Review for "Branded"

"Branded" is the first novel in the "Fall of Angels" series by author Keary Taylor.
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The cover is dark. A pale skinned woman stands in the darkness with her back turned to the viewer. She is pulling the dark mess of her hair away from shoulders and back revealing the raised white scars that crisscross her neck and back. You feel a sense of sadness emanating from the woman even through the pretty scroll work of the title is just above her head.  *Note* It appears that the cover has been changed since I purchased this book. The new cover is similar but much brighter.
"Branded" is told through the voice of Jessica Bailey our main character. The scene opens at night on a lakeside dock. Jessica paces struggling to stay awake. We feel her very real feel, the fear of what happens when she falls asleep. We see Jessica's obsessive-compulsive counting as a way to cope with the frightening path her life has taken. She counts the hours she'd been awake, she counts her steps as she paces, she counts the time it takes for the angels to come get her. When she sleeps Jessica is taken to an otherwordly place, a place where she is caged, bound, tortured, judged, and finally branded by magnificent beings that cruelly resemble angels.

What I liked about the book:

• Jessica is a wonderfully detailed character. I loved the addition of her obsessive-compulsive counting as a way to cope. I love how she takes care of Sal.
• Sal was also a wonderfully detailed character with a rich backstory.
• The dream scenes are perfectly detailed and feel very real.
• For the most part all of the characters act in a completely believable manner.

What I disliked:

• Unfortunately there seemed to be alot of rehashing over and over again. The author describes the same scene and the same characters repeatedly in the same manner again and again without adding anything to the story.
• There were a few proofreading errors but mostly I noticed a limited vocabulary in some areas where again the same words were repeated sometimes several times on the same page.
• No surprises. I mean come on I figured out why the leader of the condemned went missing immediately, why Sal od'ed, what was happening to Jessica as soon as she talked to her father, and what Alex had in mind that night in Seattle. I was just sitting there in limbo wondering why in the world Jessica couldn't figure out what was so obvious to me. 
• The quickly developing relationship between Alex and Jessica did seem a little unlikely.

All and all I really enjoyed 'Branded' and am looking into getting the successive books from the series. At the time of this review you can get "Branded" for free for your Kindle (with the new cover I might add). The successive books are Forsaken $3.99, Vindicated $4.99, and a standalone related novella Afterlife $1.99. If you would like to find out more information about the book and its author please visit the author's official website www.kearytaylor.com.
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4 out of 5 smilies
Recommended for those who would like a new take on angels, a plucky if troubled heroine, and an even-keeled romance. Suitable for young adults and adults alike.
Synopsis: "Jessica’s had the nightmares for as long as she can remember. Nightmares of being judged for people who have died, of being branded by the angels. Her friends and family think she’s a crazy because of it all. Yet she carries the mark of the condemned, seared into the back of her neck, and hides it and herself away from the world.
But when two men she can’t ignore enter her life everything changes, including the nightmares. The two of them couldn’t be more different. She will do anything to be with one of them. Even tell him the truth about angels, why she never sleeps, and the scar on the back of her neck. But one of the two has set events into motion what will pull her toward her own judgment and turn her into the object of her greatest fear."