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Run Like Hell
Starving to death in the lowest layer of the Megatropolis of New York City, Raide will do whatever it takes to survive.
When a chance encounter with her best friend ends with his murder, Raide soon finds herself risking her life to complete his last gig, all while in search of answers and vengeance.
But with corporate mercenaries on her heels, a strange new virus mutating ordinary people into grotesque monsters, and the sinking realization that this was more than a simple contract gone sideways, Raide is soon left with two options:
Lie down and die or run like hell.
When a chance encounter with her best friend ends with his murder, Raide soon finds herself risking her life to complete his last gig, all while in search of answers and vengeance.
But with corporate mercenaries on her heels, a strange new virus mutating ordinary people into grotesque monsters, and the sinking realization that this was more than a simple contract gone sideways, Raide is soon left with two options:
Lie down and die or run like hell.
348 pages, ebook
Published June 30, 2025
8 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Eira Brand
1 book15 followersWriter of Cyberpunk, Gothic Fantasy, and Horror. Tabletop RPG developer, layout designer, roller derby player.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
May 26, 2025
Did I enjoy this so much I also picked it up on Book Sirens? You bet!
In honour of this now being on NetGalley and me not being able to get enough I want to remind everyone that this awesome cyberpunk book is on the way and no-one does body mod and body horror like trans folx!
I received an ARC from the author's website for an honest review.
This was so much!
Absolute cyberpunk body horror (and euphoria) carnage!
A chance meet up with an old friend in peril for a down on their like odd jobber sends them on a helter skelter oddysey across and over a sprawling cyberpunk future that makes Fury Road look like a jog around the block with more action and nightmares than the sum of all the numbers in titles that feature the word Cyberpunk.
The story plays out across one colossal run with the protagonist's memories almost serving as side/ backstories that further flesh out the world and relationships, including an incredibly fun heist gone tits up.
It's been a long time since I read something cyberpunk that actually felt punk and wasn't just doing orientalist supercapitalism futurism, but this has it in spades!
I thoroughly enjoyed the world-building, which felt fleshed out and gritty without reading like a setting source book, which I am increasingly finding some sci-fi books tend towards. From the various vat-grown indentured designed for specific purposes and the grubby umderhive setting the book introduces, through the mercs, body mods, and sadistic body harvesters, to the jobs, roles, relationships, and monsters, the world feels so vibrantly alive and filled with potential for more adventures that I absolutely need more of!
Brand does a cracking job of presenting an instantly recognisable cyberpunk setting, but takes inspiration from the most interesting things already and creates many of her own intriguing and nightmarish elements to make a world that makes sense to the reader, but still shocks and freaks them out from time to time.
Look, I think it's been firmly established at this point that no-one does body horror like us trans folx, but Brand takes it to a new level with some of the gnarliest and wild creatures, growths, and environments that would give Cronenberg, Carpenter, and Miazaki pause. I don't know how to describe it beyond imagine if all the demons from Doom were smushed together and then threw up Caria Manor and Nurgle's Garden.
The characters feel fleshed out and I felt like I was really following the protagonist's journey, which particularly hit different because of something I won't spoil.
The action is wild and the injuries and violence are fucking brutally visceral and uncomfortable without ever feeling like lurching into Hostel territory.
This was the first full novel ebook I've read in a really long time because I struggle with reading a lot of prose on screens, but I just had to consume this book. I am praying this gets and audiobook and will be first in line to go around again and for more stories in this fucked up world.
Absolutely cracking stuff!
***
Absolutely loved this absolutely wild cyberpunk body horror (and euphoria) andrenaline nightmare that makes Fury Road look like a jog around the block.
Proper review when I have more brain.
In honour of this now being on NetGalley and me not being able to get enough I want to remind everyone that this awesome cyberpunk book is on the way and no-one does body mod and body horror like trans folx!
I received an ARC from the author's website for an honest review.
This was so much!
Absolute cyberpunk body horror (and euphoria) carnage!
A chance meet up with an old friend in peril for a down on their like odd jobber sends them on a helter skelter oddysey across and over a sprawling cyberpunk future that makes Fury Road look like a jog around the block with more action and nightmares than the sum of all the numbers in titles that feature the word Cyberpunk.
The story plays out across one colossal run with the protagonist's memories almost serving as side/ backstories that further flesh out the world and relationships, including an incredibly fun heist gone tits up.
It's been a long time since I read something cyberpunk that actually felt punk and wasn't just doing orientalist supercapitalism futurism, but this has it in spades!
I thoroughly enjoyed the world-building, which felt fleshed out and gritty without reading like a setting source book, which I am increasingly finding some sci-fi books tend towards. From the various vat-grown indentured designed for specific purposes and the grubby umderhive setting the book introduces, through the mercs, body mods, and sadistic body harvesters, to the jobs, roles, relationships, and monsters, the world feels so vibrantly alive and filled with potential for more adventures that I absolutely need more of!
Brand does a cracking job of presenting an instantly recognisable cyberpunk setting, but takes inspiration from the most interesting things already and creates many of her own intriguing and nightmarish elements to make a world that makes sense to the reader, but still shocks and freaks them out from time to time.
Look, I think it's been firmly established at this point that no-one does body horror like us trans folx, but Brand takes it to a new level with some of the gnarliest and wild creatures, growths, and environments that would give Cronenberg, Carpenter, and Miazaki pause. I don't know how to describe it beyond imagine if all the demons from Doom were smushed together and then threw up Caria Manor and Nurgle's Garden.
The characters feel fleshed out and I felt like I was really following the protagonist's journey, which particularly hit different because of something I won't spoil.
The action is wild and the injuries and violence are fucking brutally visceral and uncomfortable without ever feeling like lurching into Hostel territory.
This was the first full novel ebook I've read in a really long time because I struggle with reading a lot of prose on screens, but I just had to consume this book. I am praying this gets and audiobook and will be first in line to go around again and for more stories in this fucked up world.
Absolutely cracking stuff!
***
Absolutely loved this absolutely wild cyberpunk body horror (and euphoria) andrenaline nightmare that makes Fury Road look like a jog around the block.
Proper review when I have more brain.
March 23, 2025
(Read the ARC copy of this book, thank you for the opportunity! Now, onto the honest review)
So for me, it's been a minute since I've indulged myself into any kind of cyberpunk atmosphere, and this book really scratched that itch in my mind. I really enjoyed this book for many reasons - the world build, the characters, the casual gender exploration (as a trans person, these parts really resonated with me), among many other things.
I just found myself wishing there was more breathing room.
For a book called Run Like Hell, there sure is a lot of running like hell. The action-packed scenes were very well-written, and I'm a sucker for the body horror and gory aspects, too, but there are a few points in this story where they become a little bit too much and it's kind of hard to follow. There's a lot happening in this book, and, in my opinion, not enough space to really flesh things out properly. For example, the flashbacks towards the end of the book provided much more insight and context and potential for character growth and world building, and I really wished there were more scenes like this to give us as readers the chance to bond with the characters and the characters to bond with each other, too.
However, all this said, I really liked this book. Technically, 4 stars isn't enough to describe my feelings for this book - it's more like 4.5 stars in my mind. I don't really feel like it quite deserved 5 stars, but it's definitely close. If there's a sequel in the future, or if Brand releases any other projects, I'll absolutely check them out!
So for me, it's been a minute since I've indulged myself into any kind of cyberpunk atmosphere, and this book really scratched that itch in my mind. I really enjoyed this book for many reasons - the world build, the characters, the casual gender exploration (as a trans person, these parts really resonated with me), among many other things.
I just found myself wishing there was more breathing room.
For a book called Run Like Hell, there sure is a lot of running like hell. The action-packed scenes were very well-written, and I'm a sucker for the body horror and gory aspects, too, but there are a few points in this story where they become a little bit too much and it's kind of hard to follow. There's a lot happening in this book, and, in my opinion, not enough space to really flesh things out properly. For example, the flashbacks towards the end of the book provided much more insight and context and potential for character growth and world building, and I really wished there were more scenes like this to give us as readers the chance to bond with the characters and the characters to bond with each other, too.
However, all this said, I really liked this book. Technically, 4 stars isn't enough to describe my feelings for this book - it's more like 4.5 stars in my mind. I don't really feel like it quite deserved 5 stars, but it's definitely close. If there's a sequel in the future, or if Brand releases any other projects, I'll absolutely check them out!
December 9, 2025
This is one of the darkest, grossest books I have ever read. I loved it. The body horror was ON POINT and made me so uncomfortable in the best way possible. I had the honour of meeting the author at Dragonsteel and I’m so happy I was able to grab a signed copy of this book.
dnf
June 27, 2025Sadly, I was not able to finish this book. I really enjoyed the atmosphere in this story. It felt very real and vivid to me while reading, and the entire concept is really cool. As a fan of gory books, there was also lots of great gory violence to enjoy. The descriptions made me cringe, which is a great sign for me. Unfortunately, the actual plot and main story was very slow to unfold. It felt like I kept reading a lot, but it barely went anywhere. I just kept wanting it to get on with it. So while there were lots of things to enjoy here, I really couldn’t stay invested, and decided to put it down, at least for now.
Another issue was the formatting. There are some cool messages and hub-type updates the main character reads/checks, but these did not work on a kindle paperwhite. It simply didn’t fit my screen, even when I zoomed out as much as possible on my device. I’m unsure if that’s something that will be changed or fixed before release or if it’s a case of me reading on the wrong device. Alas, I won’t change what I’m reading on to read this.
Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the ARC.
Another issue was the formatting. There are some cool messages and hub-type updates the main character reads/checks, but these did not work on a kindle paperwhite. It simply didn’t fit my screen, even when I zoomed out as much as possible on my device. I’m unsure if that’s something that will be changed or fixed before release or if it’s a case of me reading on the wrong device. Alas, I won’t change what I’m reading on to read this.
Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the ARC.
March 23, 2025
Thank you so much to the author for this ARC copy! As promised, this is an honest review of my thoughts.
4.5 Star rounded down.
Wow, the title is not misleading with this book. Run Like Hell is a fast paced, action heavy, thrill ride of a book from start to finish. There's no shortage of all the good stuff: violence, gore, gunfights, heists, dramatic escapes, pain, and absolute angst by the end. It does not hold back (and I thank it for it.)
This novel does a LOT in a short space of time. To a degree this is a little bit of a problem in that it does give us a lot to work with and, therefore, doesn't completely go as deep into things it promises as it maybe could - BUT! (big but) it was still an immensely satisfying read from start to end. I was certainly never bored. My only critique is that sometimes the scenes could use a little breathing space, to give us more time to bond with Raide and Eshe in particular.
One thing I really REALLY loved about this book was how it handled the themes of identity and gender. Raide's gender euphoria scenes were some of the most joyous moments that I really enjoyed seeing. I was so happy for her! I think a swap would cure me too honestly.
4.5 Star rounded down.
Wow, the title is not misleading with this book. Run Like Hell is a fast paced, action heavy, thrill ride of a book from start to finish. There's no shortage of all the good stuff: violence, gore, gunfights, heists, dramatic escapes, pain, and absolute angst by the end. It does not hold back (and I thank it for it.)
This novel does a LOT in a short space of time. To a degree this is a little bit of a problem in that it does give us a lot to work with and, therefore, doesn't completely go as deep into things it promises as it maybe could - BUT! (big but) it was still an immensely satisfying read from start to end. I was certainly never bored. My only critique is that sometimes the scenes could use a little breathing space, to give us more time to bond with Raide and Eshe in particular.
One thing I really REALLY loved about this book was how it handled the themes of identity and gender. Raide's gender euphoria scenes were some of the most joyous moments that I really enjoyed seeing. I was so happy for her! I think a swap would cure me too honestly.
Read
November 20, 2025If you're browsing for a non-stop action, gory AF cyberpunk where the title of the book is also the plot ... congratulations, you've found it. I'm not rating here because I am not the target reader for this book, it was way above my horror comfort level.
However, the writing's pacy, the world is vivid without being infodumpy, much grim body horror, and the death count is frankly epic, so if that IS your comfort level, enjoy! Do note there needs to be a sequel; it ends in a sensible place, but there's plot left to go.
However, the writing's pacy, the world is vivid without being infodumpy, much grim body horror, and the death count is frankly epic, so if that IS your comfort level, enjoy! Do note there needs to be a sequel; it ends in a sensible place, but there's plot left to go.
October 17, 2025
I'd like to thank Eira Brand, Zipline and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Run Like Hell is a queer cyberpunk action novel that follows Raide, our trans protagonist on a mission to finish a job her best friend died trying to accomplish. She lives underground in a place referred to as the Barrel, with outdoor shops and lots of violence and crime, she lives secretly in an AC Unit in the elevator shaft of a building and is trying hard to get by, and get a job. Suddenly she sees her best friend, the boy she grew up with in a gun fight on the street, one second she's eating, the next shes next to him helping him fight off the people gunning at him like time hasn't passed at all since the last time they saw each other. That's how things start and the plot completely unwinds from there, taking you through action packed twists, and even moments that might make you teary eyed.
Right away the world immerses you into a cyberpunk city with different levels, a currency you learn to understand and jobs that don't seem quite normal at first. I really love the way Brand went about Raide's transition, especially only knowing her name from other reviews, as she starts out as an unnamed character in a male body, and I really love that we never learn her deadname, so people never use it against her.
Another thing I really loved was how adventurous and violent and FAST this book was. The way the author wrote certain scenes, things would happen in seconds, but she would slow down the paragraphs to detail everything happening in those seconds. It felt like reading in slow motion, and it was described so clearly it felt like watching a movie in my head the entire time. There is so much intense technology in this book with other science fiction bits that I feel only someone super into cyberpunk and sci-fi worlds would really love those parts, otherwise they'll fade into the background for others and are just added details.
There are several characters in this book that I loved the characterizations of, and there were so many surprises in the plot that I obviously cannot mention, but make me want to scream. I cannot be normal about how great this book is. I need other people to read it so that I have people to talk about it to. It is monstrous and violent with so much body horror, that it even made me (a horror fanatic) wince. I absolutely loved it. I wish I could talk more about it without spoiling things. The way I described this book to my friends while I was reading it, was; If Death Stranding took place in an open world cyberpunk city, and the main character was trans.
The only note I have about it, is the way that things pop up on Raide's HUD screen, it doesn't show properly on the kindle, I had to switch to my NG app to read those messages in the book.
Trigger Warnings I Gathered: extreme violence, alludes to past sexual assault and attempts to SA, vomit, gun violence, death, murder, extreme body horror, dementia
Run Like Hell is a queer cyberpunk action novel that follows Raide, our trans protagonist on a mission to finish a job her best friend died trying to accomplish. She lives underground in a place referred to as the Barrel, with outdoor shops and lots of violence and crime, she lives secretly in an AC Unit in the elevator shaft of a building and is trying hard to get by, and get a job. Suddenly she sees her best friend, the boy she grew up with in a gun fight on the street, one second she's eating, the next shes next to him helping him fight off the people gunning at him like time hasn't passed at all since the last time they saw each other. That's how things start and the plot completely unwinds from there, taking you through action packed twists, and even moments that might make you teary eyed.
Right away the world immerses you into a cyberpunk city with different levels, a currency you learn to understand and jobs that don't seem quite normal at first. I really love the way Brand went about Raide's transition, especially only knowing her name from other reviews, as she starts out as an unnamed character in a male body, and I really love that we never learn her deadname, so people never use it against her.
Another thing I really loved was how adventurous and violent and FAST this book was. The way the author wrote certain scenes, things would happen in seconds, but she would slow down the paragraphs to detail everything happening in those seconds. It felt like reading in slow motion, and it was described so clearly it felt like watching a movie in my head the entire time. There is so much intense technology in this book with other science fiction bits that I feel only someone super into cyberpunk and sci-fi worlds would really love those parts, otherwise they'll fade into the background for others and are just added details.
There are several characters in this book that I loved the characterizations of, and there were so many surprises in the plot that I obviously cannot mention, but make me want to scream. I cannot be normal about how great this book is. I need other people to read it so that I have people to talk about it to. It is monstrous and violent with so much body horror, that it even made me (a horror fanatic) wince. I absolutely loved it. I wish I could talk more about it without spoiling things. The way I described this book to my friends while I was reading it, was; If Death Stranding took place in an open world cyberpunk city, and the main character was trans.
The only note I have about it, is the way that things pop up on Raide's HUD screen, it doesn't show properly on the kindle, I had to switch to my NG app to read those messages in the book.
Trigger Warnings I Gathered: extreme violence, alludes to past sexual assault and attempts to SA, vomit, gun violence, death, murder, extreme body horror, dementia
June 20, 2025
There's so much to love about this book! I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and most elements of the story. Great for cyberpunk fans. I'm not a huge reader of this genre, but I liked the game Cyberpunk 2077 and this book scratched the same itch for me!
The book is not for the faint-hearted; it has some horror elements and there is quite a lot of very graphic violence. Generally it was within my comfort zone, but there were a few scenes I found quite hard to stomach, especially when the violence portrayed was sadistic rather than merely gory.
That said, the story isn't one-note. There are some heartwarming scenes, a lot of great action/chase scenes, a lot of slick cyberpunk worldbuilding etc. Throughout, the writing is generally high quality and I immediately liked the narrator and felt invested in the other characters.
I had a few quibbles, but they mostly stemmed from this being an indie work and (I assume) an early novel for the author. The pacing was a little uneven: things move VERY fast near the beginning (very fitting for the title "Run Like Hell!") and then occasionally screech to a halt or suddenly change tone/direction. The author has so many great ideas and I think some of them would have benefited from more 'breathing space'. Also, the copy-editing wasn't 100% and, a few times, I felt pulled out of the story by some typos, disjointed sentences or grammatical errors.
Again, considering this is an indie work, the above issues were negligible for me.
Overall, I'd thoroughly recommend this book! Please support this author so she can produce more great work (I got an ARC for this review, but because I enjoyed the book, I will be purchasing my own copy to do my part).
The book is not for the faint-hearted; it has some horror elements and there is quite a lot of very graphic violence. Generally it was within my comfort zone, but there were a few scenes I found quite hard to stomach, especially when the violence portrayed was sadistic rather than merely gory.
That said, the story isn't one-note. There are some heartwarming scenes, a lot of great action/chase scenes, a lot of slick cyberpunk worldbuilding etc. Throughout, the writing is generally high quality and I immediately liked the narrator and felt invested in the other characters.
I had a few quibbles, but they mostly stemmed from this being an indie work and (I assume) an early novel for the author. The pacing was a little uneven: things move VERY fast near the beginning (very fitting for the title "Run Like Hell!") and then occasionally screech to a halt or suddenly change tone/direction. The author has so many great ideas and I think some of them would have benefited from more 'breathing space'. Also, the copy-editing wasn't 100% and, a few times, I felt pulled out of the story by some typos, disjointed sentences or grammatical errors.
Again, considering this is an indie work, the above issues were negligible for me.
Overall, I'd thoroughly recommend this book! Please support this author so she can produce more great work (I got an ARC for this review, but because I enjoyed the book, I will be purchasing my own copy to do my part).
June 21, 2025
Review based on the ARC!
This gory and adrenaline-fueled cyberpunk is not for the faint of heart (which is to say, too intense for my own squishy emotional self), but that makes it exquisitely effective at what it's trying to be: an exposé of the senseless brutality of our society as driven by greed, desperation, hubris, and the lust for power. It dives deep into the mire of class and economic disparity, ponders the nature of the self, identity, and gender when it is no longer tied to a single natural-born body. If you've got the stomach for horrific and gratuitous violence and some truly gnarly body horror, this book is sure to take you by the throat and drag you unflinchingly from bloody start to bloody finish.
This gory and adrenaline-fueled cyberpunk is not for the faint of heart (which is to say, too intense for my own squishy emotional self), but that makes it exquisitely effective at what it's trying to be: an exposé of the senseless brutality of our society as driven by greed, desperation, hubris, and the lust for power. It dives deep into the mire of class and economic disparity, ponders the nature of the self, identity, and gender when it is no longer tied to a single natural-born body. If you've got the stomach for horrific and gratuitous violence and some truly gnarly body horror, this book is sure to take you by the throat and drag you unflinchingly from bloody start to bloody finish.
August 1, 2025
Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
In this cyberpunk novel Raide’s life changes quicky when a childhood friend is blown apart and corporate goons start tearing through the apartment block Raide lives in. Faced with the choice to either let his death be in vain or take over the run, Raide soon finds that there are more enemies out there than expected, from corporate security, creepy body harvesters looking for new prosthetics and actual monsters. But maybe Raide can also find some old and new allies and somehow make this run.
This novel really delves deep into some of the most intriguing aspects of cyberpunk, mainly an exploration of identity and personhood in a world ruined by greed as well as how far you’d be willing to go for the ones you love. Set in a world where complete body swaps are possible, technology interfaces with the body are commonplace (but still expensive), the poor live in slums separated from the rich via elevators that are too expensive for most people to access, Raide is a rather typical down-on-her luck protagonist just trying to keep her head down and survive until that’s not a possibility anymore. Once she’s on the run she not only has to run for her life, but also deal with having to switch her body (and discovering her gender along the way), the complicated (and maybe not actually her own) feelings she’s discovering for the only other friend she has left over from childhood as well as so, so many injuries.
Running is as expected not a fun or safe job and running from corporate security makes the whole thing a lot less safe. Human lives in this world only matter if the human in question was rich, everybody else is expendable. The novel manages to paint this world incredibly well, both through Raide’s own experiences as a vat-grown kid that just barely escaped from lifelong factory labor, as well as through the side characters, such as Eshe, Raide’s only remaining friend, also a mechanic with some really cool gear, or Aleksei, a tank, vat-grown for combat.
The novel really excels in its depictions of the body, partially through gruesome depictions of injury and the strain that running causes, partially through the cyborg aspects, which are necessary to exist and finally through the exploration of Raide’s gender identity, which she only discovers throughout the story. I really, really enjoyed the scenes where Raide discovers that the body swap is not only necessary for survival, but also feels right to her in ways she has been repressing for far too long. I also really enjoyed the sometimes quite gruesome descriptions of injury caused by enemy attacks or just from the strain of the physical feats Raide performs throughout this book.
I also really enjoyed that while the story moves very fast for the most part, there are also always some short interludes that are more calm, allowing for character development and introspection along the way, before the pace picks up again. I also really enjoyed the world building and especially the monster design was really cool (and scary).
All in all, I really enjoyed this story, the characters, the world building as well as the pace it was told in and had a really fun time reading this!
TW: amputation, loss of bodily autonomy, past csa, dysphoria, gore, past incestuous abuse, graphic injury, murder, attempted sexual assault, violence
In this cyberpunk novel Raide’s life changes quicky when a childhood friend is blown apart and corporate goons start tearing through the apartment block Raide lives in. Faced with the choice to either let his death be in vain or take over the run, Raide soon finds that there are more enemies out there than expected, from corporate security, creepy body harvesters looking for new prosthetics and actual monsters. But maybe Raide can also find some old and new allies and somehow make this run.
This novel really delves deep into some of the most intriguing aspects of cyberpunk, mainly an exploration of identity and personhood in a world ruined by greed as well as how far you’d be willing to go for the ones you love. Set in a world where complete body swaps are possible, technology interfaces with the body are commonplace (but still expensive), the poor live in slums separated from the rich via elevators that are too expensive for most people to access, Raide is a rather typical down-on-her luck protagonist just trying to keep her head down and survive until that’s not a possibility anymore. Once she’s on the run she not only has to run for her life, but also deal with having to switch her body (and discovering her gender along the way), the complicated (and maybe not actually her own) feelings she’s discovering for the only other friend she has left over from childhood as well as so, so many injuries.
Running is as expected not a fun or safe job and running from corporate security makes the whole thing a lot less safe. Human lives in this world only matter if the human in question was rich, everybody else is expendable. The novel manages to paint this world incredibly well, both through Raide’s own experiences as a vat-grown kid that just barely escaped from lifelong factory labor, as well as through the side characters, such as Eshe, Raide’s only remaining friend, also a mechanic with some really cool gear, or Aleksei, a tank, vat-grown for combat.
The novel really excels in its depictions of the body, partially through gruesome depictions of injury and the strain that running causes, partially through the cyborg aspects, which are necessary to exist and finally through the exploration of Raide’s gender identity, which she only discovers throughout the story. I really, really enjoyed the scenes where Raide discovers that the body swap is not only necessary for survival, but also feels right to her in ways she has been repressing for far too long. I also really enjoyed the sometimes quite gruesome descriptions of injury caused by enemy attacks or just from the strain of the physical feats Raide performs throughout this book.
I also really enjoyed that while the story moves very fast for the most part, there are also always some short interludes that are more calm, allowing for character development and introspection along the way, before the pace picks up again. I also really enjoyed the world building and especially the monster design was really cool (and scary).
All in all, I really enjoyed this story, the characters, the world building as well as the pace it was told in and had a really fun time reading this!
TW: amputation, loss of bodily autonomy, past csa, dysphoria, gore, past incestuous abuse, graphic injury, murder, attempted sexual assault, violence
May 20, 2025
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This book tries to do it all, and I think that’s my main issue with it because it was really hard to follow most of the way through. It’s a shame because all of the themes and genres were great, but they’d do better individually, in a story where there’s enough time to properly explore and explain all of them, without overwhelming the readers. Nonetheless, I have to admit that some of it came together nicely in the end. I just don’t think it was worth all of the confusion leading up to it.
Regarding the writing, although it got better as the story progressed, I found it to be, in the beginning, « telling instead of showing », or trying to avoid it by shoving the info into conversations that felt unnatural and stilted as a result. There was a lot of descriptions, which is nice because it allows the reader to be completely immersed in the book’s universe, but it also tends to drown out some of the more important information, which is mentioned in the same way as the details. Also, quite a few sentences that in my opinion should have a verb had none, leading me to believe it’s a conscious stylistic choice, and it just doesn’t work.
There were also some plot holes and incoherences but nothing major enough to throw me off.
Now, onto the positive aspects!
First of all, because it made me so happy, the LGBTQIA+ representation is on point! Queerness and queer characters are mentioned casually (notably, a non-binary character and a lesbian maybe-relationship) and with respect, which is always so heartwarming. Of course, I’m not forgetting about the way gender euphoria and gender dysphoria were described, which I just adored. It was raw and realistic and refreshing in a world where trans rep is rare and even more rarely accurate.
I also loved the body horror—well, maybe not loved because it did his job and grossed me out, but it was fantastic. I thought it was quite original, and the descriptions made me imagine it vividly. Similarly, injuries were explained thoroughly and they had actually had consequences (not a lot, but still).
It was a nice approach to a futuristic world although some facets of it weren’t as fleshed out as they could have been, but I’m holding hope that a future book will clarify some more things!
My favourite part of the book was without a doubt the ending so I’m glad I finished it. That’s partly because of the unexpected “twist”, but mostly because that’s when I connected most with the main (and side) character(s). They felt the most human then, I think.
This book tries to do it all, and I think that’s my main issue with it because it was really hard to follow most of the way through. It’s a shame because all of the themes and genres were great, but they’d do better individually, in a story where there’s enough time to properly explore and explain all of them, without overwhelming the readers. Nonetheless, I have to admit that some of it came together nicely in the end. I just don’t think it was worth all of the confusion leading up to it.
Regarding the writing, although it got better as the story progressed, I found it to be, in the beginning, « telling instead of showing », or trying to avoid it by shoving the info into conversations that felt unnatural and stilted as a result. There was a lot of descriptions, which is nice because it allows the reader to be completely immersed in the book’s universe, but it also tends to drown out some of the more important information, which is mentioned in the same way as the details. Also, quite a few sentences that in my opinion should have a verb had none, leading me to believe it’s a conscious stylistic choice, and it just doesn’t work.
There were also some plot holes and incoherences but nothing major enough to throw me off.
Now, onto the positive aspects!
First of all, because it made me so happy, the LGBTQIA+ representation is on point! Queerness and queer characters are mentioned casually (notably, a non-binary character and a lesbian maybe-relationship) and with respect, which is always so heartwarming. Of course, I’m not forgetting about the way gender euphoria and gender dysphoria were described, which I just adored. It was raw and realistic and refreshing in a world where trans rep is rare and even more rarely accurate.
I also loved the body horror—well, maybe not loved because it did his job and grossed me out, but it was fantastic. I thought it was quite original, and the descriptions made me imagine it vividly. Similarly, injuries were explained thoroughly and they had actually had consequences (not a lot, but still).
It was a nice approach to a futuristic world although some facets of it weren’t as fleshed out as they could have been, but I’m holding hope that a future book will clarify some more things!
My favourite part of the book was without a doubt the ending so I’m glad I finished it. That’s partly because of the unexpected “twist”, but mostly because that’s when I connected most with the main (and side) character(s). They felt the most human then, I think.
May 28, 2025
Thank you to both NetGalley and the authors own website for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I feel that any extensive summary of this book I could personally create would fail either in conciseness or by spoiling some major plot points, so to summaries to its barest parts, 'Run Like Hell' follows Trans FMC Raine, who's tasked to complete the last job of her best friend and fellow runner, Mahdi. The mission itself is clouded in mystery; Raine doesn't know what the delivery is or where its going, nor why whatever she's carrying seems to come with extra baggage in the form of multiple highly modified soldiers trying to get it back. All Raine does know is that Mahdi died for this, and she will not let it be in vain. Followed by the introduction of some very interesting and colorful side characters, as well as a LOT of fighting and physical trauma, Raine has her work cut out for herself from the very beginning of the story.
The mass of positive qualities that RHL has is enormous, and with every addition I was pulled more thoroughly into the story's grips. Initially I was slow to getting into the book, but once the pace picked up I was helpless to not be sucked in. To start, the setting of futuristic, bottom-of-the-barrel America was a fantastically detailed, and lead to the creation of a mixture of rough, but well rounded and complex characters that I longed to know more about. Raine herself was a massive highlight too, and her real, painful struggle with identity and self- aided immensely by the Sci-Fi genre the book falls into- added a unique element to her struggles unlike anything I had read before. Finally, the horror in this story was phenomenal. Nobody does body horror quite like queer trans characters, and 'Run Like Hell' just cements that it is a genre that will forever have its grips over me.
Despite the fact that this was a truly enjoyable read personally, there are objectively a few criticisms I could see one having with this book. Due to the futuristic and scientific nature of the genre, and how far our from our reality that the setting is, at times it is very easy to get overwhelmed with all of the information that is being given to you. The country itself, its towns, the lives of the citizens, and the citizens themselves are all far from straightforward, plus with the added plot of the book, and the fact you're being thrown into the deep end along with the MC from the start, it can be a little mind boggling. That being said, most of the elements are explained at some point- even if vaguely- plus it creates a story that is in constant motion, so it never feels dull. Additionally, this book is very gruesome in its details sometimes. Although this is definitely not a bad thing to me, if you are on the more squeamish side of the spectrum, I would possibly reconsider this one, as I don't think there is more than a 5 page span where the MC isn't injured by something.
My final "criticism" of this book is the fact that it doesn't have a sequel (yet?). There are a lot of loose ends and story lines I feel are unfinished in this book, and I am sincerely HOPING it's because the author is gearing up for a second addition to this world. Though I don't feel I can fairly criticize a book on the contents (or not contents) of its sequels, I think it can be said if this stays as a standalone in the future I may reconsider how i felt about the ending- not only overall but for certain different characters- because they would feel wholly incomplete. That all being said, I'm waiting eagerly for a sequel announcement, and will be first in line to get its ARC if it ever comes.
To push to some nicher audiences, if you are a fan of any of Andrew Joseph White's books but feel like you need a step up in age rating, this is a good shout and I'd definitely recommend. Finally, if you know who 'Neil Josten' is, you may be entitled to compensation in the form of this book. (If I had a penny for every time I fell for queer red heads covered in scars who struggle with their sense of identity, family and home, and who are constantly on the run, i'd have two pennies. Which isn't a lot, but its weird that it happened twice, right?)
I feel that any extensive summary of this book I could personally create would fail either in conciseness or by spoiling some major plot points, so to summaries to its barest parts, 'Run Like Hell' follows Trans FMC Raine, who's tasked to complete the last job of her best friend and fellow runner, Mahdi. The mission itself is clouded in mystery; Raine doesn't know what the delivery is or where its going, nor why whatever she's carrying seems to come with extra baggage in the form of multiple highly modified soldiers trying to get it back. All Raine does know is that Mahdi died for this, and she will not let it be in vain. Followed by the introduction of some very interesting and colorful side characters, as well as a LOT of fighting and physical trauma, Raine has her work cut out for herself from the very beginning of the story.
The mass of positive qualities that RHL has is enormous, and with every addition I was pulled more thoroughly into the story's grips. Initially I was slow to getting into the book, but once the pace picked up I was helpless to not be sucked in. To start, the setting of futuristic, bottom-of-the-barrel America was a fantastically detailed, and lead to the creation of a mixture of rough, but well rounded and complex characters that I longed to know more about. Raine herself was a massive highlight too, and her real, painful struggle with identity and self- aided immensely by the Sci-Fi genre the book falls into- added a unique element to her struggles unlike anything I had read before. Finally, the horror in this story was phenomenal. Nobody does body horror quite like queer trans characters, and 'Run Like Hell' just cements that it is a genre that will forever have its grips over me.
Despite the fact that this was a truly enjoyable read personally, there are objectively a few criticisms I could see one having with this book. Due to the futuristic and scientific nature of the genre, and how far our from our reality that the setting is, at times it is very easy to get overwhelmed with all of the information that is being given to you. The country itself, its towns, the lives of the citizens, and the citizens themselves are all far from straightforward, plus with the added plot of the book, and the fact you're being thrown into the deep end along with the MC from the start, it can be a little mind boggling. That being said, most of the elements are explained at some point- even if vaguely- plus it creates a story that is in constant motion, so it never feels dull. Additionally, this book is very gruesome in its details sometimes. Although this is definitely not a bad thing to me, if you are on the more squeamish side of the spectrum, I would possibly reconsider this one, as I don't think there is more than a 5 page span where the MC isn't injured by something.
My final "criticism" of this book is the fact that it doesn't have a sequel (yet?). There are a lot of loose ends and story lines I feel are unfinished in this book, and I am sincerely HOPING it's because the author is gearing up for a second addition to this world. Though I don't feel I can fairly criticize a book on the contents (or not contents) of its sequels, I think it can be said if this stays as a standalone in the future I may reconsider how i felt about the ending- not only overall but for certain different characters- because they would feel wholly incomplete. That all being said, I'm waiting eagerly for a sequel announcement, and will be first in line to get its ARC if it ever comes.
To push to some nicher audiences, if you are a fan of any of Andrew Joseph White's books but feel like you need a step up in age rating, this is a good shout and I'd definitely recommend. Finally, if you know who 'Neil Josten' is, you may be entitled to compensation in the form of this book. (If I had a penny for every time I fell for queer red heads covered in scars who struggle with their sense of identity, family and home, and who are constantly on the run, i'd have two pennies. Which isn't a lot, but its weird that it happened twice, right?)
Read
January 3, 2026I am one of the judges of team Space Girls for the SPSFC5 contest. This review is my personal opinion. Officially, it is still in the running for the contest, pending any official team announcements.
Status: Yes
Read: 29%
Following the scout phase, we have yet another dystopic futuristic thriller taking place in the United States. On this occasion, a Blade Runner inspired New York City where higher apartment floors are more desirable real estate, wood is a rare commodity, and corporations seem to print semi-synthetic cyborg humans to purposely cause overpopulation. The book hints early on the impoverished protagonist Raide has ill-fitting male face implants after a nasty brawl. Which hints the person has always self-identified as either female or genderfluid with a greater insinuated preference for using female spare parts.
This society uses two currencies: some kind of crypto dollar dubbed kay when handling larger sums. I kind of assume it's similar to how Indians refer large sums of rupees as lakhs to cut down the number of zeros due to inflation. The second currency seems inspired by China's touted social credit score. Realiability working jobs affects this number. For unexplained reasons (), Raide's social credit score is abysmally bad. The early chapters seem to hint the character is truly unreliable after some hinted prior mishaps with smuggling gigs, while being too proud to work menial jobs to make ends meet.
I personally think the early chapters could have use a few more rounds of smoothing the edges because the book becomes too fixiated with the brutal action scenes while not explaining why Raide doesn't have other side jobs like scavenging. We do have a scene Raide beckons a restaurant for free food and shoplifts ramen, but no mention about Raide's acquaintances arguing Raide's poor finances are due to pride or laziness. I will make the caveat the bar scene somewhat includes this, although I feel it needed additional clarity. What I am getting is that during the later sections of the story, we get proven Raide is actually a highly reliable person at their official job and profoundly cares about their loved ones.
Another thing which is a personal pet peeve (other readers likely won't care) is that I never understood how could Raide survive so many raining bullets and endless danger without eating anything. Well, except for leftovers (that end up quickly barfed anyways) and two gifted cups of alcohol. The character hadn't eaten in two days, but Raide never shows signs of wooziness. I kept on anxiously waiting for a scene where Raide would eat at least 1 little moldy nutrition bar. Lest to say, Raide continues not eating anything at the 30%.
Once the action starts, the book becomes increasingly comfortable with this world and the writing quality improves. This is a brutal world where corp thugs can obliterate random children with no fear of suffering from terrorism charges. Nuclear single families continue oddly being the norm. As a result of extreme uncontrolled overpopulation, most people are poor and there is this clearly nihilist worldview where life isn't considered valuable. The book thought these worldbuilding elements quite well and the attitudes of people about the low value of life makes sense.
By the time the book reaches its 30% point, we are now starting to get some answers about Raide's situation, their relationship to friends, and the mess they got themselves into out of loyalty to a childhood friend. Readers that like the aforementioned dystopia oligarch cyberpunk societies intertwined with oodles of gorey violence will certainly enjoy this thriller. I am voting yes for it to continue in the competition.
Status: Yes
Read: 29%
Following the scout phase, we have yet another dystopic futuristic thriller taking place in the United States. On this occasion, a Blade Runner inspired New York City where higher apartment floors are more desirable real estate, wood is a rare commodity, and corporations seem to print semi-synthetic cyborg humans to purposely cause overpopulation. The book hints early on the impoverished protagonist Raide has ill-fitting male face implants after a nasty brawl. Which hints the person has always self-identified as either female or genderfluid with a greater insinuated preference for using female spare parts.
This society uses two currencies: some kind of crypto dollar dubbed kay when handling larger sums. I kind of assume it's similar to how Indians refer large sums of rupees as lakhs to cut down the number of zeros due to inflation. The second currency seems inspired by China's touted social credit score. Realiability working jobs affects this number. For unexplained reasons (), Raide's social credit score is abysmally bad. The early chapters seem to hint the character is truly unreliable after some hinted prior mishaps with smuggling gigs, while being too proud to work menial jobs to make ends meet.
I personally think the early chapters could have use a few more rounds of smoothing the edges because the book becomes too fixiated with the brutal action scenes while not explaining why Raide doesn't have other side jobs like scavenging. We do have a scene Raide beckons a restaurant for free food and shoplifts ramen, but no mention about Raide's acquaintances arguing Raide's poor finances are due to pride or laziness. I will make the caveat the bar scene somewhat includes this, although I feel it needed additional clarity. What I am getting is that during the later sections of the story, we get proven Raide is actually a highly reliable person at their official job and profoundly cares about their loved ones.
Another thing which is a personal pet peeve (other readers likely won't care) is that I never understood how could Raide survive so many raining bullets and endless danger without eating anything. Well, except for leftovers (that end up quickly barfed anyways) and two gifted cups of alcohol. The character hadn't eaten in two days, but Raide never shows signs of wooziness. I kept on anxiously waiting for a scene where Raide would eat at least 1 little moldy nutrition bar. Lest to say, Raide continues not eating anything at the 30%.
Once the action starts, the book becomes increasingly comfortable with this world and the writing quality improves. This is a brutal world where corp thugs can obliterate random children with no fear of suffering from terrorism charges. Nuclear single families continue oddly being the norm. As a result of extreme uncontrolled overpopulation, most people are poor and there is this clearly nihilist worldview where life isn't considered valuable. The book thought these worldbuilding elements quite well and the attitudes of people about the low value of life makes sense.
By the time the book reaches its 30% point, we are now starting to get some answers about Raide's situation, their relationship to friends, and the mess they got themselves into out of loyalty to a childhood friend. Readers that like the aforementioned dystopia oligarch cyberpunk societies intertwined with oodles of gorey violence will certainly enjoy this thriller. I am voting yes for it to continue in the competition.
February 28, 2025
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review, and many thanks to the author for the opportunity to do so. And in a nutshell, I found Run Like Hell to be a mostly enjoyable ride that tries to do a bit too much and is bookended by its weaker parts.
To get the negatives out of the way, there is a lot going on in this book as it juggles several cyberpunk staple themes such as the classic "high tech, low life" urban dystopia, artificial intelligence, tech-enabled body mods and the philosophical issues of self-identity that comes with it, alongside several body horror and thriller tropes. Quite honestly, the book would have been stronger by dropping a few. Likewise, there are several plot elements in play, but some of them feel like they only exist to move the story along rather than unfolding in an organic way, with the ending being particularly guilty of this. And the same could be said for many of the side characters. However, it's hard to go into detail with these criticisms without spoiling some of the story elements.
As you might expect with a name like Run Like Hell, there's a lot of fast paced action. You're barely given any time to adjust to this world before things kick off. The first 20% or so of the book is ostensibly one long chase scene, the last 20% a series of battle scenes, with several smaller action packed chapters throughout. But I felt that the writing was weakest during these sections and rather difficult to follow – partly due to the chaos unfolding within the story, partly because of the writing itself.
However, where I thought the book really shined was when it slowed down and allowed things to breathe. One of the key themes explored was the idea of self-identity in a world where the human body is merely a shell. It's clear that the main character is dealing with body dysmorphia and I found these parts far more interesting. In fact, I wish the book focused more on it. I enjoyed the world building when it takes the time to do so – for fans of the cyberpunk genre you'll likely spot various influences from the classics such as Neuromancer and Akira (nice to see an "Akira slide" in written form!). I also appreciated that in several instances we're given fully realised flashbacks to past events which help flesh out the main character and some of the more crucial side characters, rather than resorting to an exposition dump.
All in all, a fun read and the positives just about outweigh the negatives.
To get the negatives out of the way, there is a lot going on in this book as it juggles several cyberpunk staple themes such as the classic "high tech, low life" urban dystopia, artificial intelligence, tech-enabled body mods and the philosophical issues of self-identity that comes with it, alongside several body horror and thriller tropes. Quite honestly, the book would have been stronger by dropping a few. Likewise, there are several plot elements in play, but some of them feel like they only exist to move the story along rather than unfolding in an organic way, with the ending being particularly guilty of this. And the same could be said for many of the side characters. However, it's hard to go into detail with these criticisms without spoiling some of the story elements.
As you might expect with a name like Run Like Hell, there's a lot of fast paced action. You're barely given any time to adjust to this world before things kick off. The first 20% or so of the book is ostensibly one long chase scene, the last 20% a series of battle scenes, with several smaller action packed chapters throughout. But I felt that the writing was weakest during these sections and rather difficult to follow – partly due to the chaos unfolding within the story, partly because of the writing itself.
However, where I thought the book really shined was when it slowed down and allowed things to breathe. One of the key themes explored was the idea of self-identity in a world where the human body is merely a shell. It's clear that the main character is dealing with body dysmorphia and I found these parts far more interesting. In fact, I wish the book focused more on it. I enjoyed the world building when it takes the time to do so – for fans of the cyberpunk genre you'll likely spot various influences from the classics such as Neuromancer and Akira (nice to see an "Akira slide" in written form!). I also appreciated that in several instances we're given fully realised flashbacks to past events which help flesh out the main character and some of the more crucial side characters, rather than resorting to an exposition dump.
All in all, a fun read and the positives just about outweigh the negatives.
July 1, 2025
Thank you to the author, Netgalley and Zipline for giving me an eARC of this! I love cyberpunk settings and adding queer characters to that just sells me on a book. Sadly this did not do it for me.
Since this is an ARC I'll forgive some of the formatting errors but also there's a specific page right at the beginning of the book where we're supposed to see something Raide's reading which is like a job board listing on a hub and half of it's cut off on the kindle (I use a Paperwhite) copy so while I was able to get the general jist of what the listing is supposed to be I couldn't read it in full.
This book I feel unfortunately does suffer from trying to do it all, some parts move super fast and others drag on for what feels like eternity. Some themes feel out of place when put all together, and there are a few other hang-ups that I have as well.
Like specifically in the beginning of the book there's these altered people who have a ton of tech in their head, they can see more than the average person, can track heartbeats and even scents down to granular levels. So it truly begged the question of why would a group send a crap-ton of hyper-militarized goons to massacre an apartment complex to smoke out our main character instead of just... sending these guys? Because these people are literally described as essentially "bloodhounds" there's no world they wouldn't already be able to track them since they had already very literally hunted them through the city back to this complex, and it would probably be more efficient in my humble opinion.
In plenty of cyberpunk settings we see that average people are crushed and demoralized by the overwhelming and horrifying capitalism of society that they just don't really care too much about the violence that can occur around them. However these dudes just roll in and start firing indiscriminately, breaking down doors and clearing the building by extreme definition. They are essentially killing the people that are keeping the horrifying capitalist machine alive since these people live at the bottom of the Barrel (literally).
With regards to the violence and gore in this one, I'm not a sensitive person to those things but some of it does feel gratuitous and over the top.
So I will say if you REALLY like cyberpunk settings and can handle iffy pacing then give this one a shot, you just might enjoy it more than I did!
Since this is an ARC I'll forgive some of the formatting errors but also there's a specific page right at the beginning of the book where we're supposed to see something Raide's reading which is like a job board listing on a hub and half of it's cut off on the kindle (I use a Paperwhite) copy so while I was able to get the general jist of what the listing is supposed to be I couldn't read it in full.
This book I feel unfortunately does suffer from trying to do it all, some parts move super fast and others drag on for what feels like eternity. Some themes feel out of place when put all together, and there are a few other hang-ups that I have as well.
Like specifically in the beginning of the book there's these altered people who have a ton of tech in their head, they can see more than the average person, can track heartbeats and even scents down to granular levels. So it truly begged the question of why would a group send a crap-ton of hyper-militarized goons to massacre an apartment complex to smoke out our main character instead of just... sending these guys? Because these people are literally described as essentially "bloodhounds" there's no world they wouldn't already be able to track them since they had already very literally hunted them through the city back to this complex, and it would probably be more efficient in my humble opinion.
In plenty of cyberpunk settings we see that average people are crushed and demoralized by the overwhelming and horrifying capitalism of society that they just don't really care too much about the violence that can occur around them. However these dudes just roll in and start firing indiscriminately, breaking down doors and clearing the building by extreme definition. They are essentially killing the people that are keeping the horrifying capitalist machine alive since these people live at the bottom of the Barrel (literally).
With regards to the violence and gore in this one, I'm not a sensitive person to those things but some of it does feel gratuitous and over the top.
So I will say if you REALLY like cyberpunk settings and can handle iffy pacing then give this one a shot, you just might enjoy it more than I did!
June 5, 2025
Thank you to Book Sirens and the author for the ARC.
I had high hopes going into this book from the summary as, from the description, it sounded like it was going to be a sci-fi fetch quest across a futuristic city with body horror and intense action. Those features are present in the book but they are overshadowed by a meandering plot that introduces the main driving focus of the plot at the 40% mark. There's tons of worldbuilding introduced all at once, along with characters who don't appear again so the detailed character introduction feels out of place for their role in the story. The genre of the book doesn't feel fixed either, pinging between sci-fi to dystopia to standard zombie fare which is a lot of variation for one book.
I really wanted to enjoy reading this and individual sections were compelling, I loved the tanks and their interactions with each other plus the worldbuilding we got from that, but the majority of the book was taken up with about five plot threads too many. I also wasn't surprised that the author is from New York, the regional pride is very strong.
There is a lot of representation in the book which was appreciated, I liked the approach to swapping bodies as a way of exploring Raine's trans identity, and it really shone with that focus of exploring who a person is when they're not their own body and the potential disconnect and delight there.
I would read something by this author again, but hopefully it'll have some breathing space to let the characters work.
I had high hopes going into this book from the summary as, from the description, it sounded like it was going to be a sci-fi fetch quest across a futuristic city with body horror and intense action. Those features are present in the book but they are overshadowed by a meandering plot that introduces the main driving focus of the plot at the 40% mark. There's tons of worldbuilding introduced all at once, along with characters who don't appear again so the detailed character introduction feels out of place for their role in the story. The genre of the book doesn't feel fixed either, pinging between sci-fi to dystopia to standard zombie fare which is a lot of variation for one book.
I really wanted to enjoy reading this and individual sections were compelling, I loved the tanks and their interactions with each other plus the worldbuilding we got from that, but the majority of the book was taken up with about five plot threads too many. I also wasn't surprised that the author is from New York, the regional pride is very strong.
There is a lot of representation in the book which was appreciated, I liked the approach to swapping bodies as a way of exploring Raine's trans identity, and it really shone with that focus of exploring who a person is when they're not their own body and the potential disconnect and delight there.
I would read something by this author again, but hopefully it'll have some breathing space to let the characters work.
June 25, 2025
First of all, I want to thank Eira Brand for the ARC.
It took me a while to get through due to the sheer length and falling sick. Luckily, I'm better now and was finally able to finish it.
What can I say except 'Run Like Hell'? The title describes the book, it's full of non-stop action and danger around every corner. I'll be honest, some of the more gruesome parts almost turned me off as I hadn't expected the book to get that dark, but I survived and here I am!
The story had tons of twists and turns and jumps and fights and... running like hell. (Yes, I keep repeating it.) While there were few 'relax' parts, I did enjoy them a lot as it reminds us we're all just human and need some chill time.
In the end, this was a good read and I'm curious if / when there would be a sequel.
It took me a while to get through due to the sheer length and falling sick. Luckily, I'm better now and was finally able to finish it.
What can I say except 'Run Like Hell'? The title describes the book, it's full of non-stop action and danger around every corner. I'll be honest, some of the more gruesome parts almost turned me off as I hadn't expected the book to get that dark, but I survived and here I am!
The story had tons of twists and turns and jumps and fights and... running like hell. (Yes, I keep repeating it.) While there were few 'relax' parts, I did enjoy them a lot as it reminds us we're all just human and need some chill time.
In the end, this was a good read and I'm curious if / when there would be a sequel.
June 7, 2025
Wow, to say this book was an adrenaline filled thrill ride wouldn’t be enough to give it justice. Almost literally from the get-go this book lives up to its title. By using some awesome world building skills, this novel creates a world akin to the offspring of Altered Carbon and Resident Evil. The character’s have a great deal of depth that is slowly parsed out throughout the story.
In a cyberpunk world, a down on their luck runner must finish a job they inherited from their friend. To do so though, they must cross a world where grotesque horrors and a psychotic cyborg hunt them, learn to embrace the changes they are undertaking both physically and emotionally, and keep the one they care about alive.
Fans of cyberpunk and bio horror will find this book right up their alley. Personally, I highly recommend it.
In a cyberpunk world, a down on their luck runner must finish a job they inherited from their friend. To do so though, they must cross a world where grotesque horrors and a psychotic cyborg hunt them, learn to embrace the changes they are undertaking both physically and emotionally, and keep the one they care about alive.
Fans of cyberpunk and bio horror will find this book right up their alley. Personally, I highly recommend it.
July 23, 2025
Let me start this off by saying... I NEED MORE!
This story had me hooked: from the descriptive visuals, to the first-person introspection of the strongly written MC, not to mention the entire setting that this story's world exists within.
It was awesome to see an individual spin put on a cyberpunk-based tale like this, and the way different bits of the story was formatted was very intriguing. I definitely didn't expect the twists that popped up at the end of several chapters, and the pulse-pounding anxiety that filled me when the MC was running for their life on more occasion than one.
