Title: Forbidden
Authors: Syrie James & Ryan M. James
Genre: YA/Supernatural
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: January 24th, 2012
Rating:
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?
Review:
Forbidden grabs you from the start and doesn’t let go. The writing duo of James and James has created a great ensemble of likable characters. Claire, the teenager who begins having psychic visions of the future, but has no idea why. To the brooding, Alec MacKenzie, the angelic watcher who is sick of his job and goes into hiding as a teenage boy.
Alec decides that high school life is where he wants to be, something easy to fit in and actually act like a teenage boy. The first day he meets Claire and her friends, Erica and Brian. Alec is immediately drawn to Claire and while she acknowledges that Alec is indeed good looking, she’s been pining over Neil for years. Neil is showing a sudden interest in Claire. Alec is so hot and cold; he doesn’t want to like Claire, but can’t help it. He doesn’t want Claire to like him, but puts himself in a position where she will. Their mutual attraction is so evident, you’ll be screaming – hook up already!
Alec does what he can to spend time with Claire, going so far as to entering them into a signing contest. Alec suggests they practice at his apartment, you know because he has no parents, Claire of course says yes. Spark fly and when she says the absolute best line in the book, “Just kiss me, you idiot”, Claire receives more than she bargained for. Seems Claire’s visions are ignited by touch and she learns exactly who Alec is in that moment.
Now that Alec knows who Claire is, he must protect her from The Elders – seems they don’t want Claire to exist and he knows that their love is forbidden. Trouble looms around every corner and life becomes a tale of who to trust and who to fear.
Forbidden is out in stores on January 24th, but I’m giving away a copy here.
