Review: Branded by Katie Hamstead

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

I have just finished Branded and have to say: wow. This book has quickly joined my favourites list.

Branded tells the story of Ali, a woman on the run. She’s hunted, but not your typical damsel in distress, and I fell in love with her as a heroine.

I liked that there was what I considered to be the perfect amount of romance in this book. It added to the story without becoming the story, flavouring it perfectly and letting us see a vulnerable side of Ali.

I won’t give away too much of the plot, but this was book was full of action and adventure, and kept my hand firmly fixed on the ‘page turn’ button throughout the entire read. It was so easy to devour and I really think it’s testament to Hamstead’s skill as an author that she can so easily depart from usual ancient historical style and fall straight into this contemporary story of one woman’s war against a major badass.

5 stars