One of the things that subsequently drew me in was seeing my birthplace mentioned more than once as a key city in this story! I found that very curious, and it made me eager to follow through to the end (not that the fantastic writing wasn't already doing that on it's own, haha.)
There are definitely parts of this story that will make you really think about where we are at currently in our society's digital age, as well as all of the developments & drawbacks alike that exist within the "cyber consciousness" of today's world.
Eira, I can't wait to read more of your work and see what you do in the future! A big thanks to you & BookSirens both for letting me read this ARC.
This story had me hooked: from the descriptive visuals, to the first-person introspection of the strongly written MC, not to mention the entire setting that this story's world exists within.
It was awesome to see an individual spin put on a cyberpunk-based tale like this, and the way different bits of the story was formatted was very intriguing. I definitely didn't expect the twists that popped up at the end of several chapters, and the pulse-pounding anxiety that filled me when the MC was running for their life on more occasion than one.
One of the things that subsequently drew me in was seeing my birthplace mentioned more than once as a key city in this story! I found that very curious, and it made me eager to follow through to the end (not that the fantastic writing wasn't already doing that on it's own, haha.)
There are definitely parts of this story that will make you really think about where we are at currently in our society's digital age, as well as all of the developments & drawbacks alike that exist within the "cyber consciousness" of today's world.
Eira, I can't wait to read more of your work and see what you do in the future! A big thanks to you & BookSirens both for letting me read this ARC.
August 20, 2025
An adrenaline and gore filled cyberpunk wild ride
Holy... what a book!
I knew I was gonna ADORE Run Like Hell as soon as I was done with the first chapter, I immediately fell in love with Brand's writing style and our main protagonist.
This novel is quite dense, but in the ''I can't get enough of it'' way. Seriously, so much happens in this book... and when I finished it I wanted more .
I do want to get some critiques out of the way though... while there was a cohesive plot, the novel often shits its focus on other things - of note was a flashback near the ending (which I really enjoyed btw!) but I do understand how that could be sort of distracting to some people.
Also, while I loved Brand's writing all throughout the book; I did get a little lost in the actions scenes.
Stil, these to me are some very minor nitpicks. This book is good, really good. It's exactly the type of story I would expect when I pick up a Cyberpunk novel.
Please, if you are fan of the genre, and if you don't have a weak stomach, pick this one up immediately.
Final vote 5/5
This book was given to me as an ARC via Booksirens
Holy... what a book!
I knew I was gonna ADORE Run Like Hell as soon as I was done with the first chapter, I immediately fell in love with Brand's writing style and our main protagonist.
This novel is quite dense, but in the ''I can't get enough of it'' way. Seriously, so much happens in this book... and when I finished it I wanted more .
I do want to get some critiques out of the way though... while there was a cohesive plot, the novel often shits its focus on other things - of note was a flashback near the ending (which I really enjoyed btw!) but I do understand how that could be sort of distracting to some people.
Also, while I loved Brand's writing all throughout the book; I did get a little lost in the actions scenes.
Stil, these to me are some very minor nitpicks. This book is good, really good. It's exactly the type of story I would expect when I pick up a Cyberpunk novel.
Please, if you are fan of the genre, and if you don't have a weak stomach, pick this one up immediately.
Final vote 5/5
This book was given to me as an ARC via Booksirens
February 11, 2025
I'd like to preface this review by saying that I am writing an honest review in exchange for an ARC copy of the book.
So I typically don't read modern scifi-esque novels. prefer to read fantasy novels and play scifi games. Call me a snob if you wish, but I find modern scifi tends to be dry, poorly written, and either rely too much on modern day science to explain things OR have something dumb like midichlorians. That's not this book.
I clearly have a type. I prefer great epic stories. I prefer my futuristic books to be more like fantasy novels with a scifi or cyberpunk skin. And damn does Run Like Hell deliver. There is never a dull moment. Things are explained that need to be explained but not to the Tolkien level. Thankfully. Brand gets her points and plot across cleanly, concisely, and quite entertainingly.
As a corpo-cyberpunk fantasy, it hits the mark. As a thriller-horror story, it hits the mark. Perhaps its me being overly gushy, but I put Run Like Hell up there with Plum Parrot's Cyber Dreams (Electric Angel), Phil Tucker's Gods of the Game (Gods of the Game) and Bryce O'Connor's Warformed (Iron Prince) in the list of few futuristic books that I truly enjoy and will gladly read again, sequel or not.
I look forward to whatever else Brand has to offer the writing world in the future.
So I typically don't read modern scifi-esque novels. prefer to read fantasy novels and play scifi games. Call me a snob if you wish, but I find modern scifi tends to be dry, poorly written, and either rely too much on modern day science to explain things OR have something dumb like midichlorians. That's not this book.
I clearly have a type. I prefer great epic stories. I prefer my futuristic books to be more like fantasy novels with a scifi or cyberpunk skin. And damn does Run Like Hell deliver. There is never a dull moment. Things are explained that need to be explained but not to the Tolkien level. Thankfully. Brand gets her points and plot across cleanly, concisely, and quite entertainingly.
As a corpo-cyberpunk fantasy, it hits the mark. As a thriller-horror story, it hits the mark. Perhaps its me being overly gushy, but I put Run Like Hell up there with Plum Parrot's Cyber Dreams (Electric Angel), Phil Tucker's Gods of the Game (Gods of the Game) and Bryce O'Connor's Warformed (Iron Prince) in the list of few futuristic books that I truly enjoy and will gladly read again, sequel or not.
I look forward to whatever else Brand has to offer the writing world in the future.
July 6, 2025
"Run Like Hell" is what you'd get if you put Altered Carbon, John Wick, and Hell Followed With Us into a blender and hit go. If you're like me, that's all the pitch you need. While it's not technically an isekai, the action and plotline read like an action-packed video game, with enough character development to keep a character-based reader like me invested.
I found parts of this a little too quippy and campy for my preference, and it sometimes felt as if the characters' responses to events were paused until the action scenes finished. Admittedly, combat-heavy novels like this aren't my preference, and I know many readers want nonstop action---if you're one of those, I highly recommend this. Even though I'm someone who usually skims lengthy action scenes, I generally found these to be creative and interesting. There's plenty of shoot-'em-up action, but there are also cool bits of tech that do different things in different scenes, which is the main reason I compare this to John Wick. The fights were cinematic and dynamic. Nanobot feet provide a lot of options, weapons-wise. I'm into it.
Brand clearly thought through this world, and I enjoyed the lingo and terminology that added that special scifi pizzazz. I'm not really clear how the flesh-monster worked, but given that the ending left this ripe for a sequel, maybe we'll learn more in the future. On the other hand, if the story ended here, I would be satisfied with where we left off.
Overall, this was quite enjoyable. Most of my complaints were a matter of taste rather than any technical frustration.
I received a review copy of this book through BookSirens. My meandering thoughts are my own and are being left voluntarily.
I found parts of this a little too quippy and campy for my preference, and it sometimes felt as if the characters' responses to events were paused until the action scenes finished. Admittedly, combat-heavy novels like this aren't my preference, and I know many readers want nonstop action---if you're one of those, I highly recommend this. Even though I'm someone who usually skims lengthy action scenes, I generally found these to be creative and interesting. There's plenty of shoot-'em-up action, but there are also cool bits of tech that do different things in different scenes, which is the main reason I compare this to John Wick. The fights were cinematic and dynamic. Nanobot feet provide a lot of options, weapons-wise. I'm into it.
Brand clearly thought through this world, and I enjoyed the lingo and terminology that added that special scifi pizzazz. I'm not really clear how the flesh-monster worked, but given that the ending left this ripe for a sequel, maybe we'll learn more in the future. On the other hand, if the story ended here, I would be satisfied with where we left off.
Overall, this was quite enjoyable. Most of my complaints were a matter of taste rather than any technical frustration.
I received a review copy of this book through BookSirens. My meandering thoughts are my own and are being left voluntarily.
July 6, 2025
I received an ARC for free from BookSirens (thanks!), and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This story was quite the journey to take! Initially it felt slow despite the action - we don't have the meat of the driving plot for a bit, I didn't feel connected to our main character until a ways in, and it started in a very "tell the reader" vs "show the reader" way. Despite this I was interested in the setting and curious to find out more about what's going on.
I was not expecting the body horror based on the description; I knew there would be violence, but not the level that we got. I was fine with it and I felt it was well done, however I wish it was better alluded to in the description somehow for those that aren't okay with it. Not all horror has this, so unless you read the reviews I don't think it's a clear expectation.
Due to the descriptive nature of the story, I would love to see this in a visual adaptation! I'm not the best at thoroughly picturing what I'm reading. A lot of the world building felt well done, but I know I personally came up short in flushing this out in my head. Visuals would also do an incredible job of moving the story along, that way we'd get to the meat of it faster.
