BRANDED by ABI KETNER & MISSY KALICICKI + GIVEAWAY

'Branded' is Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki's dark, dystopian novel which is, at least for me, one of the best books of the year.

The first book in the 'Sinners' series which take place around the branded with lust Lexi Hamilton.

Summary:

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. 

BLUE - LUST

ORANGE - GLUTTONY

YELLOW - GREED

BLACK - SLOTH

RED - WRATH

GREEN - ENVY

PURPLE - PRIDE

To punish the guilty, he created the Hole, a place where sinners are branded according to their sins. Sinners are forced to live a less than human existence in deplorable conditions, under the watchful eye of guards who are ready to kill anyone who steps out of line.

Now, LUST wraps around my neck like thick, blue fingers, threatening to choke the life out of me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit, and the Hole is my new home. 

Review:

At first I did not know what to expect of this novel. I knew  it was some sort of a dystopian but nothing more than that.  I was genuinely surprised by how good this books is. It has all the qualities of a gripping read. 

The story grabs you from the first page and really takes you on this adventure in the Hole. It shows this dark and depressing world where people get branded according to their sin. The plot is very captivating and  well thought-out. There is a stong, emotional impact at certain point that made me feel uncomfortable reading it on the train due to some sort of rushing feelings. I did sense some revolution, propaganda and war  themes. Also what I liked is the fact the story isn't based off  the romance. It is well-done and is unobtrusive.

You can really relate to the main characters, specifically, Lexi. She is also the most developed one. She starts with being this weak personage who then becomes this strong, young woman willing to fight. I really enjoyed that change.

The writing style is unique and seamless. The two authors have blended without any problems, whatsoever. They are descriptive and have created this not so exuberant world. They have done their job.

'Branded' is an appealing and exhilarating red which will make you feel unsure of what is going and will keep you on the edge of your seat and just when things can't get more intense you fall of the chair. The writers have done a terrific job at explaining the plot and in small, but needed details.

Did you like the book? Are you excited for the next one? Makes ure to let me know in the comments down below. 

The second book in the series - 'Hunted' comes out in the summer of 2015.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rating:

5 out of 5 stars

Bout Of Books 11.0 - Like This, Try This CHALLENGE

Hey, folks, I want to apologize for not participating yesterday's challenge.

I am now doing the "Like This, Try This" challenge.

Pretty much all you need to do is to promote a book/movie/tv show by another book/movie/tv show.

If you liked The Mortal Instruments

Then you should definitely read The Whispers Of The Fallen

I am not sure how right I am comparing the two but I think they have quite a few things in common.

What do you think? What are your suggestions for this Challenge? Make sure to tell me in the comment section down below.

Here is the original link: http://www.writingmyownfairytale.com/2014/08/21/like-this-try-this-bout-of-books-challenge/

Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Onyx
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Lux #2
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Published on: August 14th, 2012

Summary:

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems. Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

Review:

When I finished "Obsidian" I couldn't believe that it ended. It is a good thing I had the Lux: Beginnings edition with me so I started reading "Onyx" immediately afterwards. 

The book picks up right where we left off at the end of  "Obsidian". Things had changed and Daemon had decided to prove to Katy that his feelings are real and aren't just a side effect of their extra-terrestrial bond. He starts giving her presents and just adore her in front of everyone. And then Blake comes in the picture.

He looks like the normal, new boy in the town. Katy becomes his friend quickly and Daemon gets jealous. Fortunately there is no love triangle but Blake keeps secrets which might cause some problems for the "couple". 

I am not going to lie - at times Katy annoyed the hell out of me. I could understand why she felt wary and constantly rejected Daemon but, come on. I also love Katy because she's a book blogger like I am. Considering you have read "Obsidian" you'd know that Katy is a tough girl and doesn't sit around waiting to be saved. No, instead, she runs into trouble without thinking. Also I didn't expect Katy and Daemon to have so many issues to handle with. It just made the book emotionally deeper. This is where Jennifer L. Armentrout's writing shines.

She is really able to make you feel compassion or hate for someone. Also, her ability to make relate to the characters is just fascinating. By the end of the novel I wanted to punch and hug a certain character at the same time. The plot twists at the end are just MIND-BLOWING. 

One character that I missed was Dee. It's not like she wasn't in the novel but we saw more of her in "Obsidian" than here. I just miss the friendship between her and Kat. 

"Onyx" managed to recapture the awesomeness of the first book and multiplied it by 10. At some points I felt the story dragged a little but that was just a two or three times in the entire book. It was an amazing sequel and didn't let down my expectations. This is why Jennufer L. Armentrout is one my most favourite authors. If you are a fan of "Obsidian", then definitely read this book and the rest of the series. 

And last but not least I want to mention that I read both - the Bulgarian and the English version of this book. The translation was perfect. I want to thank Egmont Bulgaria so much for translating the series.

Update: Stay tuned for the Bulgarian review on August 15th 

                                                                   

                                 My rating:

                             4.5 out of 5 stars

If you liked this review you can share it and subscribe. I would be very thankful if you do.

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare - Spoiler-free review

Cassandra Clare did what she can do best – pleased her fans by writing the amazing conclusion to ‘The Mortal Instruments’ Series. It was a fascinating read.

“Okayyyyy,” Isabelle said in a low voice, “When did Brother Zachariah get hot?” 

The plot is much like the previous books – kill the bad guy, save the world. Clary and co are trying to find Sebastian who wants to rule the world by using dark shadowhunters he calls Endarkened to conquer it. The war is inevitable and lives will be lost.

‘City of Heavenly Fire’ opens with a double murder and the introduction of the new characters – the twelve-year-old Emma and her relatives. These will be the main characters in Cassandra’s new series – The Dark Artifices. During the course of the book they are folded out and you get to know them. In my opinion the author spent too much time on these characters.

If you follow Cassie on twitter, you’d know that characters we know by name will die. The first death occurs at around the one hundred page mark. Honestly, I didn’t fill such a loss when most of these characters died. I just couldn’t relate to them. Well, save for *SPOILER* Jodran and Raphael. 

“Isabelle tugged her tank top back down and glared at her brother. “You don’t knock now?”“It’s my bedroom!” Alec spluttered.” 

Throughout the novel you find out who’s been helping Sebastian and why. It was a Downworlders. That’s all I am going to say. Also you explore Sebastian’s motives for doing everything he’s doing.

Jace and Clary were annoying at the beginning of the novel. When their “fire kiss” finally happens it gets more interesting. And if you are their fan of them here’s something: they finally got together *SPOILER* as in having sex on the lakeshore together.  Malec and Sizzy too got some pagetime(not sure if that’s a thing). Even though both had very emotional moments, I was happy with how things worked out in the end.

"Should I change my Facebook status from 'it's complicated' to 'in a relationship'?" Simon said.

Isabelle screwed up her nose adorably "You have a book that's also a face?"

There were a lot of references to ‘The Infernal Devices’ and ‘The Bane Chronicles’. Now, as a person who has read neither of them but has heard a thing of two I wasn't too confused. We get to see Clary meeting Tessa and then comes quite a revelation (at least to me because I haven’t read TID. I am trying to say that there won’t be a problem reading this book without having read Cassandra’s other series. 

The entire second trilogy had set up for the epic final battle. At least I hoped it will be really epic. I was rather disappointed because the final battle between the Nephilim and the Endarkened was not as long as I hoped. But the final twist that happened when Sebastian gave Clary an ultimatum. Soon after that was the plot twist I am talking about.

“Freely we serve

Because we freely love, as in our will

To love or not; in this we stand or fall.”

To sum up, I can easily say that this is the best book of the six. It was written in Clare’s writing, which can be very descriptive. That is what I like about her work. I think she ended the series in the best way she could’ve. I am very happy with this book and I’ll probably pick up Lady Midnight when it’s released next year.

*Mark over the blank spaces to see the hidden text/ spoilers. 

                                        Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars