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vmusing's review against another edition
3.0
Well. My heart is completely shattered and my views on certain things forever changed.
aprilius_maximus's review against another edition
3.0
WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY?
KSFHJBSJDFSDKFGSDFKGDFSKH Finished this book yesterday and was just... GAH! I do not have words for the feelings that are being felt right now. The overwhelming feelings that Tabitha Suzuma made it possible to feel from reading words from a page is an extraordinary gift. So you might be wondering why I only gave this book 4 stars instead of 5.
THE BAD
1. Both Lochan and Maya seemed to sound and think almost identically (in terms of the writing) and therefore I often found myself picturing Maya doing the things in Lochan's chapters and vice versa and kept going oopsies that's awkward.
2. I felt that some of it was predictable, like it was obvious that
THE GOOD
1. So yes, some of the story was predictable but NOT THE ENDING OMG I DID NOT EXPECT SERIOUSLY!
yes, it's a shocked cat, and so am I.
Even while Lochan was So anyway, this ending blew my mind and made the book for me even though I was dying inside.
2. The emotions I felt for the other characters was just jakhbcksadhfakhdf, like I LOVED the other kids and really felt like they were real people jumping out of the pages at me. BUT THE MOTHER OMG I FEEL SO MUCH RAGE AT HER HOW COULD SHE? Somebody please restrain me while I calm myself but seriously, anyone else want to punch her in the face and shake her senseless until she realised what the HELL she was doing?
3. I liked that Lochan was different and had issues. I liked that it wasn't your conventional couple (OBVIOUSLY DUH APRIL), no but I liked that he was a bit angsty and losing his shit sometimes. It made it different, interesting and unusual.
Favourite Quote: “At the end of the day it's about how much you can bear, how much you can endure. Being together, we harm nobody; being apart, we extinguish ourselves.”
KSFHJBSJDFSDKFGSDFKGDFSKH Finished this book yesterday and was just... GAH! I do not have words for the feelings that are being felt right now. The overwhelming feelings that Tabitha Suzuma made it possible to feel from reading words from a page is an extraordinary gift. So you might be wondering why I only gave this book 4 stars instead of 5.
THE BAD
1. Both Lochan and Maya seemed to sound and think almost identically (in terms of the writing) and therefore I often found myself picturing Maya doing the things in Lochan's chapters and vice versa and kept going oopsies that's awkward.
2. I felt that some of it was predictable, like it was obvious that
Spoiler
they were going to get caught doing it by their mother and that somebody was watching them and knew about them (Kit)THE GOOD
1. So yes, some of the story was predictable but NOT THE ENDING OMG I DID NOT EXPECT SERIOUSLY!
yes, it's a shocked cat, and so am I.
Even while Lochan was
Spoiler
preparing the string from the sheets and stuff I had NO IDEA that he was going to kill himself, I seriously just thought he was planning to escape. Maybe I'm just stupid but I really thought that Maya's happiness would mean more to him than that, even though it seemed like the only option for him to save her.2. The emotions I felt for the other characters was just jakhbcksadhfakhdf, like I LOVED the other kids and really felt like they were real people jumping out of the pages at me. BUT THE MOTHER OMG I FEEL SO MUCH RAGE AT HER HOW COULD SHE? Somebody please restrain me while I calm myself but seriously, anyone else want to punch her in the face and shake her senseless until she realised what the HELL she was doing?
3. I liked that Lochan was different and had issues. I liked that it wasn't your conventional couple (OBVIOUSLY DUH APRIL), no but I liked that he was a bit angsty and losing his shit sometimes. It made it different, interesting and unusual.
Favourite Quote: “At the end of the day it's about how much you can bear, how much you can endure. Being together, we harm nobody; being apart, we extinguish ourselves.”
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
countessofthemoon's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
keishariswanto's review against another edition
5.0
This book has ruined me. I finished reading this book in the middle of the night whilst listening to Moments by One Direction (not a very good thing to do) and I ended up crying my eyes out. I mean, I literally cried. No, not cried, more like sobbed.
This book tells the story of two siblings who is neglected by their parents. Their father left them to marry another woman and their mother is an alcoholic. The situation forced them be a team to take care of their three younger siblings which eventually developed their feelings deeper than a sibling relationship.
I think this book is very eye opening and I do have to say that this book is not meant for everyone. I was slightly skeptical about this book but I'm glad that I decided to read it. I really love the characters in this book and I really love the characters grow. There are some parts of the book that make me cringed because of how the situation is described (just imagine you loving your sibling in a physical and emotional way). And also this is the kind of the book where you're thinking, "This is so wrong" but then you're thinking, "oh my God, yes!". This book is so wrong but so right. Throughout the book, I was hating how the story goes but fell in love with it at the same time.
I do too fell in love with some parts of the books. One of the main characters (Lochan and Maya) brothers named Kit was described as the trouble child at the beginning of the book. Kit is angry because of how their father left them and how their mother neglected them which left the oldest son, Lochan, left in charge. And there's this one particular chapter where they all played British Bulldog together and on that chapter I watched how they all getting closer. There's this tension between Lochan and Kit in the beginning but I love how Kit outgrown his rage as the book goes.
Lochan is such a strong character. I love the way he thinks things through and I love the sacrifices he made so his siblings would live happy. I love how loving Lochan is not only to Maya but to the other siblings as well. There's also this part of the book where Lochan is having a panic attack and that part really got me bad. The author portrayed the panic attack amazingly well and I felt like I was suffocating along with him which is also painful.