I appreciated the very diverse nature of the cast. It was done seamlessly in a way that felt natural. We do meet a lot of characters along the way (tanks are the best!) and I think some of the side stories take away from our main story. I was captivated at the end to find out more about our driving plot, and perhaps would have benefited from more of this being fed to us throughout the book.
Overall I'm glad I stuck this one out as I enjoyed it! I think this will scratch an inch for many readers out there.
This story was quite the journey to take! Initially it felt slow despite the action - we don't have the meat of the driving plot for a bit, I didn't feel connected to our main character until a ways in, and it started in a very "tell the reader" vs "show the reader" way. Despite this I was interested in the setting and curious to find out more about what's going on.
I was not expecting the body horror based on the description; I knew there would be violence, but not the level that we got. I was fine with it and I felt it was well done, however I wish it was better alluded to in the description somehow for those that aren't okay with it. Not all horror has this, so unless you read the reviews I don't think it's a clear expectation.
Due to the descriptive nature of the story, I would love to see this in a visual adaptation! I'm not the best at thoroughly picturing what I'm reading. A lot of the world building felt well done, but I know I personally came up short in flushing this out in my head. Visuals would also do an incredible job of moving the story along, that way we'd get to the meat of it faster.
I appreciated the very diverse nature of the cast. It was done seamlessly in a way that felt natural. We do meet a lot of characters along the way (tanks are the best!) and I think some of the side stories take away from our main story. I was captivated at the end to find out more about our driving plot, and perhaps would have benefited from more of this being fed to us throughout the book.
Overall I'm glad I stuck this one out as I enjoyed it! I think this will scratch an inch for many readers out there.
February 12, 2025
I read an advance copy of this in exchange for this review.
First up, I really liked this, but it felt just a little busy for me to give it five stars - which I would consider my rating for "absolute favorite, will reread many times".
There's a lot of great themes and ideas in here, in a very gritty cyberpunk setting. Body swapping via mind copy, prosthetic limb upgrades, runaway biotech are just a few.
There's quite a bit of body horror, and a really neat handling of what's clearly the main character's gender dysphoria - that she was too busy trying to survive to ever acknowledge or put a name to.
The book is well named, and is a near-constant chase scene. The action scenes themselves are great and well-written, with the body horror playing into a lot of them. It's pretty gory (which I like!)
The busyness for me comes from the combination of the large number of themes and worldbuilding detail (which I also love) that ends up with less time to breathe than I usually like because of the absolutely relentless pace of the book.
I definitely recommend for folks who like cyberpunk books with a lot of action and some body horror. The book is great, just some bits were not to my taste.
I'll definitely be interested in reading a sequel to see what happens though!
First up, I really liked this, but it felt just a little busy for me to give it five stars - which I would consider my rating for "absolute favorite, will reread many times".
There's a lot of great themes and ideas in here, in a very gritty cyberpunk setting. Body swapping via mind copy, prosthetic limb upgrades, runaway biotech are just a few.
There's quite a bit of body horror, and a really neat handling of what's clearly the main character's gender dysphoria - that she was too busy trying to survive to ever acknowledge or put a name to.
The book is well named, and is a near-constant chase scene. The action scenes themselves are great and well-written, with the body horror playing into a lot of them. It's pretty gory (which I like!)
The busyness for me comes from the combination of the large number of themes and worldbuilding detail (which I also love) that ends up with less time to breathe than I usually like because of the absolutely relentless pace of the book.
I definitely recommend for folks who like cyberpunk books with a lot of action and some body horror. The book is great, just some bits were not to my taste.
I'll definitely be interested in reading a sequel to see what happens though!
December 16, 2025
The title of this book gives you an excellent indication of what lies between the pages. Brand starts off with a bang and the punches just keep coming at breakneck speeds!
Run Like Hell opens with a runner down on their luck. Not a credit to their name, nor a job to be found. Little do they know, all that is about to change when a chance encounter with their best friends turns into a brutal nightmare. Raide has found their next job, one that promises a hell of a lot more than money.
This fast-paced, cyberpunk thriller felt vibrant and dangerous. The stakes are sky high very early on, keeping the reader on edge right until the last chapter.
While I naturally gravitate towards a slower story and wish we had a little more time with certain people or scenes, I had a great time with this one!
Run Like Hell opens with a runner down on their luck. Not a credit to their name, nor a job to be found. Little do they know, all that is about to change when a chance encounter with their best friends turns into a brutal nightmare. Raide has found their next job, one that promises a hell of a lot more than money.
This fast-paced, cyberpunk thriller felt vibrant and dangerous. The stakes are sky high very early on, keeping the reader on edge right until the last chapter.
While I naturally gravitate towards a slower story and wish we had a little more time with certain people or scenes, I had a great time with this one!
June 5, 2025
This is a review of an ARC.
Wow! I was quite distant early in the book - as the title suggests, it's all about that. And in a way, it does. It's a non-stop cyberpunk action from start to finish. But it's also so much more interesting and engaging than the initial premise shows! Of course, there are genre standards like the questions about humanity, what it means to be human. And it's executed extremely well! I was thinking about giving it 3, maybe 4 out of 5, but the closer to the end, it was steadily growing. Chef's kiss! I love it when my expectations are turned around! I just wonder... Will there be a sequel? It doesn't need one, not really, but if it's in the plans, I sure will check it out!
Wow! I was quite distant early in the book - as the title suggests, it's all about that. And in a way, it does. It's a non-stop cyberpunk action from start to finish. But it's also so much more interesting and engaging than the initial premise shows! Of course, there are genre standards like the questions about humanity, what it means to be human. And it's executed extremely well! I was thinking about giving it 3, maybe 4 out of 5, but the closer to the end, it was steadily growing. Chef's kiss! I love it when my expectations are turned around! I just wonder... Will there be a sequel? It doesn't need one, not really, but if it's in the plans, I sure will check it out!
June 18, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis for Run Like Hell is very interesting and the cover art is very cool. However, this wasn't for me. The actions scenes were long and I couldn't really follow along that well. I also felt like there was a bit too much exposition and like inner monologue, which is fine because it is a scifi cyberpunk world. But juxtaposed with the long action scenes, I just couldn't keep my interest.
With that being said, the author did a good job creating the worldbuilding and characters' backstories.
The synopsis for Run Like Hell is very interesting and the cover art is very cool. However, this wasn't for me. The actions scenes were long and I couldn't really follow along that well. I also felt like there was a bit too much exposition and like inner monologue, which is fine because it is a scifi cyberpunk world. But juxtaposed with the long action scenes, I just couldn't keep my interest.
With that being said, the author did a good job creating the worldbuilding and characters' backstories.
December 31, 2025
Pretty good. Very gory mainly through body horror and detailed death scenes. Interesting characters and intriguing and unique world building.
However, there were quite a few noticeable typos in grammar and at once point (maybe twice) a sentence was fully repeated in the same paragraph. A lot of the time it wasn't full sentences that were repeated but phrases, words, etc that were over explained. There was a lot of unnecessary repetition where a reader could inference the meaning without part of the sentence that was tacked on to explain it more clearly.
Overall it definitely could have used another round of light editing to clean up the phrasing and catch the last few typos.
However, there were quite a few noticeable typos in grammar and at once point (maybe twice) a sentence was fully repeated in the same paragraph. A lot of the time it wasn't full sentences that were repeated but phrases, words, etc that were over explained. There was a lot of unnecessary repetition where a reader could inference the meaning without part of the sentence that was tacked on to explain it more clearly.
Overall it definitely could have used another round of light editing to clean up the phrasing and catch the last few typos.
July 24, 2025
A fast-paced indie book with action/horror and trans representation!
I quite enjoyed this, though I was not expecting quite that much gore and blood from the first chapters. But it brings in some cool ideas about body modding and transfer, in a dystopian society.
The pacing was a little uneven in places, especially with a flashback late in the book that slowed down the action, but overall a fun read!
I quite enjoyed this, though I was not expecting quite that much gore and blood from the first chapters. But it brings in some cool ideas about body modding and transfer, in a dystopian society.
The pacing was a little uneven in places, especially with a flashback late in the book that slowed down the action, but overall a fun read!
October 30, 2025
Thanks for the ARC.
There's a lot I loved about this book. I loved how the MC's identity was handled and I felt the emotional scenes were done in a very intelligent way. I got cool cyberpunk action and lots of gore. However towards the last quarter of the book I found it harder to read and less connected to the plot. I think maybe there wasn't enough time for the story to organically finish (though I'm no expert.) The actual ending was fine but getting there felt a little rushed.
There's a lot I loved about this book. I loved how the MC's identity was handled and I felt the emotional scenes were done in a very intelligent way. I got cool cyberpunk action and lots of gore. However towards the last quarter of the book I found it harder to read and less connected to the plot. I think maybe there wasn't enough time for the story to organically finish (though I'm no expert.) The actual ending was fine but getting there felt a little rushed.
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