Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 422pgs
The Story
The Story
Bethany, an angel sent to Earth, and her mortal boyfriend, Xaxier, have been to Hell and back. But now their love will be put to its highest test yet, as they defy Heavenly law and marry. They don't tell Beth's archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, but the angels know soon enough, and punishment comes in a terrifying form: the Sevens, who are rogue angels bent on keeping Beth and Xavier apart, destroying Gabriel and Ivy, and darkening angelic power in the heavens.
The only way Bethany and Xavier can elude the Sevens is to hide in the open, and blend in with the other mortals their own age. Gabriel and Ivy set them up at college, where they can't reveal their relationship, and where there is still danger around each corner. Will Bethany be called back to Heaven - forever - and face leaving the love of her life?
The Review
We've seen it all before. Fallen. Hush Hush. Mercy. Unearthly. The list of young adult angel YA series is endless and very popular too, no matter what we think of the genre. But when it comes to me and this angel series alone, I'm sure many of you share my opinion and I'm sure I won't be the only one to say we didn't get along all too well - right from the very beginning, in fact. It's been quite a bumpy road to say the least. While the first book, Halo, didn't really do anything for me but I still managed to like the sequel, Hades, despite some of the issues I had with it. However, when it comes to this book . . . while it may not have been a too bad of a read but it still failed to impress me. Sad to say I know. I tried really.
HEAVEN, the third and last installment of the Halo series, is a young adult story about Bethany, an angel who is deeply in love with a mortal boy named Xavier and whom she is now protecting (at least that's what I think she's doing). But in this last book when lust (sorry I mean love) comes into play, Bethany and Xavier decide to get married before God and all his righteousness (yay for young love!). Though, like any other YA novel and their cruelness, after these two lovebirds are set to marry, there are many obstacles and consequences heading their way and the question is: Can their love survive everything they've been through or are about to go through, or will someone need to sacrifice themselves in the end for the name of true love? That's the big question here.
Here's the kicker with me and this series . . . the writing is 'alright' to a certain extent but it was far too religious for my own personal taste. Ironic as it is since this IS an angel book and all which I totally understandable as there's got to be some moral values learned here, but there is a very fine line to cross when it comes to me and the religious aspects of pretty much any book. A very fine line indeed. Not being religious myself as you all should know, I don't like someone preaching Christianity to me and overwhelming the plot in every single chapter with that Christianity. For sure I enjoy the mythology side to it and there are many people who can identify with these sorts of beliefs, but as for me, it makes me feel like I've been bathed in holy water for a century and boy does it burn. I'm not being disrespectful to the young author who is obviously religious herself, though judging this book solely it . . . well . . . rubbed me in the wrong way.
Moving on from the negative sides, I actually really enjoyed the characters this time round despite the many issues I had with them throughout the course of this series. Bethany, as fun and blunt as she is, grew up a lot in this final book and I love her ways of conquering the world for love and those closest to her. She's a true romantic at heart and I love that about her, even if she annoys me from time to time. As for the sweet human boy, Xavier, Bethany's one and only love interest, he was always sweet in this book and remains so as I've previously seen from him in the previous books. He can't do any wrong in this book because, much like Bethany's character, he's just a romantic at heart too. But look in the end . . . even though their 'I LOVE YOU FOREVER AND EVER' ways can be a little extreme at times but hey, it's all in the name of young love right? Looooovvvvvvvveeeeee.
Overall, HEAVEN was something I just needed to read for the sake of it since I have already read the two previous books in the series. While it may have threw me off in its religious tones but I highly commend Adornetto's writing ability in this last installment because she's certainly improved in her writing techniques and you can clearly see it now in this final book. So when it comes down to it, no matter my up's and down's with this angel trilogy and no matter what I've thought about it in the past, I'm still pretty eager to see what Adornetto comes up with next because she does have talent despite her many critics!
The Rating
2 1/2 / 5 stars
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