Customer Reviews

Dark Angel (Casteel Series)

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Leaving her foster home in Candlewick, Georgia, 17-year-old Heaven Leigh Casteel has come to visit her rich grandparents, Tony and Jillian Tatterton, in Boston, Massachusetts. Farthinggale Manor has now become her new home, the same place where her long-since-dead teenage mother lived and fled from in fear. It is now Heaven's turn to discover the sordid secrets this family has hidden for almost 20 years.

But first, Heaven is lured to give up her freedom to Tony in return for all the opportunities his money can buy, including an education at an exclusive private school for girls called Winterhaven. His money can't buy the student's opinion of her, however, and, once again, Heaven feels like an outsider. The girls are extremely cruel to Heaven and, in one incident, they slip laxatives in her drink at a party. The prank backfires on one of the girls when Heaven dares her to slide down the laundry shoot--and into a pile of... well, human excrement, to put it nicely, courtesy of Heaven. Very gross, I know, but I couldn't help but laugh.

Anyway, on the romantic side of "Dark Angel", Heaven meets Tony's younger brother, Troy, who later becomes Heaven's longtime, brooding lover. (Troy is, so far, the sexiest male character Andrews has ever come up with. I absolutely love Troy.) Heaven does meet up with Cal Dennison once in this book, but not as a romantic gesture. There's obviously no chemistry between those two, but Cal seems to think so and tries to rape her. And, as for Logan Stonewall, Heaven tries to rekindle their childhood romance (this is before she gets involved with Troy), but he's still hurt and angry by her relationship with Cal and pushes her away.

Now, although Heaven promised Tony she would exclude her family from her life completely, she does try to contact her four siblings: Fanny who, of course, has gotten herself into trouble by giving birth to the reverend's child in return for $10,000, but she later changes her mind and insists Heaven do everything she can to return her baby; Keith and Our Jane are terrified of Heaven because they think she's trying to take them back to the Willies; and Tom has joined the circus with their father and seems content enough.

By the end of this book, several secrets are unearthed (including the truth of Heaven's biological father), some relationships are rebuilt (Logan and Heaven; Our Jane, Keith, and Heaven) and others are destroyed, and death and madness follow suit for several characters.

"Dark Angel" is the second book in the Casteel series, preceded by "Heaven" and succeeded by "Fallen Hearts", "Gates of Paradise", and "Web of Dreams". I highly recommend reading all five books in this series. In my opinion, this is the best series V. C. Andrews has created so far. A must-have for all V. C. Andrews fans.

Dark Angel has to be the best book that has ever been written. Though you must read the book Heaven before reading Dark Angel, it doesn't even compare. Dark Angel's passion and emotions make you feel like you are not only included in the novel but as if you are the main character in the novel, Heaven, because of the descriptions and dialogue. It could not have been written any better, it completely lived up to my expectations and more. To anyone who can comprehend strong feelings and emotions, you must read this book. Not only has this book set the standards for the kind of person I'd like to be, but the great romance between Troy and Heaven sets the standards for every love you will ever have from then on, though there is no way anything can live up to it and no one can live up to Troy Tatterton. I think he is truly the best part of the book and without him it just wouldn't be the same. V.C. Andrews truly created the perfect man in Troy and the greatest book. I think she desribed it in the book: "Bigger than life I made Troy. Better than life, too good to be true." That's correct but it still makes you yearn and feel for it. This book is a must-read for all people who love romance and emotions, but still want a great story line and plot.

Despite her steady theme of incest, V.C. Andrews has always managed to come up with a story that captures my interest so much that once I sit down with one of her books in my hand, it's difficult for anyone to get me to focus on anything else. As much as I loved the first book of this series, I have to admit that I liked this book several times better (and this is one of the few rare occasions that anyone will get me to say that the sequel was better than the original). The moment Troy entered the story, I was hooked. He has the sensitivity and caring that easily makes him one of V.C. Andrews' best male characters. I still felt some urges for Heaven to get back with Logan, especially when she was trapped in the cabin with him during the storm, but I felt Troy was a better choice because he had never judged Heaven, and that's what she seemed to need. I was crushed when she found out that she was Troy's niece, even though there were enough hints that it didn't come as a great surprise. Tony creeped me out enough throughout the book for me to suspect that he may have fathered Heaven.

