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lejla28's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
jenhurst's review against another edition
4.0
I understand that this book isn’t going to be for everyone. It involves an incest relationship, between brother and sister. I’m not saying it’s okay, but I got why they were together. It made sense for them. The story was dark, depressing and beautifully written. I get why people like this book
mahovina's review against another edition
5.0
Ovo prepusujem točno iz bilježnice, točno sekund nakon što sam pročitala.
„Sada kada sam se primirila, donekle, dok me oči peču zapisujem ovo.
Nakon kratkog emocionalnog kraha, popraćenog deranjem i vikanjem, zahtjevajući znati zašto cijena ljubavi je uvijek smrt, zanima me zašto uvijek ostavlja posljedice iza sebe, pogotovo slomljene i tužne ljude.
Knjiga mi nije bila uznemirujuća; susretala sam se ja s incestima i nije mi se zgadila sama pomisao na još jednu.
Ljubav; čak i u tom obliku je, po mojem mišljenju prihvatljiva. Priča, ta izdržljiva ljubav, nešto trajno usađeno između Lochana i Maye je nešto što nije čitano sa stajalište osobe s nekim ogromnim moralnim preprekama kada je u vezi ljubav.
Incesti, ma koliki rijetki bili, gledati će s gađenjem, još mnogo, mnogo godina kao i masturbiranje, homoseksualnost i mnogo drugo toga.
Ovo nije samo puka priča, ovi likovi možda jesu nestvarni ali tamo negdje, možda nedaleko od nas postoje braće i sestre, ma možda i normalni par drugačije nacionalnosti ili vjere prolaze kroz nešto ovako. 100% sam sigurna u to!
Ova priča krije mnogo više od tragične ljubavi, neprestane borbe za preživljavanje i prihvaćanje, globalnog zanemarivanja djece, raspalih obitelji, nemarnih roditelja a to je da je to stvarnost, tužna surova stvarnost proizašla iz pera žene koja se borila da priča ugleda svjetlo dana (googlah ja), koja je omogućila da ljudi pročitaju ovo i da (kao ja) dožive dubinu ovoga i naplaču se.“
Osim ovoga gore, knjiga je jako dobro napisana, zaljubila sam se u Lochana, njegovu krhost ali i snagu i njegovu poderanu usnicu.
„Sada kada sam se primirila, donekle, dok me oči peču zapisujem ovo.
Nakon kratkog emocionalnog kraha, popraćenog deranjem i vikanjem, zahtjevajući znati zašto cijena ljubavi je uvijek smrt, zanima me zašto uvijek ostavlja posljedice iza sebe, pogotovo slomljene i tužne ljude.
Knjiga mi nije bila uznemirujuća; susretala sam se ja s incestima i nije mi se zgadila sama pomisao na još jednu.
Ljubav; čak i u tom obliku je, po mojem mišljenju prihvatljiva. Priča, ta izdržljiva ljubav, nešto trajno usađeno između Lochana i Maye je nešto što nije čitano sa stajalište osobe s nekim ogromnim moralnim preprekama kada je u vezi ljubav.
Incesti, ma koliki rijetki bili, gledati će s gađenjem, još mnogo, mnogo godina kao i masturbiranje, homoseksualnost i mnogo drugo toga.
Ovo nije samo puka priča, ovi likovi možda jesu nestvarni ali tamo negdje, možda nedaleko od nas postoje braće i sestre, ma možda i normalni par drugačije nacionalnosti ili vjere prolaze kroz nešto ovako. 100% sam sigurna u to!
