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Branded
A post-Apocalyptic Otherworld story.
Rayne and Braeden live in a world decimated by war and famine, a world where survivors take refuge in fortresses, protecting themselves against a land overrun by hybrids—the horrific results of wartime genetic modifications—and the branded—roving bands of supernatural outcasts. When Rayne exposes Braeden as a werewolf, she’s lauded as a hero. But it’s actually just the first step in their desperate bid for freedom.
Rayne and Braeden live in a world decimated by war and famine, a world where survivors take refuge in fortresses, protecting themselves against a land overrun by hybrids—the horrific results of wartime genetic modifications—and the branded—roving bands of supernatural outcasts. When Rayne exposes Braeden as a werewolf, she’s lauded as a hero. But it’s actually just the first step in their desperate bid for freedom.
38 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2013
23 people are currently reading
854 people want to read
About the author
Kelley Armstrong
302 books33.5k followersKelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.
Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.
Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
March 10, 2015
An eye-opener into what the Otherworld would have been like had the supes made their existence known to humans. Like most Dystopians, Armstrong's post-apocalyptic universe isn't a pretty one; Rayne & Braeden hatch a plan to escape the fortress only readers aren't privy to it until events are already in motion. I enjoyed how dark this short was and that for once the "devil you know" motto didn't hold true. The parallels between this novella and the WOTO series are minute, so don't expect any cameos, or new info, but I'd definitely be interested in exploring this alternate reality further if the author decides to pursue this avenue.
October 24, 2015
3.5 stars
And this is what would've happened if Balaam had gotten his way (in the last three books of the Women of the Otherworld series), and exposed the supernaturals to humans.
Not a pretty picture . . .
And this is what would've happened if Balaam had gotten his way (in the last three books of the Women of the Otherworld series), and exposed the supernaturals to humans.
Not a pretty picture . . .
October 31, 2015
Part of Led Astray: The Best of Kelley Armstrong. Post-Apocalypse. Humans hide away from the outside in fortresses... The writing feels a little dry, but it is pretty plotty and twisted for a short story. Not bad, but I did not really like the overall tone of it.
March 28, 2015
Great addition to her books!!!
I was hooked from the first sentence and can't wait for more in this world. As always Kelley Armstrong delivers the good stuff.
I was hooked from the first sentence and can't wait for more in this world. As always Kelley Armstrong delivers the good stuff.
February 1, 2016
Really enjoyed this awesome short story from Kelley Armstrong! You can find it in Shards and Ashes.
March 22, 2017
Smartest read from KA so far
Kelley Armstrong is amazing. Prolific. Genre building. But this, this short, this is the smartest story she's crafted.
It's based in a world at it's end and therefore at it's start. Werewolves, hybrids, magic, take your pick. It's a short and so the mind has to infer what else she has in store for us, because if she doesn't make this into the next Otherworld series RIGHT NOW, ,,,, well, I'll do something!
Why do I give Branded the adjective smart? I don't. It's a noun, a verb, it's what it is. KA infuses this story with the knowledge of us. She knows how and why people think and what they will do. She knows how to trick us. She knows what we want to believe about ourselves and just how much truth we will let surface. She's gooood.
Kelley Armstrong is a go-to author.......See name - buy book.
Kelley Armstrong is amazing. Prolific. Genre building. But this, this short, this is the smartest story she's crafted.
It's based in a world at it's end and therefore at it's start. Werewolves, hybrids, magic, take your pick. It's a short and so the mind has to infer what else she has in store for us, because if she doesn't make this into the next Otherworld series RIGHT NOW, ,,,, well, I'll do something!
Why do I give Branded the adjective smart? I don't. It's a noun, a verb, it's what it is. KA infuses this story with the knowledge of us. She knows how and why people think and what they will do. She knows how to trick us. She knows what we want to believe about ourselves and just how much truth we will let surface. She's gooood.
Kelley Armstrong is a go-to author.......See name - buy book.
August 2, 2018
This was a decent short story by Canadian heavy weight Kelley Armstrong. There are some tangential connections to her Otherworld series, however, you can definitely read this novella without committing to that larger series. I enjoyed this short read but was hoping for a little bit more than I ultimately got. Unfortunately this is true of many short stories.
November 27, 2017
Good start to a decent story
It was a short book which was over way too quickly for my liking as I hadn't realised that it was a short story.
It was a short book which was over way too quickly for my liking as I hadn't realised that it was a short story.
March 26, 2018
A lot of information packed in this post apocalyptic world with strong characters - very solid, intriguing story
December 9, 2018
Very cleverly written and complex for a novella. But it left me wanting more. Hopefully there will be a series, or at least a full novel, inspired by this short story.
September 9, 2021
I am really intrigued by this story. I don't think I've read anything else in this au yet.
April 21, 2023
I loved, loved, loved, loved, loved this novella. Which comes as exactly no surprise considering I love everything I have read by Kelley Armstrong. There is just something that is impossible to put down about all of her stories, and the strength of the women in her works is also completely admirable. Which, obviously, this was no exception.
I like that although this is kind of loosely based in the Otherworld series, it’s not really part of that world. It’s kind of what would happen after generations and generations of people making incredibly bad decisions. And the apocalypse / dystopian future. I love that it is showing just what can happen when prejudice and fear run rampant and destroy lives.
There is a whole lot of plotting and darkness throughout this story, and yet it is a wonderful and adorable teen romance. Even some of the plotting that in hindsight was obviously going on, wasn’t quite as obvious as in hindsight. Some of it actually took me by surprise. Always something I enjoy.
I loved this novella, and it is definitely one I’ll reread again when the urge takes me.