One of the reasons I preferred this book over "Heaven" was because we got the chance to see Heaven mature and realize that some of her childhood views on life were just as they seemed: childish. She becomes much stronger, and it was so gratifying for me when she convinced Pru to go down the chute into her filth. Doesn't everyone sort of wish they could do that to a school bully?

All in all, "Dark Angel" was definitely my favorite book out of this incredible series, and it's a must-read for any fan of V.C. Andrews.

This is my favorite VCA book ever. The romance between Troy and Heaven is just so passionate, and perfectly counters the one that she has with Logan which is just so sweet.

I have loved this book ever since I first read it in 1986. 14 years later and I still cry and laugh along with the characters in this series. The newer books by the ghost writer can never really compare to the original books, the Casteel series especially. People keep bringing up how the story lines of Flowers in the Attic, Heaven, and my Sweet Audrina keep coming up...this turns them off to the older books. Trust me! The older books are worth 10 times more than the newer ones ever could be.

Poor Heaven! First scorned by her Father, then neglected by Sarah, her stepmother! Then sold by her father, worse he's not even her father. Sold to a woman who hates her. How much misery can Ms. Andrews heap on one person? Sometimes I think its a bit much! Troy would have been the perfect person for Heaven Logan is a bit of a prig and a little too purtunnical for me, I would have told him off a long time ago.Specially that part with Fanny, who has problem with being too free with her favors. Ever wondered if Logan really did like Fanny's advances?(?)

Dark Angel is, in my opinion, the best book ever written by the late VC Andrews. Heaven Casteel is the strongest character out there. She endures the seduction of Cal (in "Heaven"), the girls at Winterhaven School for Girls, the loss of Tom, the revelation of who Troy and Tony are to her, and the realization that her own grandmother, Jillian, is a vain woman with little time for anyone but herself.

I don't want to give anything away, but I have to say that this is a wonderful book to read. The complete Casteel series is amazing!

The romance between Heaven and Troy was just so wonderful! This is one of the *best* books in the Casteel series! It's a twist of plot and revealation of haunting secrets. The characters became so real and I felt as if I were Heaven falling in love with a guy as marvelous as Troy! It was very sad too when Troy's true identity was revealed. This story made me cry and laugh, too. The Casteel and the Dollanganger series are my all time favorites -- also the novel My Sweet Audrina. Currently, I've reread Heaven and plannin' to reread "Dark Angel". Read it, you'll love it!

At 4.5/5 stars, Dark Angel serves as an excellent follow-up to 'Heaven' - a book that I have read at least 8 times already - and is a good chronicle of Heaven's further adventures. I am just sad that Kitty destroyed Leigh's doll in the previous book, but Heaven should have confronted Tony about it, it wouldn't have hurt to press the issue (especially after finding out what Tony and Leigh had done) More of the doll's origins are revealed in the fifth Casteel book, 'Web of Dreams', but it still would have helped this story to see Heaven ask Tony about the doll and seeing how he reacted to it.

Heaven's idea to screw around with Luke's mind was a great idea. After the mistreatment he gave her, he deserved it though I felt bad about what happened to Tom. Tony's revelations about Leigh are shocking, but the truth is revealed in future Casteel books, so this makes a good installment in the series. Overall a decent continuation of Heaven Casteel's story.

Why,oh, why didn't Heaven ever confront Luke with the truth? I would have loved to hear his reasonings on why he never told Heaven that he wasn't her father. If Heaven had any doubts about Tony's allegations, why didn't she just ask Luke?