History Literature / TheCasteelSeries

* AdaptationalDyeJob: Heaven in Lifetime's film adaptation will be a [[http://www.completevca.com/pics/bio_movie_heaven_heaven.jpg redhead]] rather than a brunette. Notable because in the books Heaven thinks of herself as 'the Dark Angel' because of how her much darker hair contrasts with her HairOfGoldHeartOfGold late mother.

* OddNameOut: "Fallen Hearts" and "Web Of Dreams" are the only books without a religion-oriented title.

* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Fanny Casteel is already fooling around with boys at the age of ten and implied to be sexually active by this age (she later [[spoiler:seduces and has a baby with Reverend Wise after he adopts her]]).

The series concludes with ''Web of Dreams'', which is framed as a SecretDiary belonging to Heaven's mother Leigh. DaddysGirl Leigh is shocked when her seemingly perfect parents suddenly divorce. Her mother Jillian immediately marries the handsome (and much younger) Tony Tatterton and takes Leigh to Farthingale Manor. In spite of Farthy's luxury and prestige, Leigh finds her new home [[GildedCage lonely and cold]], her only comfort being Tony's five-year-old brother, [[IllBoy the precocious but fragile Troy.]] But Farthy is a much darker place than Leigh could have ever imagined, forcing her to leave Troy behind and flee Farthy forever.

* ParentWithANewParamour:

''Fallen Hearts'', the third book in the series (and the first to be written by Neiderman), picks up some time after ''Dark Angel'', with Heaven, now a successful school teacher, on the verge of marrying Logan Stonewall [[spoiler:while still grieving the deaths of both her brother Tom and her true love Troy]]. Tony asks that they spend their honeymoon at Farthingale Manor, to which Heaven reluctantly agrees, leading to a plan to build a Tatterton Toy Factory in Winnerrow in hopes of reviving the impoverished community. But Heaven's uneasiness around Tony, Jillian's [[spoiler:mental breakdown from the previous book]], and her suspicions of her sister Fanny's behavior around Logan drive Heaven once again to loneliness, and [[spoiler:having a one night stand with Troy, who had faked his death]]. [[DeusAngstMachina Yet another tragedy]] leads to Heaven getting custody of Drake, her father's youngest child from his third marriage.

** The Reverend Wise deserves a mention given that he molests Fanny shortly after adopting her. Unlike other examples in this series Fanny is not seen as a victim and is quickly slut shamed, despite the fact that she was a preteen and he was a married man (at one point in the first book, the Reverend keeps Fanny locked in the house and forbids her from making any contact with her family!). Heaven and Fanny seem to be the only characters who see the Reverend as this.

In the first book, ''Heaven'', the Casteel family--Heaven, her half-siblings Tom, Fanny, little Keith and Our Jane, her stepmother Sarah, her pa Luke Casteel, and his parents Annie and Toby--are known as "the scum of the hills," the poorest of the poor even among the poverty-stricken West Virginia village of Winnerrow. Heaven and Tom dream of making a better life for themselves and their family by completing school and getting a college education. Heaven's fortune seems to change for the better with the arrival of [[NewTransferStudent newly arrived]] CitySlicker Logan Stonewall, who becomes [[HighSchoolSweethearts Heaven's first love]]. But when the heart of the family, Grandma Casteel, dies, Luke Casteel, never the greatest provider to begin with, [[ParentalAbandonment completely abandons the family]], while stepmother Sarah, fed up with [[YourCheatingHeart his philandering,]] [[MinorLivingAlone leaves the children to fend for themselves]] in the depths of a harsh mountain winter. Desperate for money, Luke returns with a plan to sell his children. Heaven finds herself sold to a dangerously abusive woman named Kitty and her weak-willed husband Cal, who seduces Heaven and takes her virginity. Heaven, bruised but undaunted, becomes even more determined to find her lost siblings, claim her Boston heritage, and make something of herself.

