Review : Forbidden by Kimberley Griffiths Little

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Forbidden
Author : Kimberley Griffiths Little
Publication Date : November 4th 2014
Publisher : Harper Teen
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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.

Personal Thoughts

You would think that a book that promises sensual belly-dancing would be a feel-good kind of book, but Forbidden by Kimberley Griffiths Little was a surprisingly emotional read. This book punched my heart, ripped it out of my ribcage and crushed it from the start and continued to do so throughout the ENTIRETY of the book. By the end, I was emotionally drained and ready to find the author to demand justice (and a HEA for my OTP).

As you can already tell, this book was incredibly dark and gloomy. We start off at the beginning with Jayden being betrothed to a man she clearly doesn't want to marry, but has to for the sake of her family members and peer. Jayden was a tough girl. She goes through a LOT throughout the book. Honestly, "a lot" would be putting it mildly. She has it rough, but she never once bowed down to her obstacles or gave up. If I were in Jayden's place, I would honestly be the complete opposite of her because I'm a weakling. It's hard not to admire Jayden for her continuous resilience. To make her an even more heroic character, she does it all selflessly for other people and never once for her. I pretty much idolized her for who she was. I was cheering up and down when her love interest, Kadesh, finally came into play because Jayden deserved someone exactly like Kadesh, sweet, genuine and would go to the ends of the Earth for the woman he loves.

Jayden and Kadesh's romance was beautiful. Their sweet moments together were the moments of illumination throughout the darkness that was Forbidden. It was also a forbidden romance which added to my enjoyment of the book. I'm not going to lie, although the end wasn't too horrifying, I was completely butchered by how the author decided to end the book because I guess I needed a moment of happiness and hope to feel emotionally good about Forbidden. There is a scene at the beginning (those who have read it will know what I'm talking about), but it nearly killed me because of how sad it was. Kimberely Griffiths Little also clearly did her research when it came to the luscious setting. I felt like I was along with Jayden navigating the desert and the world building was truly phenomenal. My only complaint would be the timing. I couldn't get a good grasp of the time line. Other than that, I had no issues with this book. I was a little surprised by the fact that this ended in a cliffhanger, but I'm glad that we'll get to become reacquainted with these characters and the Mesopotamian setting again in the future.

I know my feelings about Forbidden seem a bit conflicted, but honestly, even though it was a sorrowful read, I loved the book and thought it was not only unique, but also beautifully written. You really have to read the book to experience the true beauty! Now I'm going to go Twitter-stalk Kimberely G. Little for more updates on the next book!

Rating 

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Teen for the e-ARC of Forbidden.