Ova priča krije mnogo više od tragične ljubavi, neprestane borbe za preživljavanje i prihvaćanje, globalnog zanemarivanja djece, raspalih obitelji, nemarnih roditelja a to je da je to stvarnost, tužna surova stvarnost proizašla iz pera žene koja se borila da priča ugleda svjetlo dana (googlah ja), koja je omogućila da ljudi pročitaju ovo i da (kao ja) dožive dubinu ovoga i naplaču se.“
Osim ovoga gore, knjiga je jako dobro napisana, zaljubila sam se u Lochana, njegovu krhost ali i snagu i njegovu poderanu usnicu.
phlegmie's review against another edition
5.0
Despite the issue being blatantly taboo, I still didn't know what to expect. I didn't know if I should be cheering them on or shaking my head at the fortune of two soul mates intertwined and the misfortune of two soul mates intertwined by being biologically related to one another. There was a part of me waiting for Tabitha Suzuma to make a single, microscopic flaw - I needed a better reason to drop the book halfway into it before I was completely trapped in a whirlwind of, er, inappropriate emotions.
I guess I should do Suzuma a favour and stop overanalysing my pathetic excuse for a moral conviction because THE GODS KNOW THIS BOOK BROKE ME.
I guess I should do Suzuma a favour and stop overanalysing my pathetic excuse for a moral conviction because THE GODS KNOW THIS BOOK BROKE ME.
vicky30312's review
5.0
This book killed me. I don't cry a lot but by the end of this i was balling. I loved the way this was written. Switching between both perspectives was done so well. I really want a Lochan for myself. I hate the situation they were put in but I'm almost proud of them for doing what they were able to do. I wanted to hate Kit but then his reaction at the end killed me. I just felt so bad for them all... ARGH so many feelings. Overall, this book will definitely be a re-read and become a recommendation for everyone to read.
jaide_monroe's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Ouch. Wasn’t expecting that ending at all.
sweetmy9's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
nikki52010's review against another edition
4.0
I read this story nearly two years ago, and it is still one that I think about from time to time. When you read the summary you think, "No, I don't want to read a story about that!" but it's so much more. This book will make you feel. It will make you cry. It will rip your heart out from your chest and stomp on it until it's in a million pieces.
This is not your typical love story. In fact, this shouldn't be a love story at all. But the way the story unfolds I couldn't help but hope for some kind of happiness for them. No one deserves to be that broken.
This is a story about a family, a broken one. Two teens have to play the roles as parents, caring for their three younger siblings. Slowly that's where the lines between right and wrong begin to blur.
“You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel.”
The ending is one of the most heart crushing, intense, gut wrenching, emotional, shattering, aching (how many more words can I say here? I think I can go on for hours) that I have ever read. Never has a book made me cry so hard.
If you want to read this, go into it with an open mind. This book isn't for everyone, and I commend the author for taking a risk on writing this story.
This is not your typical love story. In fact, this shouldn't be a love story at all. But the way the story unfolds I couldn't help but hope for some kind of happiness for them. No one deserves to be that broken.
This is a story about a family, a broken one. Two teens have to play the roles as parents, caring for their three younger siblings. Slowly that's where the lines between right and wrong begin to blur.
“You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel.”
The ending is one of the most heart crushing, intense, gut wrenching, emotional, shattering, aching (how many more words can I say here? I think I can go on for hours) that I have ever read. Never has a book made me cry so hard.
If you want to read this, go into it with an open mind. This book isn't for everyone, and I commend the author for taking a risk on writing this story.
thepetitepunk's review against another edition
2.0
You ever just fall intimately in love with your sibling with whom you have a burning desire to have sex but the law forbids it? No? Me either. Sorry, I'm not sure how to write a review on an incest romance.
Okay, let's clear the air first. I did not give this a 2 star rating because it was about a taboo subject. I was actually hoping I'd love it. ...I mean, that sounds bad, but c'mon, you know what I mean. I love when authors are brave and challenge morality. There is a way to do it with class, with intelligence, with empathy. It is very possible to make your reader question their most rudimentary beliefs. After reading Boy Toy by Barry Lyga last year, an explicit YA novel about pedophilia, I've been looking for another book that will make my skin crawl and my mind race. So when I found that I marked Forbidden as to-read on Goodreads over four years ago, I was slightly horrified, but hey, quite a few people I follow gave it good reviews!
Buuut, nope. This didn't work.
