Review: Forbidden by Jana Oliver

Title: Forbidden
Series: The Demon Trappers #2
Author: Jana Oliver
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Publication Date: 5 Aug 2011

Synopsis: From Amazon  Riley’s beginning to think being a demon trapper isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Her dad’s been stolen by a necromancer, her boyfriend’s gone all weird and she’s getting warm and fuzzy feelings for someone who’s seriously bad news. It’s tempting to give it all up and try to be normal, but that’s not an option.
Because the demons have plans for Riley.
And they’re not the only ones.

REVIEW:

Please bear in mind that this is the second book in the series and therefore the review may contain spoilers for the first book.

I loved, loved, loved the first book Forsaken (review here) so I was really excited to get the second book, much squeeing ensued as I ripped open the envelope. Set in the not so distant future with the kind of economic collapse that is terrifyingly realistic. These books are like a dystopian supernatural cupcake with urban fantasy sprinkles, ready to be devoured in a single bite. 

I adore Riley's narrative voice, her snarky take on realism is pretty much along the same lines as the way my mind works (lol). There is a nice recap of the main events of the first book in the beginning allowing the imagination to drop straight back into Riley's world. The third person narration allows for alternate points of view keeping the multi-level plot under control.

There are still a lot of questions regarding certain characters, the way in which the story unfolded was truly surprising. Hints and misdirection are placed within the plot, it certainly kept me on my toes. I was surprised that Beck is only 22, he seems so much older with everything he has experienced; my heart really goes out to him. The direction Simon's character took was staggering. Help for Riley comes from some unexpected places. There are hidden depths to the characters, there is truly ingenious character development within this book even if some were not what I would have wanted. I especially liked the way in which Riley's school friend Peter developed in this book and the introduction of technology as an aid to the trappers was really down to him <3

Clever use of a Macbeth quotation made me question my perception of events. The incorporation of the theory that Lucifer is testing 'man's love of God' and that the demons increase in proportion to the population was really interesting and added depth to the story.

The way in which the plot developed toward the end of the book has left me slightly confused as to Riley's role in the battle between good and evil. The questions that need answering are just how important is Riley to the world and why. Shades of Armageddon are hinted at within the narrative, what is Riley's role in it???

Mystery, romance, the battle of good versus evil, dynamic action and thrilling tension. This book has it all.