In the first book, ''Heaven'', the Casteel family--Heaven, her half-siblings Tom, Fanny, little Keith and Our Jane, her stepmother Sarah, her pa Luke Casteel, and his parents Annie and Toby--are known as "the scum of the hills," the poorest of the poor even among the poverty-stricken West Virginia village of Winnerrow. Heaven and Tom dream of making a better life for themselves and their family by completing school and getting a college education. Heaven's fortune seems to change for the better with the arrival of [[NewTransferStudent newly arrived]] CitySlicker Logan Stonewall, who becomes [[HighSchoolSweethearts Heaven's first love]]. But when the heart of the family, Grandma Casteel, dies, Luke Casteel, never the greatest provider to begin with, [[ParentalAbandonment completely abandons the family]], and stepmother Sarah, fed up with [[YourCheatingHeart his philandering]] [[MinorLivingAlone alone to fend for themselves]] in the depths of a harsh mountain winter. Desperate for money, Luke returns with a plan to sell his children. Heaven finds herself sold to a dangerously abusive woman named Kitty and her weak-willed husband Cal, who seduces Heaven and takes her virginity. Heaven, bruised but undaunted, becomes even more determined to find her lost siblings, claim her Boston heritage, and make something of herself.

The second book, ''Dark Angel'', continues where the last one left off, with Heaven traveling to Boston to meet her [[GrandmaWhatMassiveHotnessYouHave glamorous maternal grandmother Jillian]], and her step-grandfather Tony Tatterton, the owner of a prestigious toy company. Staying at a snobby private school and forced to abide with the rules Tony gave her, Heaven finds her only friend in Tony's reclusive younger brother Troy, whose [[ByronicHero air of melancholy and mystery]] draws Heaven ever closer to him, even as Tony warns her to stay away. Unknown to Heaven, there is more to her mother running away than she ever could have thought, and the reasons aren't pretty.

In the first book, ''Heaven'', the Casteel family--Heaven, her half-siblings Tom, Fanny, little Keith and Our Jane, her stepmother Sarah, her pa Luke Casteel, and his parents Annie and Toby--are known as "the scum of the hills," the poorest of the poor even among the poverty-stricken West Virginia village of Winnerrow. Heaven and Tom dream of making a better life for themselves and their family by completing school and getting a college education. Heaven's fortune seems to change for the better with the arrival of [[NewTransferStudent newly arrived]] CitySlicker Logan Stonewall, who becomes [[HighSchoolSweethearts Heaven's first love]]. But when the heart of the family, Grandma Casteel, dies, Luke Casteel, never the greatest provider to begin with, [[ParentalAbandonment completely abandons the family, and stepmother Sarah, fed up with [[YourCheatingHeart his philandering]] [[MinorLivingAlone alone to fend for themselves]] in the depths of a harsh mountain winter. Desperate for money, Luke returns with a plan to sell his children. Heaven finds herself sold to a dangerously abusive woman named Kitty and her weak-willed husband Cal, who seduces Heaven and takes her virginity. Heaven, bruised but undaunted, becomes even more determined to find her lost siblings, claim her Boston heritage, and make something of herself.

* PlayedForLaughs (sort of) in ''Heaven.'' The Casteel children, trapped by a snowstorm and without food, contemplate eating one of the family dogs. Heaven goes so far as to pick up an axe before the dog senses danger and hightails it out of there.

When she is ten years old, Heaven Leigh Casteel, a girl living with her extremely poor family in a mountain range called the Willies, learns from her grandmother of her father's first wife Leigh, a Boston socialite and teenage runaway who married Heaven's father Luke and died giving birth to Heaven. As proof, Heaven receives her late mother's few belongings, the most precious being a unique porcelain doll that is identical to Heaven's mother (and, aside from the hair color, [[UncannyFamilyResemblance to Heaven herself]]).

In the first book, ''Heaven'', the Casteel family is shown living in poverty and looked down upon by the people of the West Virginia town of Winnerrow, while Heaven and her half-brother Tom dream of making a better life for themselves and their family with help from their teacher. Heaven's fortune seems to change for the better with the arrival of [[NewTransferStudent newly arrived]] CitySlicker Logan Stonewall, who becomes [[HighSchoolSweethearts Heaven's first love]]. However, since this is V.C. Andrews, it does not stay hunky-dory, and soon the children find themselves alone and fending for themselves [[ParentalAbandonment with no adults there to help.]] This culminates when Heaven's father returns and, desperate for money, sells the children to separate buyers. Heaven finds herself sold to a dangerously abusive woman named Kitty and her weak-willed husband Cal, who seduces Heaven and takes her virginity. Heaven, bruised but undaunted, becomes even more determined to find her lost siblings, claim her Boston heritage, and make something of herself.

