why would Heaven being the strong-willed woman she always was; get in a car with a drunk Logan when a storm was about to start? She knew the storm was starting and she knew Logan had enough to drink; more than anything why did they put up with Fanny? Why even go to that party when all she did was keep throwing her affair with Logan in their face? I will be back tracking this series because I need to see how it started.
So, I wanted to watch this movie with my mom on lifetime. So, I decided I was going to read the book first. I had no idea it was the fourth book in a series but I have some thoughts.
I'm not sure that Heaven had to be killed here, but I suppose we wouldn't have seen Tony Tatterton any other way; or at least in the way he did here. He turns out being the controlling, manipulator, He tells Annie that he has the chance to make amends and wants to, and maybe he did which is the sad part. Unfortunately for him he can't be any other way so he literally pays off Drake so they could keep Annie away from her past and what's left of her family especially Luke. I loved Luke and Annie’s forbidden love story in the beginning because it was written in the true Andrews style.
I don't agree with many of the reviews where Annie is accused of being whiny and spoiled; no Annie is not as strong as Heaven but in all fairness, she never had to face the obstacles Heaven did and had no reason to until now. Considering what happened to her I think Annie did show a lot of strength and defiance in some ways, especially when she was faced with Tony and Drake's lies, but she was annoying in her near obsession of Luke who she thought was her half-brother at one time. I was annoyed that she be upset at the thought of his finding a possible girlfriend why were they allowed to become so close like this? They weren't locked up together like Chris and Cathy so in some ways its bizarre. It's okay that they were close but to develop those kinds of feelings. It's not like they didn't have lives outside each other's and yet it seems that way. Oh well. In getting back to Tony like I said just pathetic. That he could still have that old lust for the young Leigh; how sad. I guess Leigh came back through Heaven and then through Annie and so on.
Still not a bad book just wish Heaven didn't have to die and the way she did too. No surprise that Fanny's jealousy drove her to her death practically. But why would Heaven being the strong-willed woman she always was; get in a car with a drunk Logan when a storm was about to start? She knew the storm was starting and she knew Logan had enough to drink; more than anything why did they put up with Fanny? Why even go to that party when all she did was keep throwing her affair with Logan in their face? I will be back tracking this series because I need to see how it started.
This is my least favorite book in the series and it grates on my nerves after just a few chapters. One thing that really bothers me throughout the novel is that eighteen-year-old Annie still calls her parents "Mommy" and "Daddy". The whole fantasy Farthy thing in the beginning is extremely repetitive and the recuperation at Farthy becomes that way after a while also. The only thing that saves this novel is the appearance of Troy at the end.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I typed a massive review for this. My internet crashed and it disappeared so I will keep this one short.
I had a good time with this one despite it being Andrew Neiderman's continuation of the series. At the beginning I wasn't too sure how I felt about it, but as the story continued I started to enjoy myself. The plot of this was a lot like [b:Dark Angel|397466|Dark Angel (Casteel, #2)|V.C. Andrews|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1322289444l/397466._SY75_.jpg|2317232] mixed with [b:Misery|10614|Misery|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554220401l/10614._SY75_.jpg|3230869] minus most of the tension. Annie is confined to one room for a majority of the story. Most of the tension in the novel comes from the reader knowing the secrets of Farthy while Annie doesn't We know more about Annie's life than she does and that is what I liked about this book. I also had to keep in mind that this is the last chronological story that we have of the Casteel Saga, and I think this gave us an ending we deserve.
3.5/5 rounded up to 4.
I had a good time with this one despite it being Andrew Neiderman's continuation of the series. At the beginning I wasn't too sure how I felt about it, but as the story continued I started to enjoy myself. The plot of this was a lot like [b:Dark Angel|397466|Dark Angel (Casteel, #2)|V.C. Andrews|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1322289444l/397466._SY75_.jpg|2317232] mixed with [b:Misery|10614|Misery|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554220401l/10614._SY75_.jpg|3230869] minus most of the tension. Annie is confined to one room for a majority of the story. Most of the tension in the novel comes from the reader knowing the secrets of Farthy while Annie doesn't We know more about Annie's life than she does and that is what I liked about this book. I also had to keep in mind that this is the last chronological story that we have of the Casteel Saga, and I think this gave us an ending we deserve.
