Forbidden

November 15, 2011
Yet another paranormal romance, this time with an assortment of angels in a chick-lit setting, that will appeal to those addicted to the genre if few others. Sixteen-year-old Claire has lived life on the run with her mother. She attends a private L.A. high school, where she meets new student Alec, a young-looking Scot with a delightful accent. Alec reveals Claire's history to her: She's half-angel and may be killed if the angel Elders find her. Alec himself is a full angel, but he has gone AWOL and also risks death if discovered. The two fall in love. Claire receives visions from Helena, who commands her to tell no one about her new psychic powers. Claire, of course, instantly tells all of her friends. The Jameses weave in some quite effective paranormal suspense and intense-but-quixotic high-school romance through their extremely lengthy tale. All characters remain superficial, including Claire, although charming Alec stands out. The plot becomes too intricate at times to work properly, as when Claire envisions that she will be killed if she steps out alone from the homecoming dance and the authors then tortuously explain why she does precisely that. Lightweight, but the story has some thrills, and the aforementioned genre addicts will enjoy it. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

March 1, 2012

Gr 8-10-After years of moving all over the country, Claire Brennan, 16, is happy to be returning to Emerson Academy in Brentwood, CA, for her junior year. And even though her single mother still frets way too much over her safety, Claire hopes the days of constantly looking over her shoulder for an unseen danger are gone. She's made some close friends, and is hoping her crush will ask her to the formal. Everything is going well-until she meets Alec, a mysterious new student. She begins to have visions and gets messages that she is in danger from someone named Helena. Alec is a Grigori, an angelic being whose purpose is to watch and, when necessary, eliminate Nephilim (children of angels and humans) to protect humanity. He has gone AWOL from his duties and is hiding as a normal teenager at Emerson, but when his godfather finds him and asks him to locate a Halfblood (the progeny of humans and Grigori whose existence is forbidden) at Emerson, Alec can't refuse. The story is written in both Claire's and Alec's voices. Both of them are well drawn and have believable motivations and reactions to their situations. The angelic angle is played down somewhat, with the Grigori being ruled by a governing council instead of a heavenly father, which enables the plot to develop without religious overtones. The ending leaves room for a sequel, and fans of the genre will want one.-Heather Miller Cover, Homewood Public Library, AL

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2012
Grades 8-11 Claire and her mom have never stayed in one place for long. Now that junior year is starting, Claire wants nothing more than to stay put for the remainder of high school. But the year starts off ominously with Claire having psychic visions. While trying to convince her friends that she is not crazy, Claire meets Alec, a new boy with a hot accent and a mysterious past who seems to know all about Claire and her visions. Despite the warnings in her visions, Claire is drawn to Alec. Through him, Claire learns that she is half-angel, and her existence is forbidden. Alec is a full angel who has gone AWOL and now wants to protect Claire from those who seek to harm her. No character is fully developed, and the plot sometimes drags. Told alternately through Alec and Claire, the story ably works the genre tropes and will find an audience with loyal paranormal romance fans, but does not offer anything especially remarkable to the genre.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)