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Forbidden
Who wants to live forever and at what cost? Forbidden, Book One of the Gabriel Lennox series, is a dark fantasy that asks this very question.
Three-hundred-year-old Gabriel Lennox doesn’t look a day over 18 and despises being called a vampire. He prefers living separately from the decadent pathetic blood drinkers known as the Chosen. Gabriel prefers to live as an immortal who abstains from the liquid red heat simply because he chooses to do so.
He resists the desire for blood until three other immortals intrude upon his life of solitude and elitism. Beautiful and powerful Lilith, his alleged creator, wields the ability to torment him through visions of the past he would rather forget. Seth, a sadistic monster in the guise of a handsome youth, has the power to bless or curse others with dreams or nightmares. Nikolai, a mysterious child robbed of his innocence and mortality is the third of the interlopers who wreak havoc on Gabriel’s solitude.
Through these three, a dramatic series of events unfolds that will force Gabriel to choose between his desire for isolation from humankind and his fellow Chosen or his thirst for justice in a world where injustice is rapidly gaining.
Three-hundred-year-old Gabriel Lennox doesn’t look a day over 18 and despises being called a vampire. He prefers living separately from the decadent pathetic blood drinkers known as the Chosen. Gabriel prefers to live as an immortal who abstains from the liquid red heat simply because he chooses to do so.
He resists the desire for blood until three other immortals intrude upon his life of solitude and elitism. Beautiful and powerful Lilith, his alleged creator, wields the ability to torment him through visions of the past he would rather forget. Seth, a sadistic monster in the guise of a handsome youth, has the power to bless or curse others with dreams or nightmares. Nikolai, a mysterious child robbed of his innocence and mortality is the third of the interlopers who wreak havoc on Gabriel’s solitude.
Through these three, a dramatic series of events unfolds that will force Gabriel to choose between his desire for isolation from humankind and his fellow Chosen or his thirst for justice in a world where injustice is rapidly gaining.
275 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 13, 2015
42 people want to read
About the author
M.L. Desir
1 book23 followersM.L. Desir was born and raised in Florida. She is currently a middle-school reading teacher and a devoted mother. Desir’s books and stories come from discussions she has with her extremely loquacious West Indian family members, current events, myths, fairy tales, and sometimes dreams. She’s an avid gamer, food connoisseur, Zumba fanatic, and a xenophile. Although most of her books are aimed toward adult readers, she has started to create stories for young adults and children. To learn more about M.L. Desir, find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MoniqueDesirsOfficia...
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 30, 2015
Gabriel Lennox would rather not be involved in Chosen society at all. He would rather not drink blood, not be involved in their parties and certainly not create new vampires. He definitely has no interest in being their prince.
However, his solitude is not to continue. Lillith, his powerful and ancient creator, insists he take the throne while Seth, competition for that throne, is determined to make him into a rival. Throw in the plotting of the true immortals – as well as a whole lot of questioning over what immortality actually means – and Gabriel’s peace is shattered
So this book is definitely different from most of the vampire books out there. We follow Gabriel a vampire and hailed as a prince who really really doesn’t want to be a prince.
There’s a really interesting ongoing plot/debate of this book about what it means to be immortal. After all, Lillith promises the vampires (or not vampires since they often deny the title) immortality but how do they know they have it? And how do you even test that? And does the rules for one apply to all? This is central obsession of Gabriel and Seth – are they really immortal?
And if they are immortal then that begs lots of other questions – like why is Gabriel following orders? Why should he do what Lillith tells him? After all, isn’t he immortal, what is Lillith going to do?
In fact a lot of Gabriel’s character – in between the eternal surliness that is ever-present in this character – is based on him questioning the reality people present to him. He doesn’t want to be prince, but if he is going to be prince then they don’t get to make demands of him so who are all these people giving him orders?
Interestingly we also have some characters in very painful and difficult circumstances – Bela lost in Seth’s shadow and Colin, battling addiction and hatred of the world and himself – that latter of which really drives him to extreme behaviour. I wish more had been developed with him because he seemed to be a far more compelling character than the eternally surly Gabriel whose specialness seems entirely based on the super special woo-woo only he has for Reasons
The world itself is also somewhat unusual. We have many books with vampires deciding they should take over or be superior and the protagonists opposing that. But this comes with a whole different level brought by Lillith and her fellow originators of the vampires, each with their own agenda
One of the main problems is the extremely elaborate writing – and not just in the way people speak (a common way to try and create an idea of time and place) but also in the way everything is described. The setting, the clothing, how people look – over and over again with impossible elaborate and long winded detail. It’s meant to be beautiful and evocative and sometimes it is – but it is painfully slow and dragging. I had to fight not to skim the book rather than read it just to make it move at a decent rate – and I don’t think I would have missed any pertinent points if I had scanned it.
The slowness of the writing (and I really can’t emphasise this enough) combines with some really poor pacing at the beginning of the book. We open with a lot happening and no real relevance to any of it – no explanation, just random events portrayed with very purple, elaborate, slow writing.
