I think I would have enjoyed THE FORBIDDEN BOOK more if I hadn't already read (and LOVED) WHEN THE ANGELS LEFT THE OLD COUNTRY. But unfortunately for me, this one just doesn't hold the same magic so I was a little disappointed.

This is a slow moving story, which I struggled with at times - for the page number this took me longer than it should have to read. And like Lamb's previous novel, I'm not entirely sold on this being a YA book. I can't think of a teen patron who would check this out, but I can think of a handful of adult patrons who would really enjoy it.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Levine Querido in exchange for an honest review.

Sorel, a 17-year-old bride-to-be, escapes her wedding by disguising herself as Isser Jacobs, only to discover that Isser is a wanted man in the criminal underworld. Caught in a dangerous web of deception, Sorel must uncover the truth about Isser while confronting her own identity and survival in the gritty depths of her city.

This is my first book by Sasha Lamb (though When Angels Left the Old City - I think is the title - is pretty high on my TBR). I have something of a penchant for books steeped in folklore. Add queer characters, a ghost MC and the mystery of who killed him, and mistaken identity hijinks? This book is a wild ride from start to finish and I loved every minute. The characters are all fantastic, the plot takes wildly fun and unexpected turns. This was such fun and I highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Levine Querido for a copy of this book. This review is honest and my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.

The Forbidden Book's strength is its Jewish representation. The setting and the characters come to life. It immediately hooks your attention with a jaw-dropping scene. But at a certain point my interest in the plot waned. It took me over a week to get through the story. And given a premise that promises dybbuks and a forbidden book, I expected more fantasy, more mystery, more excitement. I was a bit let down by the resolution. What was the book trying to say? I'm not sure.

So I thought this was good, not great. But I'm always down for a Jewish historical fantasy.

Thank you to Levine Querido and NetGalley for the ARC.

I generally love any books dealing with Yiddish myth and folklore so this was a really exciting find! I loved the authors first book as well. However this one did not click with me. I think there was some disconnect between the description of the book and what the actual substance of the plot was. I really wanted to like it, and I did like parts of it, but unfortunately I did not love it like I was expecting to.

I really enjoyed this story. It was a bit different than I expected, but I loved the mix of history and fantasy. I did struggle a bit early in the story with understanding how the MC's shared identity was established but it became more clear as the story went on. If I could offer one critique, it would be that I think non-Jewish readers would benefit from a glossary or a bit more exposition of the Jewish terms and framework used. I found myself stopping to google things fairly often which worked fine, but I think interrupted the story just a bit. Really good overall, though!

Sacha Lamb's The Forbidden Book presents a captivating tale set against the rich tapestry of the Pale of Settlement, intertwining themes of identity, survival, and hope within a backdrop of literary censorship. The narrative follows 17-year-old Sorel as she escapes her impending wedding, adopting the male identity of Isser Jacobs to evade detection. This premise is compelling, and Sorel’s journey through the murky world of smugglers and forgers offers a unique lens on the struggles of marginalized identities.

Lamb's prose is vivid and immersive, effectively capturing the tension of Sorel’s dual existence. The exploration of gender identity is particularly poignant, and Sorel’s evolution throughout the novel resonates with anyone grappling with self-discovery. However, the pacing can sometimes feel uneven, particularly in the middle sections, where the narrative occasionally meanders, losing some of its initial momentum.

While the stakes are high, the plot relies heavily on coincidence, which can stretch credibility at times. Additionally, while the secondary characters are interesting, they sometimes feel underdeveloped, leaving readers wanting more depth and connection.

Overall, The Forbidden Book is an ambitious exploration of identity and belonging. It shines in its portrayal of resilience in the face of societal pressures, making it a worthwhile read, even if it doesn’t fully hit every mark. A solid three stars for its imaginative premise and thematic depth.

This book could do with a marketing overhaul. I was suspicious from the start given that the blunt, booktokish description felt at odds with Lamb's talent for depth and subtlety demonstrated in When the Angels Left the Old Country. I fear that description will lead readers to seek out - and miss - Lamb's more nuanced explorations of gender, sexuality, and identity. Lamb presents a unique take on nonbinary identity situated in the context of real (and imagined) history as Sorel flees their impending marriage, unable to articulate their need to flee yet hellbent on avoiding the gendered life set forward for them. I enjoyed puzzling out the supernatural mystery at the center of the story but wish it had taken more time to ramp up. 3/4s of the novel are spent with the main cast going back and forth between various duplicitous sources, a tedious process that get old quickly. I wish more of the supernatural elements had been introduced explicitly early on so that the ending didn't feel as much like a landslide of sudden revelations. My greatest criticism of the book is a more passive observation that this story and characters aren't likely to stick with me beyond the final page. Lamb has created something thoughtful but not not nearly as memorable as their debut.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc!
I was extremely intrigued about this book when I first saw it! I have read Lamb's other work, and I really enjoyed it, so when I saw that there was a new book coming out with queer characters and a really interesting premise, I was very excited. Not gonna lie, a of a genderqueer Lesbian with a Knife was all I needed to hear to want to read the story and this delivers.
This was a complex and detailed book with the same level of care in the themes and metaphors that I loved from the author's previous work When the Angels left the Old Country. I would love an audiobook of this story as, for some reason, I think these books are so perfect to listen to. The folklore combined with the themes of identity, gender, and tradition just make this such an interesting and thoughtful read.

Full confession: I balked, briefly, at the opening line: I urgently wanted to cut the words "and left her life behind," because to my ear they weakened that arresting "On a full moon night, after a day of fasting, the young bride Sorel Kalmans leapt from a window." But When the Angels Left the Old Country was among the best novels I read in 2022, so I persevered, and even if The Forbidden Book's first sentence was a misstep, it was pretty much the last one.

