Title: Forbidden
Author: Kimberley Griffiths Little
Series: Forbidden series
Rating: ★★★

Forbidden is different from any other book I’ve read before, in that it takes place in ancient Mesopotamia and revolves around the life of a tribal girl. It’s historical fiction, but not my usual type of historical fiction. I thought the idea behind it was incredibly interesting and could create the backdrop to a beautiful novel.

Jayden is about to go through the betrothal ceremony that will bind her to Horeb, the son of the tribal leader. Jayden cared for Horeb at one time, but he has changed and she no longer feels the same affection for him. She fears for what her life will become once they are married. When she comes upon a wounded stranger named Kadesh, she starts to question her feelings about the tribe and where her place truly is. Horeb is her betrothed, but Kadesh warms her heart.

I liked Jayden. I didn’t really feel connected to her until later in the novel, but it’s clear that she loves her family and always wants to do what is best for them. She understands that to make life better for her family, it is a part of herself that will be sacrificed. She had come to terms with that until Kadesh came along. She also knows that to be a woman in to be in danger, and she takes steps to ready herself for whatever comes her way.

The plotline was interesting and engaged me enough that I wanted to keep reading. The focus on dancing is interesting, although I tended to glance over those pieces after a while. I liked the emotions Little wrote about during the dances, but the details of the dances didn’t work for me. The only other issue I had with the book was with the pacing of the story. A few times it felt like time was dragging on. I’d start to skim until I read about something new happening.

Forbidden wasn’t as great as I’d hoped it would be, but it was still a good book. The ending made my breath catch and I’m definitely going to read the next book.

If you’d like to read Forbidden, you can purchase it here:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound

Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.