The Branded - by Jo Riccioni (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"A rich and thought-provoking tale. Riccioni explores a world of distorted matriarchal structure, where fertility is a commodity. I was biting my nails the entire time. A beautifully crafted high fantasy world with a heroine that speaks to my heart and sometimes breaks it."
- Stacey McEwan author Ledge

"An outstanding fantasy debut, evocative and thought-provoking. Jo Riccioni combines a poet's touch with the skill of a true storyteller, making The Branded a compelling read."
- Juliet Marillier, author of the Sevenwaters and Warrior Bards series.

"The Branded is a timely and passionate adventure, a story for today's women, for those who refuse to back down. With a vivid setting, and a tough and sassy female lead, Riccioni has tapped into the very pulse of the female empowerment movement."
- Bronwyn Eley, author of The Relic Trilogy

About the Author

Jo Riccioni graduated with a Masters in Medieval Literature from Leeds University, where her studies included Icelandic saga and the Arthurian and Robin Hood legends. Her short stories have won awards in the UK and Australia and have been anthologised in Best Australian Stories. Her story, Can't Take the Country out of the Boy, was optioned for film. Jo's first novel, The Italians at Cleat's Corner Store, won the International Rubery Award for fiction and was long-listed for the New Angle Prize in the UK. She lives in Sydney's Northern Beaches, an adopted Aussie with one foot still in the snow.