* GildedCage: It would appear that Fanny's time in the Wise's home was this. At one point she actually wasn't allowed to leave, which worries both Heaven and Tom. [[spoiler:She was pregnant with the Reverend's baby and he and his wife kept this a secret from the town so they could pretend she was the pregnant one]] Later after she's left the Reverend even calls her "ungrateful" for all he's given her.
** Farthingale Manor, for almost every young woman who comes to live there.

* NoAnimalsWereHarmed: Horribly averted with Chuckles, the pregnant pet hamster that Heaven had to take home for her teacher, despite her insistence that Kitty didn't want animals in her house. Heaven was right.

** When Heaven voluntarily dyes her hair blonde, she is mistaken for her mother Leigh by several people, [[spoiler:most notably by her father Tony, who raped and impregnated Leigh and eventually tries to do the same to her]].

** For no reason whatsoever, ''Gates of Paradise'' retcons Drake's full name from 'Walter Drake Casteel' to 'Drake Ormand Casteel.' (This is made a little more noticeable considering that kid's name is explained in canon, as Tom named him after his favorite explorers, Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drakes.)

When she is ten years old, Heaven Leigh Casteel, a girl living with her extremely poor family in a mountain range called the Willies, learns from her grandmother of her father's first wife Leigh, a Boston socialite and teenage runaway who married Heaven's father Luke and died giving birth to Heaven. As proof, Heaven receives her late mother's few belongings, the most precious being a unique porcelain doll that is identical to Heaven's mother (and, aside from the hair color, [[UncannyFamilyResemblance Heaven herself]]).

''Fallen Hearts'', the third book in the series (and the first to be written by Neiderman), picks up some time after ''Dark Angel'', with Heaven, now a successful school teacher, on the verge of marrying Logan Stonewall [[spoiler:while still grieving the deaths of both her brother Tom and her true love Troy]]. Tony asks that they spend their honeymoon at Farthingale Manor, which Heaven reluctantly agrees to, and which leads to plans to build a Tatterton Toy Factory in Winnerrow. But Heaven's uneasiness around Tony, Jillian's [[spoiler:mental breakdown from the previous book]], and her suspicions of her sister Fanny's behavior around Logan drive Heaven once again to loneliness, and [[spoiler:having a one night stand with Troy, who had faked his death]]. [[DeusAngstMachina Yet another tragedy]] leads to Heaven getting custody of Drake, her father's youngest child from his third marriage.

In late June 2016, Neiderman contacted the fansite [[http://www.completevca.com/bio_movie.shtml The Complete V.C. Andrews]] that a film adaptation of ''Heaven'' was in the works for Lifetime Television (who had also adapted the first four ''Literature/DollangangerSeries'' books and ''Literature/MySweetAudrina''). Shooting began in Fall 2017 and the film is slated for release in Summer 2019.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Kitty at first demands that Heaven sleep with her and Cal, and later that she doesn't sleep in certain positions. Heaven doesn't realize this until later that it's so that she doesn't masturbate, which she then does using a pillow right in front of Kitty in defiance.

In late June 2016, Neiderman contacted the fansite [[http://www.completevca.com/bio_movie.shtml The Complete V.C. Andrews]] that a film adaptation of ''Heaven'' was in the works for Lifetime Television (who had also adapted the first four ''Literature/DollangangerSeries'' books and ''Literature/MySweetAudrina''). Shooting began in Fall 2017 and is set for a 2018 release.

The series concludes with ''Web of Dreams'', which is framed as a SecretDiary belonging to Heaven's mother Leigh. DaddysGirl Leigh is shocked when her seemingly perfect parents suddenly divorce. Her mother Jillian immediately marries the handsome (and much younger) Tony Tatterton and takes Leigh to Farthingale Manor. In spite of Farthy's luxury and prestige, Leigh finds her new home [[GildedCage lonely and cold]], her only comfort being her new five-year-old stepbrother, [[IllBoy the precocious but fragile Troy.]] But Farthy is a much darker place than Leigh could have ever imagined, forcing her to leave Troy behind and flee Farthy forever.