Maya is the stubborn one of the two. Maya always wanted things when Lochan was very agitated about most things. And I'm not saying that Lochan didn't want things as well, but still Lochan was trying very hard to stop things from going and growing whereas Maya wanted to make things go even further. But as the book goes, I begin to understand how Maya felt.
Overall, this book is amazing. I highly recommend this, but I don't think this book is suitable for younger readers. I would say this book is suitable for 16+, because this book has that kind of bad approach for younger readers. For me, this book is very mind blowing and eye opening. Although the whole incest situation is still very hard to swallow but this book is very, very good. Such phenomenal and has an epic love story. 5/5 stars!
This book tells the story of two siblings who is neglected by their parents. Their father left them to marry another woman and their mother is an alcoholic. The situation forced them be a team to take care of their three younger siblings which eventually developed their feelings deeper than a sibling relationship.
I think this book is very eye opening and I do have to say that this book is not meant for everyone. I was slightly skeptical about this book but I'm glad that I decided to read it. I really love the characters in this book and I really love the characters grow. There are some parts of the book that make me cringed because of how the situation is described (just imagine you loving your sibling in a physical and emotional way). And also this is the kind of the book where you're thinking, "This is so wrong" but then you're thinking, "oh my God, yes!". This book is so wrong but so right. Throughout the book, I was hating how the story goes but fell in love with it at the same time.
I do too fell in love with some parts of the books. One of the main characters (Lochan and Maya) brothers named Kit was described as the trouble child at the beginning of the book. Kit is angry because of how their father left them and how their mother neglected them which left the oldest son, Lochan, left in charge. And there's this one particular chapter where they all played British Bulldog together and on that chapter I watched how they all getting closer. There's this tension between Lochan and Kit in the beginning but I love how Kit outgrown his rage as the book goes.
Lochan is such a strong character. I love the way he thinks things through and I love the sacrifices he made so his siblings would live happy. I love how loving Lochan is not only to Maya but to the other siblings as well. There's also this part of the book where Lochan is having a panic attack and that part really got me bad. The author portrayed the panic attack amazingly well and I felt like I was suffocating along with him which is also painful.
Maya is the stubborn one of the two. Maya always wanted things when Lochan was very agitated about most things. And I'm not saying that Lochan didn't want things as well, but still Lochan was trying very hard to stop things from going and growing whereas Maya wanted to make things go even further. But as the book goes, I begin to understand how Maya felt.
Overall, this book is amazing. I highly recommend this, but I don't think this book is suitable for younger readers. I would say this book is suitable for 16+, because this book has that kind of bad approach for younger readers. For me, this book is very mind blowing and eye opening. Although the whole incest situation is still very hard to swallow but this book is very, very good. Such phenomenal and has an epic love story. 5/5 stars!
caraddishreads's review against another edition
5.0
oh holy moly this was a tamed beautiful story. I have no words.
imareader247's review
5.0
There are books out there that will change the way people think , feel , or just are as a person whether it be a temporary or permanent change , the change is still there .
This books features a cultural taboo of a mental , emotional , and physical relationship between a brother and sister who have been through everything together and has had to grow to up way to fast as they have to take care o their 3 little brothers and sisters and take care of the house. As the book progresses you see the how fast their live changes and ultimately how they have chosen to cope .
I wont spoil any of the book but even as I read the book description , I still wasn't prepared for how the book ultimately ended. But what I will say is that is book was just amazing . Would I recommend this book to everyone ? No . Because I do believe that some people wouldn't be able understand the book and strictly look at it for the problems that it presents instead of the insight on a taboo subject that it provides.
Overall this book was powerfully written and was book that kept me hooked from the beginning to the end. Being able to write this book while depicting the characters in a horrible light while also showing compassionate for everyone involved must have been a hard task. None of the characters are what I would've thought that they would be and each family member was constantly developing and making me think deeper about them and the book overall. There are things I can't explain in this book and you have to read it to even attempt to understand .
WHY IS THIS BOOK SO "BAD" YET SO GOOD ?
5 stars hand down
This books features a cultural taboo of a mental , emotional , and physical relationship between a brother and sister who have been through everything together and has had to grow to up way to fast as they have to take care o their 3 little brothers and sisters and take care of the house. As the book progresses you see the how fast their live changes and ultimately how they have chosen to cope .
I wont spoil any of the book but even as I read the book description , I still wasn't prepared for how the book ultimately ended. But what I will say is that is book was just amazing . Would I recommend this book to everyone ? No . Because I do believe that some people wouldn't be able understand the book and strictly look at it for the problems that it presents instead of the insight on a taboo subject that it provides.
Overall this book was powerfully written and was book that kept me hooked from the beginning to the end. Being able to write this book while depicting the characters in a horrible light while also showing compassionate for everyone involved must have been a hard task. None of the characters are what I would've thought that they would be and each family member was constantly developing and making me think deeper about them and the book overall. There are things I can't explain in this book and you have to read it to even attempt to understand .
WHY IS THIS BOOK SO "BAD" YET SO GOOD ?
5 stars hand down
deinnos's review against another edition
2.0
I was so close of DNF-ing it, but the ending was what saved this book for me. It was tragic. And now that I think about it, the only possible ending to this book.
ambareads's review against another edition
5.0
Qué es esto? No estaba preparada, definitivamente no estaba preparada... es un libro que probablemente se quede en mi mente para siempre... todavía no sé qué acabo de leer