This book suffers from the curse of Wattpad-esque characterization and plotting. It is a romance novel in the way that every single plot point, side character, distant emotion, etc. was set up to contribute to the love of our two main characters, Maya and Lochan. It was consuming and quick, with not enough processing of the strangeness of it all. Let's break it down:
THE CHARACTERS
This book is told in dual POV, switching between sixteen year old Maya and her seventeen year old brother Lochan. They live with their three younger siblings who they take care of due to the negligence of their alcoholic mother, while still managing the responsibilities of school and growing up. Clearly, there's a lot going on here, and it's no wonder that Maya and Lochan are facing some trauma.
I genuinely think this book could have been significantly improved if Maya's character was so flat. Throughout the book, Lochan exhibits what I was expecting to see in such a taboo story; there is ample inner turmoil, denial, regret, guilt, uncertainty, displaced anger, struggle, confusion. He knows what he is feeling towards Maya is wrong and questions his desires and actions constantly. Maya, on the other hand, falls so easily into the idea of this relationship that it's almost laughable. Sure, maybe there's a doubtful comment here and there, but there's nearly no inner conflict about the nature of the situation, beyond "oh no, this is illegal, how can we make sure we don't get caught? :(" It's hard to believe that someone born into a society where incest is highly abhorred wouldn't experience more cognitive dissonance. I needed more of Maya weighing the pros and cons and considering morality because that's what would have made this book effective--someone who has the same values as the reader (I guess I'm just assuming here that most readers have grown up with the idea that incest = bad) and then goes through a process of slowly unwinding those deeply engrained ideas.
It was too convenient, and almost too indulgent.
THE PLOT
Despite the abuse subplot, which was used to propel the incest relationship, I'd argue that there really wasn't much plot at all. Things got boring. It took me almost a week to get through the middle of the book. Although I usually enjoy slice-of-life books, this book needed more. I don't even remember what happened in the middle of the book--which is unfortunate, because Forbidden is trying to take on a lot, so there shouldn't be room for boring scenes. There was also quite a few scenes with drama so perfectly catered to the incest plot that it made me laugh. Wattpad level drama, folks.
However, the last section of the book was...great? Or at least...thrilling? Or, uh, well. It sure did capture my attention. I'll discuss that in a bit though.
THE ROMANCE
I'll just say it straight up. There wasn't enough build-up. I needed more stumbles and awkward moments and confusion. But beyond that, the relationship between Maya and Lochan felt weirdly dependent on sex. Like, sex was the main end goal. Sex was what their relationship needed--what would validate it. But nooooo, everything going on was okay EXCEPT sex, because sex between siblings is illegal. I really needed to believe that Maya and Lochan had more going on than obsession and general teenage horniness. I wanted more scenes that made me go "...now wait a second, why is this kind of an endearing relationship" rather than "God, this relationship would be awful even if it wasn't between two biologically related siblings."
THE WRITING STYLE
It was okay. Not the best. The ending was the strongest, the rest was meh.
THE ENDING--where did that come from?
If there was any part of Forbidden that was worth it, it was the ending. Grief! Disgust! Pain! Horror! Chaos! Heartbreak! All things awful! The pacing was great, the emotional display was great, the writing was great. The realization of the consequences of Maya and Lochan's relationship was particularly great! Where was that energy for the first 80% of the book? It almost felt like it was written by a different person. I stayed up until 2am to finish the books after almost a week of slogging through it. I gasped out loud multiple times and, ya know, actually felt the emotions I was hoping to feel when I started the book.
THE MORALITY
I think this book was trying to highlight the effects of abuse, and framed incest as a result of it. Which would be fine, but that's not really how it was written. I wanted to either feel bad that Maya and Lochan were going through such emotional distress that things got a bit twisted up between them, or have some completely new view on incest that I would not have had before. Neither happened though. This book felt quite indulgent, in the way that the effects of abuse felt more glossed over--or even romanticized--than actually addressed.
