Short and Sweet:
Forbidden has one of the richest worlds and romances I've read, and the whole story is completely moving and beautiful.

To Elaborate...
In the ancient desert, Jayden is set to be princess of her tribe with her betrothal to Horeb, a man whose heart is cruel. Reluctantly bracing herself for an unhappy life, she learns what it means to truly love when a stranger, Kadesh, encounters their tribe. They will have to overcome family disapproval, desert hazards, tribes wars, and more if they ever hope to be together.

This book made me so happy! I love historical fiction that goes wayyyyy back in time, and this one does. The desert setting is simply stunning, and the details of the tribe's everyday life/special rituals for birth and marriage are incorporated beautifully. It's incredible how similar the ways tension arises in Jayden's tribe are to the general tensions we still face in families. The whole story had that timeless element to it combined with wonderful historic detail.

Since the story is set so long ago, marriages/betrothals/any romances were treated very carefully and seriously. It was usually about status, wealth, and producing family lines instead of love. Even so, the woman had to keep the strictest of reputations if she didn't want to shame herself (cue angry grumbles about how, though in a less extreme way, society is just as quick to slut shame now as they were then). I love how Jayden deals with this. She struggles to keep the beliefs her family taught her while learning how to deal with the natural and normal emotions Kadesh brings out in her as they fall in love. Even though they do nothing more than kiss, they have so many swoony scenes.

My one issue is the ending. It left a big question technically unanswered (though there was hope for it going a certain way). There were a few minor questions that left off in the same fashion, but this one had me on my toes. However, that still didn't take anything off star-wise for me, because I still loved the ending. It had so much hope, strength, and determination in it, and it wrapped up the main character's development in one of the best ways I've seen. So, it's still a favorite for me, even though I grumbled a bit at that. ;)

Overall, I'm so ready to read more from this author. Her writing is gorgeous and well done, and I highly recommend this one!

Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/10/review-forbidden-by-kimberley-griffiths.html