Forbidden by Syrie James & Ryan M. James

 Series: N/A
Author: Syrie James & Ryan M. James
Page Count: 410
Published: January 24th, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
  4 Stars ★★★★

Claire goes to school at Emerson Academy, and she's hoping that she gets to stay there to graduate high school. She and her mother move around a lot, and Claire wants to stay for a while near her friends and crush for once. Things are changing for Claire, though. She's been having visions and she knows things that she shouldn't ... The idea of possibly being psychic scares yet excites her at the same time.

Alec is new at Emerson Academy, but friends and grades are the least of his worries. He's run away from his duties watching out for the spawn of angels, and making sure that those who have turned dark stay in line. He doesn't plan to meet Claire, or to fall for her. But with the possibility of imprisonment if he's found, and his sudden new mission to track down a Nephilim, meeting Claire, and discovering what she is, complicates everything.

It had been a while since I'd read a book about angels, so I figured I'd give this one a try because I'd picked it up so long ago. I was very impressed with the story and the characters, and I thought the romance was really sweet.

I enjoyed the author's use of angel myths, including the Nephilim. While forbidden romances can be cliche at times, I thought that this angel romance was forbidden in the best way possible. It wasn't too far fetched of a conflict, but I thought the problems that the characters faced were sufficient enough that their worries and fears truly made sense. This book had the perfect balance between conflict, romance, and everything else. 

Alec's rebellion against what he'd spent his life doing was one of the best parts of this story. I love when characters rebel or go against what they've been taught to believe, and Alec really fit this criteria. His courage to take a stand for himself and try living a new life at Emerson Academy was admirable, and his feelings for Claire were sincere. Alec was my favourite character because he was just so interesting, he had such a complex past with so many hopes for the future. 

I also find Claire a likeable character, and I enjoyed reading about her powers and visions and how they developed. Claire's friends played an important role supporting Claire in this tough time of her life, and I appreciated that they didn't abandon her when things got really crazy. The characters in this novel were very enjoyable to read about, and that's what made this book so special and interesting. 

However, I truly wish that this book had been longer. It doesn't seem that there's going to be a sequel, and with the ending that Forbidden had, I've found myself rather disappointed. That's the thing that took off a star for me. 

Overall, a great read. Fans of angel stories will like this book, especially if you're looking for a book that doesn't revolve solely around fallen angels. Those who like forbidden romances, especially those in YA, should give this book a try.

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The Creatures of the Night

I saw this tag at The Book Goddess and thought I'd give it a shot, it seems interesting and I love paranormal books.

1. Vampires

Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber, The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine, Evernight by Claudia Gray and Twilight by Stephenie Meyer are 4 series which I very much enjoy, I love the unique takes on the vampire myths and legends. Night World by L.J Smith is also a great series which includes vampires, but I'm not listing it under any specific category because it equally includes and focuses on everything from vampires to shape shifters to witches, so it appears to fall in a category of its own, in my opinion. 

2. Werewolves

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is the book which first got me interested in werewolf stories. Twilight also qualifies for this category.  

#3. Zombies and #4. Super-powered Human

I haven't read many zombie books or books centering on people with superpowers, but the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy covers both of these categories perfectly. 

#5. Ghosts 

I really enjoyed the book Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. I found that it brought a new twist to the monster / ghost hunting theme. Absolution by Gail Gallant was also an enjoyable ghost read.

#6. Witch/Warlock/Spellcaster

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl explores the idea of magical beings in a unique way. Straying from the 'paranormal boy, human girl' trend, it was bound to be a hit. The Sweep series by Cate Tiernan also includes magic and witches, however it takes a religious, Wiccan approach, mixing reality and fantasy.  Skulduggery Pleasant also qualifies for this category.

#7. Fairy/Fae

Two of my favourite fairy/fae series' includes the Faeriewalker series by Jenna Black and the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa. Both take unique approaches to the world of the fae and both are equally mesmerizing and unforgettable. 

#8. Demons

I don't think I've read a book which focuses primarily on demons, but the Halo trilogy by Alexandra Adornetto contains some great demon characters, especially in book two, Hades. 

#9. Angels

While Halo also qualifies for this one, the Fallen series by Lauren Kate and Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick were the two series which introduced me to angel fiction, and, along with Twilight, to paranormal romance in general.

#10. Aliens

The only alien book I have ever read is Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout. I have a few on my to-read list, but as of now, this is the only one I have actually read.  

I hope you all enjoyed this tag! It was very fun to complete. If you make your own post based on this tag, please leave a link in the comment section. 

Beautiful Covers of the Day!

The Kissed by an Angel series by Elizabeth Chandler has what I consider to be an example of perfect book covers. With a plain black background, the colourful flowers catch your eye and are quite intensified through their contrast to the background. Guaranteed to draw readers in, they are nothing less than absolutely gorgeous!

The blurb:

"An angelic romantic suspense trilogy in one volume!

"Kissed by an Angel": Ivy and Tristan have the love of a lifetime--until Tristan dies in a car accident. Now Tristan returns as an angel, but Ivy is unable to feel his presence.

"The Power of Love": Tristan has learned that the person responsible for the car crash is after Ivy. Can he cross the boundaries of life and death to warn Ivy that she is in trouble?

"Soulmates": Tristan must rescue Ivy, but if he does so his mission will be finished and he will have to leave his true love forever."

Find Kissed by an Angel on Goodreads 

The Darkangel by Meredith Ann Pierce

Series: Darkangel Trilogy

Author: Meredith Ann Pierce
Page Count: 281
Published: April 15th, 1998

Publisher: Harcourt Brace & Company Magic Carpet Books

  4 Stars ★★★★

Aeriel and her mistress, Eoduin, are out one day, away from their village, when the Darkangel kidnaps Eoduin to be his bride. Aeriel hopes to avenge her mistress by killing the vampyre, but she is kidnapped as well, to be his servant.

The Darkangel's castle is dark and depressing, guarded by menacing, chained gargoyles. Aeriel is tasked with tending to the vampyres's thirteen wives, who have now become hideous, soulless wraiths.

The wraiths urge her to kill the vampyre before he chooses a fourteenth and final bride and the magical duarough, living in the caves beneath the castle, helps her devise a plan to lead to his undoing. But will Aeriel have the ruthlessness to truly end the Darkangel's existence? Or will her compassion motivate her to find another way to defeat his evil side?

The first book in this trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce was captivating, magical, and emotional. Despite some wordy descriptions and occasionally confusing dialogue, I was sucked into the story from the first chapter.

I consider this novel to be fantasy, horror, and adventure, a combination of sub-genres I have never come across in the general young adult genre before. It included everything from winged vampires to living water to water witches to talking animals, and it took place in what appeared to be another planet or world. The horror aspect was fulfilled through the wraiths' appearances and over-all condition, along with the vampyre's gothic castle, his unpredictable temper and grisly past times, and the dark tales Aeriel tells to the inhabitants of the castle. As for the adventure, Aeriel's quest to obtain the materials necessary to kill the vampyre is an adventure both excitingly dangerous and breathtakingly beautiful.

I felt like this book was kind of like a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. We have the woman kidnapped and brought to a beast's castle, the cast of unique and/or transformed inhabitants, and the incident of the captive running away and later returning, her compassion for her captor overcoming her fear. For this reason, I recommend this book to fans of fairy-tale retellings.

I also recommend this book to fans of fantasy, horror, and adventure stories, and to adults and teens alike looking for a romance-free novel with paranormal themes.  

Find The Darkangel on Goodreads