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pallavi_vats's review
2.0
Forbidden Birth is a medical thriller - a part of the Chris Ravello series. It was my first time reading this genre and I found it quite interesting. The details were top notch and the writing was explicitly gruesome. The author did not hold back on the gore and violence, which really delivered the climax for me.
Overall, it was a good book with a well developed mystery and a satisfactory twist!
A huge thank you to VRO for providing a copy.
Overall, it was a good book with a well developed mystery and a satisfactory twist!
A huge thank you to VRO for providing a copy.
lucyebradley7's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
chronicreader96's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Rounded down from around 3.5 stars ⭐️
Forbidden Birth follows Detective Ravello, on the hunt for a serial killer who is targeting pregnant women. What does he want with them? How many more people will he kill before the detective can catch up with him?
I absolutely loved the short chapters in this book, it really helped to keep the pace up. That being said, I did feel the book was a little bit too long overall. I loved the serial killer character, they had a darkness and complexity which I found myself lapping up. I also grew quite the soft spot for Ravello, it left me wanting to know what happens to him and his loved ones. The rest of the characters all felt a little one dimensional, and I often found myself getting confused by who was who.
Towards the end it did get a little bit outlandish, which I know some people struggle with. But in this instance, I actually really enjoyed it. It reminded me of the James Bond novels in many ways. I didn’t see some of the twists coming and was left shocked and desperate to turn the pages to see what would happen next. I definitely feel that this started to veer towards sci-fi at the end. It is very clear how knowledgeable the author is about medicine. Although at times I found myself losing focus a little when the terminology got quite detailed. However, the author always explained things so that the reader didn’t get lost. Overall, this was an enjoyable read that left me wanting to try more of the series.
I recommend this book to fans of medical thrillers, as long as you don’t mind some outlandish and sci-fi themes. I want to thank Voracious Readers Only and William Rubin for sending me a copy of this book so I can give my personal thoughts.
Forbidden Birth follows Detective Ravello, on the hunt for a serial killer who is targeting pregnant women. What does he want with them? How many more people will he kill before the detective can catch up with him?
I absolutely loved the short chapters in this book, it really helped to keep the pace up. That being said, I did feel the book was a little bit too long overall. I loved the serial killer character, they had a darkness and complexity which I found myself lapping up. I also grew quite the soft spot for Ravello, it left me wanting to know what happens to him and his loved ones. The rest of the characters all felt a little one dimensional, and I often found myself getting confused by who was who.
Towards the end it did get a little bit outlandish, which I know some people struggle with. But in this instance, I actually really enjoyed it. It reminded me of the James Bond novels in many ways. I didn’t see some of the twists coming and was left shocked and desperate to turn the pages to see what would happen next. I definitely feel that this started to veer towards sci-fi at the end. It is very clear how knowledgeable the author is about medicine. Although at times I found myself losing focus a little when the terminology got quite detailed. However, the author always explained things so that the reader didn’t get lost. Overall, this was an enjoyable read that left me wanting to try more of the series.
I recommend this book to fans of medical thrillers, as long as you don’t mind some outlandish and sci-fi themes. I want to thank Voracious Readers Only and William Rubin for sending me a copy of this book so I can give my personal thoughts.
lilyn_g's review
3.0
o be frank, I liked the premise of Forbidden Birth but I did not care for the writing. William Rubin definitely has a pleasantly twisted mind, but you can tell this is his first work. The writing is rough, with details repeated far too frequently. It feels like if some of the unnecessary descriptions and overly repetitive detailing removed, the book’s length would decrease by about 30 pages. Frequently the writing level seems very unsuited for the subject matter. This type of book depends upon subtlety and tenseness to adequately draw the reader in. Forbidden Birth sometimes had a middle-grade feel to it.
The characters in general are barely developed, and The Giver is a villain that is so over the top it’s ridiculous. Yes, the killer was evil. Undoubtedly. But it’s hard to feel even vaguely creeped out when the character has you rolling your eyes every time he appears. He even talks about his evil plans out loud to himself. Forbidden Birth had a few moments where I groaned in despair/ disgust. The switching back and forth between point of views didn’t serve the story well. There were also a few things that I found completely unbelievable. Namely, the continued insistence that a 14 week old fetus is viable outside the womb. No. Just, no. A 14 week old fetus has a 0% chance survival rate. It could definitely do with another round of editing in general. (Nothing in what I read indicated this took place far enough in the future to believe that we had increased the viability age to 14 weeks.)
However, Forbidden Birth also had its good points. Even though the plot was mostly predictable and the dialogue completely hokey, I still enjoyed the action. The pacing was decent. There were a few twists that I applaud the author for. I liked that the author made Chris the atypical protagonist in more than one way. I could appreciate the decisions the character made, also. With time and practice, William Rubin could get his writing skill up to the level of his imagination. Then we might have a solid story-teller on our hands.
I can’t truthfully recommend Forbidden Birth, but I will say this is an author to keep your eyes on in future.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the author for review consideration.
The characters in general are barely developed, and The Giver is a villain that is so over the top it’s ridiculous. Yes, the killer was evil. Undoubtedly. But it’s hard to feel even vaguely creeped out when the character has you rolling your eyes every time he appears. He even talks about his evil plans out loud to himself. Forbidden Birth had a few moments where I groaned in despair/ disgust. The switching back and forth between point of views didn’t serve the story well. There were also a few things that I found completely unbelievable. Namely, the continued insistence that a 14 week old fetus is viable outside the womb. No. Just, no. A 14 week old fetus has a 0% chance survival rate. It could definitely do with another round of editing in general. (Nothing in what I read indicated this took place far enough in the future to believe that we had increased the viability age to 14 weeks.)
However, Forbidden Birth also had its good points. Even though the plot was mostly predictable and the dialogue completely hokey, I still enjoyed the action. The pacing was decent. There were a few twists that I applaud the author for. I liked that the author made Chris the atypical protagonist in more than one way. I could appreciate the decisions the character made, also. With time and practice, William Rubin could get his writing skill up to the level of his imagination. Then we might have a solid story-teller on our hands.
I can’t truthfully recommend Forbidden Birth, but I will say this is an author to keep your eyes on in future.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the author for review consideration.
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