Rapture: Fallen, Book 4

Name: Rapture: Fallen, Book 4
Item: Rapture: Fallen, Book 4
Rating: 2
Author: Carrie R. Wheadon

Book review by

Carrie R. Wheadon, Common Sense Media

Rapture: Fallen, Book 4 Book Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 13+

(i)

Fallen-angel series ending is less than heaven-sent.

Save

Rate book

Read or buy

Parents say

No reviews yetAdd your rating

Kids say

age 9+

Based on 1 review

Get it now

Searching for streaming and purchasing options ...

Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.

Get it now on

Searching for streaming and purchasing options ...

Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.

A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this book.

Educational Value

Readers can compare the author's interpretation of angel lore and descriptions of the fall of angels with what's said in different books of the Bible and in literature (Milton's Paradise Lost is a good start). They can also get out a map as they travel with the characters through the book around Europe and the Middle East.

Positive Messages

Romantic love trumps religious devotion here, and readers will have to choose a side, just as the angels do.

Positive Role Models & Representations

Lucinda makes a big transformation, discovering her strengths and making sacrifices for the greater good. Daniel continues to be steadfast in his devotion but doesn't change very much in this book.

Violence

A willing human sacrifice is stabbed, and blood is used in a rite. Many celestial beings fight; some close to the main characters are killed, while others get some gory injuries like a starshot arrow through the eye and a hand hacked off. A legion of them are trapped and burned to death, and some are bludgeoned and impaled. The Fall of angels figures prominently, and a re-creation of that moment in time threatens to bring about the end of the world. Lucinda and friends are kidnapped, tortured (not described), and thrown into special bags that almost strangle them.

Sex

Some kissing between Daniel and Luce. A celestial being talks about getting a taste for mortals and decorates his apartment to attract women.

Language

A sprinkling of words including "damn," "bitch," and "ass."

Consumerism

Mentions of snack foods like Pringles.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Drinking at a college party; Luce is offered alcohol at someone's house.

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Rapture is the last book in the Fallen series about an angel-human romance. The actual rapture described in the New Testament almost happens, and on the way to stop it, celestial beings do quite a bit of fighting -- some die, some get gory injuries, and many burn to death; plus, there's a bloody scene with a willing human sacrifice. Also know that there's a view of heaven, particularly in this book in the series, that might not sit well with some religious readers.

User Reviews

Parents say
Kids say

There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

Teen, 14 years old Written bylollipop14 July 31, 2012

age 9+

Book

I read this book in a couple of hours!!! I loved this series so much and sad this was the last book!!! I wasn't happy with the ending though, even though i... Continue reading

Report this review

What's the story?

At the end of Book 3 of the Fallen series, Lucinda discovered that the little gargoyle pal time traveling with her to her past lives was really Satan. Boy, is he mad when his plan fails to get her to give up her soul. So mad that he sets in motion the angels' Fall from heaven all over again. Now Lucinda, her angel boyfriend Daniel, and their friends only have seven days until the end of the second Fall to find relics that will lead them to where it all happened the first time. From there they hope to go back in time to stop Satan and the end of the world. How could mortal Lucinda get Satan so riled up? It turns out her role in the balance of heaven is much bigger than she ever realized.

Is it any good?

OK, Fallen series fans, RAPTURE is your "tied neatly in a bow" romantic conclusion -- but getting there isn't terribly satisfying. When the characters are hunting for relics -- for reasons clumsily established -- it feels like one of those crazy "10 countries in seven days" tours; too many places and characters come at you too fast (Venice, Vienna, Outcasts, Scale, fallen angels, demons, Elders...) so that nothing seems important anymore.

Then there's the Daniel-Lucinda romance for the ages. They'd be more compelling if there had been any real relationship development in the last few books. When they're together in the present, Lucinda talks about how perfect and beautiful Daniel is -- blah. They kiss a couple times -- same old. Danger finds them, sure, but it doesn't change their relationship in any way. Soul mates are boring. Even what should be a profound moment for them, making a huge decision together, is marred by the author's less than inspiring (a few might say offensive) take on what goes on in heaven.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about the decision that Daniel and Lucinda make in the end. Were you happy with it?
There are many views of heaven and angels, some in religious texts, some in literature, some in popular lore. Do you like this book's take? What do you think is missing? What does and doesn't sit well with you?
Were you familiar with places the characters visited on their relic hunt? Can you find them on a map?