Branded: Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki

Branded:  Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki
Fifty years ago The Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. He thinks the seven deadly sins are the downfall of society. To punish the guilty, he created the Hole, a place where sinners are branded on their necks according to their sins. Sinners are sent there to live a less than human existence in deplorable conditions, under the watchful eye of guards who are far from friendly and willing to kill them at any moment.Lexi Hamilton now has LUST wrapped around her neck. She's been accused of a crime she didn’t commit, and was sent to the Hole. She doesn't plan on letting them destroy her.

You know how you're always told to never judge a book by its cover…
Well I’m guilty as charged.

After having several people recommended this book I was a little skeptical about actually reading it because the cover to me was a little cheesy… Oh boy am I eating my words now. I read this book in just a few hours because I was so pulled in by it's story line. I loved the characters, how it flowed, and how different Abi and Missy really made this book. I am a serious lover of all ya/dystopian novels (borderline obsessed if you couldn't guess) and I really think this was such a different and creative spin on the dystopian world and how it could be.

The seven deadly sins is such a unique spin on this ever growing genre. In Branded "sinners" or people accused of sinning are automatically thrown into the Hole and forced to live and work there. When Lexi is accused of LUST she has the same fate as the rest. She is tattooed with a giant blue lace patterned strip around her throat. In the Hole ever color stands for something different.

Lust – blue
Gluttony – orange
Greed – yellow
Sloth – black
Wrath – red
Envy – green
Pride – purple
 
Lexi Hamilton is a character I loved. She is the perfect combination of both fierce and broken. They make it clear from the get go that she hasn't committed the crime she's accused of but where she's from it doesn't matter. Lexi is assigned her own guard, Cole. Clearly her and Cole fall in love. AND IT'S IN THE CUTEST WAY EVER!!! When her and Cole meet all he sees is her brand and treats her the way you think he would... AS A TOTAL D! He also informs her that Blues never last in the Hole. Cole, however, seems to soften and be kind to her and in such a terrible place, as a connection forms between them. She has to rely on him constantly and he literally saves her life, like all the time. As the story goes on we learn Lexi has a terrible background story. When Lexi story unfold it was really hard to read about because it's such a sad tale. She was neglected, starved, abandoned and abused. As Cole and Lexi become closer she tries to find ways she can share the "ugly" parts of herself. After a series of unfortunate events happen he discovers how she really is and the romance beginnings. Branded is a story that relies heavily on the romance, and I aint mad about it. Before I talk more about Cole I guess I should mention that relationships, of course, between guards and sinners is forbidden. So their relationship has to be kept on the DL. SWOON! Forbidden love my fav! 

Cole though... Whoosh! Even with him being a jerk at first you'll still love him. He turns out to be thoughtful, and sweet and HOT! So SO hot. The way he is always kicking butt for Lexi had me swooning all over the place. The sub characters in this book hold their own and one had me in tears (can't give out details because spoils). The setting of this story is described so well and I loved everything about it. Branded does dip a little on the dark side compared to most ya books, but it was something that I liked and it was nice to break the mundane. 

The relationships both romantic and friendly are so intense and well laid out. The thing this book really had going for it was how fast paced it was. From start to finish there is never a dull moment. There is the perfect about of twist and turn that leave you on the edge of your seat. 

Branded surprised me on so many levels and is def at the top of my favorites list. I can't freaking wait till Hunted comes out. 

10/10 Stars 
-Angela

The Retribution of Mara Dyer: Michelle Hodkins

The Retribution of Mara Dyer: Michelle Hodkins
Mara Dyer wants to believe there's more to the lies she’s been told.
There is. She doesn’t stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead.
She should. She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance.
She will now.Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer’s story.
Retribution has arrived. [book discretion taken from Good reads]

THE END IS FINALLY HERE!!! AND MRS. HODKIN DOESN'T DISAPPOINT. I had to drive like Tokyo drift and almost got in 4 accidents on the way to get this bad boy, but it was so worth it! From the moment I picked it up I knew it would be jaw dropping. I was actually D-reading it right after purchasing it... D-reading is a word I invented to explain when someone reads between stoplights. But man-o-man was that an emotional roller coaster. I'm going to break everything down for you, but try not to give out any spoils (or as little as possible)  away in the mean time. 

Everything about this book was perfect. From the book covers of this series to the unique writing style at the very end! Just perfect.