Who are you? is the question at the heart of this novel, and it presents itself almost at once: Sorel, caught like a fox (watch that metaphor as you read this book) in the trappings of a wealthy Eastern European Jewish bride, looks in the mirror:

She might have found the face pretty, had she not been trying to see it as her own, and beneath the plucked brows and lip and the delicate brush of powder over her freckles, she couldn’t find any trace of herself.

But even after she bolts, dresses herself in the clothes she has stolen from a stableboy, and cuts her hair, she's not quite herself, or she's more than herself. Can I tempt readers if I remark that The Forbidden Book is in part a murder mystery, and that it may not always be desirable to get rid of a dybbuk?

I can't discuss what for me was the most intriguing aspect of The Forbidden Book without a major spoiler, so: What shall we make of the (implied) future relationship between Sorel and Adela, considering that Isaac's spirit has taken up permanent residence in Sorel's head? Sorel is clearly smitten with Adela; Adela looks at Sorel heatedly more than once, but Sorel believes those heated looks are really for Isaac. And Sorel's appearance seems to shift subtly from time to time, depending on how front-and-center Isaac is.

So identities are mutable and so are desires. Even the Angel of Death turns out to be not one but two, and each Angel is both destructive and salvific in nature.

The Forbidden Book, like When the Angels Left the Old Country, is a road-trip novel, although this time the characters travel back and forth within narrow bounds -- until the end, when, to put it as vaguely as possible, they're about to break free.

What else can I say except that you should hurry off and read this. Thanks to NetGalley and Levine Querido for the ARC: I feel lucky.

A fancy and verbose (in a good way) book that shines light on all the characters and harkens upon traditions. Well written!

A Jewish historical fantasy with an exploration of identity wrapped in mystery and Jewish folklore. Sorel leaps from her window and runs away on the night of her wedding. Cutting her hair and posing as a boy she gets caught up in the search for a missing man. His disappearance may hit closer to home than she ever expected.

This felt slow to get started but I enjoyed how the mystery unraveled. The ending was satisfying but I almost wish for more time an exploration of the characters.

I unfortunately had to DNF this book after trying to get into it twice. The writing wasn’t working for me

3.5 stars rounded down (I think, TBD). I'm a bit flummoxed by this book. I haven't read When the Angels Left the Old Country but I heard great things so I thought I'd pick up this ARC. There's a lot to love: the deep Jewish folklore, the setting, the mystery, and the adventures. But there's also a lot to be confused about, including what the heck is going on for most of the book. Reading books where you can't actually tell what is real isn't one of my favorite things, but others may appreciate that reading experience more.

The toughest part for me was the pacing - it takes so long to figure out what the stakes are that it is difficult to connect too much with the characters or care about the story. The book is running on vibes (and they are pretty good vibes), which works up to a point but not forever. I really think if the first half was shortened, or the second half lengthened, this would have worked much better as a whole. Because the resolution was actually very cool and interesting!! But getting there was too rushed and muddled.

The vibes are good enough that I'll still be checking out Angels, but I was a tad bit disappointed in this one.

Thank you to netgalley and Levine Querido for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, this is probably a 3.5 star read. I think in some ways I may have been the wrong audience for this because while I was excited because historical fantasy with nonbinary Jewish lesbian protagonist is all catnip, I struggled at times to want to keep reading this. It has a really slow beginning, though as the layered mysteries develop it gets really interesting. The ending is also really satisfying and I like the iteration of a happy ending it gives the characters. This may work better on a reread or as audio, though I did overall enjoy this.

Rich with characters from folklore, this story has everything - gender non-conformity, a dybbuk, angels and demons, inter- and intracommunity politics, and a heist. I think certain aspects could have been fleshed out a little more - I like a story that starts in the action, but some more background on Sorel's life and her sudden decision to run might have explained her motivations somewhat more. There were some twisty little sidequests that kept me guessing, and I appreciated the direction the story chose to go with the ending.

I honestly didn’t want to pick this book up. I really forced myself to read the last part of it and it kind of put me into a reading slump. My expectations were so high with When Angels Left the Old Country being one of my favorite books of all time, and this sadly did not live up the standard this book set. The pace felt slow, yet the book itself felt rushed. It was also really confusing at times but I didn’t care enough to go back and figure out what was happening. I’ll definitely give still Sacha Lamb another try with whatever they publish next, but this book sadly was not for me.

I decided to check this book out because I was curious and it was definitely worth it. It was fast paced and interesting and such an adventurous journey that I was surprised by how much I liked it. That beginning made it hard to not keep reading and I had no clue where the story was going. It had so many twists and turns that I felt like I had to hold on the entire time. Definitely gonna check out the next book by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
thank you to Netgalley and Levine Querido for this ARC!
it makes me so sad to have to DNF this, but i think it just isn’t for me (at least not right now). it leans much more into mystery than what it seemed (and im not a mystery fan, so this is not good). along with this, the writing style is just not flowing for me. i want to try it again once the audiobook releases, but for now i just have to leave this one behind.

Not a lot to say about this one. I loved the author's previous novel but this one lacked the same charm. To say there isn't a lot of plot and unfortunately, the characters cannot carry the story on their shoulders. The main character (who is referred as a genderqueer lesbian by the summary, a fact you wouldn't know from the story besides her passing as a man with no self reflection) doesn't have a lot of personality. It's a shame because the world and inclusion of Jewish mythos is very interesting and one of the most compelling part of the book but nothing happens.