Forbidden

Highly recommend for younger YA readers

The main character, Claire Brennan is a junior at an elite prep school, on scholarship and has to keep her grades up in order to keep her scholarship. She's in all honors classes and oh yeah, she's sixteen and just hit puberty, in that girl way. So life is going swimmingly, especially when she meets the cute new boy with the Scottish accent standing in line in front of her and her friends waiting to get his school i.d. She can't tell if he's shy or stand offish or if that's the Scottish way when he doesn't really talk to them. So, she puts him out of her head, especially when her major crush of two years comes up and talks to her two friends, totally ignoring her. As a character, I like Claire. She doesn't push her mother for answers that are long overdue. She is assertive at times and shy at others, but eventually gets comfortable enough with herself that she asserts herself. She knows what she wants and doesn't waffle back and forth. She accepts her fate with grace and her losses a little better than I would have, but it was reasonable considering the amount of time the novel takes place over. But, she's just a bit vanilla. No kickin' gifts. At least not yet. Now, Alec MacKenzie he has some super gifts. As an angelic descendant, he's got powers that helped him fulfill his past duties. Now he's AWOL and hoping to blend in with the students at Emerson Prep. But, when he sees Claire, he loses his ability to form words. Yep, insta like. But he keeps it to himself. He's got a lot of things to hide and his weird little habits make him a much more interesting character than Claire. He obviously has super strength when he breaks Claire's locker the day they meet, but funnier than that, is his inner dialogue which I love that we get to hear! I wish all authors would let us hear both sides of the story, girl's and guy's points of view. It makes the story that much more enjoyable to me. We get both points of view at various times and it really adds to the story. Alec is more complex than Claire because he knows who and what she is, how much danger she is in, how much he can't be with her and what his duty is concerning her. But he wrestles with all that in the few weeks they know each other. And, he's hiding out himself and afraid of being caught himself. I did have a problem with the Scottish part of Alec. A big deal was made of his accent, but the only time he said anything remotely Scottish was "aye". The best friends, Brian and Erica were awesome! Great supporting roles and really in the know. Claire told them everything. Erica especially. But she really didn't keep anything from Brian so she had someone to bounce ideas off of and to help her stay sane during the turmoil she goes through. They were the best friends anyone could have asked for. They even humored her with her theory that Alec was a vampire. Can't ask for a better friend than that! The story is really very simple, but it's a pleasure to read.

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Amazing!!!!!!

This book was a little confusing at fisrt but it got better and better as the book went on. I would totally recomend this book to everyone. And i hope they will make another one.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

A FANTASTIC YA For ALL Ages!

For anyone who reads great books the name Syrie James should already be on top of all ‘to-read’ lists, as well as categorized as a consistent ‘5-Star’ author on all reviewer’s lists. Whether taking on Jane Austen, vampires, or anything else you can think of, Ms. James definitely knows how to create a story that is the ‘best of the best.’ But this time around she brings two new things to the table: The subject of angels told in a new way that hasn’t already been done six hundred times; and her son, Ryan, who enhances the story ten-fold with his own creativity and a definite ‘male’ point of view. (Which YA has needed for some time). Claire Brennan is a young girl who’s having a bit of a rough time. All her life her mother has packed them up and moved to a new city or town the second Claire started to feel comfortable in her new surroundings. The one thing she doesn’t want is to be uprooted again, seeing as that she now attends a school called Emerson Academy that she absolutely loves. Her two best friends - Erica and Brian - are always by her side; she is madly in love with Neil, who is a red-hot singer in the school’s choir; and she works hard to make sure that she can keep her partial scholarship to this righteous Academy. The picture of a ‘normal’ American teen, right? Except for the fact that dizzy spells have begun to affect her and strange visions are appearing in her mind, Claire is A-okay. Until… A new student comes to town by the name of Alec. Not only is he extremely handsome but he’s also Scottish, so that accent pretty much sweeps everyone off their feet. Except for Claire. When she first meets Alec he’s quite distant, and she basically would like him to go away. But soon Claire’s life changes immensely, especially when this strange boy begins to show some seriously superhuman strength. (No, not those guys). When Claire finds out that Alec is actually a member of a very old society that he decided to go AWOL from, her life really becomes a mess. She is one of the Awakened. Not only that but Claire is a Half-Blood. Her father, who she never knew, had some very special powers in his background and now Claire is paying for the fact that she’s a type of ‘being’ that may one day turn on the world and take people out. Vincent is Alec’s godfather, a man who works for some real ‘higher-ups’ whose job it is to erase Claire at this young age so she can never cause any harm. But Vincent forgets that nothing is more superhuman than the power of love - which Alec has for Claire big time! I have to say this book is a thrilling ride. From a trio of fallen angels to a battle with a were-creature, this fast-paced plot is extremely adventurous. And the romance? Let’s just say that the romance is so powerful between Claire and Alec that they make old Bella and Edward look like nothing more than ‘good friends.’ This is not just a YA, this is a truly amazing story that, while you’re reading it, you’re also picking out the best actors to play the roles on the big screen. All age groups will find themselves absolutely attached to this incredible novel! A story of pure fun, fantasy, romance, humor - you name it - Syrie James and her son have brought it! Get this one the second it comes out!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

I absolutely love this book

I think this is one of my faborite books. I highly recomend this book to all teenage girls who enjoy romance, action etc. I camt wait for the second book to come out even though this one literally just came out. Wow is all i cam say about this book!!!!!!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Live To Read

All Claire wants is to be noticed by her crush and be a normal teenager. As far has the second goal goes, she was doing pretty well...until she discovers she may have visions that come true. She is thrust into a different world, one that confuses her. Her past is unknown and she attempts to sieve through her past to figure out what she can expect in the future.

