These books (Forbidden and Embolden) are so good, but it really puts a damper on my enjoyment that this ends in a way that there should be a third book, considering how long it has been I'm not sure that there will be another book. There was over 6 years between Forbidden and Embolden though, so who knows, it may still happen! That would be nice. Sooner rather than later though please.

I was so happy when I heard the news that the second instalment was finally being released. Book two picked up where book one ended and I found that I loved it just as much as the first, I would highly recommend it.

I love this mother and son writing team and the way it gives their characters such distinctive stories. Loved the way it ended!

This book is the continuation of Claire Brennan's adventure from Forbidden.

After Forbidden where we discovered that she possesses angel powers, because she's half-angel, Claire leaves in search of her father, who disappeared 16 years ago.

In the midst of visions, new discoveries, jealous friends, family problems, lies and disagreements, in this book we are in a whirl of emotions compared to the first one.

I confess that with this book I was much more concerned about Claire and her destiny, because damn, there were so many complications!

But Claire showed us her strenght and didn't let the others save her: she was her hero! She made great decisions for a person who discovered their origins and actual abilities recently.

I did not like was some of Claire's arrogance and the fact that shortly after the characters talked about the possibility of a second power, Claire discovered it right after. I think the authors could have given more time for the story to unfold. This situation seemed a little bit forced to me.

I also felt that in this book the relationship between Alec and Claire, whose romance we realized was going to happen from the first glance, became more solid and not a mere teenage romance as we see in so many books. I really enjoyed the growth of these two as a couple, as friends, but above all as individuals.

Did I loved Claire and Neil's friendship? No doubt. I loved that they did not turn the book into another romance with a love triangle and instead, they give a real perspective on what the various types of friendship we can have throughout our lives.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a honest review, thank you for that.
Structured well enough to keep me guessing and reading all in one sitting. This was an amazing sequel to a fantastic first book
I definitely recommend this book and the author Syrie James and Ryan M. James.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. This the second book of this series. Claire is trying to find her father that disappeared when she was a baby. Her visions tell her that he is still alive, but she is unable to locate him. Plus she gains a new gift and her grandmother tells her that she should not use it. It does draw the attention of the Fallen. Looking forward to what comes next.

I never got the promised first book, so I ended up reading the second without reading the first, but I was able to catch on fairly quickly. This book should've been in my wheelhouse, but there was nothing I liked about it. The telling and filtering was so thick I struggled to get into the moment even once. The characters have the ability to be interesting with all of the interconnected relationships and backgrounds, but they're mellow-dramatic and selfish to the point that I can't root for them. Claire gave up and ran away in the climax and only turned around because Alec did as he promised, unlike Claire. Between that and the technical issues of the writing, I couldn't attach to anyone.

I would like to thank Netgalley and LDLA publishing for this partnership.

I was immediately attracted by the cover and you see Claire and Alec side by side.

Claire and Alec are in a relationship, Claire's grandmother protects them, they go to high school at Emerson Academy and want to live a normal life.

Except that threats made against them will try to separate them.

A second volume captivating and full of suspense and twists and turns. Looking forward to reading on.

We waited what felt like forever and a day for this sequel to come out and I am so happy to have been able to read it….finally!

Alec and Claire are still getting use to each other other and the fact that their friends know what they truly are. Which sometimes can be a small battle. Claire finds out the hard way that maybe she should actually listen to her Grandmother and her & Alec’s relationship takes a small toll. They both have secrets they are keeping from each other and it kind of blows up in their faces. Claire is so focused on finding her Dad that she tended to get a little whiny and irritating in this installment. She literally acted like a typical teenager!

I really am enjoying this series. The first book captured my attention right from the start and I fell in love with the characters and the the whole premise of angels and half bloods.

A lot happens in this book and the reader really needs to pay attention because the action just keeps on moving and you may miss something important. The ending was not a huge cliffhanger but you can tell that it is open for a third book. I am secretly crossing my fingers and truly hoping so!