3.5/5 rounded up to 4.
This is my least favorite book in the Casteel series. (That's a pretty pathetic statement!) All I can say is, I'm glad I'm not V.C. Andrews' sibling since all of her books seem to involve brothers and sisters who fall in love. Ick.
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Gates of Paradise was a massive letdown in my mind. V.C. Andrews likely outlined the finer points of this story, but we can make the assumption that Gates of Paradise was the first big spin during the Andrew Neiderman era.There were many great, darkly indulgent and horrific, twists and turns to be found in this fourth installment of the beloved Casteel series, but ultimately Gates of Paradise lacked the same enthralling, but still awful, quality the previous three books had.
And, let's face it, while I love Annie, she's no Heaven.
And Andrew Neiderman is no V.C. Andrews.
(Why, yes, I am pressed over the death of both Heaven and Logan. I didn't even like Logan, but here we are. This is what Gates of Paradise has reduced me to! Excuse me, I need a tissue to properly mourn over the loss of both Heaven and my sanity. Back on track--let's get the negatives out of the way.)
While this novel no doubt tapped into a similar tone to Andrews, and is one of Neiderman's finer moments as ghost writer, I don't necessarily think it was because Neiderman was able to capture her essence in so many words--it was mostly because nearly all of the plotlines within Gates of Paradise were recycled from prior books in both the Casteel and Dollanganger Sagas. It was in the same vein merely because of rehashed twists and turns.
Looking back, this was my biggest issue with Gates of Paradise. There are so many throwbacks and parallels to past V.C. Andrews books--from incestuous sibling love (granted, they aren't related by blood this time; only raised as if they were) to mental and physical abuse, to attempted r*pe, and terrible relatives, Gates of Paradise seemed like the literary equivalent of an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink recipe.
This isn't to say that things were all bad when it came to Gates of Paradise. Tony died, you know? Fanny finally grew up. And the other, newer characters were solid and/or chilling. So many plots in Gates of Paradise could have been developed differently, but it still felt impossible to put down and served up a steaming helping of delightfully awful soap opera vibes, tugged at my heart strings a few times, and kept me reading.
Gates of Paradise was a massive letdown in my mind. V.C. Andrews likely outlined the finer points of this story, but we can make the assumption that Gates of Paradise was the first big spin during the Andrew Neiderman era.There were many great, darkly indulgent and horrific, twists and turns to be found in this fourth installment of the beloved Casteel series, but ultimately Gates of Paradise lacked the same enthralling, but still awful, quality the previous three books had.
And, let's face it, while I love Annie, she's no Heaven.
And Andrew Neiderman is no V.C. Andrews.
(Why, yes, I am pressed over the death of both Heaven and Logan. I didn't even like Logan, but here we are. This is what Gates of Paradise has reduced me to! Excuse me, I need a tissue to properly mourn over the loss of both Heaven and my sanity. Back on track--let's get the negatives out of the way.)
While this novel no doubt tapped into a similar tone to Andrews, and is one of Neiderman's finer moments as ghost writer, I don't necessarily think it was because Neiderman was able to capture her essence in so many words--it was mostly because nearly all of the plotlines within Gates of Paradise were recycled from prior books in both the Casteel and Dollanganger Sagas. It was in the same vein merely because of rehashed twists and turns.
Looking back, this was my biggest issue with Gates of Paradise. There are so many throwbacks and parallels to past V.C. Andrews books--from incestuous sibling love (granted, they aren't related by blood this time; only raised as if they were) to mental and physical abuse, to attempted r*pe, and terrible relatives, Gates of Paradise seemed like the literary equivalent of an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink recipe.
This isn't to say that things were all bad when it came to Gates of Paradise. Tony died, you know? Fanny finally grew up. And the other, newer characters were solid and/or chilling. So many plots in Gates of Paradise could have been developed differently, but it still felt impossible to put down and served up a steaming helping of delightfully awful soap opera vibes, tugged at my heart strings a few times, and kept me reading.
This is my least favorite book in the Casteel series. (That's a pretty pathetic statement!) All I can say is, I'm glad I'm not V.C. Andrews' sibling since all of her books seem to involve brothers and sisters who fall in love. Ick.