Alec is an angel watcher, he is tired of this life and desires a normal one. When he begins attending Claire's school, he does not expect to encounter a being who is half-angel and half-human. He especially does not expect to fall in love with her. Alec must decide what he ultimately wants to make his decision.

Claire is a fun character to get to know. She can be cautious, caring, and intelligent. The author makes it very easy to connect to Claire's character. Alec is a bit of an enigma; he can be charismatic and inquisitive. The secondary characters serve to round out the novel, they are not focused upon.

The events of this book are fast-paced and exciting. The reader never knows when Claire's existence will catch up with her. The romance between Claire and Alec is sweet and realistically portrayed. This book is recommended to young adult/teen readers.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Fantastic

This was a wonderful read I enjoyed reading. Couldn't put it down. Loved it!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

MUST READ!!!!! GREAT BOOK!

MUST READ!!!!! GREAT BOOK!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

In a word - awesome!

Amazing book that had me on the edge of my seat! When's the next one?

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Loved it!

This was amazing for just about every age. I hope you and your son continue alex and claires story. If you are contemplating buying it... DO! It is a nice paranormel book with a charming romance and fun action.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Must Read!

I haven't read many novels about angels, but if they're anything like this, I've been missing out on a pretty awesome genre! In this book, Claire has been experiencing some very weird visions that she has no explanation for. On top of that, the new guy Alec is mysterious yet enticing and seems to have a particular interest in her. Claire doesn't know what to think about Alec, but I know if some new hottie with an Irish accent were to move in, i wouldn't question why he was so interested in me!

Claire is a great protagonist, especially because she is so relatable with her need to do well in school while trying to fit it. What I loved most about her, though, was how she told her two best friends everything that was going on with her. Even when she figured out more information about angels and her past, she didn't hesitate to share it with her friends, which is pretty rare in fantasy books. Not only did she confide in her friends, but she also had the best male counterpart EVER!

Angels may give off the stereotype of being fluffy pretty boys, but Alec is definitely one lean mean fighting machine! He is good looking, but he is a tough guy who can really hold his own. He takes care of himself and has no problem at all protecting those he cares about. And that accent! Yum! Claire and Alec are SO cute together that I just sigh at how sweet they are! Things were a little slow in the beginning of the book, but they certainly picked up and it was so hard to put down!

Not only does Forbidden have a gorgeous cover, the story is irresistible! This is definitely more for those looking for a romance rather than a fantasy novel, but that's exactly what I love to read. I hope there's a new one coming out sometime soon because I can't wait to see what happens next to Claire and Alec!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I love this book its so sweet

This book made me cry at some parts and it made me cry happy tears if you havent fead this book READ IT KNOW!!!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Entertaining Angel read

I am a huge angel fan and Forbidden seemed right up my ally. I wanted to love Forbidden. I really did. But I just did not get into it like I would have liked. It was an entertaining and enjoyable story, but I had a few problems with it.

The main problem that I had with this book were the characters. While watching Claire with her friends was fun at times, most of the time she was very immature. One thing that I really do not like in my heroines is immaturity. And Alec. I wanted so much to be romanced by him. And while he had his moments, he was just not my favorite part of the book.

Another thing that I didn't like was Alec and Claire's relationship. While it wasn't insta-love, the two were very inf actuated with each other, becoming way to dependent of the other.

There were parts of Forbidden that I did like. I loved the idea and the story and the world. It was very interesting and I loved learning about this world of angels. And while the books was a little slow at times, it was very enjoyable.

Overall, while Forbidden isn't my favorite angel book, there was still an enjoyable quality to it.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Goodg

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

LOVED

Suspenceful and exciting book about a girl who faces a possible death and much love. 276 pages long easyread

Good book

I loved this book. I really hope there will be another.

AMAZING love story between two people and the love is not suppos

AMAZING love story between two people and the love is not suppose to be, and along with who she secretly is, leads them to great danger but Alec will seriously do anything to keep Claire safe including giving up something he has wanted for such a long time. i couldnt put the book down!

Good read

Good book! I just hope that they continue the story with at least another book.

Hope a second book will come out!!!!!!

Hope a second book will come out!!!!!!

Highly Recommended

This is awesome. I love it and i cant wait until the next book comes out!

good book

A very good book. I loved it.!!!!