Forbidden (Forbidden, #1)

by Kimberley Griffiths Little

Devastated by her betrothal to a violent boy she does not love, Jayden is forced to accept her fate as her ancient Mesopotamian tribe moves to the Summer Lands, where she falls for a mysterious youth from the Southern Lands.

• ISBN10: 006219500X
• ISBN13: 9780062195005
• Publish Date: 4 November 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[Cocktails and Books]

This was an awesome find from RT. I'm not usually one that enjoys historical romances outside of the Regency era, but this YA book drew me in with the cover and the author mesmerized me with a fantastic story.

Jayden, the heroine, endures she pretty tough situations. But given the time I didn't expect she was going to be sitting at the oasis all day eating dates. A lot happens to Jayden and her family and she must decide whether she follows the "laws" of her family and her tribe or if she should follow her heart. She fights with herself quite a bit over this, but in the end, I think she makes the right decision.

I can't wait to see what happens next. Given the ending of FORBIDDEN, I think Jayden is in for a tough time.

[KitsuneBae]

If only I could turn back time, I would have told myself that picking up this book is strictly forbidden so as to save myself from wasting precious hours. Bad pun aside, Forbidden made the right first steps. Beautiful cover: Check. Intriguing premise: check. Refreshing setting: Check. But then, the camels happened. Not to mention that the excessive belly dancing has made for a dizzying ride in the most negative way. I swear that by the second half of the book, I was already contemplating the thousand ways of killing a camel.

Forbidden started off really nice. We have a rebellious heroine named Jaden, the second daughter of an ordinary tribal family. Jaden’s family belongs to the Nephish tribe, one of the several Mesopotamian desert tribes that existed during ancient Babylon. Now, Jaden is betrothed to the heir of the tribal throne and the second son of the tribal leader, Horeb. Unbeknownst to all, Jaden secretly despised Horeb that she came to a point of just running away from her fate. Short of abandoning her betrothed, Jaden also fellinlove with a dark and mysterious stranger from unknown lands. His name is Kadesh. While that is charming and all, it only took me around sixty pages to realize that instead of Forbidden, this book should have been called as “Camels and How They Influence The Past, The Now and The Future.”

I’m not going to pretend that I’m an expert in desert survival but I understand that camels really play a crucial role if you want to make it alive navigating the desert. But is it really necessary to make a supposed story of forbidden romance all about camels? I dove into Forbidden with the assumption of reading about a girl surviving the harsh Mesopotamian desert and growing up following the conservative beliefs of the desert tribe, and basically, getting a modicum of understanding about the culture of Ancient Babylon through the eyes of a girl trapped by unfortunate choices. But what did I get? More camels that I can count, a half-baked forbidden romance that didn’t really feel forbidden, obstacles that made me hope of Jaden running into zombie camels to spice up the story, characters that would put my paper dolls to shame, lots of belly dancing that it’s almost disturbing and an ending that was neither here nor there.

What’s even the point of the story?

[sstaley]

I must admit right off, I love everything that Kimberley writes. She has a way of making her characters seem so real. You become so absorbed into the story, you forget you are actually reading and not living the experience. The main character is Jayden, who lives in the early Mesopotamian area before Christ. Her people were the Nomad Tribes that wandered the desert areas. It is a rich and beautiful time period of adventure, danger, hardships and survival. These people wandered through the deserts to look for food and water. They form bonds with other wandering tribes. This is where the story begins at Jayden's betrothal ceremony. Soon we find out that this marriage is not one that Jayden wants because frankly, her betrothed, Horeb, is a rich, but mean man. Then of course a very young, handsome man, Kadesh, comes along that does steal Jayden's heart. This may seem to you that this book is a typical romance, but you'd be so wrong. There is a rich story woven into this romance with plenty of strife and intrigue. Nothing is ever easy in life, and Jayden finds this out too. Though she wants Kadesh in her life, she knows it's Forbidden because he is not part of her tribe. At this time, and with this people, you really had no choice when a marriage when arranged for you. Oh, it hurt to read about Jayden and the choices she had to make and work through.

Another thing that really pleased me was the fabulous historical research that was done for this book. You can always tell when an author digs deep to make the story accurate for the time period, the people and country of the characters. Kimberley did exactly that: of writing a novel that was realistic and true. This is another reason that this novel is not just another romance, but a story of depth because of it's historical accuracies.


Schedule some good time this winter/Christmas to just sit and read this novel. You will be pulled in and not want to leave. Unfortunately there is a cliff hanger that will make you beg for more in this series. I can't wait to read more about what will happen in Jayden's life. I love Kimberley's writing style and I know I'll always read a great story that will be remembered way after I've finished it.

[shannonmiz]

This book was my first foray into historical fiction from biblical times, and I will be quite honest, I was nervous. I didn't know if it would be "for me", if the setting would feel realistic, if I could relate to the characters. The answer to all three was a resounding YES. Forbidden was a perfect blend of history, romance, feminism, and intensity. I even tried to think of something to put in the negative column, but I honestly can't. So instead, I will just tell you what I liked:

• The Characters. Jayden is an amazing protagonist. She is likable but realistic, strong but imperfect. I rooted for her from the start and not once did I waver. Horeb is the perfect villain, and Kadesh will steal your heart. Jayden's sister Leila was such a mess, but it made so much sense that I couldn't help but feel for her (and you know, simultaneously want to smack her. It happens.). Jayden grows so much during this book, but it makes complete sense and feels right.


• The Family Dynamic. This was so family centric, which is refreshing and wonderful. Jayden did not do anything without thinking of her family, and tried her best to lead them through some very trying times. Some of her family is amazing, some of them are jerks, and I won't tell you who is who, but I am Team Grandma.


• The Feels. This book had tears streaming down my face within the first 20%. I don't know if that has ever happened to me before. Usually I have to connect to the characters, the setting, etc., before I can really feel invested. But this book had my emotions all over the place from the very start. The range of emotions that I felt during the course of reading this book was pretty impressive.


• The Historical World Building. I was thoroughly impressed with world building. It could not have been an easy task, since there isn't exactly an abundance of information on this time period. It never once felt fake, or surreal, or even unrelatable. Yes, these people lived in harsh times in an incredibly harsh climate, but their core values and desires remain similar to ours. I was incredibly immersed in this desert world, trying to imagine what it would be like to deal with the things Jayden and her tribe had to endure on a daily basis. These struggles flowed so well in the story, as it was just part of everyday life. I wasn't sure about the dancing at first, but it was so symbolic and meant so much to the people that I couldn't help but enjoy the focus on it.


• The Plot. I couldn't put the book down. I wanted to know what was going to happen from the first page, and the desert adventure certainly kept me flipping the pages. There were some shocking moments, and some lovely moments. Overall, the plot moved at a great pace, with a lot of action, but enough calmer moments for me to stop and catch my breath. There's really quite a bit going on throughout the book: Love, loss, deception, politics, survival, war, and the list goes on. The ending was a cliffhanger, but since there will be more books, it is okay with me.


• The Writing. It was lovely, and to the point, and very well done. I am eager to read more of Kimberley's books for sure.


• The Romance. There is no insta love here. There is no love triangle here. There is just a lovely, respectful, slow burning romance that I absolutely adored.

Bottom Line: My only complaint? That I have to wait until 2016 for Banished. Um, guys, that is too long. I need more, please! This was just a beautiful book with amazing characters set in such a unique world. I highly recommend this book, as it has a little something for everyone.
This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight

[Ashley]

Nose Graze — Book reviews & blogging tips

I absolutely ADORED this book! Forbidden is one of the most unique books I've read in a while. I think the words Mesopotamian, desert, tribe, and dancing say it all. When's the last time you read a young adult book that involved those?? The overall plot may not be that unique (forbidden love) but the interesting setting really made Forbidden stand out.

Everything in Forbidden felt different from what I've read before. The strict hierarchy in the tribe, the marriage traditions, the dancing culture, ALL THE CAMELS!! That made Forbidden so fun and interesting to read. It was hard to put down!

Although the forbidden romance between Jayden and Kadesh wasn't super detailed, I loved it. It definitely felt true to the time period. It is sort of a love at first sight relationship, but I think it worked well in the book, and it wasn't an annoying insta-love. It felt cute, sweet, and forbidden, and Jayden and Kadesh were so cute together. I couldn't exactly fault Jayden for falling for Kadesh so quickly when I did too! I loved the forbidden aspect of it as well. Jayden shouldn't be crushing on Kadesh because she's been promised to Horeb, and Horeb is a major asshole who you will LOVE hating!

This might sound silly, but I think my one disappointment was finding out that Forbidden is a series (at least, I assume it is based on the ending). I went into it assuming it was a standalone, but the ending wasn't resolved enough for me to be left thinking that was it. I'm inclined to think that there's at least one more book to come. I just don't like thinking that a book is going to be fully resolved (like a standalone), then find out it isn't. It throws me off! But that being said, I am also glad we'll be getting more from this story. There's still so much of it that I want to read about. I want to see Jayden and Kadesh travel to his homeland and get married!

But if you're looking for a unique read, definitely pick up Forbidden! The setting made this book feel so refreshing. I felt like I was stepping out of the world of "typical YA" and into something totally new.