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.
In Lexi's world, no one is given a fair trial. You're accused of a crime and branded a sinner, and there is only one place where sinners are taken to rot, the looming concrete walls of The Hole. Assigned a guard for protection, Lexi's brand makes her a target, lust.
Lexi is put to work at the hospital, meeting the kind and gentle doctor Sutton. Sutton is everything the oppressive regime is not, taking Lexi under his wing. Many of the patients are gravely ill, none more so than thirteen year old Alyssa. The terminal virus that is killing her, only leaves the wise beyond her years teen, with weeks to live.
Cole has orders to guard the newly branded inmate with the turquoise coloured eyes. Cole isn't cruel like other guards, working under the unjust, unforgiving regime of The Commander. In their world, guards are to be feared and being accused of a crime never goes unpunished, even if the accused is innocent.
With trusted guard dog Zeus, Cole protects Lexi with his life. Guards are forbidden to pursue any form of relationships, and falling in love with a sinner of lust is punishable by death. But he can't walk away.
As the violent streets worsen, pitting Hole residents against guards, it seem the revolt I'd imminent. With her father dead, her brother who left her and the hate she carries for her mother, all Lexi has is Cole and father figure Sutton. There is more to Lexi's new family that she ever thought possible, it seems a change is coming.
Lexi will fight for Alyssa, for those wrongly accused, to love Cole freely, to see the hatred and violence end, and for herself... The strong young woman she has become.
I was utterly swept up in Branded from the very first page. I salivate over dystopian novels with oppressive regimes, leading to revolutions, and Branded is one you simply won't be able to put down. Lexi is a bright young woman, who's tragic past has left her broken, a shell of her former self when her father was alive. It isn't until she meets Cole and forms a forbidden and strong attachment, where she starts to finally live again.
Well paced and gritty, fans of Shatter Me will see the similarities between the main protagonists. Abi Ketner and
Written By Abi Ketner &
Expected Publication 28 / 06 / 2013
Thank you to CBL Tours
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.
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.
You can find the girls over at Their Website Facebook and Twitter