What do you think?
Rate this book
Rise of the Branded
Pursued into the wild by the soldiers of Ungstah, former slave Crik and the other freed Downers encounter the magical and terrifying nature of their world. They face spectral Shepherds, man-eating Rukmush, and the ancient giants of the earth. When two of their group are captured, Crik is distraught and powerless.
Meanwhile back in the city, Durgan, former Captain of the King’s Guard who allowed Crik and his friends to escape from Ungstah, is now a Downer, one of the Branded. Amid the murmurings of an uprising among the Branded, Durgan just wants to be left alone to search for his missing son. But in the process, he discovers how dark the powers of Sulfus the king truly are. Durgan must take a stand in the coming war between the Branded and the powerful armies of Sulfus.
To kill any hope of escape for the city’s Branded, the army comes after Crik and his friends to make an example of them. The answers for Durgan, Crik and freedom for all Downers lie hidden in the dark recesses of the Northern Reaches, in the treacherous places Crik and his companions are about to enter.
Meanwhile back in the city, Durgan, former Captain of the King’s Guard who allowed Crik and his friends to escape from Ungstah, is now a Downer, one of the Branded. Amid the murmurings of an uprising among the Branded, Durgan just wants to be left alone to search for his missing son. But in the process, he discovers how dark the powers of Sulfus the king truly are. Durgan must take a stand in the coming war between the Branded and the powerful armies of Sulfus.
To kill any hope of escape for the city’s Branded, the army comes after Crik and his friends to make an example of them. The answers for Durgan, Crik and freedom for all Downers lie hidden in the dark recesses of the Northern Reaches, in the treacherous places Crik and his companions are about to enter.
276 pages, Paperback
Published November 29, 2016
8 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 30, 2017
***** 5 Cranky Stars *****
This book takes off where book 1 ended with Crik and Jak and the other Downers in the group escaping from Ungstah with the help of the Avarah and Durgan the captain of the guard.
They are free but are faced with many dangers from the Rukmush, the witch's horned crows and the Kings blue guard and the ghostly Kurokah under the witch's control.
They meet and are assisted by an eccentric wizard and there is a dramatic rescue back at Ungstah.
As with book one this one enthralled me and I am anxiously awaiting book three.
In my humble opinion, this author is a master story teller and as such deserves again 5 stars for his book.
February 26, 2026
Holy cow!! I just got major chills!
April 13, 2017
Book Tour Review that I am Involved with.
Rise of the Branded Scott Keen(Scar of the Downers, #2)Publication date: November 22nd 2016Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pursued into the wild by the soldiers of Ungstah, former slave Crik and the other freed Downers encounter the magical and terrifying nature of their world. They face spectral Shepherds, man-eating Rukmush, and the ancient giants of the earth. When two of their group are captured, Crik is distraught and powerless.
Meanwhile back in the city, Durgan, former Captain of the King’s Guard who allowed Crik and his friends to escape from Ungstah, is now a Downer, one of the Branded. Amid the murmurings of an uprising among the Branded, Durgan just wants to be left alone to search for his missing son. But in the process, he discovers how dark the powers of Sulfus the king truly are. Durgan must take a stand in the coming war between the Branded and the powerful armies of Sulfus.
To kill any hope of escape for the city’s Branded, the army comes after Crik and his friends to make an example of them. The answers for Durgan, Crik and freedom for all Downers lie hidden in the dark recesses of the Northern Reaches, in the treacherous places Crik and his companions are about to enter.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble
My Review
Just like the first book I really loved the friendship between Crik and Jak, even though there more like brothers. This one had a lot of even more things happening, then the first book.
One character that is really interesting me in this book is a guy by the name of Durgan. In the first book something happened and him and his wife became a Downer, if you read the book or the description above you'll know what he did. I am really interested in what is going to happen to him and his wife.
There are so many other interesting individuals in this series. I feel really bad about things that happened to Crik in this book. I really hope things work out for both Crik and Jak in the end.
I have to say I think after this book, the next book is probably going to be pretty explosive, and very action pack. So I can't wait to find out when the next book will be available, because I will definitely be wanting to read it as soon as it's available. I really want that book in my greedy little hands right now. But I will try and be a good girl and wait, but it will definitely be hard.
I am so glad I voluntarily requested to take part in this awesome book blog tour, it was a lot of fun.
Author Bio:
Scott grew up in Black River, NY, the youngest of three children. While in law school, he realized he didn’t want to be a lawyer. So he did the practical thing – he became a writer. Now, many years later with an MFA in script and screenwriting, he is married with four daughters, two of whom he home schools.