I like that although this is kind of loosely based in the Otherworld series, it’s not really part of that world. It’s kind of what would happen after generations and generations of people making incredibly bad decisions. And the apocalypse / dystopian future. I love that it is showing just what can happen when prejudice and fear run rampant and destroy lives.
There is a whole lot of plotting and darkness throughout this story, and yet it is a wonderful and adorable teen romance. Even some of the plotting that in hindsight was obviously going on, wasn’t quite as obvious as in hindsight. Some of it actually took me by surprise. Always something I enjoy.
I loved this novella, and it is definitely one I’ll reread again when the urge takes me.
March 26, 2015
Review first published on My Blog. Check out all my reviews there.
Post-apocalyptic, dystopian setting, what could have happened if the weres/demons/witches/vampires came out to humans and things did not go well. Humans now live in small fortresses barricaded against the things that live outside them. Resources are scarce and anyone that isn't purely human is cast out (if they are lucky) to fend for themselves. Life is hard inside the fortresses for anyone not of the top 6 families so Rayne and Braeden come up with a plan to try and make it on the outside.
Don't go looking for any of your favorite Otherworld characters in this as this isn't part of their story. This is a hypothetical time line so the world is very different. I liked the twists and turns the story took with nothing being revealed until the moment. There was only enough world building and character development to move the main plot since this was a short story but it was still an interesting read and I wouldn't mind reading more set in that world.
Post-apocalyptic, dystopian setting, what could have happened if the weres/demons/witches/vampires came out to humans and things did not go well. Humans now live in small fortresses barricaded against the things that live outside them. Resources are scarce and anyone that isn't purely human is cast out (if they are lucky) to fend for themselves. Life is hard inside the fortresses for anyone not of the top 6 families so Rayne and Braeden come up with a plan to try and make it on the outside.
Don't go looking for any of your favorite Otherworld characters in this as this isn't part of their story. This is a hypothetical time line so the world is very different. I liked the twists and turns the story took with nothing being revealed until the moment. There was only enough world building and character development to move the main plot since this was a short story but it was still an interesting read and I wouldn't mind reading more set in that world.
September 30, 2015
This short was included in the Shards & Ashes anthology. Branded was by far the best short in the anthology, as was to be expected. The story is well written and engrossing as I've come to expect from Armstrong. The world could easily be made into another series. Rayne is a great character and I love how we are not fully in on her plans. You get constant little inklings here or there that could go either way, but all along you know Rayne is being deceitful-we just don't know to what degree. Overall I really enjoyed the world created and Rayne as a character. I would love to know what happened after the short ended.
May 16, 2016
I've read this before, as part of the Shards and Ashes collection. It is very interesting and I would read a lot more about this world, but I prefer to think of it as an AU of the Otherworld series, as opposed to thinking of it as where that world is heading. (Not sure which way I'm supposed to think of it as.)
Read
June 29, 2013This is a great story set in a possible Otherworld future where supernaturals have been revealed and are ostracized after some government experiments go wrong leading to an apocalyptic future where the human race is endangered and supernaturals are outcast from human colonies to fend for themselves on the outside where creatures created by the government roam and attack.
January 4, 2014
Good for a supernatural type story. I would be interested in a follow up series or book but it wasn't good enough to make me want to start their other world series. I am not a fan of supernatural fiction usually as I find it overdone and usually blind this was surprisingly good. I would actually give it 3 1/2 stars if I could. Not the best short in the book but worth the read.
July 5, 2015
You won't stop reading.
It's impressing how Kelley Armstrong, one more time makes me not stop reading one of her books. I enjoyed the story very much, to the point that I turned the page to learn it was over!
On the other hand, I could compare the story with the ones Margaret Atwood had written, similar to Onix and Crate's saga. I loved it.
It's impressing how Kelley Armstrong, one more time makes me not stop reading one of her books. I enjoyed the story very much, to the point that I turned the page to learn it was over!
On the other hand, I could compare the story with the ones Margaret Atwood had written, similar to Onix and Crate's saga. I loved it.
April 16, 2015
A peek into the future of the Otherworld?
An interesting look into the future that may be lurking within this author's head that had me just started to get interested and then it was over.
An interesting look into the future that may be lurking within this author's head that had me just started to get interested and then it was over.
January 22, 2016
An interesting if a little bleak distopian short story about the future of her Otherworld series. I always enjoy Kelley Armstrong's writing but it made me sad that this is a possible future she sees happening for that world.
December 8, 2012
Uncorrected Proof
May 25, 2014
Second book in Shards and Ashes.
A good concept with the supernaturals, but kind of confusing and lacking details.
A good concept with the supernaturals, but kind of confusing and lacking details.
November 18, 2014
Good story ending much too soon!
Reads like the beginning of
a much longer story .. a new series beginning soon? hope so - real soon?
Reads like the beginning of
a much longer story .. a new series beginning soon? hope so - real soon?
January 17, 2015
Wish there was more
January 18, 2015
Too short
I enjoyed this but could have had a bit more detail. I also need to pay more attention to the length of the "books" I buy.
I enjoyed this but could have had a bit more detail. I also need to pay more attention to the length of the "books" I buy.
March 8, 2015
Good
so far so good. Just wish I had gotten the whole book. What i read I enjoyed more than expected
so far so good. Just wish I had gotten the whole book. What i read I enjoyed more than expected
August 22, 2019
novella from Shards & Ashes published for KINDLE as an e-chapbook novella
post-apocalyptic Otherworld story
post-apocalyptic Otherworld story
October 25, 2015
Short, non series story in Otherworld style
January 3, 2016
Liked this a lot - worked great as a short story, loved the twists. Interesting world. Would read more.
June 2, 2016
This is great. I need to know more about this world. Looks like I found my next series to read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews