Book review: Branded by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki

˝I´m buried six feet under, and no one hears my screams.˝

 

I heard about this book on youtube and it got some amazing reviews by Benjaminoftomes  so I decided to pick it up and I am so glad I did. This is a dystopian novel and the first book from The Sinners series.
In this world rules the Commander. No one knows how he looks like or who he is but he has some strict rules on how a person should behave. If you are accused of one of The Seven Deadly Sins ( Seven Deadly Sins / Brand color :  Lust - Blue, Gluttony- Orange, Greed- Yelow, Sloth- Black, Wrath- Red,  Envy - Green,  Pride- Purple ) .You are captured, branded by color and sent to prison called The Hole.


I pictured The Hole as a city by itself. They have their own rules, it´s really hard to live there, not just because of the guards who can shoot you on sight but because of the other Sinners who would do anything to get a bit of food , clothing or something else. Any romantic relationship between the guards and the Sinners is punished by death.

The main character is a girl called Lexi. We meet her in the first chapters when she tries to commit suicide but then decides that she is not going to end her life in memory of her father. In the same moment when she decides she is going to live the guards come to take her to The Hole. She has been accused of one of The Seven Deadly Sins : Lust . When she arrives to The Hole she is Branded in Blue, which is the color of Lust. Now the ¨branding˝ is sort of tattoo that you get around your neck in the color that represents the sin that you are accused of.

After all the exams etc she is placed with a guard who´s job is to make sure she settles in the surroundings of The Hole. His name is Cole and in the book he becomes her love interest ( This happens actually pretty fast ) which is complicated by the fact that guards and Sinner can´t be together or they will be executed. 

A lot of things happen in the course of the book and I am not going to write all the details because I wan´t you to actually read the book. In short version Lexi is placed to work at the only hospital in The Hole that is run by dr. Sutton, there she becomes friends with the little girl ( this was one of the most emotinal parts of the book for me, I loved their relationship) , her relationship with Cole becomes stronger and a lot more. A lot of fighting, romance, unexpected events etc.

MY THOUGHTS:

This  book is really, really good. I absolutely loved it from the first to the last page. It is exciting, it´s  funny, it will make you angry, it will make you cry . I loved the characters . I was a little annoyed by Lexi in the beginning but by the end of the book she was so strong and developed as a person, it was amazing. Cole.... Oh Cole. Now if you know me you know I have a week spot for fictional characters and this is one of the most amazing ones. Everyone needs a Cole in their lives.
I loved his dog Zeus , he is such a funny and brave dog.  I really liked the world building in this book. The ending was so good, I did not expect that kind of ending. I absolutely loved everything about this book and I am really looking forward for the rest of the books in the series.

So my fellow bookworms if you love dystopian novels, if you love awesome characters and a good romance pick these book up you will definitely  not regret it.

I give it : 10/10