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....
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Nov 22, 2011
Myvampfiction
rated it: 
review by Megsly
*Warning: possible spoilers ahead.*
Branded follows 20-year old Jessica Bailey, who is a teenage run away who never sleeps. She can usually reach almost 100 hours with no sleep before her body starts caving in on her. The reason she doesn't sleep is because she has night terrors, extreme night terrors. In her dreams, she finds herself locked in a room, awaiting trial. An angel she calls Adam, with gray eyes (which is apparently indicative of whether or not More...
*Warning: possible spoilers ahead.*
Branded follows 20-year old Jessica Bailey, who is a teenage run away who never sleeps. She can usually reach almost 100 hours with no sleep before her body starts caving in on her. The reason she doesn't sleep is because she has night terrors, extreme night terrors. In her dreams, she finds herself locked in a room, awaiting trial. An angel she calls Adam, with gray eyes (which is apparently indicative of whether or not More...
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Mar 14, 2011
Elle
rated it: 
The story and the characters definitely kept me reading.
I purchased this book on a whim--I love to read the work of local authors and jumped at the chance to help support a local up-and-coming when I saw this book at a bookstore near my office, in Seattle. I read every day on my way to and from work on public transit, and sometimes, while reading this book, I'd almost forget where I was! Once, I almost missed my stop!
The story is compelling, the scenery and set-build More...
I purchased this book on a whim--I love to read the work of local authors and jumped at the chance to help support a local up-and-coming when I saw this book at a bookstore near my office, in Seattle. I read every day on my way to and from work on public transit, and sometimes, while reading this book, I'd almost forget where I was! Once, I almost missed my stop!
The story is compelling, the scenery and set-build More...
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Feb 15, 2012
Katinki
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I'd like to give this more than 2 stars, but I can't see it when I compare this book to some of the other "angel" books I've read.
Basic premise is that Jessica has been haunted by terrible nightmares since a young age. Her nightmares are really more than that, however. In them she stands trial before a panel of angels on the behalf of others, and upon their decision, she suffers the pain of these souls' ascension or worse, damnation. Oh, and she wakes up with proof of it. More...
Basic premise is that Jessica has been haunted by terrible nightmares since a young age. Her nightmares are really more than that, however. In them she stands trial before a panel of angels on the behalf of others, and upon their decision, she suffers the pain of these souls' ascension or worse, damnation. Oh, and she wakes up with proof of it. More...
Dec 18, 2011
Tegan
rated it: 
Yeah I read it over summer. I liked it, even do the book has it flaws.
*Here is the spoiler I wrote in Croatian, times ago.
<spoiler>Jednog lijepog sparnog dana, ja krenula prekopavati flickr za radovima fanova za Hunger Games. I došla ja do jedne darovite cure koja je napravila prelijepi kolaž sa citatom knjige Branded od Keray Taylor. Citat je predivan (iako se nalazi na kraju knjige) a mene je zanimala knjiga zbog činjenice jer je cura napisala da knjga ima svojih mana a More...
*Here is the spoiler I wrote in Croatian, times ago.
<spoiler>Jednog lijepog sparnog dana, ja krenula prekopavati flickr za radovima fanova za Hunger Games. I došla ja do jedne darovite cure koja je napravila prelijepi kolaž sa citatom knjige Branded od Keray Taylor. Citat je predivan (iako se nalazi na kraju knjige) a mene je zanimala knjiga zbog činjenice jer je cura napisala da knjga ima svojih mana a More...
Jul 13, 2011
Etough
rated it:
So I did enjoy the story in this book, but I am not sure I liked how it was executed. The idea was fantastic and very original. I am not sure if this was the writer's first book, but the flow of the book was off. There was so much build up and not enough character development to fill the pages. While I liked there characters in the book okay...I didn't feel like I knew enough about them to love them. There was so much room to get you emotionally involved with the characters but since you didn
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Jun 09, 2011
Annie
rated it: 
The Good:
Branded has a very interesting premise: angels are not the glorified beings they're hyped as. Instead, they are the cause for the main character's torment. Neat.
The story line is decent as well. It kept me guessing until the end. It's not all that predictable (except for the romance bit) and the author keeps some semblance of suspense up until the very end.
The Bad:
For one thing, the ending seems very rushed. Taylor manages to cram the entire resolution of t More...
Branded has a very interesting premise: angels are not the glorified beings they're hyped as. Instead, they are the cause for the main character's torment. Neat.
The story line is decent as well. It kept me guessing until the end. It's not all that predictable (except for the romance bit) and the author keeps some semblance of suspense up until the very end.
The Bad:
For one thing, the ending seems very rushed. Taylor manages to cram the entire resolution of t More...
