Parents' Guide to

Bent Heavens

By Michael Berry, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Girl seeks revenge for father's abduction in tense thriller.

Book Daniel Kraus Science Fiction 2020
Bent Heavens Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 1 parent review

Laura Lou 768
Laura Lou 768 Adult
September 6, 2020
age 18+

Waste of Time

The description of this book sounded interesting. The first couple of chapters were OK. By the time I got a little over halfway through the book pretty much the alien just kept getting tortured. At that point Liv didn’t know if her dad might still be alive or not, but they were still determined to take all their frustrations out on torturing the alien. They wanted to get information out of the alien yet they cut out its tongue—which made no sense. Then we get to a sex scene which seem to come out of nowhere. That is where I felt like this book was simply wasting my time. I didn’t finish the book since over half of it was what I just said. It seemed like it was simply spinning its gears. It may have had a good ending but it just went on and on about the torture of the alien and Liv coping with life after her dad came up missing. I would not recommend the book unless you are into depressing books with sex thrown in.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

As BENT HEAVENS opens, Liv Fleming is interested in graduating and going someplace where no one watched her father descend into mental illness. She maintains a friendship with outcast classmate Doug Mock and helps him inspect the elaborate traps and weapons her father set up to capture aliens. When something strange winds up in a trap, Liv and Doug believe they might have the key to the mystery of her father's disappearance. How far will they go to extract the truth from their odd, pathetic captive?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Some novels start well and maintain a logical course until the end, but this gripping tale of torture and interrogation goes off the rails as it approaches its climax. In Bent Heavens, author Daniel Kraus keeps the reader guessing about the novel's central mystery, but come the big reveal, the reaction may be "Wait. What?" Discussing the revelation requires a spoiler alert, so let's just say that no one recognizes a major character when it would seem impossible not to. Be that as it may, the story is full of strong characters, intense suspense scenes, and an impassioned plea for tolerance. Readers may differ about the ending, but most will be heavily involved getting there.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Bent Heavens addresses the issue of torture. Is torture ever justified? Why do governments use it?

  • Why do people seek revenge? Is it a healthy strategy for individuals? For nations and governments? How far would you go to take revenge on someone who hurt you or your family?

  • What do you think of the violence in Bent Heavens? Is it easier to take when reading it on the page than when seeing it on a screen?

Book Details

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