I wanted to love this book so much. The premise, world building, lore, and characters were so well done.
What lost me was most of the significant events were happening outside of our main characters point of view. Nara is dragged along through the story by events or from deception and her thoughts became a little repetitive. If Branded had multiple POV’s (Osha, Brim, Nixim, even Haus) I think it would have been a more dynamic read.
That being said I still really enjoyed this book and the huge world and I’m interested to see what happens in book two!

At first, I loved the world-building and magic system this book had to offer, but when reading it I found it hard to get into it. There were too many storylines and plots for me. Sometimes it was hard for me to read smoothly because of some terms and word choices. The main character Nara can come across as overly angsty. However, she is also very brave and bold. Nara goes on one immense quest to find out who she is when it appears that she's a Branded. Contrary to her twin sister Osha. The main quest is clear and adventurous, but it feels a bit too elaborated with too many side quests. On her journey, Nora is accompanied by the mysterious and charismatic Wrangler. They have amazing banter and witty remarks towards one another, making their relationship a sufficient enemies-to-lovers. Every character is written well and in-depth. Sometimes they felt a bit flat, but there is some character development. Personally, 'The Branded' was a bit too elaborate, flat en complex. However, it has an amazing fantasy world-building that I think everyone should give a try.

The Branded written by Jo Riccioni is a completely different type of fantasy. You will find all of your favourite tropes, absolutely, but the writing style is invigorating, conversational, so immersive and absolutely entertaining. The beauty is that it is a crossover with speculative or dystopic fiction and this new style had me hooked and I really want to read more!

YA is not usually my jam, but I would say this is Ya into Adult in the writing style, so again, it straddles genres imho.
There was an exceptional amount of worldbuilding and character development to lay a strong foundation for this series. The magic system is unique as is the premise. Kept my interest throughout, so much so that I did a side by side read/listen with the audiobook. Certainly one to watch out for

Thank you to Netgalley, Angry Robot and the fantastic author Jo Riccioni for this awesome ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

The Branded by Jo Riccioni is a fast-paced adventure of survival, freedom, the dark truth and a little bit of romance. Twins Nara and Osha live in a World where people are born branded or pure. The pure live in a settlement and the women are coveted for pairing with suitable pure males to continue the perfect bloodlines. When one of the twins is sent away from the settlement and there is an attack, chaos ensues.

This was a lot of addictive fun! It was easy reading, enemies to lovers, strong FMC with great banter and discovering magic. It is slow burn but doesn’t only focus on the romance.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Epic, complex, and action packed rollercoaster ride of adventure, passions, betrayals, and destinies. Richly developed reality that sucks you in and keeps you addicted with bated breath. Can't say enough about this one, ends on a cliff and we wait not so patiently for the next ...

If The Grace Year, Divergent, & The Prison Healer had a baby, it would be this book! In this story, there has been a plague impacting the majority of the people in the world, called the “Branded”. Those who remain uninfected are considered “Pure”, with Pure women being the only people who can pass on resistance to the virus to their offspring. Despite the Pure women being the key to the success of future generations, they’re treated like cattle. But there may be another way to defeat this virus. I really enjoyed the magic system, the world building, & the political intrigue of this world. The treatment of women in this world made me feel so many emotions. The characters were multifaceted & felt realistic. Overall, I really enjoyed this read! My only critique would be that sometimes the pacing felt inconsistent- the beginning & end of the story was quite fast paced, while the middle portion was on the slow side. Still loved the story & I’m so excited to see what happens in book 2!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley & the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this first book in a new and interesting fantasy series! It was a slow burn story, but the interesting characters and qworld building kept my attention! I really enjoyed the romance and chemistry between Nara and the wrangler! I can't wait to read the next book and see what happens!

I read another review that said this is going to be a series, and for that I am grateful. While not the most perfect debut, this series has a lot of potential. While I didn't love all of the references to religion, I found the characters and the writing style to be quite interesting. I look forward to what this author has to offer in the future!

This book is written from Nara's point of view. It follows Nara and her twin sister Osha and their privileged life of being unbranded and pure. Until one day everything changes and turns their world upside down.
I absolutely loved Nara. She is witty, sassy and strong. The banter between her and the Wrangler was brilliant and had me laughing. The world building and descriptions were perfect and easy to imagine. The whole story was beautifully written and I can't wait for the next installment.
I switched between reading both the book and audio. The audio is perfectly narrated and portrayed Nara as I thought she would sound. The narrator got Nara's wit and sarcasm spot on.
I would highly recommend to anyone who loves fantasy, or if you are wanting to dip your toes into the genre. Not there's not too much in the way of details or characters to make you feel lost as is the case in high end fantasy, and is very easy to follow.

