V.C. Andrews's Casteel Series Was Wild

While the Landry series was one of the first sets of V.C. Andrews books that I really sunk my teeth into, the Casteel series also stole my heart for a time.

Before we get into all the weird shit that happened in these books, let's start with a brief summary: Heaven Casteel lives in a small cabin in the Willies, the mountains around the small town of Winnerow. Heaven's dad is an alcoholic who is barely around, and her stepmother seems to hate her. She's got two brothers and two sisters. There's also a guy at school with no personality except a lust for Heaven.

The series includes the books Heaven, Dark Angel, Fallen Hearts, Gates of Paradise, and Web of Dreams. The Lifetime network was not at all able to capture the extent of what occurred in this series.

The Weird Doll

One of the few items Heaven's mother left behind when she died is a small doll that was made to look just like her. In fact, Leigh was forced to pose nude for the doll to be made. It's not until the last book of the series that it becomes clear how truly weird this doll is.

Tony & Jillian Are Awful

Tony Tatterton is truly one of the worst people in any of these books. He assaults three generations of women, and Jillian either purposefully ignores it (at best) or encourages it to happen (at worst). Even the terrible Jillian knows how awful Tony is.

Heaven & Logan Shouldn't Be Together

Heaven and Logan never feel like a good fit, but it becomes especially clear that they shouldn't be together after Heaven shares a passionate night with Troy (her half-uncle) after he faked his death, leading to the birth of their daughter, Annie. Meanwhile, Logan is out having sex with Heaven's sister, Fanny, resulting in the birth of their son, Luke.

Oh yeah, Annie and Luke were born on the same day and at almost the same time.

Heaven & Logan Die Suddenly

There's a reason why the books about the daughters in these stories don't hit as hard, and it's because it all feels . . . empty. When Heaven and Logan die in a car accident at the beginning of the fourth book, do I even care anymore? Do I even care about Annie? And also, why didn't these two business owners have wills?

There's Way More Poop Than I Remember

When Heaven is at boarding school, her punch is spiked with a laxative, and her classmates lock all the doors so she can't get to the bathroom. The poop story actually takes up way more time than I remember from my first reading.

Then, Annie has a shitty nurse when she's laid up at Farthinggale. When Annie complains about her food, the nurse poisons her with a laxative, causing her to poop . . . so I guess, lesson learned?

Fanny Is Ignored

I know that Fanny is supposed to be an antagonist in this book, but her role as a victim of sexual assault is largely overlooked through these books.

Heaven Gets Back at Kitty With . . . Masturbation?

Kitty is disgusting. One of the rules in her house? Only certain sleeping positions are allowed. At one point, Heaven puts a pillow between her legs and starts rubbing against it as a way to get back at her. Truly an effective way to get back at Kitty for killing the class hamster.

Pa Opens a Circus and a Lion Attacks Tom

Pa gets distracted by Heaven's new hairdo, and a lion attacks Tom, killing a character Heaven loves but we hardly know at this point. Not to mention that Luke essentially sold Heaven to Tony Tatterton in order to own a circus, to begin with.

Let's Not Forget About Cal

Cal is also the worst. He's on par with Tony, and we never really get to see Heaven truly deal with her trauma.

A lot happens in these books, and I'm certain I've missed something truly egregious. What do you remember about these books?