''Fallen Hearts'', the third book in the series (and the first to be written by Neiderman), picks up some time after ''Dark Angel'', with Heaven, now a successful school teacher, on the verge of marrying Logan Stonewall [[spoiler:while still grieving the deaths of both her brother Tom and her true love Troy]]. Tony asks that they spend their honeymoon at Farthinggale Manor, which Heaven reluctantly agrees to, and which leads to plans to build a Tatterton Toy Factory in Winnerrow. But Heaven's uneasiness around Tony, Jillian's [[spoiler:mental breakdown from the previous book]], and her suspicions of her sister Fanny's behavior around Logan drive Heaven once again to loneliness, and [[spoiler:having a one night stand with Troy, who had faked his death]]. [[DeusAngstMachina Yet another tragedy]] leads to Heaven getting custody of Drake, her father's youngest child from his third marriage.

The series concludes with ''Web of Dreams'', which is framed as a SecretDiary belonging to Heaven's mother Leigh. DaddysGirl Leigh is shocked when her seemingly perfect parents suddenly divorce. Her mother Jillian immediately marries the handsome (and much younger) Tony Tatterton and takes Leigh to Farthinggale Manor. In spite of Farthy's luxury and prestige, Leigh finds her new home [[GildedCage lonely and cold]], her only comfort being her new five-year-old stepbrother, [[IllBoy the precocious but fragile Troy.]] But Farthy is a much darker place than Leigh could have ever imagined, forcing her to leave Troy behind and flee Farthy forever.

** Even Farthinggale manor has a nickname: 'Farthy'.

* BigFancyHouse: Farthinggale Manor.

''Fallen Hearts'' was followed by ''Gates of Paradise'', taking place about 18 years later. The story revolves around Heaven's daughter Annie after [[spoiler:Heaven and Logan die in a car crash]], and is sent to live with Tony at Farthy after being paralyzed from the waist down. Annie, who along with her half-brother/cousin Luke obsessed over Farthy as children, is shocked to see the manor having become rundown and Tony going through some SanitySlippage.

The series concludes with ''Web of Dreams'', which is framed as a SecretDiary belonging to Heaven's mother Leigh. Leigh is shocked when her parents, whom she always believed had a fairy tale love, suddenly divorce and her mother marries the much younger Tony. After moving into Farthy, Leigh's misery is helped by the sickly Troy, to whom she becomes a surrogate sister. However her life is changed forever when her mother asks for some assistance in regards to her new husband.

The second book, ''Dark Angel'', continues where the last one left off, with Heaven traveling to Boston to meet her [[GrandmaWhatMassiveHotnessYouHave glamorous maternal grandmother Jillian]], and her step-grandfather Tony Tatterton, the owner of a prestigious toy company. Staying at a snobby private school and forced to abide with the rules Tony gave her, Heaven finds her only friend in Tony's reclusive younger brother Troy, whose[[ByronicHero air of melancholy and mystery]] draws Heaven ever closer to him, even as Tony warns her to stay away. Unknown to Heaven, there is more to her mother running away than she ever could have thought, and the reasons aren't pretty.

In the first book, ''Heaven'', the Casteel family is shown living in poverty and looked down upon by the people of the West Virginia town of Winnerrow, while Heaven and her half-brother Tom dream of making a better life for themselves and their family with help from their teacher. Heaven's fortune seems to change for the better with the arrival of [[NewKid newcomer Logan Stonewall]], who becomes [[HighSchoolSweethearts Heaven's first love]]. However, since this is V.C. Andrews, it does not stay hunky-dory, and soon the children find themselves alone and fending for themselves [[ParentalAbandonment with no adults there to help.]] This culminates when Heaven's father returns and, desperate for money, sells the children to separate buyers. Heaven finds herself sold to a dangerously abusive woman named Kitty and her weak-willed husband Cal, who seduces Heaven and takes her virginity. Heaven, bruised but undaunted, becomes even more determined to find her lost siblings, claim her Boston heritage, and make something of herself.