In short: I really liked this and would die for the viper.

Tropes/ Highlights:
* Mysterious masked warlord MMC
* Exiled FMC
* Drawn to each other / fated
* Environmental magic 🪄
* Sexy dreams
* Games and trials
* Hidden identity
* He trains her
* she bathes him
* Hand necklace
* Found family


Short summary:
Keera encounters a masked warlord/enforcer known as “The Viper” after being exiled and barely surviving in a desert oasis for nearly 10 years. After a hand necklace meet cute, Viper tries to human sacrifice Keera but the powers-that-be make him hesitate and she escapes. After this, they can’t stop thinking about each other and are drawn to each other. To be enemies? allies? lovers?

My thoughts:
It’s giving Dune/Mandolorian/Aladdin/Reylo vibes- and I mean this in a good way!
Viper is down bad after meeting Keera and I love a simp man. The yearning and tension was there for me. The romance and plot seemed really well balanced. I’m highly invested in this story and am looking forward to the next book!

✨Arc Review✨

Thank you to the author S.C Grayson And Netgallery for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

-All thoughts and opinions are my own.


"Steal from the wrong masked warlord... and discover you’ve just unlocked desert-sized problems—and maybe a little heartbreak too."

This book gallops into your hands like a sandstorm with purpose—and you won’t know whether to wrestle it or snuggle up with your immune SPF.

What’s Hot in the Desert:

The Desert Isn’t Just a Set, It’s a Star
The Ballan Desert literally acts like its own character, full of shifting sands, ancient magic, and whispered secrets that curl into your bones. It’s atmospheric, dangerous, and unforgettable.

Enemies‑to‑Lovers, But Make It Sand‑Laced
Meet Keera, a survival-savvy exile, and The Viper, a masked warlord with more secrets than a haunted pyramid. When Keera’s theft accidentally triggers her own ancient magic, sparks—and sand—fly. A slow-burn romance that simmers with tension, tangled emotions, and a shared destiny.

Richly Painted Characters & Dual POV
Both Keera and The Viper are complex, layered, and compelling—narrated in alternating POVs that give real insight into their hopes, fears, and dusty hearts.

If you crave emotional oomph, desertal grandeur, and a romance that simmers without burning the world down, then Blood of the Sands will steal your heart—and maybe your water supply. It’s richly atmospheric, emotionally charged, and worth every grain of sand you’ll sink into. The setup is tantalizing, and the cliffhanger is gloriously torture. Bring on Book Two.

Oh, this is going to be an epic series. The roaming clans of the desert, independent and fierce from surviving, have noticed the desert has been more cruel of late, as if it’s angered. Lord Alasdar, wants to unite the clans and attack the city of Kalvadar to appease the desert and set everything back to normal. The Viper is his right hand man, a fearsome man behind a metal mask.

Keera, is exiled from her clan for a decade and has been living alone in a desert oasis living off the land and whatever she can steal from those who pass by. One day she steals from the Viper and something is awakened from within.

I don’t want to give more away, but this is a sweeping epic of the battle to appease the desert, the lofty plans to rule all by a despot, and an enemies to lovers story filled with magic. Well worth the read for all Romantasy and fantasy readers.

Thank you NetGalley for this eCopy to review

In Blood of the Sands, we follow Keera, an exile scraping by in the unforgiving Ballan Desert. She survives by robbing travellers until she targets the wrong one: a masked warrior known as the Viper. Their violent encounter awakens a mysterious magic within Keera, setting off a chain of events that leads her to Kelvaden, a city that offers safety to outcasts like her. Meanwhile, the Viper, who serves the desert’s ancient magic, is preparing to march on Kelvaden with his growing army. Despite being on opposite sides of a looming war, Keera and the Viper share a strange, powerful bond that might be the key to saving or destroying the desert itself.

The desert setting was beautifully rendered, almost like a character in its own right. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the slow-burn tension between Keera and the Viper. Their dynamic had potential, and the enemies-to-lovers trope was handled with some nuance.

That said, the pacing dragged in places, and I wanted more depth in the characters. It felt like the book was trying to do a lot romance, magic, war, redemption, but didn’t fully deliver on all fronts.

If you enjoy desert fantasy with a romantic twist and morally complex characters, Blood of the Sands might be worth a read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read Blood of the Sands by S.C. Grayson! As a lover of fantasy, especially stories set in desert landscapes, I was immediately drawn to this book. The premise, which spoke of ancient magic, rival factions, and a high-stakes trial, had me hopeful for a rich and immersive read. While the setting is undeniably atmospheric and the concept is certainly full of potential, the execution unfortunately fell short for me. If you’re a reader who enjoys slower, atmospheric fantasy and doesn’t mind minimal romance or a delayed plot structure, this might still work for you however.

