My Rating: 9/10
Aaarggh. Geanna has done it again! Created a world and set of characters that I just absolutely fell in love with. No seriously, even from the very first chapter (although the page number was already a teensy tiny giveaway!) I just knew that I'd better buckle up because some serious worldbuilding was about to unfold.
I'd like to preface this that as a Christian myself, obviously the views on the afterlife and God illustrated in this series are not my own or or what I consider to be theologically accurate. That being said, I absolutely loooooved Heaven't You Heard? and practically devoured it. I really loved the worldbuilding, especially how everything we consider to be "mysterious" or spiritual about heaven made sense and had its own cute or appropriate explanation (e.g. pets crossing the Rainbow Bridge). It all felt incredibly magical and yet also really down-to-Earth.
Grace was a really interesting character to follow, especially as I found myself relating to her in many ways. I appreciated her stubbornness, that she was so willing to stand up for herself and others and how she ultimately stayed true to herself. It was incredibly touching to see her relationship with her mom evolve and how she wrestled with it. I can honestly say that I actually learned quite a bit from that myself and I often caught myself doing some own deep self-reflection triggered by certain emotional events that took place in this book. What I especially appreciated was how Grace also questioned her own preconceived notions and her own pride in growing into herself. I kind of feel like in these times, especially with what I see going on in social media, I feel like a large culture of finger-pointing has developed that goes on between people who dislike each other. I often see people touting a large sense of entitlement to feeling superior when someone has hurt them in any way without any kind of self-reflection. I loved that in this book, Grace actually challenged her own opinions and attitudes as much as she challenged those of others in order to work forward in a relationship with them, such as with her mom.
The plot itself was a great mix of fast-paced action, some drama on Earth with Grace's mission and some more laid-back times in Heaven. I honestly didn't see a lot of the plot twists coming and often just sat there with the book on my lap and my mouth hanging open. I genuinely cannot wait for the second book and believe that this will be a world I'll find myself loving just as much as the Crisanta Knight one (which is sadly coming to an end soon *sob*). So a huuge thanks to Geanna Culbertson for creating this beautiful series, which I will now title my Crisanta Knight Hangover series as it's the only thing that will be able to pull me out of my major incoming Crisanta Knght hangover will will ensue once that series is done.
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