Title: Forbidden (Demon Trappers #2)
Author: Jana Oliver
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books
Publication Date: August 5th 2011
Author Website | Demon Trappers Website | Goodreads
Riley Blackthorne is beginning to learn that there are worse things than death by demon. And love is just one of them…
Seventeen-year-old Riley has about had it up to here. After the devastating battle at the Tabernacle, trappers are dead and injured, her boyfriend Simon is gravely injured, and now her beloved late father’s been illegally poached from his grave by a very powerful necromancer. As if that’s not enough, there’s Ori, one sizzling hot freelance demon hunter who’s made himself Riley’s unofficial body guard, and Beck, a super over-protective “friend” who acts more like a grouchy granddad. With all the hassles, Riley’s almost ready to leave Atlanta altogether.
But as Atlanta’s demon count increases, the Vatican finally sends its own Demon Hunters to take care of the city’s “little” problem, and pandemonium breaks loose. Only Riley knows that she might be the center of Hell’s attention: an extremely powerful Grade 5 demon is stalking her, and her luck can’t last forever…
Forbidden is the second installment in the immensely popular Demon Trappers series by author Jana Oliver. I’ve reviewed the first book, Forsaken yesterday.
I have to admit I enjoyed the first book more than the second one. The world of the Demon Trappers was fresh, new, vibrant and exciting in Forsaken and fell a little flat in Forbidden. I was also hoping to see some improvement in the relationship between Riley and Beck, but instead we get another possible love interest. Like a love triangle isn’t enough already. In this sequel, Riley is hunting down her Dad’s reanimted corpse while trying to deal with a Level Five demon stalking her, and the fact all of Hell’s minions seem to know her name. The Vatican decides the Trappers Guild can’t deal with this mayhem anymore, and they call in the big shots, the Demon Hunters, to try and solve the mess. Unfortunately, those Demon Hunters are even more ill-equipped than the trappers to stop the chaos brewing in Atlanta.
While the stakes are definitely higher than in Forsaken, I felt some of the scenes in this book weren’t always as strong as in the first book. A lot of things were happening at once, that left me at times confused and at times gave me trouble focusing. On the other hand, the characters are more developed then they were in the first installment. Especially Riley seems to have done a bit of growing up, from a brat to a girl who can stand her ground but doesn’t act like a spoiled teenager anymore.
Beck turned from one of my least favorite fiction love interests ever into one I could live with. I’m not entirely fond of him yet, but he’s changed for the better in this book. It’s like he’s gotten over his rage, anger and hurt and toughened up. I liked that change in him, and how it influenced the dynamics between him and Riley. Both characters are definitely growing and evolving, and I can’t wait to see where they’ll end up.
My only pet peeve with this book, as I already mentioned, is that things are happening, but I wasn’t drawn in enough to fully register everything. It seemed like there was a giant gap between me, as the reader, and the characters and events unfolding.
If you liked Forsaken, don’t miss out on Forbidden. Jana Oliver has created an original, action-filled world with demons and angels, Holy Water, love triangles and intriguing characters.
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