Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“How can something so wrong feel so right?”

What do you say about a book that leaves you speechless? I actually have a lot to say. First off, my hats off to the author on this one, not only for the excellent read, but also because this couldn't have been an easy story to write. I somehow managed not to bawl like a baby, but I did, especially during the last two chapters, sound like *gasp, oh no, oh my God*…until my husband finally told me (not very politely) to go in to the other room to read because he was trying to watch TV. I'm also still thinking about the story and the characters over a week after I finished the book, which says a lot. So, I'm going to try to keep this short, but I really doubt that's happening.

Forbidden is like an emotional train wreck. You know what's coming but you also know you can't stop it…all you can do was sit back and watch and wait for the inevitable. I thought the author caught the character's emotions and desperation so wonderfully. And speaking of characters, Lochan and Maya were so great, it was hard not to fall in love with them both. They were completely selfless, thinking only of their family and each other. I loved how each character's role was clearly defined. Lochan was "the boss." He had been the authority since their dad left. He was the strong one who wasn't supposed to show weakness. Maya was the peacekeeper. She always knew what to say to diffuse a situation and make everyone feel better. Kit was the troublemaker, always questioning Lochan's authority and angry at life. Tiffin was the easygoing one, and Willa was the "baby." They each played their role well throughout the story and you really got a feel for each individual personality.

“We can love each other.' I swallow hard to ease the constriction in my throat. 'There are no laws, no boundaries on feelings. We can love each other as much and as deeply as we want. No one, Maya, no one can never take that away from us.”

I love, love, love that we got both Lochan and Maya's points of view. This detail really makes the story what it was. The emotional punch would not have been quite the same without the ability to know what each one was thinking and feeling throughout the story. I'm sure it would have still been good, just not great. We really needed to be inside both of their heads, so I'm really glad we got that so we could understand that they both knew what was going on was wrong but in the end they were powerless to stop it.

I've read in other reviews that people thought the first half of the story was slow, and I would agree, but only to an extent. Even though there was no action/adventure, it was still very interesting to read. We really needed that backstory to understand that this book also isn't about two people who just met and fell in love. And this book isn't just about incest. That happens, it's in the story, but it is not the whole story. This story is about two people, brother and sister, who leaned on each other for support, who only had each other, who couldn't count on anyone else, who fell in love with each other. We got to see the whole backstory on how things happened and why and got to see the gradual change in their relationship as well as their fight against that change. We got to witness their eventual heartbreaking downward spiral. We got to see them before, when they were just brother and sister, and I think that that detail right there really made this book what it was.

And yet through all this, the writing was very simple and easy to read. The story flowed smoothly and was easy to follow.

“Willa’s big blue eyes, Willa’s dimpled-cheeked smile. Tiffin’s shaggy blond mane, Tiffin’s cheeky grin. Kit’s yells of excitement, Kit’s glow of pride. Maya’s face, Maya’s kisses, Maya’s love.
Maya, Maya, Maya . . .”

So in the end, after falling in love with these characters, all I wanted for them is to have a happy ending. Of course, that's almost impossible with their situation, but I was still deeply saddened by the ending. That says a lot about a book right there…when you feel emotion for the characters.

So, long story short, thank you to the author for writing this book and I am grateful I took the time to read it.


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