Forbidden by Jana Oliver

For Review: Macmillan
Published: August 2011

From Goodreads: Riley Blackthorne is beginning to learn that there are worse things than death by demon. And love is just one of them...

Seventeen-year-old Riley has about had it up to here. After the devastating battle at the Tabernacle, trappers are dead and injured, her boyfriend Simon is gravely injured, and now her beloved late father’s been illegally poached from his grave by a very powerful necromancer. As if that’s not enough, there's Ori, one sizzling hot freelance demon hunter who’s made himself Riley’s unofficial body guard, and Beck, a super over-protective “friend” who acts more like a grouchy granddad. With all the hassles, Riley’s almost ready to leave Atlanta altogether.

But as Atlanta’s demon count increases, the Vatican finally sends its own Demon Hunters to take care of the city’s “little” problem, and pandemonium breaks loose. Only Riley knows that she might be the center of Hell’s attention: an extremely powerful Grade 5 demon is stalking her, and her luck can't last forever...

I really enjoyed the first book in this series so I was looking forward to this one. And more Beck? Yes, please:D

The story picks up right where we left it in Forsaken. Everyone want to know how the demons got through the wards put in place to protect them, Riley's father is out there somewhere and she is desperate to find him and Simon is not the same person he was in Forsaken! Add to this a truck load of demon hunters and things have just got interesting...

I really do love the world Jana Oliver has created - it's intelligent, believable and just slightly terrifying! The story is so unpredictable - I just have no idea what direction the author is planning on taking it and that is brilliant!

I also love the characters. Riley is just plain awesome - so determined and head strong. She's good at standing up for herself when she needs to but there is enough vulnerability about her to ground her and make her someone easy to relate to. Of course, I love Beck. I think that goes without saying!  As for Simon ... well I thought he needed a good slap. But I think it fits in with the story that what he went through might cause a crisis of faith. Still, I think Riley deserves better. And Ori is as intriguing as ever - and that's all I'm going to say about that!

I can't wait to read the next book in the series - if you haven't read it yet please do. It is seriously good!

Forbidden Blog Tour: Interview with Denver Beck

As part of the blog tour for Forbidden, Jana Oliver let me interview the rather gorgeous Denver Beck! So here we go...
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So Beck , I understand you are a Demon Trapper – can you tell us what that involves?
Bein’ a trapper means that I’m responsible to find Hellspawn, capture them in a safe way and then deal with them as required by the law. Sounds real simple, but it isn’t. Demons are pretty clever and if they can find a way to mess ya up, they’ll do it. A trapper has to think on his feet, work out the best way to catch the fiend and to do it without gettin’ himself or others hurt. It’s never a nice job, that’s for sure.

How did you end up working for Paul Blackthorne?
I first met Paul when he was a history teacher in high school. I gave him ten kinds of grief and he just let it roll right off him. That told me he was a really cool dude. When he was laid off from teachin’ he became a trapper. After the Army, I knew I wanted to work with him and he took me on as an apprentice. He was solid, a good man and I sure miss him a lot.

There are many different grades of demon. What the worst demon you’ve ever had to face?
So far it was Grade Five Geo-Fiend that took down Paul. That was one evil mother. Grade Five’s can call up windstorms and earthquakes. They’re hard to kill and darn hard to catch.

Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?
I’m from South Georgia near the Okefenokee Swamp. I don’t have any brothers or sisters. I like things simple and like people who don’t lie to me or treat me like dirt. I graduated from high school, spent three years in the Army and now I’m a trapper. I own my own house and I’m pretty proud of that. It’s nothin’ fancy, but it’s my own place and that means a lot to me.

And if you had to describe yourself in three words what would they be?
Don’t know how best to say that: I’m just me.

Blackthorne’s daughter Riley is also training to be a Demon Trapper. What’s she like?
::sighs:: Riley’s a handful. She’s got that steel backbone her mama had and the smarts of both her parents. She doesn’t take crap from anyone, even when it might be best that she does. She and I, well, we butt heads a lot. We’re both stubborn and that makes it hard. Still, she’s got a future as a trapper. She thinks on her feet and that’s real important. She’s a fine girl and I’m proud to know her.

