A review by litandlayne
Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I had to sleep on it to have an accurate review for the book destroyed me that much. I didn't cry while reading it like I thought I would, but ten minutes after finishing it, I was more than a little misty-eyed as I thought about what happened in this book.

This book has so many content warnings that it's just not going to be for everyone. More importantly, this story is a tragedy. There is no 'happy ending.'

The two main characters, Lochan and Maya, really had no chance in life. Their parents abandoned and neglected them, and that kind of abuse left its mark on them both. This is a character-driven story where at some points, the characters feel like they're 45 dealing with adult problems, but then the rest of the time are acting like the teenagers they are.  

I really hated this ending. I hate it a lot. But looking back through the story, the ending fits the book. I just really, really hate it. The story does feel very unsatisfying because of it, but I can't help to think that's what the author wanted to happen.

My only other concern with this story is how sexualized this YA book was. If it is YA it should be fade to black and this one wasn't.
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