ARC Review: Forbidden by Kimberley Griffiths Little

Forbidden 

by Kimberley Griffiths Little

Series: Forbidden #1

Genre: YA, historical, fantasy, romance

Published November 4th 2014 by Harpercollins

Source: Publisher

Purchase: Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Book Depository

Local purchase/order: Fullybooked * National Bookstore

Blurb (Goodreads):

**Starred** in American Library Association BOOKLIST

In the unforgiving Mesopotamian desert where Jayden’s tribe lives, betrothal celebrations abound, and tonight it is Jayden’s turn to be honored. But while this union with Horeb, the son of her tribe’s leader, will bring a life of riches and restore her family’s position within the tribe, it will come at the price of Jayden’s heart. 

Then a shadowy boy from the Southern Lands appears. Handsome and mysterious, Kadesh fills Jayden’s heart with a passion she never knew possible. But with Horeb’s increasingly violent threats haunting Jayden’s every move, she knows she must find a way to escape—or die trying. 

With a forbidden romance blossoming in her heart and her family’s survival on the line, Jayden must embark on a deadly journey to save the ones she loves—and find a true love for herself.

Set against the brilliant backdrop of the sprawling desert, the story of Jayden and Kadesh will leave readers absolutely breathless as they defy the odds and risk it all to be together.

My Thoughts:

*This review is based on advanced reading copy. There might be some changes in finished copy.

Forbidden is the kind of book I'm not sure if I really want to read or I really don't want to read. It took me several visits to its Goodreads page and yes and no answers before I decided to give it a try. Mixed reviews are one thing too.

Jayden is part of a tribe called Nephish where they don't have a permanent address so they travel a lot. In simple words, they live in the desert. The first chapter started on the night of Jayden's betrothal ceremony. She was betrothed to to Horeb, a guy you cannot call a knight and shining armor. Once they get married, Horeb and Jayden will be hailed as king and queen of their tribe. Enter Kadesh, a mysterious boy from Southern Lands. A boy who made Jayden felt worthy and loved, and everything that Horeb is not. But their feelings is fobidden and a lot--lives--is at stake.

You see, from that simple blurb/facts, you can predict what will happen. It's like you've heard about this story a lot of times. The first half and until the quarter of the book the story revolved around their journey to a new place to stay, the grief Jayden's family is experiencing, the annoying whining of Jayden's big sister Leila, hate relationship with Horeb, love and hiding with Kadesh, and some mystery. It was an okay read for me. I don't hate it but I also don't love it. I was on the 3/4 of the book and I'm wishing for something grand and/or different from the story.

Until I read the remaining 1/4 of the book. And now you're talking! The story had turned up a notch with more twists, complications, and even action. I was also pleased to see a character development for Jayden. Forbidden became more intense and interesting read, which I really liked. I forgot to mention, but I also liked the historical and desert theme of the book and the feels from Jayden and Kadesh even though at first I was annoyed because their first meeting and development seems cliche.

I'm really glad Forbidden didn't disappoint me when I finally closed the book. Although the beginning was rocky, the author was still able to make this book better than what you'd expect to be a total nay. This book wasn't flawless but it's really good. It's exotic, thrilling, and would definitely make you want to read the sequel--I'm already excited for it! If you want those, read this book.

*Thanks to Megan and HarperCollins International for the review copy in exchange of honest review!

Review: