Heaven (Halo) [Hardcover]

Alexandra Adornetto (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 21, 2012 | Series: Halo (Book 3)

Only sixteen when she started the series, Ally Adornetto knows how teen hearts beat, and this long-awaited conclusion is certain to be her most popular book yet.

Bethany, an angel sent to Earth, and her mortal boyfriend, Xavier, 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 can elude the Sevens is to hide in the open, and blend in with 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?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For fans of the series." -- School Library Journal --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

ALEXANDRA ADORNETTO’s first book, Halo, became a New York Times bestseller a week after it was published, and has been translated in over a dozen languages around the world. It’s sequel Hades, published August 2011, was also a New York Times bestseller. Born in Australia, Ally is now attending college at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, MS.

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Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Feiwel & Friends; 1 edition (August 21, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312656289
• ISBN-13: 978-0312656287
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,868 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Live To Read September 29, 2012

By Chels TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

For readers who enjoyed the first two books, this one will be a treat. Bethany and Xavier have been working to stay together and keep their love alive despite all odds. When they decide to marry, the have crossed a line that no angel has crossed before. Bethany is in immediate danger and the book follows her attempts to remain with her love and stay alive. With the Sevens, a group of angels who hate the idea of Bethany and Xavier together, hot on her trail, Bethany must make quick decisions to remain on top.

The characters were so much fun in this book. They truly feel like real people; the only character who started to get annoying was Bethany. She defies heavenly law when she marries and then continues to put her friends in danger. She is more than a little whiny halfway through the book. However, a reader who enjoyed this book previously will likely not mind a few dramatics. Xavier is sweet in his constant love for Bethany. He sticks with his true love no matter the cost. Gabriel and Ivy displayed bravery and love when they decide to help Bethany in any way they can. However, it isn't really up to Bethany, she may be recalled and forced to leave Xavier.

Between the high action and desperate love, this book is sure to be a fast read despite it's long length. Heaven is recommended to young adult readers.

*Complimentary copy received for review, this in no way affects my opinion*

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Didn't work for me :( September 25, 2012

By Victoria Sloboda

Format:Hardcover

I'm sorry but I did not care for this final book in the series. It felt like Alexandra was just throwing everything she could think of into it and the continuity was lost. Also, there was way too much negativity in the heavenly realm.

We begin where HADES left off with Xavier and Beth having left graduation to go get married. They get married and immediately the Priest is killed for having married them since humans and angels are verboten. The heavenly police aka the seven are now after the two of them and they go on the run.

Angels killing innocent humans, Molly becoming a dominated puritanical female, Xavier being possessed and more just didn't work for me.

It just gets too congested from here on out. You may enjoy it so give it a try.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars To be honest I felt like the final book was good but was rushed and fell short! September 5, 2012

By Bianca Vandenbos

Format:Hardcover

I just finished the third book in the Halo series. While I felt like the story hooked you like the predecessors I felt like this book fell short and it should have been longer and as for the ending I would have tweaked or rewritten it. In Heaven it takes place after Bethany and Xavier graduated in Hades they're at Sweethearts and decide they want to get married. After Beth and Xavier get married the Grim Reaper kills Father Mel, the Priest that married them and he goes to Heaven. Gabriel and Ivy find out what happened and they aren't happy so they flee Venus Cove and set Bethany and Xavier up at college where they can't reveal their relationship or else these corupt angels The Sevens will find them and do anything to keep them apart. I loved that Molly was back in the book. The descriptions were excellent. There was the right blend of action and romance. But I felt like sometimes there was too much downtime in between the book. Then there were things that weren't explained or could have been done differently. -SPOILERS IF YOU HATE SPOILERS DON'T READ PAST THIS SENTANCE- Example 1: How did Jake Thorn come back? Gabriel killed Jake. I understand that Bethany called Jake by his former angel name out of desperation to get Lucifer out of Xaviers body. But its inconsistent because in the second book Hades Jake was killed in the end by Gabriel using The archangel Michaels sword which could kill angels and demons. Example 2: Since angels and demons don't have souls how Jake came back didn't make sense. Now unless Jake wasn't killed then I could understand he was summoned. Otherwise it didn't make sense. Also certain characters we heard about in Hades (Taylah, Hannah and Tucker) we never heard about them again. I felt like there should have been a happy ending for them after helping Beth in Hades.... The ending was good but it was expected and you knew what the big sacrifice was going to be. I think Gabriel, Ivy and Molly could have been at the house rejocing at Beth and Xaviers happy ending. Also are Molly and Gabriel in a relationship now? I'm not trying to convince anyone to not read this book or hate it but if you're planning to read it just don't expect this to be some great epic ending. I still love her as an author even if this book wasn't the greatest. Hopefully Alexandra will write a fourth book to the series or she'll do a Halo spin off series. Read more ›

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars It's finally over! August 26, 2012

By Ashleigh VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Also appears on my blog, The YA Kitten! My copy was an ARC I received in a swap with a friend.

