Book Review: Branded by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki

Title: Branded (A Sinners Series)
Author: Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki
Publisher: Abi and Missy Books
Release Date: June 28th 2013
Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley (originally received as part of a blog tour)

Twenty 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.

My Thoughts

*I have to start by saying that I received this book in exchange for an honest review as part of a blog tour. One of the conditions of that blog tour was to not post my review for Branded during the tour if it did not rate above a 3 star review. In keeping with that request, I did not post my review at that time*

I’m not sure that I fully understand what the authors were trying to do with Branded because for me, what sounded great in the blurb failed to be great in the book. 

Lexi is a very hard person to like; I just couldn’t get past her wanting to top herself one moment and fighting for survival the next.  Her actions did nothing to endear her to me; I only ended up disliking her and her flip-flop attitude all the more.

I found the world building weak; I didn’t get a sense of what was really going on or how the system worked. In fact, I felt Branded as a whole was very underdeveloped and everything from the characters to the story, the relationships, the circumstances, it all just lacked depth.  Everything is flat and one dimensional; and don’t get me started on the makes-no-sense, insta-love, so-called-relationship with Cole.

There are just too many questions that don’t really get any proper answers, and then while trying to tie up loose ends, what is offered up can only be described as boring, nonsensical, contradictory and just plain meh.

Overall, nothing really made a hell of a lot of sense, the dialogue was flat, the characters bland and boring, and the whole book was just a struggle to get through.

Too much wrong, not enough right.
2 stars at best.

LINKS
Amazon US
Goodreads
Book Trailer