So for over half of the book we have Gabriel abstaining from blood and complaining that he doesn’t need it – but no explanation whether that’s him or the vampire kind in general. We have a lot of very vague dreams and prophecies. We have Lillith and no explanation as to who she is and why she is so interested in Gabriel. Gabriel is pushed to become Prince but I’m not sure why people want him for the job or why he doesn’t want it.
Several of these events are covered in the second half of the book. But you have to battle through, fight through, over 150 pages of these long winded events but absolutely no context or reason or any of it. It is hard to keep going, to engage with the story, to want to keep going. We get so much exposition of the world building in the second half creating a very rich world with a whole lot of originality between the creatures that are Lillith’s family and the vampires who they create – and a whole lot of levels and different
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However, his solitude is not to continue. Lillith, his powerful and ancient creator, insists he take the throne while Seth, competition for that throne, is determined to make him into a rival. Throw in the plotting of the true immortals – as well as a whole lot of questioning over what immortality actually means – and Gabriel’s peace is shattered
So this book is definitely different from most of the vampire books out there. We follow Gabriel a vampire and hailed as a prince who really really doesn’t want to be a prince.
There’s a really interesting ongoing plot/debate of this book about what it means to be immortal. After all, Lillith promises the vampires (or not vampires since they often deny the title) immortality but how do they know they have it? And how do you even test that? And does the rules for one apply to all? This is central obsession of Gabriel and Seth – are they really immortal?
And if they are immortal then that begs lots of other questions – like why is Gabriel following orders? Why should he do what Lillith tells him? After all, isn’t he immortal, what is Lillith going to do?
In fact a lot of Gabriel’s character – in between the eternal surliness that is ever-present in this character – is based on him questioning the reality people present to him. He doesn’t want to be prince, but if he is going to be prince then they don’t get to make demands of him so who are all these people giving him orders?
Interestingly we also have some characters in very painful and difficult circumstances – Bela lost in Seth’s shadow and Colin, battling addiction and hatred of the world and himself – that latter of which really drives him to extreme behaviour. I wish more had been developed with him because he seemed to be a far more compelling character than the eternally surly Gabriel whose specialness seems entirely based on the super special woo-woo only he has for Reasons
The world itself is also somewhat unusual. We have many books with vampires deciding they should take over or be superior and the protagonists opposing that. But this comes with a whole different level brought by Lillith and her fellow originators of the vampires, each with their own agenda
One of the main problems is the extremely elaborate writing – and not just in the way people speak (a common way to try and create an idea of time and place) but also in the way everything is described. The setting, the clothing, how people look – over and over again with impossible elaborate and long winded detail. It’s meant to be beautiful and evocative and sometimes it is – but it is painfully slow and dragging. I had to fight not to skim the book rather than read it just to make it move at a decent rate – and I don’t think I would have missed any pertinent points if I had scanned it.
The slowness of the writing (and I really can’t emphasise this enough) combines with some really poor pacing at the beginning of the book. We open with a lot happening and no real relevance to any of it – no explanation, just random events portrayed with very purple, elaborate, slow writing.
So for over half of the book we have Gabriel abstaining from blood and complaining that he doesn’t need it – but no explanation whether that’s him or the vampire kind in general. We have a lot of very vague dreams and prophecies. We have Lillith and no explanation as to who she is and why she is so interested in Gabriel. Gabriel is pushed to become Prince but I’m not sure why people want him for the job or why he doesn’t want it.
Several of these events are covered in the second half of the book. But you have to battle through, fight through, over 150 pages of these long winded events but absolutely no context or reason or any of it. It is hard to keep going, to engage with the story, to want to keep going. We get so much exposition of the world building in the second half creating a very rich world with a whole lot of originality between the creatures that are Lillith’s family and the vampires who they create – and a whole lot of levels and different
Read More
September 1, 2015
This debut novel by M. L. Desir is a vampire tale, but Gabriel Lennox is no ordinary vampire. Desir has woven a riveting tale of intrigue and power plays within the community of those who call themselves the Chosen. Gabriel tries to distance himself from that community by eschewing the drinking of human blood and by refusing to “enlighten” others, as the community refers to the making of other vampires. He questions his immortality and wonders about gaps and contradictions in his memory of how he became a vampire and why his recollection of his three hundred year existence as a vampire is clouded and confused. His friend and mentor persists in telling a strange mythic tale, the significance of which Gabriel fails to grasp. As despite his resistance Gabriel is drawn into the affairs of the community of the Chosen, his immortality is indeed threatened, and he is forced to face unpleasant, even terrifying truths. This novel is a worthy introduction to a new author and a new series. I look forward to reading the second and succeeding volumes of the Gabriel Lennox series.
August 7, 2015
It started out a bit slow, but then it picks up, changes and truly engages the reader, making you wonder what is coming next and how things are going to work out. I really enjoyed the book and I am looking forward to the next story in the series.
July 2, 2020
I thought it was a unique take on the vampire.
My favorite character was Colin.
I enjoyed how Lilith manipulates Gabriel into getting what she wants.
Ms. Desir has a talent for taking you on a journey with her words that are spun like spider's web drawling you towards the center.
My favorite character was Colin.
I enjoyed how Lilith manipulates Gabriel into getting what she wants.
Ms. Desir has a talent for taking you on a journey with her words that are spun like spider's web drawling you towards the center.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews