Jo Riccioni

The Branded

The Branded Season, Book One

Branded

An epic, high-concept speculative novel with explosive ideas around gender and class, served up with romance, conflict and quick-fire narrative pace. In a world split in two, sisters Nara & Osha may have the power to bring it back together, if they can uncover the hidden truth… A century after a virus decimated the population, Isfalk is divided into two classes: the Branded, who are vulnerable to disease, and the Pure, who are stronger and immune. Orphaned twins Nara and Osha are sequestered in the citadel, where their unbranded skin entitles them to a generous life of privilege, albeit as precious breeding stock. Nara itches to escape her confines and return to the wilds of the Fornwood where she and Osha grew up, but when the sisters are ambushed and kidnapped by Wasteland traders, they learn that life outside the safety of the Walls is brutal, and the fraught journey across the Wastelands is only the beginning. When Nara discovers she has mysterious powers linked to her uncanny hunting abilities, the sisters have no choice but to accept the help of an untrustworthy Brand known only as the Wrangler. As she grows closer to mastering the skill, and uncomfortably closer to the Wrangler, she soon discovers her new-found gifts could be the key to their escape, and the balance of power in Isfalk.

The explosive conclusion to the Branded Season duology: two sisters harness their powers to fight for the people they love. But when those powers are capable of overturning worlds, love can be an uprising. Nara and her twin sister, Osha, have escaped the Citadel and the brutality of the Wastelands to arrive in the capital of Reis, home of the wrangler. The Shadow City is rife with political power plays, complicated by rumours of a long-awaited prophecy – the coming of a Pure healer with the ability to cure the Branded. With her healing powers growing ever stronger, all eyes are on Osha. But there are those in Reis who would kill to control her gifts. If she is to protect her sister, Nara must navigate new allies and old enemies in the Shadow City. That's easier said than done when she's caught between her first love and the man who's stolen her heart but broken her trust. Worn down by lies and deception, Nara is forced to question who she truly is and what she can believe. One thing is becoming clear: she and Osha must learn to wield their powers to guard their freedom, but also to fight for what is right. With dark forces taking control across the continent, the Branded must rise to survive.

The Rising

Isfalk is divided into two classes: the Branded, who are vulnerable to disease, and the Pure, who are bigger, stronger and immune. Orphaned twins Nara and Osha are sequestered in the citadel, where their unbranded skin entitles them to a life of privilege, as precious breeding stock. Nara itches to escape her confines and return to the wilds of the Fornwood where she and her sister grew up, but when she is forced to run, she discovers there's much more at stake than her own life. The Branded are on the rise, and the girls are caught up in their prophecies. Forced to accept the help of a mysterious southern Brand known only as the Wrangler, Nara discovers the latent power lying dormant in uncanny abilities she's had since childhood. But in a world where women are traded as commodities, who can she trust in the lands beyond the Fornwood? What does the Wrangler know about her forgotten childhood? Two sisters without a past hold the weight of the future in their hands. The Branded is an epic, high-concept speculative novel with explosive ideas around gender and class, served up with romance, conflict and quick-fire narrative pace.

Jo Riccioni

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