The Retribution picks up right where book two left off. Mara is still on No Name island being experimented on, Noah is still MIA, and most of the world is clueless to what is really going on. Basically someone made a sandwich and spread a whole bunch of cray-poupon all over it. This book is insane, but most importantly WE FINALLY GET ANSWERS. So I guess I should start the break-down. The characters in this book are amazing. Jamie her best friend is so much more loveable in this book. He is witty and funny and what you would hope for in a best friend. He continues to try to keep Mara in check, but still lets her run wild at the same time. We discover more about his powers (mind control), and I love that he plays a more active roll in this book. 

"taste the rainbow, bitch"  

Seriously loved Jamie's character so much. Daniel, Mara's brother is also a bigger deal in this book. He is still sweet, wise, and has his sisters back. Stella on the other hand is the character I very much disliked. Okay, I just flat out hated her. She's just too sensible for my taste. She can read minds, but refuses to really use the power especially to do evil. Stella get out of here no one wants you here!  Noah's dad of course is finally introduce as well... And that's all I'll be saying about him... Then there's Jude, DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT BIPOLAR FREAK! He is up and down left and right in this book. (side-bar: does anyone else think that Jude sounds kind of scary hot?!?! or is it just me... because ya boy despite being a freak sounds hot!)But on to the important characters MARA AND NOAH... before you say anything we all knew that Noah wasn't dead, so don't even try to say that I gave something away...

Mara has to be one of my all time favorite leading ladies. She is the definition of what people wouldn't normally like in a LL... She isn't a good girl, she isn't a hero, she isn't a nice person. She's selfish, needy, and is heavy on the insane side. I mean she actually gets off on doing what is wrong. These things are what make me love her.  Mara isn't going down without a fight and is far from scared of getting her hands dirty. She will cut your throat and not thing twice about it. 

Her character development in this book is spot on. She really comes to terms with what she is and the fact that she can't change that. She's not even sure she wants to. For those of you who are a little behind on the series, Mara is able to torture people, and make them kill themselves by just thinking it. I was so happy that Mara is finally let run wild in this book. I felt in the last two she was always being held back and we only got to see some of what she is capable of... but not in this book, you will get everything you want from her in this one.

Now on to her polar opposite MR. NOAH SHAW!!! BE STILL ME BEATING HEART!!!! Noah Shaw without a doubt is one of the all time book boyfriends. Noah isn't in this book as much as he was in previous, and that was my only complaint... THERE WASN'T ENOUGH NOAH! Then again I don't think there ever could be. Noah is still able to heal people and produce good in the world. Plus he is super super sexy in this book... Like WHOA THANK YOU BRITISH BABY JESUS HE IS FINE. He could speak french to me anytime. Like I said though it does take his character a lot longer than I would have wanted to come back into the story, but when he arrives, whoosh just grab some tissues because it gets emotional.

Noah and Mara's relationship in this book is pushed to the limits. I don't think I've ever text "OMG!!!!" so many times to Leah before. That's what I was saying 99.9% of this book. I continue to adore their love and how far they are both willing to go to be together. Michelle Hodkins take the phrase "opposites attract" to a new level.

"Do not find peace. Find passion. Find something you want to die for more than something you want to live for. "

As far as the plot/location goes it's all over the place. The characters travel from Flo-rid-a to the big apple. The story line is well written and never has you confused. I was crazy about how they didn't just stay in one spot. Every question you had from book one and two WILL be answered, and every emotion WILL be felt. The plot of this book is insane, and is very very dark. The beginning of this book had me screaming "OH MY LORD THIS BOOK IS LIKE THE MOVIE SAW!" I wont go into super details, but at one spot there's a tape recorder with a note that says "play me" and someone has to cut out another person's eye....

The story only gets crazier from there. I can't talk to much on the middle-end of this story, because it was just AMAZING! BUT AS FAR AS THE ENDING GOES... ITS ONE OF THE BEST ENDINGS TO A SERIES EVER!!! I couldn't have asked for anything better!!! The way she wrote the last few chapters was probably one of the most amazing ways possible to do so! The short poetic style paragraphs caught the mood and did so with such little words that you have no idea why you are feeling the way you do... because sometimes less is more and Hodkins captures that perfectly at the end.

I didn't think it was physically possible to die from a book but here I am typing to you from my grave! The Retribution of Mara Dyer came, saw, conquered, and lived up to it's hype. This book will have me gasping for the breath for a very long time. I'll probably have an extreme book hang over till after the new year. This book will hands down will be on the top of everyone's favorite reads for 2014/2015. 

"My name is not Mara Dyer, but my lawyer told me I had to choose something."

10/10 SEXY NOAH SHAW STARS!!!

-Angela 

Audible provided us with an audio clip for this book.
Click the link below to give a listen. 

The Retribution of Mara Dyer Audio