Thursday, February 16, 2012

Sheep Book Review: Forbidden by Syrie & Ryan James + GIVEAWAY

***Stay tuned until the end of the review for your chance to win the paperback edition of this book! Open to US residents only***

Forbidden, by authors Syrie James & Ryan M. James, ( a mother and son team) is a YA paranormal story that frankly I thought would have been a bit of a bore. Surprisingly, I found myself going against my usual dislike of "teen angst" stories and enjoying what was offered, and there quiet a bit going on at this buffet table!

Plot:
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?

If the High School scene appeals to you, OR you enjoy a book that's more for the young at heart, then you'll be pleased with what Forbidden has to offer. I was surprised by the darker element the authors were able to intertwine within the story's plot. Characters coming from an angelic descendant take some turns towards evil and as the story picks up you get invested in the young adults and plot line. But in an attempt at full disclosure, the beginning of the book, for me, was an uphill STRUGGLE! Fortunately it got much better and after that first third of the book I found myself flying through the pages to get to the ending and see how this might all possibly end.

Brennan is our young high-school student who's moved around from town to town with her mother since as far back as she can remember. As someone who personally changed school multiple times through the Junior High-High School years (6 schools in all) I could totally relate. She's surrounded herself with a tight-knit group of friends who seem to be very supportive of her and each other. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and your typical back-stabbing to take place but was surprised yet again with these young adults.

Alec is the Scottish hunk who's new to town, (Kalpar: Why do they always seem to be Scottish?) and is immediately embraced by the group he finds friends and gets going down the right path. That is, until Brennan has some major changes taking place and starts making waves on the psychic grid. Angels descend with family secrets coming into play and the plot thickens. The Fallen ones come lurking about looking to recruit a vulnerable young girl to the dark side (No, Vader not you, please go back to your seat) and all Hell is about to break loose if she can't fight what's coming. In a very literal fashion. Alec, the man with the skills to fight back the Fallen hordes, steps into the scene just as a possible romance starts to heat things up.

Some twists to the plot line keep things interesting and as you get to the ending new foes and friends will arise. Forbidden is a well thought out story with the young in mind but one that anyone who's looking for a fun read could enjoy. It's PG on the smutty scale (for the kiddies) but holds some powerful elements of friendship and discovery. I could have used a little less "does he love me, does he love me not" metaphoric flower petal pealing but hey it's a YA book and kinda comes with the territory.

Getting 4 'weeee on the Farris wheel' Sheep
KD
***Giveaway***

If you'd like a chance to win a paperback copy of this book make sure to list all the things in the comments below. Double entries for followers. Contest ends February 20th at midnight.

1. Your email address.
2. What's your favorite memory from High School?
3. Did you tweet or FaceBook about this giveaway? If so add another entry for either or.

26 comments:

  1. Keizerfire@aol.com

    Favorite high school memory: Away basketball games (we traveled with the boys team!)

    And yes, I FB'd this giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  2. My best memory was graduating. debby236 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. amen to that! I really didn't like High School all that much. I was glad to be out of there :)

      Delete
  3. autumnflower6(at)aol(dot)com

    Fav memory of HS is having lunch with the girls.

    GFC follower: Jennifer Bielman

    Tweeted this giveaway: https://twitter.com/#!/JenniferBielman/status/170113399794044928

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Everyday I ate a pack of nabs and a Pepsi (that's right Katie! i have been drinking Pepsi longer than you have been alive!)

      Delete
  4. I guess my favorite memory was when I left school and got my GED. I hated high school.

    I am a follower
    Tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/AvidReaderAmy/status/170124836130140160

    truebloodfan(at)rock(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Favorite HS memory would be getting to leave each day of my Sr. year to go to college and take courses there. My friend and I would eat breakfast out every morning before heading to "college"...we thought we were so cool having class with college baseball players! lol

    joellaelbert@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. My favorite high school memory was getting to meet and shake the President's hand.
    twoofakind12@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. My favorite high school memory is a tie between the annual school musicals-I was in them from 7th grade till Senior year, and Forensic Speaking contests! I actually took 2nd place at State one year...missed the gold by one point!
    I shared on facebook: facebook.com/VelvetKisses22
    I'm a GFC follower: Ashley Applebee
    ash_app@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for the great giveaway!

    My fav memory of HS was when I was an exchange student to Israel for 6 weeks :)

    efender1(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  9. know I can't be entered for the drawing, but my favorite memory was when the Marching Band was invited to take part in the Rose Bowl parade.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for the great giveaway.
    GFC follower
    I tweeted about this : https://twitter.com/#!/scarymary66/status/170169371732357120
    Favorite memory from high school is probably being up on stage in choir for one of the many productions we did over the holidays.
    miztik_rose@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Posted to my facebook account: Mary Bast

    ReplyDelete
  12. Commented on my facebook MaryLynn Bast

    ReplyDelete
  13. Blogged at:
    http://www.marylynnbast.com/2012/02/16/chance-to-win-a-free-book/

    ReplyDelete
  14. Tweeted from @MaryLynnBast http://t.co/wx9xSrrS

    ReplyDelete
  15. Favorite I school memory wow I loved the football games. And my awesome friends on YRBook.
    GFC Follower Anna Dase
    and I tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/amdase/status/170193923665432576
    I have heard good things about this book and I really want to read it so thx for the awesome giveaway

    ReplyDelete
  16. My favorite memory of high school would have to be seeing friends everyday!
    Thanks for the giveaway!!!

    moll89@sbcglobal.net

    ReplyDelete
  17. Some of my favorite high school memories were going to all the HS football games and then going out for ice cream at Friendly's afterward!

    Ann
    Kyreadinggirl@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. I forgot that I also tweeted about the giveaway at https://twitter.com/#!/Kyreadinggirl/status/170362576901914624

    Kyreadinggirl@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. The prom

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  20. meganlovesyuu@yahoo.com

    well, i'm still in high school, but so far my favorite memory during high school would probably be the time when me and my friend Ashleigh were running down the halls and we slipped, knocking like three people over. lol. (:

    ReplyDelete
  21. This contest is now closed! Thank you to everyone who entered, I hope you'll all go out and grab this book. :)

    The winner is: Jennifer L. Bielman

    You have been emailed and will have 5 days to respond. Stick around folks more winning coming up!

    ReplyDelete