I can never really say I was ever a big fan of VC Andrews. I am starting to rethink that because I really did enjoy this book. Just like the Gates of Paradise I picked this up because I had planned on watching the lifetime movies with mom. The Casteel series was the last of the family sagas that V.C. Andrews had a hand in before she died and her ghostwriter took over. Which is something I didn’t know. It's impossible not to compare it to the Dollanganger series, especially since both dark melodramatic poor examples of what we or at least what I expect “family” to be
HEAVEN is about a young girl named Heaven Leigh (get it?) Casteel. She lives in the hills, cramped in a small shed with her four other siblings, grandparents, father, and stepmother. She is the only child from her father's first marriage; her mother died in childbirth, and her father kept her on a pedestal in his mind. No other woman can match up, not even his daughters or his new wife, so he mostly ignores his children, abuses his wife, and is a regular attendee of the local "den of ill repute" despite the fact that they're all starving. I found the father repulsive and the kids all charming. The descriptions were beautifully done even though they were brutal and sad.

Heaven catches the eye of a rich boy because of her beauty, and this is a must for of Andrews's, too: there's always a soft and sensitive boy hero figure to whisk the heroine away from her wretched life-- until he proves to be just as disturbing as everyone else, only better at hiding it. Logan doesn't have a chance to show off any true colors he might have, though, as Heaven's father gets an STD, and kind of loses it after his wife has a deformed stillborn child; he gets the brilliant idea that the solution to their money problems is to sell off his children for $500/ea. to local rich people in the area.

Heaven gets sent off to live with a woman named Kitty, but her nickname could be "Mommy Dearest." She lives in a house filled with creepy ceramic animals and everything is pink. She has violent mood swings, and living in Casa de Crazy, you could find yourself having your hair lovingly combed out one minute, only to be thrown into a scalding hot Lysol bath the next Her only solace in this house is Kitty's young husband, Cal, but his feelings towards Heaven-- as you would expect-- aren't exactly pure. The feelings that would later ruin things with someone else.

HEAVEN was a good book and by good book I mean you have to have an open mind for the dark parts of it and you have to be okay with the writing which is great in some areas and falls short in others. I will be continuing the series if only to see how the tornado that is this series finally touches down.
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This book for those whos love natural beauty. ( )

Well written but not my kind of story. Heaven Leigh Casteel undergoes many ordeals (thankfully none too horrific for my squeamish tastes though some came close). The main reason that this isn't my kind of story is that I don't feel that I, the reader, gained anything from this harrowing of my soul that I experienced reading this. And I didn't like the ending which was basically upbeat if you can believe that Pa really had changed his entire character. Kitty's deathbed conversion seems more probable. I did like the way the Rev. Wise was shown in his true colors by Fanny's goodbye visit to Heaven, though my more vengeful side would have liked it if he had been exposed to the whole town. But after all of Heaven's insights into people's character & motivation throughout the book, it offended me that she suddenly lost this ability in the final chapter. I felt that she would have recognized that Cal & Tom were trying to do what was best for her, even if it wasn't exactly what she wanted. ( )

“If you work to obtain your goal, and realize from the very beginning that nothing valuable comes easily, and still forge ahead, without a doubt you’ll reach your goal, whatever it is.”
― V.C. Andrews, Heaven

I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler free way. If you feel anything in my review is a spoiler and is not already hidden in spoiler brackets please let me know. Thank you.
Heaven lives in a small little house on a mountain in West Virginia. She has an older brother a younger brother, and two younger sisters. Things aren't easy for them. They are very poor and their dad isn't around much, usually out drinking or bedding what little money they have. Its hard work and a hard life for Heaven but she loves the mountains. Things are changing for Heaven though and they are changing fast and not all of it is good. (Sorry for the vague blurb. I don't know what else to say without giving away any spoilers.)
So ever since I was able to read a book this size, I have loved V.C. Andrews. I knew even then that the books were a bit preverted and there seems to always be a little bit incest like things happening, but still the stories are intriguing and always pretty dark. This one was no exception to any of that. As a child/teen when I read this book. I felt bad for Heaven, but loved the adventure that was happening. As an adult I just hate all the adults in this story. ALL of them are messed up, I swear. Anyways, I will continue on with the series eventually.
How I choose my rating:
1* Did not finish, or hated it but forced myself to finish.
2** Didn't really like it. Didn't hate it but not sure why I finished it other then for some closure.
3*** I liked it. I had some issues with it, but as a whole it was good. I probably won't reread again ever, but there is a chance I might finish the series. (If part of one) But if not it's not a huge loss.
4**** I really liked this book. Maybe not a work of genius, but highly entertaining. I might reread this again, and I will finish the series. (If part of one) I would recommend to those I know hold interest in this books content.
5***** I loved this book. I found little to no issues with it at all. I will definitely be rereading this and probably more than once. I will finish the series and reread it multiple times. (If part of one) I will recommend this book to EVERYONE!!!! ( )

This held up to my remembered reading. I forgot how many dark themes follow the Flowers In The Attic series. ( )