Thank you to the author for the review copy in exchange of my honest opinion!

***ARC received in exchange of an honest opinion***

This was an okay paranoemal young adult book. I enjoyed it (after reading the first book), but it wasn't a story that stayed with me.

I read the first book in the series so I kind of knew what to expect when requesting this book on NetGalley. But boy was I wrong, this book was way more intense and thrilling then the first. It isn't often that I say I enjoy a sequel more then the first but this one certainly falls into that category.
This book is a non stop action packed read that you have to pay attention to. You look away for a second, you blink and you miss something important. This is not a book you can read lightly to pass the time. So much happens in this book and I loved it!

Title: Embolden
Author: Syrie James and Ryan St. James
Genre: YA, fantasy
Rating: 3 out of 5

Being half angel isn’t easy for Claire Brennan. Her mom and grandmother keep a constant eye on her. She must keep her angel boyfriend, Alec, secret from the local Watcher. She’s trying to find her angel father, who was kidnapped 16 years ago. She tries to avoid her vengeful enemies. And then there’s high school, with all its drama, including the school musical.

Claire is developing new powers, ones that will have every person in her life afraid, but it’s the only way to find her father and keep Alec safe. Except Alec is keeping secrets of his own, secrets that could prove dangerous for them both.

I read Forbidden and Embolden back-to-back. I like the premise of angels and Nephilim but have a few difficulties with the basic set-up of these books. Like, why is Alec, over a hundred years old, interested in a teenager? That’s a little creepy. No matter what he looks like, the life experience puts a pretty big gap between them. And Claire herself is…basically a selfish, clueless teenager. She has no problem using her powers on those around her. She only wants to talk about her problems and can’t understand her friends wanting to have their own lives. She’s willful, whiny, and childish, and somehow thinks it’s a good idea to tell all her friends the details of the whole angel/Nephilim world, which is supposed to be a secret. So, not smart, either. Again, interesting concept, but the characters detracted significantly from the execution.

Syrie James and Ryan St. James are a mother and son writing team. Embolden is their newest novel.
(Galley provided by LDLA Publishing in exchange for an honest review.)

Unfortunately the link to book 1 expired before I could read it. I started this, but felt like I was missing something. From what I did read, I think you're in safe hands if you like this sort of thing. I really wish I was a bit better organised!
Claire’s adventures continue.
There’s no escaping that being half-angel and half-human is awkward. As events continue, Claire is determined to try and find her father.
I liked the developments in the overall premise, and it was certainly interesting to see how each character dealt with the developments.
Problems with friends and relationships make things doubly difficult but Claire shows definite sticking power.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

I made myself read Forbidden first because I wanted to fully understand the backstory of the plot and characters. As soon as I finished it, I began reading Embolden. It had a slow start compared to the first book in the series, but halfway through it really started to pick up. I enjoyed the world it was set in. Born and raised in Los Angeles myself, I was happy to read about places I was familiar with.

Overall, this was a fun read. I enjoyed it knowing that my 16-year-old self would have absolutely loved and devoured this book full of teenage paranormal angst and drama.

I received an e-ARC for this book from the publisher and NetGalley.. I also received an e-ARC for the first book in the series, Forbidden, from the authors themselves. However, I forgot about that until I was a couple chapters in and wondering why the plot was moving along so quickly. I feel like this book can be read as a standalone, though the first book would (I'm assuming) have more background on the origin of all of the main characters' primary, supernatural abilities. There were enough references to the first book for me to piece together what happened.

I really liked the way that the visions a couple of the main characters had were written. The characters were all quite realistic, and the teenage characters were very much written like they were average, everyday teenagers. There was an even balance of the characters going about their regular lives (going to school, socializing, going out on dates, hanging out at home with their families, etc.) and dealing with the supernatural. That's pretty rare nowadays, especially in science fiction/fantasy novels, movies, and TV shows. The end of this book left enough loose ends for me to suspect that there will be a third book eventually.