THE BOTTOM LINE
It's a no for me, but I give points to the ending for having the emotional distress and chaos I was looking for. I gave it 2 stars and wouldn't read it again, but hey, give it a shot if you want a book that will linger in your brain unwanted for awhile.
***
it’s 2am idk WHAT i thought about this i’ll decide on a rating later and then write an actual review but for now goodnight
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of january≫
╰┈➤ 1. all that's left in the world by erik j. brown
╰┈➤ 2. the female of the species by mindy mcginnis
╰┈➤ 3. the battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 4. exit west by mohsin hamid
╰┈➤ 5. don't call us dead by danez smith
╰┈➤ 6. warm bodies by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 7. the other side of perfect by mariko turk
╰┈➤ 8. the last olympian by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 9. counting down with you by tashie bhuiyan
╰┈➤ 10. a matter of death and life by irvin d. yalom and marilyn yalom
╰┈➤ 11. the new hunger by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 12. dorothy must die by danielle paige
╰┈➤ 13. starfish by lisa fipps
╰┈➤ 14. one true loves by elise bryant
╰┈➤ 15. chlorine sky by mahogany l. browne
╰┈➤ 16. for every one by jason reynolds
╰┈➤ 17. fight night by miriam toews
╰┈➤ 18. shooter by walter dean myers
╰┈➤ 19. wade in the water by tracy k. smith
╰┈➤ 20. we the animals by justin torres
╰┈➤ 21. locomotion by jacqueline woodson
╰┈➤ 22. the strength in our scars by bianca sparacino
╰┈➤ 23. forbidden by tabitha suzuma
Okay, let's clear the air first. I did not give this a 2 star rating because it was about a taboo subject. I was actually hoping I'd love it. ...I mean, that sounds bad, but c'mon, you know what I mean. I love when authors are brave and challenge morality. There is a way to do it with class, with intelligence, with empathy. It is very possible to make your reader question their most rudimentary beliefs. After reading Boy Toy by Barry Lyga last year, an explicit YA novel about pedophilia, I've been looking for another book that will make my skin crawl and my mind race. So when I found that I marked Forbidden as to-read on Goodreads over four years ago, I was slightly horrified, but hey, quite a few people I follow gave it good reviews!
Buuut, nope. This didn't work.
This book suffers from the curse of Wattpad-esque characterization and plotting. It is a romance novel in the way that every single plot point, side character, distant emotion, etc. was set up to contribute to the love of our two main characters, Maya and Lochan. It was consuming and quick, with not enough processing of the strangeness of it all. Let's break it down:
THE CHARACTERS
This book is told in dual POV, switching between sixteen year old Maya and her seventeen year old brother Lochan. They live with their three younger siblings who they take care of due to the negligence of their alcoholic mother, while still managing the responsibilities of school and growing up. Clearly, there's a lot going on here, and it's no wonder that Maya and Lochan are facing some trauma.
I genuinely think this book could have been significantly improved if Maya's character was so flat. Throughout the book, Lochan exhibits what I was expecting to see in such a taboo story; there is ample inner turmoil, denial, regret, guilt, uncertainty, displaced anger, struggle, confusion. He knows what he is feeling towards Maya is wrong and questions his desires and actions constantly. Maya, on the other hand, falls so easily into the idea of this relationship that it's almost laughable. Sure, maybe there's a doubtful comment here and there, but there's nearly no inner conflict about the nature of the situation, beyond "oh no, this is illegal, how can we make sure we don't get caught? :(" It's hard to believe that someone born into a society where incest is highly abhorred wouldn't experience more cognitive dissonance. I needed more of Maya weighing the pros and cons and considering morality because that's what would have made this book effective--someone who has the same values as the reader (I guess I'm just assuming here that most readers have grown up with the idea that incest = bad) and then goes through a process of slowly unwinding those deeply engrained ideas.
It was too convenient, and almost too indulgent.
