Parents' Guide to

The Heavens Rise

By Andrea Beach, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Fantasy intertwining sex, violence, makes for mature fare.

The Heavens Rise Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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

Is It Any Good?

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

With THE HEAVENS RISE, author Christopher Rice has created a gripping and very violent page-turner best suited to adults with a firm grasp of when and how it's safe to indulge in fantasy. He particularly excels at balancing a large cast of narrators, not all of whom are important characters but who are deftly used to advance the action or the exposition. His atmospheric writing terrifically evokes New Orleans' many moods, but there are so many insider references that some of those moods may be missed by those who don't already know a little about the Crescent City.

Some of the exposition is weak, particularly in diary entries that explain things the writer of the diary wouldn't need to explain (like what a "yat" is, or where things are located). And the final fourth of the book is an over-the-top, Hollywood-action, big-screen-special-effects blowout that isn't so much built from the otherwise consistently and grippingly relentless pace up to then as it is detonated from out of nowhere.

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate