The Blood Run

by Marie Cambell

There are only three rules for surviving in Stay quiet in the tunnels, or the Scottomb will get you.Always keep your eye on the border.And never participate in The Blood Run.As a soldier of the Freejian Guard, I’ve lived by those rules my entire life. Until now. My younger brother is dying from a rare nervous system disease and needs the kind of care only afforded to the highborn in Freeya. That’s why I throw my name into The Blood Run—an annual competition held by the eleven nations of Triste to mine our most precious resource—Lufarium—from deep within the heart of Blood Valley. It’s our walls, our heat, our light, and our weapons. They say that if the Scottomb don’t kill you, the elements will. But if I can return with enough Lufarium, I’ll be granted the money needed to keep Charle alive.Surviving Blood Valley isn’t the most dangerous part of The Blood Run, however. The moment the race begins, I find myself tangled in a web of secrets and lies. Because this year is different. We’re each given a specific task, and mine is to kill Triste’s number one enemy—The Phantom; king of Blood Valley—for violating the terms of the treaty he signed two-hundred years ago. My confidence about making it home alive begins to wane—until the boy from the other side of the border, Raiden, offers aid where no one else will. The deeper into the race we go, the more we uncover about the truth of The Blood Run, the energy we rely on to survive, and Raiden’s own reasons for helping me in this winner-takes-all contest. When his secrets become mine, I have no choice but to trust him—or die in the valley of monsters.

329 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 11, 2023

Reviews

[Meredith Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well you know I love a book when I devour it in under two days. I immediately fell in love with Ferrah. Who doesn’t love a strong female character. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but you will love how her relationships evolve throughout the book. Now I’m counting down the days for the next book in this amazing fantasy series.

[Sam Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t say enough good things about The Blood Run. I truly have not stopped thinking about it since I finished it. The world building, the characters, the twists and turns, all of it is truly well written.
The book starts out finding out that Ferrah lives as part of the military at Freeya. Freeya is a closed borders kingdom/community that is in a dystopian future. It is closed in with Lufarium to protect against the Scottomb which are mindless bloodthirsty creatures who can hear the smallest sounds and attack. I honestly imagine them as the “Quiet Place” creatures with milky white eyes. Ferrah and her best friend Arlakai work in the military (Freejian Guard) and are training to run in the Blood Run. The winner of the Blood Run is determined by who mines the most Lufarium in Blood Valley and hurriest back the fastest. Blood Valley is considered a poverty-ridden country with savages, wild beasts and people who only want to hurt those in Freeya. Those who wins the Blood Run receives a vast amount of money which both Arlakai and Ferrah need to save their siblings who are greatly sick. They both get into the race and shortly find that it’s not like any other of the races before and definitely not what they prepared for. They are quickly attacked by Scottomb, other contestants and citizens of Blood Valley. Ferrah is tasked also with murdering the leader of the Blood Valley, the Phantom. With the help of her childhood savior and hero, Raiden, Ferrah and Arlakai make their way to where the Phantom is. On the way there, Arlakai asks Ferrah to become his wife when they make it back as he declares he’s been in love with her for a long time. Ferrah agrees but hesitantly as she is not in love with him. She however has to then battle falling in love with Raiden. Raiden reciprocates his feelings for Ferrah which furthers complicates things for Ferrah. After Ferrah speaks with the Phantom, she finds out that her whole life was not as she expected. On top of that, the Phantom has told her that she will become his wife. She promptly declines as she would never associate herself with someone like the Phantom and all the horrors he’s accomplished. Ferrah goes back to her home only to be captured by the Freejian government and medically tortured. There is a HUGE cliffhanger that will make you craving the second book.
My favorite thing about this book was the detail. You feel like you’re Ferrah. You can see what is going on in vividness. You can feel what Lufarium does to you when you touch it. You can feel the parchedness that the Blood Valley sun and sand causes. The descriptions of each characters make an amazing detail. It so well written and vivid. It’s’ truly amazing.
The only thing I dislike about this book is that I now have to wait a year for the next one. I just want more. Especially after that cliffhanger. Very Rhysand style.
I gave this book 5 stars. It reminds me of a lot of other books and shows and even music but it’s own spin. It was all of the great parts of Hunger Games, Rhysand from ACOTAR, Casteel DaNeer in From Blood and Ash and Midnight Rain by Taylor Swift. Truly amazing.

[Tiffany Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️ARC Review⭐️

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I started this book and finished it in one sitting. I COULD NOT put it down, it's just that good. It is so well written and amazing; the world-building, the characters, all of it. I like to keep my reviews shirt so that I don't spoil anything for potential readers. The author killed me with the cliffhanger though, the only bad thing about arcs is you have to wait for the next one 😭🤣 I'm very impatient and I need the next one now! Definitely recommend 100%

[Marlanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has me intrigued from beginning to end. I couldn’t put it down and finished it within 2 days. I can’t wait for the second one to come out!