In the first two chapters of Heaven, a priest dies solely because he officiates Bethany and Xavier's wedding and Bethany's response is a childish "I didn't know that would happen!" when she is confronted about what she did. The rest of the novel is this bad and worse. Bigotry, rampant girl-hate, a complete disregard for the tenants of Christianity, purposeful misinformation about abusive relationships, and more make this the worst of the Halo trilogy. On the bright side, the pacing is better. Whether it had to do with my desire to get this book read as quickly as possible or actual improvement, I took less issue with the prose. That's... about it.

Before anyone asks, I read this to get back my peace of mind and put the series behind me for good. A few weeks ago, I realized I'd never be rid of the thought of these books if I didn't read Heaven and get all my questions answered, so I did some legwork and managed to procure an ARC. Are we clear on that? Good. Anyone who asks "Well, why did you read this?" will be ignored now.

Bethany regresses to the behavior and logic of a three-year-old in Heaven. Funny how she says she said she'll never forget that her actions led to a priest's untimely death and yet she only brings it up once or twice after she says that. Multiple people get killed because Xavier and Bethany go on the run and yet the body count their actions rack up don't matter to them. Those people are merely bits of collateral damage incurred on the way to their happily-ever-after (as I believe Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead once put it).... Why Ivy and Gabriel put all their effort into defending Bethany and Xavier when they would be well within their rights to force the kids to deal with the tempest they've wrought upon themselves is a mystery.

Then there's this line is uttered by Gabriel: "Marriage is an indissoluble covenant between man and woman (ARC p. 37)."

Outright marriage bigotry. The implication that gay marriage is wrong is clear and it made me, a staunch supporter of LGBT-and-beyond rights, have a fit. Friends will be reporting back to me on whether or not this proclamation makes it into the final copy. I don't want this to be like the "gas pedals on a motorcycle" gaff from Hades that I raised a stink about only for it to not appear in the final copy. Unfortunately, since the purity myth bull permeating Hades didn't get cut, I have a bad feeling this offensive statement won't be cut either.

Girl-hate is everywhere in Heaven. Bethany presents herself as nonjudgmental, but the way she describes other women's clothes and behaviors is pretty judgmental, and the portrayals of human girls is twice as bad as that. Bethany's roommate Mary Ellen is portrayed as obsessed with Xavier and clingy. One girl is deemed bad for asking Xavier (who was undercover with a fake name/background as an unmarried college guy named Ford McGraw) on a date. What is wrong with creating a female character who isn't bad, one-dimensional, an airhead, or a punching bag?

Does this book even know what Christianity is? This is supposed to be an uber-Christian book, but it violates most of the religion's tenants and every rule in the angel handbook gets broken, including an angel and a human having sex (in a forest!). The only rule-breaking that comes with repercussions is Xavier and Bethany's marriage and that's because of the rogue Sevens, who aren't really following the rules. It's implied that God has no problem with Bethany breaking every angel rule she can get her hands on. That's a very large bird being flipped at Christianity.

Oh yeah, and there's something about Hell being up in arms, but that's not important. A visit from Lucifer halfway through the book when he possesses Xavier and a cameo by Jake's ghost is all Hell has to do with this book. That little plot thread about Hell's reaction to Jake's death in Hades gets left hanging there, snipped by a pair of Deus Ex Machina scissors. The real villain is Hamiel (a POC angel; making the only POC character evil was a bad idea) and the Sevens.

Double standards are nothing new in the Halo series, but applying double standards when comparing Xavier and Bethany's unhealthy relationship to Molly's unhealthy relationship is purposely spreading misinformation about what defines an unhealthy relationship. Xavier calls Molly insane for changing schools and making decisions based on what her boyfriend wants. That Bethany decided what college to go to, who her favorite football team was, what her favorite food was, and more based on what Xavier liked is not brought up or challenged. There are multiple jabs at the codependency Xavier and Bethany have and they're all either shut down or ignored. At one point, both characters say they will kill themselves if deprived of the other.

Why was Molly even in this book? The poor girl is a constant punching bag and putting her through an abusive relationship in this book was unnecessary, especially when that is the only time she plays a major part in this book. It almost felt like another jab at critics who say Bethany and Xavier have an unhealthy relationship. "You think they have an unhealthy relationship?" the situation seems to scream. "Well, you're wrong! Molly and her boyfriend Wade are going to show you what a real bad romance looks like!"

This isn't even funny anymore. This is dangerous. There is more than one shade of abuse in the relationship spectrum and ignoring Bethany and Xavier's shade to focus on Molly's like hers is the only one that exists is wrong. Young men and women need to be educated on all the ways, big and small, a relationship can go wrong, not just one or two ways.

And in the end, the only one who has to make a sacrifice so they can be together is Bethany. She has to give up an integral part of herself to be with Xavier and he doesn't have to give up one little thing to have Bethany back. Not even an eyelash. Supernatural or no, I'm disappointed and angered she is the one who has to conform to his life and start all over while he doesn't have to make any adjustments.

Now I am done. That's what matters. I am dancing around in my Jaguars pajamas because I am finally done and after this, I don't expect to pick up any more books I know I'm not going to like. It's all about the good books now, baby. (But I read a book I think I'll like and it turns out to be bad, any jokes at its expense are fair game.) Speaking of good books, I'm going to read some Courtney Summers in order to get over Heaven's mess. In my eyes, Summers just can't write a bad book. Read more ›