The Branded

There are all types of fantasy from the high to the low, but for some fans it can be tricky to enjoy one type or the other. For someone interested in starting to read low fantasy they may be turned off by the violence and darkness that this part of the genre emits. On the other hand, high fantasy can feel twee and dated to those used the realistic and gritty feel of low fantasy. There is a balance between the two, you can write a piece of low fantasy that still has high magic and is not too gruesome. An accessible book that will entertain fans new to fantasy, but also to those that have read it for decades. Jo Riccioni’s The Branded is part one of a duology and has the balance right. 

Sisters Nara and Osha came to the Isfalk later in life having lived in the woods until their grandmother was killed in a raid. The siblings are seen as Pure as they do not have any of the brands on their skin that belies a natural weakness. They are now part of the higher Isfalk society, but they will never truly fit in as they are from the outside and not part of the four founding families. With Nara’s thirst for adventure and an external and internal threat coming to Isfalk, will the sisters survive? 

There is a lightness of touch and sweetness to Branded that reminded me of some of the lighter fantasy out there. With its young cast and coming of age tropes, it borders on a juvenile literature feel, but the context of the story prevents this. The tale of two sisters seeking to conform in a new ‘school’ has young adult all over it, but what about the plagues that ravage the lands, the outworlders kidnapping and pillaging? It does not take long to see there is a darkness and sense of steel to the book. 

Nara personifies this steel, unwilling to conform, even if it is in her own best interest. In contrast Osha seems weak. However, as the story progresses and secrets are revealed you realise that both sisters have their own strengths, Osha is willing to sacrifice to help her sister. 

The book has an interesting magical system. People are born with strange brands that dictate how susceptible they are to illness. Society has grown up around the strong, but this leads to forced breeding. Both the pure and the banished are imprisoned in different types of prison. The story opens as it progresses, and we learn about other parts of the world; some good and some bad. 

Branded is a book that straddles both high and low fantasy well. It has young characters and magic, but also darkness. What Riccioni does is keep most of this darkness in the shadows. Low fantasy can focus on the violence and death, Branded keeps these to the side. Stop to think about what is happening off stage and anyone with an imagination can still feel disturbed by it. Young women taken, killed, or sold for breeding. Horrible, but there are few scenes that focus on these dark elements. 

What makes Branded an enjoyable novel is the pugnacious Nara who acts as the focal point of the story. She is ably supported by the likes of her sister and a couple of love interests to choose from. The book never becomes too twee or juvenile, it is not a book for fans of the very hardest fantasy books, but for a reader who enjoys character and action, without feeling too uncomfortable when reading it.