One of the biggest issues was the pacing. The story moves SO SLOWLY for the majority of the book, with the Trials (which are mentioned rather early on from what I recall) only beginning around the halfway point. Even then I feel like they were so built up, only then to be handled quickly and without much emotional or narrative weight. It made the first three-quarters feel stagnant, dull, and extremely hard to get through. If I am being totally honest, I considered DNF-ing more than once. With that being said, the final act does pick up, but the rushed pacing there felt unbalanced compared to the drawn-out beginning.

The romantic subplot was also extremely underwhelming. I have personally seen this book described as both enemies-to-lovers and slow-burn, and I can truthfully say that I didn’t feel either of those tropes are real or present here. The main characters meet only once in the first half of the book and share a single brief conversation. From that point onward, they’re separated geographically and by the time they reconnect, there hasn’t been enough emotional buildup to make their relationship feel authentic or earned. This does not make a book slow-burn in my eyes, especially when they are literally just strangers and their romance begins quickly once they finally do reunite. As far as enemies to lovers go? They may be on opposing sides of a larger conflict, but there’s no real personal tension between them to make them true enemies. They are just going along with their "leaders" personal beliefs, but they don't truly dislike one another at any point in time.

While the desert world is vivid and intriguing, the world building and magic system didn’t feel fully fleshed out. The ideas are there- elemental magic, political divides, and a living desert- but the descriptions are frequently only surface level and lacking in depth. The prose is occasionally beautiful but it is also unfortunately inconsistent, with some repetitive and awkward phrasing that took me out of the story.

3.25⭐

Horse riding clans, an angry sentient desert, and magic that’s granted by her. The concept of this magical world is super intriguing, but I struggled to visualize how magic actually works.

The story follows Keera and Viper, with a super slow burn romance, told through dual PoVs. Their relationship builds gradually but I had hard time connecting with either of them.

Overall, it’s an interesting concept with some cool worldbuilding, even if the characters didn’t fully click for me.

Thank you NetGallley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and author for eARC. All opinions are my own.

Ok - this book has got me shooketh.

In the BEST way!

Honestly, I was expecting a mid tier, hunger games style, typical magic, enemies to lovers set up....

It couldn't have been more different, special, unique....I honestly don't think I'll be able to find the words to do it justice. But this book hit every single note of an epic fantasy story, with a truly intriguing world, a disgusting ruler (and so many associated baddies!!!) but the romance?? It was a deliciously, toe curling, frustrating story line that never felt like it was 'smut for smut sake' - but such a beautiful bit of the plot that really had me fall in love with our MC a little bit more.

I can't wait for the release of this - I will be buying it in ALL the limited edition sprayed edges - and I can't wait for the next instalment .

Blood of the Sands, Book 1, The Ballan Desert by S.C. Grayson

Thank You NetGalley and Victory Editing for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Keera was exiled 10 years ago for possessing magic in her she could not control. So, for those 10 years, she survived in the desert by some miracle. One night, she sees a long traveler and she tries to steal from him supplies she needs. But she picked the wrong man to steal from. A masked man known only as The Viper. So, he takes her to his leader, Lord Alasdar, where he plans to sacrifice her to the Ballan desert to appease the desert’s magic. While there, she overhears they plan on uniting the clans by force if necessary and attach the refuge city of Kelvadan. As she is about to be sacrificed, her magic explodes, and she is able to escape by stealing a horse. She races to Kelvadan to warn them of the impending attack. Keera must learn to control her power in order to save Kelvadan – a city built from rock that serves as home to exiles and anyone who needs shelter. But something awoke between Keera and The Viper – a magic exists between them! They may be on opposite sides of the war, but they must come together somehow to save their people and homes from something far more dangerous!
This is a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers Romantasy! It is Book 1 in The Ballan Desert series and came out September of 2024. This is a must read! Book 2, Crown of the Dunes, is scheduled to come out August 19, 2025!

Blood of the Sands
- loc 1422 - “loose” instead of “lose”
- Loc 1500 - “sight” not “site”
- Loc 2121 - “theTrials” needs a space
- Loc 2533 - “wearing it the amplifies” I think “the” should be removed

Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op and S.C. Grayson for the eARC! This was a 3.5 star read for me, rounded up to a 4.

I felt like the first 40% of the book was slow and I didn’t really understand what we were reading to figure out. When the trials started, the story picked up a lot. I also thought Keera masters her power very quickly and without many obstacles or challenges.
I liked the backstory and humanity of Erix and am excited to continue reading about him and Keera in book 2.

Some themes/tropes:
- magical lands
- trials
- enemies to lovers
- magical gemstones
- trainer/trainee
- hidden identities

I JUST put down this book and I already can't stop thinking about it.