Thank you to Netgalley, Angry Robot, Bolinda Audio and Jo Riccioni for this ARC and Audio in exchange for an honest review

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher (through the Netgalley website) in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Angry Robots for providing me with this copy!

My overall rating would be 3.5*, and I recommend this book for fans of dystopia or YA fantasy who are looking for a fast-paced and engaging read.

The Branded is relatively short compared to other fantasies I read, and was a quick and fun read, a good refresher between longer books in series I have been enjoying. Overall, the plot was interesting and the world-building was done well, yet this didn't make a 4* for me as some of the characters felt too one-dimensional. There also were times when reading this that I felt the story was too rushed, and could have benefitted from being more drawn out to fully flesh out the plot. My standards for fantasy at this point are very high, though, and I think that this book is definitely a good choice for anyone looking to get into fantasy, or who just wants an action-filled and quick read.

Thank you again to Angry Robots for the free copy!

5/5 ⭐️
Spiciness: 1/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot Publishing for the opportunity to review this ARC ebook.

This book is the first of a fantasy romance duology, and let me tell you, I could not put it down. The world building definitely starts out heavy, but I was transported to a new world and I absolutely loved it.

General Tropes/Themes:
- First person POV
- Strong female main character
- Banter/tension
- Unique magic system
- Twists and turns

I devoured this book and just could not put it down. The character development, the tension, the world created… It was just very well done and beautifully written. I cannot wait to read book 2.

This book made me laugh, made me cry, made me fall in and out of love and feel things I didn't even know I could. The social commentaries around gender, race and class are beautifully incorporated, thought-provoking and weaved perfectly into the story; driving it rather than overshadowing it.

The characters are flawed and relatable and feel so real it's like they jump from the pages to reel you in. The way Riccioni slowly builds their relationships, with as much focus on the familial and platonic relationships with "side" characters as there is on the romantic relationship, is nothing short of masterful. Every single character is beautifully fleshed out, with their own purposes, motives, strengths, weaknesses and flaws. Each one is moving and leaves you craving to know more about them and what drives them.

The world building is exquisite and drives the plot and politics perfectly. The description of Nara's surroundings are perfect, pulling you right into the World. You're given just enough information about the history to pique your interest, but the first person perspective of a teenage girl still finding her way in the World leaves you yearning to unravel more.

The enemies-to-lovers relationship is so well executed. It's natural, never rushed, and the slow-burn is exquisitely tantalising as Nara battles with trust, betrayal and obscured motives as she falls. But the true love story in this book is between Nara and Osha. There is no love quite like that shared between two sisters. It is unrelenting, unbreakable and a force to be reckoned with. The Branded plays with this theme so well, throwing so many trials and hurdles at the two girls and allowing their love to shine through it all; a beacon in an otherwise hopeless situation, there is nothing either of them wouldn't do for the other.

This book is a work of art, and I need the next one yesterday. Even the acknowledgments made me cry.

I think the big problem with some of the great books is that they don't have the hook. Unfortunately, it is necessary to have a perfect hook so readers can give your book a chance. I'm saying this because readers may not give it the chance it deserves, and in my opinion, it deserves a chance! The concept can be summed up as a fantasy Handmaiden tale, and while what we discover is simple without much room for nuance, it does send the message across quite well. It's not something you've never seen before, but it's not mediocre and is actually done well. Even the annoying love triangle did not bother me, and while it's painfully slow, it's ultimately satisfying in the last half. So, if you plod through the slower section, you'll get a rewarding story.

I really enjoyed this book! It did take me a little bit to get into the story in the beginning and I did think about quitting at one point but I am very glad I stuck through! I was a little disappointed in the romance aspect, it was super slow. I also found the main character to be extremely annoying which made the book a little rough for me.

This book was a 4 star read for me. The plot was amazing, the story is lovely. The author is fantastic

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Angry Robot Books, the author Jo Riccioni for an advanced reader’s copy of the book The Branded in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. There will be no spoilers.

The Branded by Jo Riccioni is a science fiction fantasy that divides into the topics of class and gender in the complex world with the book. The world building that has been created and described in the book are excellent and give the reader a front row seat to the adventure of Nara and Osha. Nara and Osha are orphaned twin girls that hold a great deal of value for the future in the citadel. I believe that Jo Riccioni has a very good story that will be concluded in the next installment of the series.

An amazing and harsh fantasy I want more of. I could have done without 50% of the swearing, there are ways the hero could have expressed her anger and frustration without the language. I also would have liked Osha’s perspective.