Website / Goodreads
GIVEAWAY! a Rafflecopter giveaway
Rise of the Branded Scott Keen(Scar of the Downers, #2)Publication date: November 22nd 2016Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pursued into the wild by the soldiers of Ungstah, former slave Crik and the other freed Downers encounter the magical and terrifying nature of their world. They face spectral Shepherds, man-eating Rukmush, and the ancient giants of the earth. When two of their group are captured, Crik is distraught and powerless.
Meanwhile back in the city, Durgan, former Captain of the King’s Guard who allowed Crik and his friends to escape from Ungstah, is now a Downer, one of the Branded. Amid the murmurings of an uprising among the Branded, Durgan just wants to be left alone to search for his missing son. But in the process, he discovers how dark the powers of Sulfus the king truly are. Durgan must take a stand in the coming war between the Branded and the powerful armies of Sulfus.
To kill any hope of escape for the city’s Branded, the army comes after Crik and his friends to make an example of them. The answers for Durgan, Crik and freedom for all Downers lie hidden in the dark recesses of the Northern Reaches, in the treacherous places Crik and his companions are about to enter.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble
My Review
Just like the first book I really loved the friendship between Crik and Jak, even though there more like brothers. This one had a lot of even more things happening, then the first book.
One character that is really interesting me in this book is a guy by the name of Durgan. In the first book something happened and him and his wife became a Downer, if you read the book or the description above you'll know what he did. I am really interested in what is going to happen to him and his wife.
There are so many other interesting individuals in this series. I feel really bad about things that happened to Crik in this book. I really hope things work out for both Crik and Jak in the end.
I have to say I think after this book, the next book is probably going to be pretty explosive, and very action pack. So I can't wait to find out when the next book will be available, because I will definitely be wanting to read it as soon as it's available. I really want that book in my greedy little hands right now. But I will try and be a good girl and wait, but it will definitely be hard.
I am so glad I voluntarily requested to take part in this awesome book blog tour, it was a lot of fun.
Author Bio:
Scott grew up in Black River, NY, the youngest of three children. While in law school, he realized he didn’t want to be a lawyer. So he did the practical thing – he became a writer. Now, many years later with an MFA in script and screenwriting, he is married with four daughters, two of whom he home schools.
Website / Goodreads
GIVEAWAY! a Rafflecopter giveaway
April 13, 2018
The adventure continues.....
I’m still loving these characters and this dystopian land. I’m cheering on the downers and their friends and waiting anxiously for the next part of the tale.
I’m still loving these characters and this dystopian land. I’m cheering on the downers and their friends and waiting anxiously for the next part of the tale.
December 3, 2019
Oh my, this book, I thought the first one was intense but this one had me tired out during the day because I couldn’t put it down at night! This second book of the trilogy is full of action, danger, lands and creatures I have never fathomed could exist in the mind of a human being. The author’s imagination runs wild in Rise of the Branded as he takes the reader on an epic adventure to a climax that had me biting all my nails off. I don’t often enjoy the continuation of a story as it often falls flat of the one before it - not this time. This one kept me engaged all the way through and I did not want it to end
April 11, 2017
Reviewed on behalf of 2 Girls Who Love Books Blog
When I first started this book I wasn't so sure about the continution of the storyline. As I continued reading, I couldn't put Rise of the Branded down. This book had me completely blind to anything else around me. I was that engrossed in this book. It was full of action and adventure. A great action packed read. To fully understand the storyline you are encouraged to read the first book, Scar of the Downers.
As the Downers escape from Ungstah, Crik, Jak and the Downers are faced with more trouble. Members of the Downers are captured. What a dramatic rescue that left me sitting on the edge of my seat. There is so much more going on in this book. It was fantastic. RofB is a type of book that every page, every word can't be missed. Why? Because if you read to fast, surely you will miss something going on.
Fantastic read. I can't wait for book 3......
When I first started this book I wasn't so sure about the continution of the storyline. As I continued reading, I couldn't put Rise of the Branded down. This book had me completely blind to anything else around me. I was that engrossed in this book. It was full of action and adventure. A great action packed read. To fully understand the storyline you are encouraged to read the first book, Scar of the Downers.
As the Downers escape from Ungstah, Crik, Jak and the Downers are faced with more trouble. Members of the Downers are captured. What a dramatic rescue that left me sitting on the edge of my seat. There is so much more going on in this book. It was fantastic. RofB is a type of book that every page, every word can't be missed. Why? Because if you read to fast, surely you will miss something going on.
Fantastic read. I can't wait for book 3......
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews