The Heavens Rise by Christopher Rice

The Heavens Rise by Christopher Rice

Release Date: October 15, 2013

Publisher: Gallery Books

Format: ebook

Pages: 336

Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery

Sources: Netgalley

Goodreads Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Christopher Rice brilliantly conjures the shadowed terrors of the Louisiana bayou—where three friends confront a deadly, ancient evil rising to the surface—in this intense and atmospheric new supernatural thriller.

It’s been a decade since the Delongpre family vanished near Bayou Rabineaux, and still no one can explain the events of that dark and sweltering night. No one except Niquette Delongpre, the survivor who ran away from the mangled stretch of guardrail on Highway 22 where the impossible occurred…and kept on running. Who left behind her best friends, Ben and Anthem, to save them from her newfound capacity for destruction…and who alone knows the source of her very bizarre—and very deadly—abilities: an isolated strip of swampland called Elysium.

An accomplished surgeon, Niquette’s father dreamed of transforming the dense acreage surrounded by murky waters into a palatial compound befitting the name his beloved wife gave to it, Elysium: “the final resting place for the heroic and virtuous.” Then, ten years ago, construction workers dug into a long-hidden well, one that snaked down into the deep, black waters of the Louisiana swamp and stirred something that had been there for centuries—a microscopic parasite that perverts the mind and corrupts the body.

Niquette is living proof that things done can’t be undone. Nothing will put her family back together again. And nothing can save her. But as Niquette, Ben, and Anthem uncover the truth of a devastating parasite that has the potential to alter the future of humankind, Niquette grasps the most chilling truths of all: someone else has been infected too. And unlike her, this man is not content to live in the shadows. He is intent to use his newfound powers for one reason only: revenge.

 

My Thoughts

Wow, this book was amazing!  I mistook this book for something else when I first started reading it, but I quickly became hooked. The storyline was so well written that I was immediately entranced.

I didn’t have a particular favorite character, but I did love all of them. Even Marshall Ferriot was a fantastic villain. All of the characters were very well developed, with strong personalities that blended well with each other. Christopher’s imagination is genius and he has created a tale of mystery, drama, suspense, and horror all woven together perfectly. I would definitely recommend The Heavens Rise to readers of all those genres.