I loved FORBIDDEN by Kimberley Griffiths Little SO MUCH when it debuted in 2014 and have been eagerly anticipating the sequel BANISHED.
FORBIDDEN just came out in paperback and BANISHED launched in hardcover, so I wanted to introduce new readers to this amazing series!!!
TONIGHT WAS THE NIGHT OF my betrothal ceremony, and a cold, sharp moon hung low in the eastern sky. I yanked back the heavy panel doors of the tent and peered into the darkness, a lump of dread sitting like curdled camel's milk in my belly.
Dozens of small torches bobbed and weaved along the paths. Held aloft by the approaching women, they emerged as drops of frozen fire against the blackness. I shivered at the sight of so many guests imminently arriving. A year ago we had celebrated my old sister Leila's betrothal to Zenos, and now, at sixteen, it was my turn to perform the betrothal dance before my family and the women of my tribe.
Jayden is on the cusp of womanhood. About to be betrothed and receive the jewelry that represents her new role, Jayden seems to have it all...except love. Jayden wants nothing less than to bind herself to Horeb, who has never been nice to her. After her mother dies during childbirth, Jayden and her remaining family members encounter a wounded traveler named Kadesh. Kadesh will teach Jayden the truth of what it means to love, but their relationship is forbidden. Jayden is betrothed, and Horeb will stop at nothing to make sure she upholds her end of the bargain.
So, so good. I can't even! It's really hard to talk about this book without spoilers. It started off slow-moving, and I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy it, but by the end of the novel, I was beyond hooked. I was also a little angry, because I thought this was a stand-alone. At the same time, the idea that it's the first in the trilogy makes me really happy, because it means I get to spend more time in this world and with these characters. I really liked the unique atmosphere of the desert, and I loved the fact that this was a historical novel set in 1759 BC Mesopotamia. I haven't ever read anything from this time period, and I don't know how historically accurate it may or may not be, but I don't care, either, because the story was engrossing, I loved the characters, and I couldn't stop reading.
I'm excited to delve further into the lives of the characters in the series and learn more about them and their lives. I'm looking forward to going deeper and becoming more engrossed as the series progresses. It has so much potential, and I'm already hooked. It's really different from a lot of what's out there, and I loved those differences. If you're looking for something fresh and unique, try out FORBIDDEN!
Pretty! The first time I saw this cover, I wanted to know more about the book because, Pretty!
At the same time, I didn't understand the cover. All that red? It's DESERT. It's SAND. I didn't get that until I read the book. I thought it was some sort of cloth backdrop.
I like the way her hair is blowing in the breeze, the slit in the arm of her dress, the red, the gold. It would jump out at me on a shelf and make me pick it up to see what it was about!
**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.
Author Kimberley Griffiths Little
FORBIDDEN just came out in paperback and BANISHED launched in hardcover, so I wanted to introduce new readers to this amazing series!!!
B O O K T R A I L E R:
O P E N I N G L I N E:
TONIGHT WAS THE NIGHT OF my betrothal ceremony, and a cold, sharp moon hung low in the eastern sky. I yanked back the heavy panel doors of the tent and peered into the darkness, a lump of dread sitting like curdled camel's milk in my belly.
Dozens of small torches bobbed and weaved along the paths. Held aloft by the approaching women, they emerged as drops of frozen fire against the blackness. I shivered at the sight of so many guests imminently arriving. A year ago we had celebrated my old sister Leila's betrothal to Zenos, and now, at sixteen, it was my turn to perform the betrothal dance before my family and the women of my tribe.
(pg. 4, US e-book edition)
*This review was first posted at ABS on December 11, 2014.
Kimberley Griffiths Little has written several books, but I never read her before FORBIDDEN. FORBIDDEN has turned into one of my favorite fantasy novels of the year, and I'm so excited to read more books from her in the future. To me, a big part of the appeal is the desert lifestyle. I blame Rae Carson and her amazing The Girl of Fire and Thorns series for kicking off this trend. If you love Carson or books such as VESSEL by Sarah Beth Durst (How did I never review this??) and THE PERILOUS SEA by Sherry Thomas, you'll really enjoy FORBIDDEN as well.Jayden is on the cusp of womanhood. About to be betrothed and receive the jewelry that represents her new role, Jayden seems to have it all...except love. Jayden wants nothing less than to bind herself to Horeb, who has never been nice to her. After her mother dies during childbirth, Jayden and her remaining family members encounter a wounded traveler named Kadesh. Kadesh will teach Jayden the truth of what it means to love, but their relationship is forbidden. Jayden is betrothed, and Horeb will stop at nothing to make sure she upholds her end of the bargain.
So, so good. I can't even! It's really hard to talk about this book without spoilers. It started off slow-moving, and I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy it, but by the end of the novel, I was beyond hooked. I was also a little angry, because I thought this was a stand-alone. At the same time, the idea that it's the first in the trilogy makes me really happy, because it means I get to spend more time in this world and with these characters. I really liked the unique atmosphere of the desert, and I loved the fact that this was a historical novel set in 1759 BC Mesopotamia. I haven't ever read anything from this time period, and I don't know how historically accurate it may or may not be, but I don't care, either, because the story was engrossing, I loved the characters, and I couldn't stop reading.
I'm excited to delve further into the lives of the characters in the series and learn more about them and their lives. I'm looking forward to going deeper and becoming more engrossed as the series progresses. It has so much potential, and I'm already hooked. It's really different from a lot of what's out there, and I loved those differences. If you're looking for something fresh and unique, try out FORBIDDEN!
READ THE FIRST 67 PAGES NOW!
~*~
C O N T E N T R A T I N G S
Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details
Romance: PG15 ( kissing; innuendo )
Language: PG13 ( sexual innuendo )
Violence: PG15 ( fighting; murder )
Violence: PG15 ( fighting; murder )
Other: ( attempted rape; mentions of prostitution; mentions of alcohol )
~*~
C O V E R D E S I G N:
At the same time, I didn't understand the cover. All that red? It's DESERT. It's SAND. I didn't get that until I read the book. I thought it was some sort of cloth backdrop.
I like the way her hair is blowing in the breeze, the slit in the arm of her dress, the red, the gold. It would jump out at me on a shelf and make me pick it up to see what it was about!
O F F I C I A L I N F O:
Title: FORBIDDEN
Author: Kimberley Griffiths Little
Author: Kimberley Griffiths Little
Release Date: November 4, 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins
Received: For Review
Received: For Review
SUMMARY:
**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.
Author Kimberley Griffiths Little
Award-winning author Kimberley Griffiths Little was born in San Francisco, but now lives in New Mexico on the banks of the Rio Grande with her husband and their three sons. Her middle-grade novels, When the Butterflies Came, The Last Snake Runner, The Healing Spell, and Circle of Secrets, have been praised as “fast-paced and dramatic,” with “beautifully realized settings.” Kimberley adores anything old and musty with a secret story to tell. She’s stayed in the haunted tower room at Borthwick Castle in Scotland; sailed the Seine in Paris; ridden a camel in Petra, Jordan; shopped the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul; and spent the night in an old Communist hotel in Bulgaria.
Comments
Post a Comment
Thanks for taking the time to stop and comment! I appreciate it more than I can say. I try to respond to each one!