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Dec 01, 2010
Novels On The Run
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MICHELLE'S REVIEW:
I shall start by saying, why has no publisher picked this book up yet???!!!! I was looking around Smashwords trying to find myself some reads and I came across 'Branded' , so glad I did:D
What a refreshingly original story. I would have read it in one sitting if I hadn't been sitting at my computer on my not so comfy chair. Started last night, finished short while ago.
There are in my personal opinion a few little things that need to be tweaked More...
I shall start by saying, why has no publisher picked this book up yet???!!!! I was looking around Smashwords trying to find myself some reads and I came across 'Branded' , so glad I did:D
What a refreshingly original story. I would have read it in one sitting if I hadn't been sitting at my computer on my not so comfy chair. Started last night, finished short while ago.
There are in my personal opinion a few little things that need to be tweaked More...
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Nov 09, 2011
Maureen
rated it:
This is a fantastic series! It is very original, frightening and captivating! I love stories with angels in them, wether good or bad. This is a story of survival, love and loyalty! The life this poor girl (Jessica) leads is only a half life. She never wants to fall asleep and will do anything to stay awake. When she does fall asleep she is carried away to the judgement of someone who has passed and she takes the branding for them. She is scarred physically and emotionaly from this experience. Sh
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Aug 03, 2011
Libbie
rated it:
I really wanted to like this story and for the most part, I did, but the worldbuilding was a little hard to follow at times.
I mean, I understood that Jessica is taken to some form of judgement chamber in the afterlife in place of the recently departed.
Sounds simple enough - but none on the council (exhalted or condemned) seem to know this.
Spoilers from this point on...
What didn't make sense (apart from the fact that it make More...
I mean, I understood that Jessica is taken to some form of judgement chamber in the afterlife in place of the recently departed.
Sounds simple enough - but none on the council (exhalted or condemned) seem to know this.
Spoilers from this point on...
What didn't make sense (apart from the fact that it make More...
Dec 04, 2010
Melissa (i swim for oceans)
rated it:
Branded follows the story of Jessica, terrified to sleep because when she does, she's judged. She stands trial before the angels, both good and bad, for the souls of the dead. She's lived this life since she was five, and she was eventually committed by her own mother because her parents couldn't deal with her problems. Independent and afraid of opening up, Jessica knows she must eventually sleep, and when she does, she'll be judged again and face the branding of the angels.
Holy origin More...
Holy origin More...
Jul 30, 2010
Eleni ( La Femme Readers )
rated it:
Branded: Fall of Angels was a thrilling and unique novel. The refreshing quality in the storyline surpassed any Angel stereotype I've read so far. Jessica, the main character, was an empowering, strong-willed figure who had high tolerance for difficult situations. Every night she dreamed about vengeful angels who decided her fate on wrongful crimes. The punishment for her "crimes" were either to brand and condemn her to hell or send her above. The whole visualization of the trial was
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Dec 05, 2011
Tammy
rated it:
I give this book 5 STARS + about 200 more!! This books / story is unlike anything I have read before. It amazes me how the author pulls you into every detail without you realizing until your in the middle of it. Gut wrenching, holding your breath, and anticipating every page. I am amazed at how this authors imagination works. It inspires the reader as you go along.
This story goes beyond any other Ive read before about angels. Dreams are very real and angels are not always the good guy. W More...
This story goes beyond any other Ive read before about angels. Dreams are very real and angels are not always the good guy. W More...
Jun 28, 2011
Julie
rated it:
I really, really wanted to like this book. I loved the premise as it was a very original idea. And I will read anything with angels in it, so I was really looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, I did not love it. Oh, I liked it well enough, but it definitely was not a must-read, can't put it down kind of book, and that's what I was really wanting it to be. Jessica was always barely dragging herself through everything, and Cole was so obviously the bag guy, it felt a little bit forc
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Feb 09, 2012
Samantha
rated it:
It was only .99 cents for the kindle edition, so I figured, why not? I'm poor right now anyway. I'll keep everyone posted on how it is!
***Updated***
Ok so, this is a really great book if you like YA fantasy. It's super easy to get into and I'm totally hooked on the story now. I wanted to give it a 4.5 star rating (really goodreads, get with it! We want half ratings too!) but it just wasn't one of my absolute favorites to give it 5. Oh and I'm totally in love with Alex. I'm More...
***Updated***
Ok so, this is a really great book if you like YA fantasy. It's super easy to get into and I'm totally hooked on the story now. I wanted to give it a 4.5 star rating (really goodreads, get with it! We want half ratings too!) but it just wasn't one of my absolute favorites to give it 5. Oh and I'm totally in love with Alex. I'm More...
Apr 06, 2010
Andrea
rated it:
This was such an interesting story. The main character avoids sleep as often as possible, because when she falls asleep her dreams are of people getting judged. She started the dreams when she was five or so, and they're terrifying, especially for those who are condemned. The condemned receive a brand on the back of their necks, and when Jessica wakes she has the brand, and a brand of wings (which angels, good and bad all receive after their judgment).
I've never really gone with t More...
I've never really gone with t More...
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Mar 03, 2011
Dani (Voguedotcom)
rated it:
If I could give this 4.5 stars, I think that would be a more appropriate rating. I really enjoyed reading this book, but there were a few little niggles that prevent me from giving it a full 5 stars. One of the so-called 'twists' in the plot was honestly, blindingly obvious and I saw it coming well before I was half way through the novel, but apart from that the story line was good. There was also one occasion where a passage was almost repeated - a part of the storyline that had been mentioned
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Nov 20, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
After searching through all the books amazon suggested and reading only a few reviews I thought I'd give it a shot.. So glad I did!
Though ,like, with what seems every kindle book there are grammar errors, I ignore them, added plus there are far fewer in the book then in others I have read. I really liked the story how it had the angels being judgemental along with eveil. I liked the characters crazy ways and even though I so over love at first sight books, I'm glad it took half the boo More...
Though ,like, with what seems every kindle book there are grammar errors, I ignore them, added plus there are far fewer in the book then in others I have read. I really liked the story how it had the angels being judgemental along with eveil. I liked the characters crazy ways and even though I so over love at first sight books, I'm glad it took half the boo More...
Dec 11, 2011
Tami
rated it:
I really enjoyed this series. Although I can't say I LOVED it. It had great potential with the story line, but it wasn't very well written. The idea of the angels and trials and proxy's and whatnot were very intriguing, however I feel like there should have been more about the afterlife than there was. There was so much of the same, (Jessica not sleeping/having nightmares, Alex), it just kind of seemed to drag. I also kind of felt like Cole was the only character the author let us really get to
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Jun 13, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
This story is riveting. I had to leave it long enough to do some household chores or eat but I couldn't stand to put it down. The plot just moves along in a beautiful mixture of intrigue, wonderment, and discovery. I loved all the characters of this story. They were not just put on the canvas to take up space but each played an integral part to the story. The author has told a story that has a different take on angels. It was quite refreshing to see a different perspective than what is normally
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Jul 30, 2011
Erica
rated it:
I wanted to like this, really.
Premise? Original.
Characters? A little two-dimensional.
Romance? Too predictable.
Not to mention the whole "Where-did-this
creepy/hot-Cole-guy-come-from-oh-the-leader-
of-the-fallen-angels-is-missing" thing was
too obvious (and the main character remained
oblivious until just about the very end! Annoying).
I was really interested in the idea of Jess "standing in"
for those getting judged in More...
Premise? Original.
Characters? A little two-dimensional.
Romance? Too predictable.
Not to mention the whole "Where-did-this
creepy/hot-Cole-guy-come-from-oh-the-leader-
of-the-fallen-angels-is-missing" thing was
too obvious (and the main character remained
oblivious until just about the very end! Annoying).
I was really interested in the idea of Jess "standing in"
for those getting judged in More...
Nov 02, 2010
Stacy/GirlsInTheStacks.com
rated it:
A surprisingly good story about nightmares, angels and how much one is willing to sacrifice for love.
Jessica is young and a recluse of sorts who shows a kind heart towards her mentally ill neighbor. Her approach to Alex is reasonable and therefore believable. While she may think he is hot, she doesn’t throw herself at him. As far as her nightmares and her struggle not to sleep, that is pretty much the crux of the story. However, as much pain physically and emotionally she went throug More...
Jessica is young and a recluse of sorts who shows a kind heart towards her mentally ill neighbor. Her approach to Alex is reasonable and therefore believable. While she may think he is hot, she doesn’t throw herself at him. As far as her nightmares and her struggle not to sleep, that is pretty much the crux of the story. However, as much pain physically and emotionally she went throug More...
Sep 13, 2011
Alexis
rated it:
At first I didnt know if I would like this book because most of the angel books that I have read really werent the best books, but this book was a pleasant surprise. I really love how the author put a twist on the story of angels.
Every time Jessica goes to sleep she Has nightmares of angels and has to be judged by them for people who have died. When she is judge either she was branded with an X on they're neck for being condemned or she would pass on and get wings. When she wakes up t More...
Every time Jessica goes to sleep she Has nightmares of angels and has to be judged by them for people who have died. When she is judge either she was branded with an X on they're neck for being condemned or she would pass on and get wings. When she wakes up t More...
Jun 28, 2011
Hmr28
rated it:
I recently finished this author's book Eden and really, really loved it, so I thought I'd give her other work a try as well. I bought both this book and the next in the series. While I thought the concept was excellent, the terrible editing, and poor writing (drug is not the past tense of drag for heaven's sake...stop using it!!) made this book very difficult to read. I suspect this is the author's first book, and if so I can thankfully say her writing has improved greatly in her most recent boo
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Oct 31, 2011
Chlo
rated it:
I read this book because, well, I'm a sucker for angels!! I mean -- HOW HOTT??
Anyway, I have to say this was quite a normal angel book. There was a different point of view to it but all together it was quite predictable! But nonetheless I want more!!
Jessica has had nightmares forever. She dreams of the trials of dead people and sees their their judging. And when she wakes up she has a brand on the back of her neck
She has always dealt with this and has always stayed More...
Anyway, I have to say this was quite a normal angel book. There was a different point of view to it but all together it was quite predictable! But nonetheless I want more!!
Jessica has had nightmares forever. She dreams of the trials of dead people and sees their their judging. And when she wakes up she has a brand on the back of her neck
She has always dealt with this and has always stayed More...
Nov 17, 2010
Keyona
rated it:
From the Blog:
I know I know.....more angels! Angels for some reason have become the big thing in YA. Especially Fallen angels. However this sheds a whole different light on them. I wouldn't actually classify this as an "angel" book. It also has nothing to do with Fallen angels. This is a novel about love, true friendship, and right and wrong.
Main character Jessica is unlike any character I've come across. She's not what we would call "friendly" b More...
I know I know.....more angels! Angels for some reason have become the big thing in YA. Especially Fallen angels. However this sheds a whole different light on them. I wouldn't actually classify this as an "angel" book. It also has nothing to do with Fallen angels. This is a novel about love, true friendship, and right and wrong.
Main character Jessica is unlike any character I've come across. She's not what we would call "friendly" b More...
Sep 15, 2011
Mariela
rated it:
The beginning of the book was great! I really could not put my kindle down but when i got to 30% of the story, it started to be OK.I was just skimming pages . It was so predictable it was obvious that Cole was the Leader of the council from hell. Really , if she did not know that she was stupid.Then around 88% it got a little better.This book does not make you say "OMG", it has not twists , has not surprises . It was just OK. I will read book 2 since i bought it already, whenever i fe
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Dec 12, 2011
Plaama
rated it:
Имах много високи очаквания за тази книжка, които обаче за мое огромно съжаление въобще не се оправдаха. Всъщност "Branded" едвам премина границата на пълното разочарование, към не чак до там пълното разочарование, което е жалко, защото историята всъщност има много голям потенциал.
Основната идея, както и митологията, които се разглеждат в книгата са доста необичайни. Да, вярно, говорим за ангели, затова присъствието на Рая, Ада и Страшния съд са неижбежни, но хубавото е, ч More...
Основната идея, както и митологията, които се разглеждат в книгата са доста необичайни. Да, вярно, говорим за ангели, затова присъствието на Рая, Ада и Страшния съд са неижбежни, но хубавото е, ч More...
Aug 13, 2011
Alison (Winged Reviews)
rated it:
I don't really know how to sum this book up. It was sooo different to anything else I've read before. I enjoyed it but I also found the tone of it a bit depressing. Not surprising really given the circumstances surrounding Jessica's life.
This not your typical angel book. In this story the angels are to be feared. Whenever Jessica goes to sleep she has to face them. They Judge her for actions committed by others and ultimately brand her and send her to hell. She wakes up with the More...
This not your typical angel book. In this story the angels are to be feared. Whenever Jessica goes to sleep she has to face them. They Judge her for actions committed by others and ultimately brand her and send her to hell. She wakes up with the More...
Oct 04, 2011
jD
rated it:
This was a strange one in every aspect. The angel spin was unusual but creative. The love triangle was bazaar. Jessica, the heroine, was a quagmire. There were times I felt she was boarding on TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) then other times I admired her courage. Without question, the author put this girl through changes that I could have never come up with in a million years.
There is a very small cast of characters for this story. That can be risky in a full length novel. The stor More...
There is a very small cast of characters for this story. That can be risky in a full length novel. The stor More...
Oct 02, 2011
Shelly
rated it:
First off, let me say I finished...no- devoured the first two books in two days time. I was wary to start it. I mean bad angels didn't sound awesome to me but I gave it a shot and was not dissapointed.
The characters were not annoying as I find they are in alot of fantasy novels. They were relateable and caring towards one another. Their relationship was sweet and believable, no patronizing. I'm not turned on by female roles who are whiny and selfish. And the male roles are usually so arro More...
The characters were not annoying as I find they are in alot of fantasy novels. They were relateable and caring towards one another. Their relationship was sweet and believable, no patronizing. I'm not turned on by female roles who are whiny and selfish. And the male roles are usually so arro More...
