Forbidden (Forbidden, #1)

by Kimberley Griffiths Little

[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.