Forbidden

Great storyline and fun characters. Not sure what everyone was saying in the other reviews about poor grammar. These reviews put me of a bit but I never came across so much as a spelling mistake when reading this book. Looking forward to the next one.

Forbidden, by Amy Miles, jis the first installment in the Aristos series.

Romania 1689: 17 year old Roseline Dragomir is forced to marry the sadistic Vladimir Enescue. Their wedding day is a massacre, Roseline’s family and the wedding guests are murdered before her very eyes. Even her younger sister, Adele is not spared. Shortly after, Rosaline herself is killed and turned into a vampire.

Present: For 300 years, Roseline has bore the runt of Vladimir’s brutality and refused to conform. After one beating too many, she finally makes her escape to Chicago in the hopes of a new life. She enrols at a school under the guise of Rose Danbry. Despite her attempts to stay under the radar, she is befriended by the irrepressible Sadie and her smitten brother, William. Her life takes a complicated turn when she finds herself drawn to the schools star athlete, Gabriel. He in turn is equally mesmerised.

Her new found life comes under threat with the arrival of a foreign exchange student, the hostile Nicholae, who seems to know who and what she is.

Confused by her increasing bond with Gabriel as well as the strange tattoos and physical changes she begins to notice in him, Rose contacts her only friend in Romania, Fane, for answers. Fane arrives in Chicago with an ominous warning and Rose realises that if Vladimir tracks her down to Chicago, the lives of her new found friends are forfeit. She decides to return to Romania and face retribution at the hands of her husband.

However, Gabriel, Sadie and William escorted by Nicholae, have other ideas and follow Rose to Romania in the naive hopes of rescuing her. Little do they realise the danger ahead of them or that Nicholae is not all he seems...

The prologue captivates the reader from the offset. Despite this, the beginning of the book is rather slow as Rose settles into college and makes new friends. I’m glad I persevered though as the book really picks up half way when we realise that Gabriel is changing physically and we are left with more questions than answers. What exactly is he? What is the bond he shares with Rose? What do the strange marks on his arms signify and what is the prophecy that Nicholae keeps drumming on about?

Forbidden is an interesting take on the vampire myth although certain aspects were a tad confusing due to a lack of explanation. Vampires in this case are immortals who have acquired the taste for blood but don’t need it to survive. They can live off human food. Blood does help them to heal, however, but too much of it can affect them psychologically and turn them into the sadistic monsters that Vladimir and Lucien are. Immortals like Rose and Fane choose not to go down that root although they do enjoy the benefits of being stronger, faster and more intellectual than humans.

All in all, judging by the epilogue, the author has laid a good foundation for this series and I’m looking forward to reading the next installment.

A brilliant action packed beginning which leads into a great read. I enjoyed reading this book and the characters are likeable. I did want to know more at the end though. Recommend reading this book.