Forgiven - Jana Oliver

Forgiven (The Demon Trappers #3) 

                                                - Jana Oliver

Grade: YA
Rating: 5/5 stars

The days are growing darker for 17-year-old demon trapper Riley Blackthorne. With her father’s reanimated body back safely, Beck barely speaking to her because of a certain hunky Fallen angel, and a freshly-made deal with Lucifer, she has enough on her hands to last a normal teenage lifetime. Though she bargained with Heaven to save his life, her ex-boyfriend Simon has told the Vatican’s Demon Hunters that she’s working with Hell. So now she’s in hiding, at the top of everyone’s most-wanted list.

But it’s becoming clear that this is bigger than Riley, and rapidly getting out of control: something sinister is happening in Atlanta… or someone. The demons are working together for the first time ever and refusing to die, putting civilians in harm’s way. Riley thinks she might know who’s behind it all, but who’s going to believe her? Caught between her bargain with Heaven and her promise to Lucifer, Riley fears the final war is coming – and it may be closer than anyone thinks…(Description from Goodreads)


~ * ~ * ~

If you’re a long time Demon Trappers fan, like I am, you’re probably dying to get your hands on ‘Forgiven’, especially with the way ‘Forbidden’ (DT#2) ended. This book will take you on a wild ride of emotions; anger, sadness, giddy happiness, and lastly shock, especially with the way it ended. And amazing book that I still can’t believe I’ve finished already, because I feel like it should have lasted longer than it did, but I was so desperate to get to the end that it was over too fast. Although, I’m so glad I had the time to read it all in one go, because you really can’t put it down.

‘Forgiven’ picks up exactly where we left off: Riley shocked to see her father animated again and Beck angry at Ms. Blackthorne, but equally pissed off at the Demon Hunters who are currently forcing him to lying in the dirt. It’s a bit awesome having the books that run over into each other this way. The situations the characters are in are definitely not awesome, a little shocking at times, but I love the idea that there is no massive break between books; days we’ve missed, weeks without knowing what the main characters have been up to. You feel like you’re getting every moment of the story. I love it.

So much was going on in this book; so much that had to be resolved. It’s hard to take a breath with all the action and trouble that pops up on every page. Firstly, the Demon Hunters. They’re still in Atlanta and still causing trouble for the Trappers, but you learn to love them a bit more in ‘Forgiven’. Captain Salvatore has some genuinely awesome moments in this book and I kind of hope we’re not done with the Hunters just yet, because I’d hate to lose some of our main characters for the last book. Next, there’s Riley’s involvement with both the Angels and Lucifer. I was a little worried about what this would do to Riley, bringing up Simon and Ori memories, the reasons for being tied to both sides of the immortal war. But she seemed to handle most of it pretty well, even having Ori in her head for part of the novel.

Finally, we have the Fake Holy Water issue. This is probably the only part of the book that made me a little sad. I was desperate to find out what was up with the faulty Holy Water, it’s been on Riley’s brain for so long and even got Peter wrapped up in the mystery (which is awesome, because I love Peter). But I was a little disappointed in the way it was played out. There’s a pretty strong focus in the beginning of the book with Riley and Peter. Then Beck and the Trappers take control and we miss out of seeing that part of the story unless in passing conversations. With the way Riley and Beck’s POVs change, I thought we’d get to see more of it. But that doesn’t change my opinion of the book, because I loved every moment of it. And in the end, the Holy Water issue wasn’t the biggest complication Riley and Beck had to face, so it was necessary for the story to have it become a lesser issue.

It’s not all doom and gloom within ‘Forgiven’, although there is plenty of that considering what Riley and Beck have to face. The pop culture references throughout the book helped bring a few giggles to the story, including a Lord of the Rings mention that had me laughing out loud on the bus, which was a bit awkward.

There were times where I thought Jana was speaking specifically to me. I guess this happens when you talk to authors online; the conversations you have about the book turn out to be random lines within the story. I had to smile when Riley asks about celibate Demon Hunters, when Ayden’s age is confirmed and when Beck’s gold-flecked eyes are mentioned.

And my ever growing obsession with Beck and Riley and their potential relationship grew to new levels; in ways I didn’t think were possible. I still wanted to knock some sense into Beck occasionally for his association with Justine aka. the Stick Chick; especially when he was all upset at missing out on a chance to be with Riley instead. But my love for all that is Beck and Riley – and all they can be when working together – and my need for more of them was definitely satisfied. I can’t get enough of these two.

The ending: Oh.My.Goodness! I’m still so shocked, and yet, oddly hopeful. I’m worried about the consequences of Riley’s choices towards the end of the novel, but I really feel like everything will work out for the best. That doesn’t mean I’m not DYING for ‘Foretold’. I really hope August gets here quickly. Don’t know how I’ll survive the wait, probably through endless discussions about 'Forgiven'.

Fantastic book, Jana. I adored it.

5/5 stars


Kim
(Originally posted on Goodreads)