Via Goodreads Title: Savage Run
Author: E.J. Squires
Genre: Science fiction and fantasy
How I got the book: Downloaded it onto my Kindle
Summary (from Amazon):
Seventeen-year-old Heidi Cruise has one chance at freedom, but it involves breaking the law and completing Savage Run, a grueling, male-only obstacle course program. Nicholas Volkov has one goal: to make sure when he becomes president over the hierarchical society of Newland that he doesn’t follow in his tyrannical father’s footsteps. After Heidi registers for the program, Nicholas discovers that she’s a girl. Being a rebel in his own right, Nicholas doesn’t turn her in, but decides to help in any way possible. Heidi struggles through the obstacle courses in Savage Run. Physically and emotionally drained, it is only during downtime between events that she’s able to make sense of her world and get a little closer to the secretive Nicholas. But with the threat of death constantly barreling down on her, and with menacing contestants looming around every obstacle, it’s almost guaranteed that she’ll be killed before she manages to win her freedom
My Review (may contain spoilers!):
This plot was interesting. In a world where women are degraded, Heidi decides to join the Savage Run–a cruel competition in which only boys are allowed to enter. The prize? Freedom.
She saves her friend from her master and together they pose as boys. Unfortunately, her friend gets killed and Heidi is in it alone.
Only a select few knows Heidi’s secret and keeps it for her, helping her along the way of the Savage Run.
This is book one of a series, so there’s obviously more to it. However, this book ended after Heidi completed the first phase out of three. Being under 300 pages, I felt there should have been more. The first stage took only a couple of chapters at the end. The beginning had so much build-up; sometimes it felt a little too much.
Heidi is the protagonist and to be honest, I didn’t like her all that much. I can’t enjoy a book if I don’t like the main character.
She was whiny and while she was going through a tough time, she repeated herself. A lot. Plus, I didn’t think she appropriately reacted emotionally to certain situations. For example, she kept getting angry and was stubborn with her friend Arthor (who was helping her along the Savage Run). Given the circumstances, she should have been more scared than anything else.
Will I run out to buy the next book right away? Probably not, but I would like to see how the series ends.
Savage Run by E.J. Squires gets 3 out of 5 stars.
Favorite Quote:
“I think freedom is a gift, and what you choose to do with that freedom is what makes us completely free.” –E.J. Squires, Savage Run
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