THE PLOT
Despite the abuse subplot, which was used to propel the incest relationship, I'd argue that there really wasn't much plot at all. Things got boring. It took me almost a week to get through the middle of the book. Although I usually enjoy slice-of-life books, this book needed more. I don't even remember what happened in the middle of the book--which is unfortunate, because Forbidden is trying to take on a lot, so there shouldn't be room for boring scenes. There was also quite a few scenes with drama so perfectly catered to the incest plot that it made me laugh. Wattpad level drama, folks.
However, the last section of the book was...great? Or at least...thrilling? Or, uh, well. It sure did capture my attention. I'll discuss that in a bit though.
THE ROMANCE
I'll just say it straight up. There wasn't enough build-up. I needed more stumbles and awkward moments and confusion. But beyond that, the relationship between Maya and Lochan felt weirdly dependent on sex. Like, sex was the main end goal. Sex was what their relationship needed--what would validate it. But nooooo, everything going on was okay EXCEPT sex, because sex between siblings is illegal. I really needed to believe that Maya and Lochan had more going on than obsession and general teenage horniness. I wanted more scenes that made me go "...now wait a second, why is this kind of an endearing relationship" rather than "God, this relationship would be awful even if it wasn't between two biologically related siblings."
THE WRITING STYLE
It was okay. Not the best. The ending was the strongest, the rest was meh.
THE ENDING--where did that come from?
If there was any part of Forbidden that was worth it, it was the ending. Grief! Disgust! Pain! Horror! Chaos! Heartbreak! All things awful! The pacing was great, the emotional display was great, the writing was great. The realization of the consequences of Maya and Lochan's relationship was particularly great! Where was that energy for the first 80% of the book? It almost felt like it was written by a different person. I stayed up until 2am to finish the books after almost a week of slogging through it. I gasped out loud multiple times and, ya know, actually felt the emotions I was hoping to feel when I started the book.
THE MORALITY
I think this book was trying to highlight the effects of abuse, and framed incest as a result of it. Which would be fine, but that's not really how it was written. I wanted to either feel bad that Maya and Lochan were going through such emotional distress that things got a bit twisted up between them, or have some completely new view on incest that I would not have had before. Neither happened though. This book felt quite indulgent, in the way that the effects of abuse felt more glossed over--or even romanticized--than actually addressed.
THE BOTTOM LINE
It's a no for me, but I give points to the ending for having the emotional distress and chaos I was looking for. I gave it 2 stars and wouldn't read it again, but hey, give it a shot if you want a book that will linger in your brain unwanted for awhile.
***
it’s 2am idk WHAT i thought about this i’ll decide on a rating later and then write an actual review but for now goodnight
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of january≫
╰┈➤ 1. all that's left in the world by erik j. brown
╰┈➤ 2. the female of the species by mindy mcginnis
╰┈➤ 3. the battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 4. exit west by mohsin hamid
╰┈➤ 5. don't call us dead by danez smith
╰┈➤ 6. warm bodies by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 7. the other side of perfect by mariko turk
╰┈➤ 8. the last olympian by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 9. counting down with you by tashie bhuiyan
╰┈➤ 10. a matter of death and life by irvin d. yalom and marilyn yalom
╰┈➤ 11. the new hunger by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 12. dorothy must die by danielle paige
╰┈➤ 13. starfish by lisa fipps
╰┈➤ 14. one true loves by elise bryant
╰┈➤ 15. chlorine sky by mahogany l. browne
╰┈➤ 16. for every one by jason reynolds
╰┈➤ 17. fight night by miriam toews
╰┈➤ 18. shooter by walter dean myers
╰┈➤ 19. wade in the water by tracy k. smith
╰┈➤ 20. we the animals by justin torres
╰┈➤ 21. locomotion by jacqueline woodson
╰┈➤ 22. the strength in our scars by bianca sparacino
╰┈➤ 23. forbidden by tabitha suzuma
k8dagr8's review
3.0
I read this book on the flight to visit family. It wasn't what I was expecting. I didn't get what I was hoping for.