Book Review and Giveaway: The Heaven's Rise by Christopher Rice

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, from Gallery Books, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it 
  Halloween is almost here and you know what that means....
it's time for the family Rice to bewitch, bedazzle and by all means possible enchant us with a new book!
Lucky for us Christopher has a new book that fits the bill perfectly!
Read on!

Synopsis:  Multiple New York Times bestselling author Christopher Rice returns to New Orleans in his first-ever, supernatural novel THE HEAVENS RISE, featuring a group of teenagers who find themselves with mysterious and dangerous powers.

My name is Niquette Delongpre and on the night before my mother’s forty-seventh birthday, my entire family vanished without a trace.  Everyone assumed the swamp swallowed them.  They were wrong.  The real story begins weeks earlier, in the very soil of the place we called Elysium, which means “final resting place for the heroic and virtuous.”  An ironic name, given that the secret unearthed there has the potential to change the course of human history. 
Deep in the swamps outside New Orleans, Niquette Delongpre and her family uncover a well on their property—a well that has roots all the way down into the soils of the Mississippi River. A well that brings ancient things to surface—things that should have stayed buried.  When Niquette is exposed to a small parasite, it triggers in her mysterious and dangerous powers.  As she tries to come to grips with these new abilities and what they might mean for her future, she realizes that she is not alone.  Someone else, someone who was exposed to the same parasite during a clandestine visit to the swamp Niquette would rather keep secret, also is discovering his new talents, and he’s not as nice as she is…

Review:
When you decide to read this book I would VERY much suggest you plan a)an all-nighter or b) an all-dayer! This book is flat out  impossible to put down ! Period! For those that are from NOLA, the memories of pre- and post-Katrina are so vivid here, that you know this is not fluff- there is a solid back story, with authentic places, times and nostalgia. If you attended prep school especially, much of the book will ring true-"we know each other by the school we attended". I felt like the book was very much taken from my teen years, which isn't surprising, as Christopher haunted the same areas as a teen!

The story itself is so full of twists and turns, that the reader turns the page with both anticipation and fear of what will happen next. What NOLA legend or lore will show it's head and wreck havoc upon the characters next. The reader is left hoping and praying that all the main characters will make it to the end, but knowing the odds are against that scenario. I have to admit I cheated. I couldn't take it any more- about 2/3 of the way thru the book I had to flip and read the last chapter. FYI- I have ONLY done this on both Christopher's and his mother's books- it must be a family thing! I was satisfied with the ending, so I went back and started again where I had left off. Granted that changed how I was reading the book a little (knowing the end), but I needed the nuances and the hows, and the 'what happened to everybody else' in the story lines! 

It was weird to read of the Northshore as the 'creepy' place, as those of us who live up here think of it as 'normal' and NOLA as the 'creepy place' with it's haunts and history! Another twist that locals will love! The story will leave you begging for a sequel. As always Christopher's books are smart, nuanced and rich in character development, and you won't want to leave any of them when the book ends! 

If you are looking for the perfect Halloween book to read- I have 2 this month that fit the bill perfectly- 
this one and one I'll be sharing tomorrow! 

So RUN and get your copy today (well  ok, after you try to win the free copy! LOL)

About the Author: 

Christopher Rice is the author of four New York Times bestsellers.  The son of author Anne Rice and the late poet Stan Rice, he was raised in New Orleans.  He now resides in Los Angeles, where he is a co-host of the Internet radio program, The Dinner Party With Christopher Rice & Eric Shaw Quinn. Follow him on his Website:  www.christopherricebooks.com and Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ christopher.rice.writer and Twitter:  https://twitter.com/chrisricewriter pages too!

Be sure to grab this book and head out to one of his book tour stops, some of which will be with his mother, Ann Rice (she has a new book out too!) :

SARATOGA SPRINGS- 10/17        
             Saratoga Hilton - 7:00 pm, Christopher Rice and Anne Rice

PHILADELPHIA-10/19       
             Giovanni’s Room- 5:30 – 7:00 pm, Christopher Rice

LEXINGTON-10/21      
              Joseph-Beth - 7:00 pm, Christopher Rice and Anne Rice

FORT WALTON BEACH-10/22       
             Books-A-Million (417-C Mary Ester Cut-Off NW)- 7:00 pm, Christopher Rice

DECATUR-10/23   
             DeKalb County Public Library (215 Sycamore St)-/7:15 pm, Christopher Rice

NEW ORLEANS-10/25     
             LeStat Ball (New Orleans), Christopher Rice and Anne Rice

COVINGTON/ NEW ORLEANS-10/26      
             2^nd & Charles (Covington, LA) - 2:00 – 4:00 pm, Christopher Rice

NEW ORLEANS-10/27                  
             Garden District Books (2727 Prytania St)- 1:00 pm, Christopher Rice and Anne Rice

DALLAS-10/29
             Barnes & Noble (7700 W. Northwest Highway)- 7:00 pm, Christopher Rice and Anne Rice

LOS ANGELES- 11/2        
              Barnes & Noble (189 The Grove Drive)- 2:00 pm, Christopher Rice and Anne Rice

SAN FRANCISCO- 11/5     
              Books Inc. (Opera Plaza)- 7:00 pm, Christopher Rice and Anne Rice

TEMPE-11/14                
             Changing Hands (6428 S McClintock Dr)- 6:00 pm, Christopher Rice and Anne Rice

Now who wants to win this review copy?

(NOLA lovers will note that I'm ending this giveaway on All Saints Day- seemed appropriate with the supernatural twist and the fact that Ann's Halloween Ball is an NOLA staple!)

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