Syrie James – I’ll Follow You Anywhere!
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Source: Review Copy from Publisher
Dear Readers, please excuse our momentary departure from the world of Austenesque novels. What causes us to leave our favorite sub-genre of literature you ask? Two words. Syrie James.
Syrie James, one of my all-time favorite authors, is one of those authors that I will follow wherever they go. Having adored her first two marvelous biographical fiction novels, The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen and the The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë, I trepidatiously followed her into the world of vampires with Dracula, My Love and Nocturne. But my fears were certainly unfounded, because I thought both of these novels were fantastic, extremely well-written, and not at all too gory. And now, with Syrie James and her son broaching the world of nephilim, angels, and modern-day teenagers, I jump in with no hesitation.
In Forbidden, Syrie James and Ryan James pen a Young Adult novel about paranormal beings, supernatural powers, and forbidden love. Claire Brennan thought she was a normal teenager living a normal life. But between receiving strange visions predicting the future and a mysterious new student that harbors a few secrets, Claire’s school year is going to be anything but normal…
One of the elements I love most about every novel by Syrie James novel I read is her well-drawn, admirable, and swoon-worthy heroes! *sigh* Alec MacKenzie was no exception. With scenes of him saving Claire’s life, bearing his soul on the guitar, and fearlessly defending his love there are many moments while reading this novel that made my heart flutter! Even though Alec had a serious case of “insta-love,” his silent brooding, social awkwardness, and tender heart made me fall in love with him.
One aspect of the story I wasn’t too fond of was the missing explanations for the laws and practices of Grigori culture. Phrases like “we don’t know whatwe really are” and “we just do what our Elders tell us to do – but not even they know the truth of our history” just didn’t sit too well with me. It felt incomplete. I would have liked for more background and history about the nephilim and Grigori. In addition, another issue I had with this novel was that the conclusion seemed to come about a little too abruptly. The pace accelerated in the last ten pages, questions were left unanswered, issues remained unresolved; I’m guessing the reason for this has to do with the possibility of continuing this novel into a full series…
Overall, I am very happy I followed one of my favorite authors deeper into the paranormal realm. It was an enthralling and exciting story, and even though I had my quibbles, I was constantly engaged and desperate to find out what happened next! Syrie James and her son Ryan James make a superb writing team and I hope to read more by them in the future!
What do you think?
Is there an author that you love so much that you would read ANYTHING they wrote, no matter what genre?
