Monday, May 26, 2014

Blog Tour! {Branded: by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki}


It's my very first blog tour, friends!! Whoop Whoop!!!! Thanks Abi & Missy for allowing me to be a part of your beautiful creation! :-)

{Synopsis: courtesy of amazon.com}: 
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.

{Review}: 
Lexi Hamilton has recently been “branded”…with the brand “lust”. We don’t learn the reason behind this until well into the novel, which makes it a very quick read: you’re always looking for more answers.
You’re transported to the world of the “Hole”… a place where Sinners are branded and kept: a place kind of like a prison, but with more death, dilapidation, and destruction. The plight and grotesqueness of this place is very adequately depicted within the pages of this book: it is definitely a place that you don’t want to ever come to.
Lexi is branded and is strangely {at least for a sinner…} “protected” by guard Cole, who is picturesquely handsome, and their part of her story is inevitable: She’s a cute little lady, he’s a very handsome man…and sparks are a flying. BUT, rules make it impossible for them to have a relationship: Guards aren’t supposed to fall for/be into sinners. They’re on opposite sides. Although you think this might be the "main" storyline for this fabulous novel... it really isn't. Keep on reading, friends. :-)

I really enjoyed a few things about this book.

1.      Despite its length, it went by very quickly. Many books I’ve read as of late take far too much time to get into the thick of the story. Branded jumped directly in, and you were off and running, wondering what was going to happen to this poor girl next.

2.      The characters were realistic enough, and well developed, that you were enthralled in them, and I felt connected to many of the minor characters, as well.

3.      Abi and Missy have done a nice job of weaving this story, so that you think you’ve got it figured out—and then BAM, you’re hit with another blow to the face.

4.      One of the most appealing parts to this book is it’s descriptiveness. You’re literally transported there, something that many newer authors are not on point with—but they hit it out of the park.

5.      This book isn’t even really about the budding romance, or the fact that this girl is branded at all, it’s about forbidden love, governmental restraints, familial relationships, trust…it has it all.

{SPOILER ALERT!!!} 
Before you read this, understand that I adored this book, but knowing that the young adult genre can be read by kiddos as young as 5th grade, I felt the need to explain this: I absolutely have to say that there was one part of this book that I was surprised with, only for the fact that it did not seem “young adult” at all. It was a sexual scene, and while there wasn’t any horribly foul/offensive language used, it was INCREDIBLY descriptive. It’s a physically small part of the book, but an important part to the entire storyline, so it really can’t be “glanced over”… this scene affected my recommendation age below…

That said though, the entirety of the book shouldn’t be missed. The storyline is incredible, and I’m downloading the next in the series when I have more time {and fewer TBR’s }, but I cannot wait to see what’s next and in store for the characters! 

{Where can I buy this?}:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0989527417/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d1_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0M3762NGGE0E3MEB85R4&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846
{What would I rate it?}: 
4.8/5: It's definitely a book I would recommend to older YA readers.


{Who would I recommend this book to?}
I would recommend this book to kiddos in grades 10+. Although I think readability wise it could be appropriate for younger children, I truly don’t believe it’s appropriate for kiddos below grade 10. In addition to the above scene, there is a lot of violence, and I feel as though the seven deadly sins reference would be lost on kids that are younger than 10th grade.

All in all though, a wonderful read! :-)

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