The Forbidden Game

L.J. Smith is a New York Times bestselling author, well-known for The Vampire Diaries and Night World series. However, Smith's more obscure novel, The Forbidden Game proved itself able to stand up in its own right.

I rarely read books in the paranormal genre but Smith presented me with a worthy argument as to why I should more often. Smith is a master spider, luring her readers with a tantalizing, unique premise and weaves her traps efficiently, not with a particularly distinctive writing style but with a well-thought out premise and addicting plot. Instead of glorifying the supernatural as many other teen fiction authors have done, Smith creates a deadly, struggle between a group of ordinary teenagers and a demon. L.J. Smith's remarkable and haunting novel, The Forbidden Game sits on a knife's edge of balancing the terrifying elements of the story and a well-written novel. The Forbidden Game is neither over- nor under-done. Smith not only demonstrates her ability to terrify in just the right amounts but also her incredible timing and endurance, keeping her readers on edge for 599 pages.

The book begins with a birthday gift, simply titled The Game, bought in desperation by ordinary Jenny Thornton. But as Jenny and her friends begin to play the Game, they realize the Game is not ordinary, not what it appears to be, and that beating the Game will not be easy. No longer is the Game just Friday night's entertainment, but Jenny and her friend's all too-real living nightmare. With each hour passed, another one of Jenny's friends will have to face their darkest fears or die. Once started the Game must be finished and the winner takes all.

Though I enjoyed the novel overall, I didn't care for many of the characters. Many of them seemed generic and predictable, or were clearly identified as the the group's token personality. L.J. Smith's originality was exhibited through her manipulation of the complex plot, but was disappointingly nearly ruined by her generic characters.

I would recommend this book to anyone searching for an overall good read with an interesting plot and wouldn't mind the length and predictable characters.