<b>**FULL REVIEW**</b>

Can’t say I was super impressed with the characters…but I loved the story.

Lexi struck me as whiny in her romantic emotions…it bordered on cheesy and unbelievable.

Cole was definitely more intriguing and the way each of the other supporting characters played into the story was original and unexpected.

Overall, I look forward to continuing the series…I can only imagine will get better as the war wages and new evil rises to power.

<b>**3 Original Sinner, Stars**</b>

I love that this one is a quick read and unputdownable. There’s a lot of twist and turns and will keep you on the edge.

I also like the characters , Lexi and Cole. Them together? Perfect !

Overall, a very good dystopian novel!

4 Stars!

Wow, this was totally different than anything I've ever read.

"He thinks he can destroy me by stripping away my possessions. But he can’t and I won’t let them take my memories, my ambition, and my pride."


This was a forbidden romance set in a dystopian world that has been ravaged by wars.

This is an awesome, fast paced, heart wrenching romance. I was sucked into this imaginary world right from page 1. I was captivated by the environment, the disturbing scenes and the story. I'm sure The Hole is just another word for Hell! It is so creepy, gritty and made my skin crawl.

"I don't want to die, but at the same time, I wish I were dead."

The romance/love story was also a huge part of the book.

"You're like my magnet. You pull me in, but when I get too close, it takes everything I have to remain at a safe distance."

Branded, in short, is a story of chaos, acclimating to a world gone awry, finding hope in the hopeless, and making the world what it should be. Fans of The Hunger Games will love this book. It is a gritter, edgier version.

**ARC given by Netgalley for honest review**

I had been unsure of this, thinking it was going to be another dystopian book, and even though it is, I fell in love with it. Once I started I couldn't put it down.

I fell in love with the characters, with the chemistry and passion between Lexi and Cole, and how they were both willing to die for the love they had for the other. I loved Lexi's strength, no matter the pain, humiliation or the loss she went through, she still got back up and carried on fighting. I liked Dr Sutton, Zeus! also.

I can't wait to read the next one and see what happens next, after that ending.

Any fans of Hunger Games, Divergent and Maze Runner, this book is for you.

Happy reading :)

This book was awesome. I loved it a lot. I read it in one sitting, could not put down, definitely one of the best that I have read this year.

From the beginning to the very end, it kept me glued to it and I could not put it down. The characters are loveable and the story was interesting.

There is so much more that I want to say but I do not want to give away any spoilers. All I can say is that I would definitely suggest this book to friends and family without any worry about what they might think.

Way to go.

For a debut novel, this one really blew me away! I sometimes cringe when I read a debut novel as sometimes authors have to find comfort in writing, but with Branded I could tell that the authors felt passionate and comfortable while writing it! I had been wanting to read Branded since I first heard about it after one of the authors approached me about reading the first chapter! I normally don't like just reading the first few chapters of a book because then I'm even more desperate to read the whole thing! With Branded I wasn't sure what to expect as it didn't have a cover or a synopsis at that point, but I soon became addicted! Once I started reading this book, I couldn't stop so when I got an ARC of it I screamed! This book is not for the fainthearted! It's bloody and gory and full of suspense! It's definitely for someone who loves an adventure or for someone who loves discovering something new! The plot of Branded really blew me away! It was a fresh idea with new elements added and there was so much going on in it! I did cry several times during it as well! I knew that I was going to, but I tried so hard not too! It really hits you hard and it really will make your heart break! The suspense throughout this book really was mind-blowing as well! It felt like I was watching my favourite action film for the first time! You know, when your eyes are glued to the screen and you can't look away! Well, with Branded I was hooked from page one and I couldn't stop reading until I got to the last page! What I enjoyed about this book was that I found out things that I thought that I wasn't going too! I thought that some of it would have carried over to the next book, but that actually probably won't happen as secrets get revealed in this book and then resolved! The characters were also amazing! I couldn't help but feel sorry for Lexi as she had been through so much and then when she gets put in The Hole my heart broke for her! As I discovered her story I started to feel so much more for her! I connected with her the whole way through this book and that connection didn't break once! Cole was so hot! I loved that he was in nearly all the scenes and he had such a big role as he was my favourite male character! Cole would do anything for Lexi and you could see that everytime he was with her! It was so sweet, but in Lexi's world you really needed something beautiful and for me that was it! I am definitely going to read the next book in this series and I will probably be begging the authors to let me read any chapter from it! I saw the original cover for this book and I have to be honest and say that I adored that cover, but after reading Branded I can see how well the new cover suits it!

The beginning was so great and I was sucked in immeadiately. However, it slowed down immensely after that and I had trouble finishing it. I wasn't really invested in or bonded to the characters and I am an emotional reader so I NEED that bond. I'm still putting the next book on my TBR though because I do see the potential for it to build up to something stronger.

It was an okay YA book. Nothing to rave about and I'd be willing to check out the rest of the series from the library if I had time.

This was a very engaging book for about the first 50% but after that, the heroine became very whinny and irritating for me. I ended up stopping around 65% because she turned from a strong heroine to a weak one. I'm sorry but I can't provide a proper review because I couldn't finish the book. I sincerely apologize for that but I don't feel comfortable providing a review on my blog when I wasn't able to finish the story.

Review removed due to backlash from the community on goodreads and amazon.