When the situation demands it, Lexi will throw herself in front of children and dogs to protect them but perhaps relies on being saved herself by a made-of-muscle male character.Ĭole, Lexi’s guard, becomes her love interest despite the rules against guards and sinners falling in love. Her character was changeable throughout the book, but her intentions were in the right place, and this was especially easy to see when she befriends Alyssa, a young girl dying of an incurable disease.

Her strength vanishes, and her extensive gag reflex appears as she is literally horrified to the point of physical illness at what’s going on in the Hole. Once she is captured and sent to the Hole, where she is unjustly accused of a crime she didn’t commit, it doesn’t take long for the brutal world to break her. Lexi starts out as this very strong character, who is struggling to survive in her society under the tyrannical hand of her stepfather. Lexi’s father is a legend when it comes to the growing resistance and Lexi later realises that it is up to her to continue her father’s legacy and fight for not only his beliefs but her own. As suspected when dictators force their beliefs down other people’ throats, those people will start to rebel.

The Hole is ran by this evil dictator, known ambiguously as the Commander, so instantly his identity is hidden and there’s a great sense of mystery over who he is and his motives in purging the world of crime. The authors did an excellent job in setting out their world and describing said horrors, though perhaps visions of spurting blood will haunt my nightmares for a few days after putting this book down! The violence and the gore was gripping and certainly did it’s job in outlining how terrible life in the Hole truly was. Where those that have committed crimes corresponding with the seven deadly sins are sent, as a Tartarus parallel, as it contained a lot of horrors that would have comfortably resided in the Underworld. The first point that’s important to make about ‘Branded’ is that it’s set in such an original world. Having accepted their generous request, let the reviewing commence. The authors approached us in relation to this book and asked if we would like a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review. Branded by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki

Abi ketner