I plan on reading and reviewing Forbidden soon, as a prequel of sorts.

I had hopes for this one... but this one failed me even more... To me, it was 1.5 stars as plot had not developed till half of the book, and even after that events were like passing by me as I had not enjoyed what was going on...
An attempt to create an intriguing story, but failed in the execution of it. For sure I will not be reading book 3, as Claire and Alec's story had drained my patience for it...

This book was so much easier to review because it’s like a clean slate for me. There’s basically two things that stood out, one good and one bad. Because I’m a positive ray of sunshine, I’ll go with the good first.



THERE’S MORE HAPPENING IN THIS BOOK
I don’t know if I’d have noticed this if I hadn’t read the books back to back. But yeah, with Forbidden the focus was more on the romance, and well, here too, but we have a bit more action and power to balance things out, which was a welcome change.

The power Claire has, the mystery of her father, and how they would really find the way to be together and be safe are the key conflicts here and they are much more clear and to the point than in the first book, which was kinda lackluster in that regard.



THE DIALOGUE WASN’T WORKING FOR ME
Claire’s lines in particular. It seemed every line of dialogue that belonged to her was some dumb question that had an obvious answer. The other characters had pretty much the same feel than in the first book. But where then, our main character had just seemed naive, now she just sounded outright dumb. And you have to wonder why the 100+ year old angel even hangs out with her, which in turn doesn’t help to make the romance more realistic.



Divider
Overall, the two books are a case of the things we’re willing to overlook for an entertaining story. Once upon a time, the forbidden romance and stakes were enough for me to not give a second thought to dialogue and structure. But now, not so much.

I think I’d have enjoyed the second one more if the first one had set up the romance better. Because I wanted to feel that all consuming love they were supposed to share, I just wasn’t getting it.

I had to read the first in the series before starting on Embolden. Reading both so close together I really got into the series and enjoyed them. There is nothing new about the is book, the genre of Angels, mystery and magic has been done but if you like these stories then this is another one to go for. Teen angst and drama mixed with the mystical never really fails and this is no exception. An easy read and a little guilty pleasure - Young Adult fiction

Rating 4/5

This was a fun teenage drama filled read with a touch of paranormal! I really enjoyed the theatrics with it and especially liked the characters - even the villains were enjoyable! It was very entertaining and I hope there's not a huge gap like this one if there is another book :)

This second book follows FORBIDDEN (2012). Claire has learned that she is half angel and her boyfriend Alec has left the ranks of the Grigori who track down Fallen and is trying to be an ordinary teenage boy.

The main problem that Claire is facing is trying to find her father who disappeared when she was a baby. Her own visions and her grandmother's visions have indicated that he's still alive but they can't track him down. Claire has a number of questions about her life and her gifts, including one that is just manifesting. Her grandmother has told her that it is a dangerous gift and that she shouldn't use it. Nothing could make it more tempting for Claire.

Her new gift has made her particularly attractive to the Fallen who will do anything to try to recruit her, even telling her that they know where her father is. They also threaten to let the Guardians know where Alec is and Claire will do anything to protect him.

Alec and Claire both try out for the school musical. Claire winning the part in Guinevere almost ruins her friendship with her best friend Erica who also wants the part of Guinevere and has wanted it for much longer than Claire. Claire tries out for the musical mostly so that she can spend more time with her friends who are involved in the production. With Alec cast as Arthur, things should be good. But Claire's former boyfriend Neal has been cast as Lancelot which is making Alec jealous. With Erica mad at her and Alec jealous and Brian dating a new girl, Claire's circle of friends is disintegrating.

Alec is also feeling some regrets about leaving the Guardians to spend time with Claire. He still feels the need to stop the bad guys but doesn't have the authority to do so. He and Claire begin keeping secrets from each other; Claire has been experimenting with her new power; and Alec is trying to track down a Fallen plot. That puts even more pressure on their relationship.

This story was entertaining. It was filled with teenage drama, scary but charming villains, friendships tested, paranormal powers, and romance.