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The Forbidden Book
by Sacha Lamb
Why Read This?The one-sentence sell. What do you get for showing up to this book, even when it's hard?
A propulsive, richly textured sophomore novel from the Stonewall Award-winning author of When the Angels Left the Old Country. Sorel is a genderqueer lesbian protagonist who flees her arranged marriage, takes on a male identity, and stumbles into a dangerous underworld of smugglers, forgers, and wicked angels. The exploration of gender dysphoria and bodily autonomy through the lens of Jewish folklore (dybbuks, possession) is genuinely original.
At a Glance
3.47 ★ GoodreadsTop TropesPlot devices and story situations that drive the romance. These are the circumstances that throw characters together or create conflict, not how they personally relate.
MoodWhat you felt reading this. Swoony? Gutted? Deliciously unhinged? The emotional fingerprint.
Book Details
Goodreads RatingThe crowd's verdict. Take it with salt, though. Some masterpieces are polarizing.
3.47 ★
Primary GenreWhat type of book this is. Romance? Fantasy? A 400-page therapy session disguised as a thriller?
Fantasy Romance
PairingWho's falling in love? The gender makeup of your main romance. Helps you find your specific flavor of love story.
F/F
POVWhose head are you in? First person = deep in the feels. Third = watching from above. Dual = emotional whiplash (affectionate).
Third Person
Romance PacingHow long until they kiss? Slow burn = 300 pages of tension. Insta-love = page 12 and it's already chaos.
Slow Burn
CliffhangerEnding type: HEA = forever happy (you'll cry happy). HFN = happy for now (open to interpretation). Bittersweet = complicated feelings. Know what you're signing up for.
spoiler
AudiobookCan you experience this book while driving? Washing dishes? Working out while emotionally destroyed? Check here.
AvailableCan you experience this book while driving? Washing dishes? Working out while emotionally destroyed? Check here.
Yes
FormatHow fancy is the audio? Standard = one narrator. Full cast = theater kids went off. GraphicAudio = a MoViE iN yOuR mInD.
Unabridged
NarratorThe voice in your ears.
Sophie Amoss
TropesPlot devices and story situations that drive the romance. These are the circumstances that throw characters together or create conflict, not how they personally relate.
Mood & Vibe
MoodWhat you felt reading this. Swoony? Gutted? Deliciously unhinged? The emotional fingerprint.
FMC: runaway rebel (Sorel — genderqueer teen who rejects societal expectations and takes on a male identity to survive) sign in to unlock
historical sign in to unlock
Sorel achieves self-discovery and freedom from societal constraints — more personal liberation than romantic resolution. sign in to unlock
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