Review: Branded

Title: Branded
Author: Abi Ketner & 
Publisher: Month9Books
Published: June 25th, 2014
Series: Sinners
How I Served It: e-book
How I Got It: Purchased, amazon

Summary:
"Fifty years ago The Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society. 

To punish the guilty, he created the Hole, a place where sinners are branded according to their sins. Sinners are forced to live a less than human existence in deplorable conditions, under the watchful eye of guards who are ready to kill anyone who steps out of line.

Now, LUST wraps around my neck like thick, blue fingers, threatening to choke the life out of me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit, and the Hole is my new home. 

Constant darkness. 

Brutal and savage violence. 

Excruciating pain. 

Every day is a fight for survival. 

But I won’t let them win. I will not die in the Hole. 

I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter. My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story." ---Goodreads

Review:
Once again I find myself saying that I really, really wanted to like this book.  The premise just sounded... different?  I mean, dystopian is so in right now that it's hard to find anything truly original, but the idea of people being branded with their sins and condemned to live as inferiors... it just sounded like something vaguely fresh.  And the whole 'falling for the one person you're not allowed to love' thing is the basis of nearly all of my favorite books. So, when I used that stupid '1-Click Buy' button on amazon to purchase Branded, I had pretty high hopes.  I so wanted to fall in love with this story.  I didn't expect it to be a Pulitzer Prize worthy work of life-changing fiction.  I didn't want it to be, I just wanted an escapist story filled with angst and romance and all of the ya tropes we all hate to love!