The Fiction Enthusiast: Review: Branded: Fall of Angels by Keary Taylor

Title: Branded
Series: Fall of Angels #1
Author: Keary Taylor
Available: Now
Reading Level: Young Adult

4 out of 5 Stars

Description from Goodreads:

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 puller her toward her own judgment and turn her into the object of her greatest fear.

My thoughts:

In Branded we meet Jessica. Jessica has spent most of her life suffering from nightmares starring some not so nice angels. Whenever Jessica sleeps she is forced to stand judgment for someone else’s sins. She even has scars on her back and neck from the brand they place, and the wings that painfully emerge when judgement has been made . Her family thought she was crazy and wanted to have her committed. So she ran away, and is now living a life of isolation in Washington state. She works as a caretaker for a lake front home, and the only person she considers a friend is kind of crazy neighbor, Sal. Then Alex shows up. Jessica can’t fight the draw she feel towards him, and finds herself wanting to confide all of her secrets to this beautiful boy. Then much to her surprise another man enters her life who also seems to be vying for her attention. As her nightmares begin to change from the predictability they’ve always had, she realizes life is about to get seriously complicated.

I was thoroughly impressed by Branded. The plot was gripping. The characters were likable. The bad guys were seriously bad. This book does angels like you’ve never seen them done before. The themes are darker than what I’ve experienced with other angel novels, but it worked.

I love that the author kept me guessing until the end. The last few chapters were an emotional ride, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t have me a little choked up. Keary Taylor has mad skills when it comes to making the reader channel what the characters are feeling. I actually set it down and walked away with just a few pages left. Not out of anger or frustration, but because I was way to into it. It scares my kids a little when I’m gasping and begging the book to say it isn’t so. (I hope I’m not the only one who talks to my books) The ending was not at all what I expected, and honestly I’m still not sure how I feel about how things went down (a bizarre mixture of relief and grief). I need the next book in this series like yesterday. I also have to say the editing was so much better than what I usually expect from a self-published work. Very impressive debut, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Keary Taylor on the web:

Website | Blog

More stops on the Branded tour can be found here.

Keary Taylor will be here to guest post on November 17th. Make sure you stop by and say hello.

The next book in this series is:

Forsaken: Fall of Angels #2 Available January ’11