Forbidden - Syrie James & Ryan M. James

Release Date: January 24
Number of Pages: 411
Goodreads


She should not exist.
He should not love her.
Claire Brennan has been attending Emerson Academy for two years now (the longest she and her mom have remained anywhere) and she's desperate to stay put for the rest of high school. So there's no way she's going to tell her mom about the psychic visions she's been having or the creepy warnings that she's in danger.
Alec MacKenzie is fed up with his duties to watch and, when necessary, eliminate the descendants of his angelic forefathers. He chose Emerson as the ideal hiding place where he could be normal for once. He hadn't factored Claire into his plans. . . .
Their love is forbidden, going against everything Alec has been taught to believe. But when the reason behind Claire's unusual powers is revealed and the threat to her life becomes clear, how far will Alec go to protect her?


Forbidden was a really enjoyable read. I love books which involve angels and forbidden love. But Forbidden by Syrie James and her son Ryan James is nothing like the others angelic books I've read so far. It sure gave some freshness to this ever-growing genre.

The book already starts off with some mystery revolving around Claire (she starts having visions of the future/past) and we already have a glimpse of her mother, who seems to be really really overprotective. The obvious love interest, Alec Mckenzie, also makes an appearance in the first chapter. But Claire and Alec aren't love birds from the start, since Claire is in love with someone else: Neil, who doesn't even know Claire that well.

From the very first chapter I loved Claire's best friends, Erica and Brian. They were funny, nice and gave the book a nice touch of normal. They help Claire find out more about her powers and also with love problems. I can't wait to read more about them if the sequel comes to fruition. Even I want some friends like them in real life :)

Alec was a great love interest: he is a real sweetheart but can be a bad boy if the situation calls for it. He has a crush on Claire from the start but knows that she doesn't like him back (or does she?!). He is kind of a tortured soul, because he didn't like his past job but was obliged to do it. So he escapes and hides himself in Southern California's Emerson Academy. But of course hiding is not forever and he is discovered, will he have to deal with the consequences of giving up his line of work and what are the consequences? Does he know that having a relationship with Claire is forbidden, or will they even care?

Claire wasn't the type of heroine I like. I don't know what about her that didn't make me like her that much, but she was annoying sometimes. When Alec saves her and her friends she can't stop asking him questions and even treat him a bit differently, but I ask myself if I would be any different. But hello?! The guy just saved your life if he wants to keep it a secret, there must be a good reason behind it..but besides that she was a nice character.

The thing I enjoyed most about Forbidden, is also a thing that I disliked about it. I loved how the authors leave us guessing in the beginning about Claire's and Alec's powers. We don't know what they are till further in the book and that makes Forbidden an awesome read. But at the same time when you pick this book up, the first thing you see are the wings on the girl's back! And the summary even mentions "angelic forefathers"..so actually you start reading with the idea of angels in your head. I think that is a shame, because even though you don't know for certain what they are, the book would be even more enjoyable if I had absolutely no idea about angels. But no, I won't tell you what they are, you will have to read it for yourselves!

The plot was amazingly different from what I expected. There were several plot twists I wasn't expecting and that I really enjoyed. It is really nice to be surprised in YA books, since many books have a lot of similarities. The love triangle wasn't something annoying, either, which surely is another surprise! I can't criticize anything about the plot.

I enjoyed reading Forbidden very much. Syrie and Ryan James want to write a trilogy for Forbidden but it seems that HarperTeen only committed to one book. Hopefully this book will receive some well-deserved attention because I can't wait to read more about these characters! I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys young adult books with a touch of paranormal.