Welcome to my stop in the Branded by Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki Blog Tour, hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. Don't forget to follow the rest of the blog tour for more reviews, author interviews, excerpts, and more.
Branded (Sinners #1)
by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki
Release Date: 06/28/13
252 pages
Summary from Goodreads:
Fifty years ago the Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society. He created the Hole where sinners are branded according to their sins and might survive a few years. At best. Now LUST wraps around my neck like blue fingers strangling me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit and now the Hole is my new home.Darkness. Death. Violence. Pain.
Now every day is a fight for survival. But I won’t die. I won’t let them win.
The Hole can’t keep me. The Hole can’t break me. I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter. My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.
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My Thoughts:
Branded by Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki is the second Dysopian book I have ever read and I LOVED IT! I will be honest and say that I thought it was going to be like all other Dystopian books I've heard about with all the different districts and what not, but Branded is a whole different story :).
Lexi has been accused of committing one of the seven deadly sins-Lust-and she has no way to prove her innocence. She believes that being taken to the Hole where all the sinners are taken is better than staying home where she has been tortured physically and damaged mentally. I never imagined all the hell Lexi went through before being taken to the Hole. We don't get to know about this part of her life until further on in the story, and this just broke my heart for Lexi. I loved Lexi's character from the beginning of the story because she is a fighter. I love strong heroine characters that fight for their survival. Once she arrives at the hole she has to kick her survival instincts, because her blue brand (Lust) makes her stand-out from all the crowd.
Cole is given the task to be Lexi's guard once she arrives at the hole. He is way different from the other guards, because he actual makes it his mission to protect Lexi and make sure that she doesn't get killed. At the beginning of the story Cole is distant and cold towards Lexi, but once she starts getting under his skin he starts to question the system of the Hole. Before Lexi arrived he started having doubts about the system, but once she arrives he is determined that the sinners should not be treated so horribly. Cole had me swooning from the very start, because of his passion and determination of protecting Lexi.
A relationship between a sinner and a guard is FORBIDDEN. So just imagine all the danger and the consequences Lexi and Cole have to face once they start to show interest in one another and can't hide it from everyone around them. At the beginning Cole views Lexi any other sinner that he is assigned to protect, and Lexi views Cole as a cold-hearted guard. They are always together and since they spend so much time together Cole sees that Lexi is different from the other sinners. He sees how kind and humane she is towards a girl, and he starts falling for her. Lexi doesn't want to admit that she is falling for Cole, but she is unable to oversee that he is different from the other guards. Cole can be kind, humane, and he has saved Lexi's life more than once. Lexi and Cole need to stay away from each other because they know the punishment of developing a relationship is slow and tortures death for both of them. But they also have the option to fight for their love and for the chance to be able to live outside the Hole.
Branded is a Dystopian story and I need to mention the world inside the Hole. The only other Dystopian book I have read is the Hunger Games and I was not interested in even reading the second book. I was sucked into the world of Branded from the very first page. There is a lot of violence and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED the concept of the seven deadly sins being thought of crimes and people who are accused of them being branded and taken into the Hole. This is a unique concept and interpretation of the seven deadly sins, because I have not heard of it being done in any other Dystopian book.
Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki have brought a unique concept in the Dysoptian genre with Branded. The moment I started reading Branded I was sucked into this world, and I couldn't put this book down. I was surprised more than once with the revelations of each character and I was even more surprised with the revelation of the identity of the commander. I found myself cringing at some of the graphic violence because it was that easy to visualize it. I felt that I was inside the story with Lexi and Cole in the Hole. I can't wait to read the second book in this series! Branded by Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki is by far my favorite Dystopian read and has sit the standards for any other Dystopian book I read in the future.
Lexi has been accused of committing one of the seven deadly sins-Lust-and she has no way to prove her innocence. She believes that being taken to the Hole where all the sinners are taken is better than staying home where she has been tortured physically and damaged mentally. I never imagined all the hell Lexi went through before being taken to the Hole. We don't get to know about this part of her life until further on in the story, and this just broke my heart for Lexi. I loved Lexi's character from the beginning of the story because she is a fighter. I love strong heroine characters that fight for their survival. Once she arrives at the hole she has to kick her survival instincts, because her blue brand (Lust) makes her stand-out from all the crowd.
Cole is given the task to be Lexi's guard once she arrives at the hole. He is way different from the other guards, because he actual makes it his mission to protect Lexi and make sure that she doesn't get killed. At the beginning of the story Cole is distant and cold towards Lexi, but once she starts getting under his skin he starts to question the system of the Hole. Before Lexi arrived he started having doubts about the system, but once she arrives he is determined that the sinners should not be treated so horribly. Cole had me swooning from the very start, because of his passion and determination of protecting Lexi.
A relationship between a sinner and a guard is FORBIDDEN. So just imagine all the danger and the consequences Lexi and Cole have to face once they start to show interest in one another and can't hide it from everyone around them. At the beginning Cole views Lexi any other sinner that he is assigned to protect, and Lexi views Cole as a cold-hearted guard. They are always together and since they spend so much time together Cole sees that Lexi is different from the other sinners. He sees how kind and humane she is towards a girl, and he starts falling for her. Lexi doesn't want to admit that she is falling for Cole, but she is unable to oversee that he is different from the other guards. Cole can be kind, humane, and he has saved Lexi's life more than once. Lexi and Cole need to stay away from each other because they know the punishment of developing a relationship is slow and tortures death for both of them. But they also have the option to fight for their love and for the chance to be able to live outside the Hole.
Branded is a Dystopian story and I need to mention the world inside the Hole. The only other Dystopian book I have read is the Hunger Games and I was not interested in even reading the second book. I was sucked into the world of Branded from the very first page. There is a lot of violence and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED the concept of the seven deadly sins being thought of crimes and people who are accused of them being branded and taken into the Hole. This is a unique concept and interpretation of the seven deadly sins, because I have not heard of it being done in any other Dystopian book.
Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki have brought a unique concept in the Dysoptian genre with Branded. The moment I started reading Branded I was sucked into this world, and I couldn't put this book down. I was surprised more than once with the revelations of each character and I was even more surprised with the revelation of the identity of the commander. I found myself cringing at some of the graphic violence because it was that easy to visualize it. I felt that I was inside the story with Lexi and Cole in the Hole. I can't wait to read the second book in this series! Branded by Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki is by far my favorite Dystopian read and has sit the standards for any other Dystopian book I read in the future.
Final Verdict: 5 Stars
About the Authors
Abi and Missy met in the summer of 1999 at
college orientation and have been best friends ever since. After
college, they added jobs, husbands and kids to their lives, but they
still found time for their friendship. Instead of hanging out on
weekends, they went to dinner once a month and reviewed books. What
started out as an enjoyable hobby has now become an incredible
adventure.Find Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki:
Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Tumblr ~ Pinterest ~ Goodreads
***GIVEAWAY***
20 ebooks of Branded (mobi) Open Internationally
5 signed print copies and picture of Cole (US only)
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In reading the synopsis it occurred to me that people are living in their own personal hell, but like Lexi they hold on, become stronger, help others, & are still able to fall in love. I can't wait to be taken on this emotional journey.
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