I get the impression she means a lot to you…
I’m . . .real partial to her. She’s got a lot goin’ for her. She’s pretty and not just on the outside. She’s beautiful inside her heart and all and I’d really like to see her have a good life.

What are your other interests? What music do you love? Do you like to read? And do you actually get any time to do any of these things or is demon trapping more of a 24/7 kind of job?
Trappin’ is pretty much a 24/7 job. I do get to stretch out on the couch every now and then and watch some TV. I don’t read much, but I like to listen to music. Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, folks like that. Their songs have a lot of meanin’ to me. And I like to go down to the Armageddon Lounge and play pool. Helps me relax.

Anything else you can share with us? Maybe something that would surprise us…
Hey, if a guy tells ya all his secrets what’s he got left? ::laughs:: I thinkin’ most folks would be surprised to find that I like things tidy. The Army that taught me that. Not that many people ever see inside my house, but I am not a slob. I’ve seen some guys’ places that were pig pens. I’m just different, I guess.
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Thanks Beck! Thanks Jana!

You can find Jana at her Website. There is also a Demon Trappers Website for information on the Demon Trappers Series.

The next stop on the tour is tomorrow over at Blogger's Heart Books.

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

For review: Random House. Published 27 May 2010
From Goodreads: Sixteen-year-old Maya and seventeen-year-old Lochan have never had the chance to be 'normal' teenagers. Having pulled together for years to take care of their younger siblings while their wayward, drunken mother leaves them to fend alone, they have become much more than brother and sister. And now, they have fallen in love. But this is a love that can never be allowed, a love that will have devastating consequences ...

How can something so wrong feel so right?

How do I even begin to sum up how I feel about this book? I really don’t know how to put it into words. It completely floored me by its ability to have me so invested in the characters and their story I found myself thinking about it all the time. Even now I have finished it I can’t stop thinking about it and wondering about them all. They feel so real to me – so alive – I have to remind myself they are just fictional characters.

I think from reading the synopsis you will know if this is a book you will want to read or not. It is certainly a controversial subject but I applaud Tabitha Suzuma’s decision to write it. Before reading it you may have a strong opinion of what you think is right and wrong but reading this story certainly humanises those behind a label of incest. When I think of incest straight away I associate it with abuse. By giving us a dual narrative and telling the story from both Lochan and Maya’s perspective I was assured that the relationship was consensual – which is imperative to make the story work. Although I still questioned the relationship and their motivations I did believe it was their decision and neither one was forced in any way.

I adored the characters. Lochan and Maya both had so much responsibility on their shoulders because of their mother’s neglect and were essentially raising three children on their own. They constantly lived in fear of social services discovering their mother's regular absense from the home and putting them into care as a result. Add to that Lochan’s fear of any kind of social interaction outside of his family and his constant battle just to get through the day at school without having to talk to anyone - and I was not surprised him and Maya shared a strong bond. Both were also really kind and selflessly cared for their siblings. Willa and Tiffin were really cute, especially Willa. She was so unassuming and sweet. Kit was a typical teen in a rotten situation but he wasn’t a bad kid – just a neglected one. There is only so much attention his siblings could give him when it was his mother’s attention he needed. I really felt for them all and sometimes questioned their determination to keep their mother’s neglect hidden. I did wonder whether they would be better off if the authorities knew.

Reading this story has raised so many questions in my mind – and to be honest they are questions I just can’t answer. All I can tell you is that regardless of whether what they felt was right or wrong I just cared about them both and wanted them to all be happy.

This is such a powerful read and I would highly recommend it. I would hesitate to recommend it to younger readers though, not just because it contains some graphic scenes but also because it packs such a strong emotional punch. I feel as if the author ripped out my heart and stamped on it for good measure. It felt so raw and emotionally honest that by the end I just felt devastated. It’s been a while since I have read something that has had such a strong affect on me and it is a story that will stay with me for a very long time.