4 out of 4 stars
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J. D. Stanley's Blood Runner starts off in the ancient past, chronicling the beginning of the “blood runners” or vampires, as we know them. After the prologue, we jump forward a couple of milennia. Richard, aka Twitch, is a blood runner. Quite possibly the oldest in existence, he has no recollection of his beginning, or his life before the change. Understandably, having been in existence for so long, he has lost any semblance of human emotions and prefers to keep completely to himself, shunning human contact except for the all-consuming need of sustenance. Then, quite inexplicably, Maggie burst onto the scene. Try as he might to get rid of her, Maggie simply won't go. On top of her infuriating stubbornness, Maggie is not in the least bit afraid of Richard. But Maggie has her own skeletons hiding in her closet, and one of those is Captain William Blackthorn. Captain Blackthorn, aka Billy, is bound and determined to possess Maggie in one way or another. Will Richard be able to protect her from the darkest force he has ever known? When it seems all hope is lost, this story takes a twist that you will never see coming!
Overall, this is a great book! The narrative style took a minute to get used to, as the time-line jumps around quite a bit. Once I became accustomed to the writing style, the story-line flowed smoothly. Honestly, I didn't want the book to end. Given the ending, I am holding out hope that there is a sequel in the works!
My only complaint with this book is the language. There is a lot of cursing, and I do mean a lot. I understand that it does fit the story and it most definitely fits the characters, but I still would have been happier with a little less language. I thought I had Richard pegged but was completely thrown for a loop about two-thirds of the way through the book. He seemed a different person in the second half of the story. By the end of the book, everything came together nicely. Thankfully, all of the questions that are brought up throughout the book are answered by the end of it.
Blood Runner doesn't end on a cliffhanger, but it does seem to be open for a sequel. There are some slightly unresolved issues, but nothing overly dramatic. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys vampire books (although this is a spin on vampires that I have never read before). I would also recommend Blood Runner to anyone that enjoys mythological stories.
All in all, I am giving this book a 4 out of 4 stars! Great job, J.D. Stanley! I look forward to reading more of your work!
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Blood Runner
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