INNOVATIVE ONLINE BOOK TOURS: Review/Giveaway - Forbidden Life, by Kimberly Kinrade

 

 

 

Welcome to this stop

on the 

FORBIDDEN LIFE

blog tour,

sponsored by

Innovative Online Book

Tours!!

 

(Due to unforeseen

circumstances, I'm publishing

this post after the end

of the tour.

My apologies to all...)

 

 

 

 

  

Forbidden Life

(Forbidden Trilogy #3)

Kimberly Kinrade

394 pages

Evolved Publishing

October 15, 2012

Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy,

Young Adult

 

 

From the Goodreads Synopsis

 

 

A sinister force waits for them in darkness, ready to devour their powers and take their lives.

Sam's baby is the key to a lock that must never be opened. To keep her child safe, Sam will do anything.

Drake might have found a way to get his powers back and save his family, at what cost?

Luke and Lucy uncover secrets in an organization they thought they could trust, and the lives of all Rent-A-Kid children are at stake.

In this last Forbidden Trilogy installment, the secrets to Rent-A-Kid will finally be revealed.

 

 

My Review

 

(Note: Since there's no paperback edition of this book available yet, I have had to read it as a PDF document on my PC.  [I do not own, nor do I want to own, either a Kindle or a Nook.]  I had already made a commitment to review the book, hoping to get a printed edition, but apparently that won't be for a while yet.  I have therefore made an exception in this case.  This does not in any way mean that I am now wholeheartedly embracing ebooks, because I most definitely am NOT.  I am eagerly awaiting the release of the printed edition.)

 

 

The third installment of this exciting trilogy gives us a more rounded picture of Lucy and Luke, the twins who are Sam's closest friends, although most of the author's attention is on Lucy.  

 

As the novel opens, the twins have found an organization that will help them in their mission to rescue their remaining friends from the clutches of the evil Rent-A-Kid organization.

 

I was so happy to see how courageous Lucy is!  She's even more of a strong heroine than Sam, incredibly enough.  In this novel, she really shines!  She survives all sorts of traumatic events with great courage, strength, and resourcefulness, while her brother, paradoxically, becomes moody and depressed at the carnage around them, which takes place mostly at the beginning of the book.

Their mission, in which they have joined IPI agents (this is a secret, CIA-type organization that wants to destroy Rent-A-Kid just as much as they do), is suddenly aborted when they are surprised by RAK operatives, and forced into a literal fight for survival. 

 

The IPI plane crashes on a seemingly deserted island, where the twins eventually find the rest of the IPI team.  Interestingly, Lucy meets the very handsome Hunter Riley, an IPI agent, and is instantly attracted to him.  (Well, it was about time, I think, for Luce to have her own man!)  What I really like about their blossoming relationship is that Hunter, far from being put off by Lucy's determination and battle skills, actually admires her, while also liking her as a woman.  Kinrade portrays them as total equals, in fact.  She thus joins the swelling ranks of women YA authors whose strong, beautiful heroines are paired with equally strong, handsome heroes.  I applaud her for this!

 

The action in this book never lets up, which wasn't always the case with the first two books, especially Forbidden Mind, the first book in the trilogy.  I can see why, though -- that first book set up the background for the whole series.  Once this was done, the action got going, and didn't let up until the very end. 

 

Forbidden Life starts off with a bang, and goes on from there to even more hair-raising escapades.  The book has two narrators, as the other novels do -- Sam (perhaps short for 'Samantha'?), and a third-person narrator who tells the stories of the other characters.   The focus constantly shifts from one character to another, with most of the chapters being devoted to Lucy.  However, Sam and Drake are not forgotten -- Sam finally gives birth to little Ana, and Drake is fighting to regain his powers, intent on getting back to Sam and their daughter.  He now feels remorseful for ever leaving them, powers or no powers. 

 

Very sinister new villains appear in this novel, such as Beleth, who possesses the freaky ability to transform any part of his body, or his entire body, into just about anything he wishes, and Mr. Steele, whose identity was hinted at in Forbidden Fire, and is finally revealed in this third novel.

 

One of the most wonderful aspects of this trilogy is Kinrade's emphasis on children, and how horribly they're impacted by Rent-A-Kid.  They're bred for their paranormal powers, and then used as pawns in the organization's endless quest for domination and control.  In this novel, Tommy Beaumont, son of a twisted pedophile in Forbidden Mind, reappears, and is in danger from the organization, while Drake attempts to rescue another child, Toby, whom he had met while separated from Sam.  Then there's Serena, a young girl who's a healer, and owns a white cat she won't be parted from.  Kinrade contrasts the innocence of these children, as well as others in the novels, with the cruel disregard for human life displayed by the Rent-A-Kid villains.

 

All the main characters from the first two novels continue to be tested to their limits in this new one, with hard decisions to be made by each of them.  At the same time, their individual personalities are fully explored, as they battle to save the rest of the paranormal kids left at the RAK school.

 

The settings in this story as are as varied as the characters, and the reader is taken from one to the other, from one chapter to the next.  My favorite, of course, is the strange valley that Lucy, Luke, and Hunter stumble upon.  It's like a valley frozen in time, populated by giant beetles, huge lizards, and unusually-colored flowers.  My favorite one is Lucy's favorite, as well -- the star flower. This valley is obviously the result of more genetic manipulation by the same evil organization that seeks to exploit young people who possess extraordinary powers. 

 

This novel wraps up the trilogy in a very satisfying way, with all loose ends properly tied.  Still, I'm feeling so sad that it has come to an end...I have grown so fond of Sam, Drake, Lucy, Luke, Tommy, Father Patrick, Brad, Toby, Serena, and all the other wonderful characters (including a college professor named after George Bernard Shaw, as well as Sam's art teacher, Mr. Krevner, who also reappears in this novel)!  I realize that all good things must come to an end, but these characters really feel like family.... well, I can always re-read these books, after all, and I know I will most definitely want to!

 

Although I've already mentioned it, I'll do so again -- I hope this trilogy will be made into movies, because I will make it a point to see all three of them!  I'd love to see these beloved people come alive on the silver screen!  As good as these books are, I don't think I'll have to wait that long for this to come true, either!

 

Here's my parting advice: dive into these books -- you'll find it very hard to come back to reality, and, in fact, may not want to come back at all! 

 

MY RATING:

 

Kimberly Kinrade

Author Bio

 

Kimberly Kinrade was born with ink in her veins and magic in her heart. She writes fantasy and paranormal stories for children, YA and adults and still believes in magic worlds. Check out her YA paranormal novels Forbidden Mind and Forbidden Fire and her illustrated children's fantasy chapter books Lexie World, and Bella World, all on Amazon.

She lives with her three little girls who think they're Ninja princesses with super powers, her two dogs who think they're humans and her husband, also known as the sexy Russian Prince, who is the love of her life and writing partner.

NOTE: My married name is Karpov-Kinrade, but my books are published as just Kinrade.

  

For a list of her books, check out: http://Amazon.com/author/kimberlykinrade

For a fun fan experience, join the team at I.P.I. at http://IPIAcademy.com

For kids and parents of young kids, join the Lost Kids at http://ThreeLostKids.com

 

 

ONLINE LINKS:

·         Website:  http://KimberlyKinrade.com

·        Twitter: @KimberlyKinrade

·        IPI Twitter: @IPIAcademy

·        Facebook: /KimberlyKinrade

·        IPI Facebook: /IPIAcademy
 

 

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