Blood Of The Sands is an incredible story with a very unique system based around the life force of the desert, it has a formidable masked MMC, The Viper, who struggles viciously with his own magic and he's a bit of a broken soul. Until he meets Keera, a nobody exile who's been living in an oasis in the desert, barely surviving, for about 10 years. She tries to rob him, he fights back and then is stunned when his magic finally calms as his skin touches hers. I mean, what a swoon.

The story unfolds from this first meeting and it just keeps getting better. We have deadly trials, enemies to lovers, the slowest of burns, political games, magical beasts, and a beautiful character arc for Keera. She becomes so strong while still being relatable, emotionally broken and in need of belonging. The world-building is easy to follow and the writing keeps you hooked.

They continuously save each other from the brink of death, fate keeps throwing them together and the end of the book will have you gasping. And begging for book 2.

Thank you NetGalley and S.C. Grayson for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I should have researched better to see this is not truly an ARC, but the first of a series and is already on KindleUnlimited. This was my own mistake (my IG focuses on upcoming releases), but it's okay because now I can dive into the 2nd book and leave feedback on that one with the knowledge of the first!

I like the change in scenery- having your story take place in an unforgiving desert is a nice switch up from the usual romantasy books I have read. I had already seen this one quite a bit on my social media platforms and Goodreads, so glad to have added this one to my finished reading list in anticipation for the next.

This was a really fun book with a slowwwwww burn!

Keera and The Viper are definitely enemies to lovers as they are on opposite sides of a burgeoning war. Their slow burn really takes it's time to build off and then goes off with a bang. They're definitely hugely inspired by Rey and Kylo Ren (Star Wars), but it was very enjoyable and I loved both their characters and seeing each POV.

I loved the magical desert and the way it is sort of sentient. It can make journeys long or short depending on what it is favoring. And it loves bl00d tithes!

The creatures that were created in this book were horrifying and captivating: Lava Wyrm, Bone Spider... I simultaneously want art of them and also don't want to see them.

It's sort of a slower book with the build up, the training, and Keera coming into her magic and trying to understand how to wield it. The ending ramps up however and now that it's all built, I'm really excited to see where it takes off!

Read if you love:
-High stakes tournament
-Magical desert
-Masked morally grey MMC
-Reylo Inspired
-Dual POV
-Slow burn
-Enemies to lovers

I really really enjoyed this book! The characters were very interesting and I loved the journey that the author took them on. Sometimes I can get bored if the plot is to slow but the author did a great job with the pacing and keeping it interesting. I was able to finish this book in one sitting because I could not put it down! I will be recommending this book to all of my friends and family.

Keera is an exile left to fend for herself or die in a harsh, unforgiving desert. Erix is a warrior determined to defeat his homeland and appease the angry vengeful god that is the desert. When they meet, their life goals change.

Keera and Erix both began as unlikable characters, but they both grew and changed throughout the story. This book had potential to be really good, but I just found lots of parts to be a slog. However, there were parts that would pull me back into the world. Quite a few times I found the wording to be repetitive, and the magic system needed to be fleshed out a little further.

I was almost certain I would nit be finishing the series, but the ending sucked me in so I will be giving Crown of the Dunes a try.

This is one of those books where I seriously started wondering—did I read the same thing as everyone else? With all the glowing 5-star reviews and a premise that sounded like it was tailor-made for me, I thought I was about to discover a new obsession. But the writing style just didn’t click at all. It felt clunky, hard to follow, and no matter how much I wanted to get into it, I just couldn’t mesh with it. Definitely not for me.

Thank you so much for an eARC of this book. I was so intrigued by the premise and description of this book and was so excited to read! I will say the first like 60% the pacing seemed off and felt extremely slow to me. It felt like it was a lot of unnecessary information was being thrown at me that didn’t do much for the overall story. However, that last third of the book I completely flew through and it really started getting interesting. It definitely made up for the slow start in my opinion. I’ll definitely still read the sequel despite the slow start of this one because I just NEED to know what happens next 😬

If you like:
Enemies to lovers
SLOWWW burns
A unique and mysterious magic system
Desert world background

Thennnn I absolutely recommend giving this book a try!

Very rarely do I give a book 5 stars but I was hooked on this book from page three and am anxiously awaiting the sequel. This is an enemies to lovers slow burn set in a magical desert and I adored every second of this reading experience. The tension between the two main characters is palpable and intense in a way that had me staying up until 2am to find out what happened next. If you loved Rey and Kylo Ren’s dynamic in Star Wars you will LOVE this book.

THIS BOOK!
Wow, just wow! I loved every second of reading this story, I raced through it!
The world building, the story, the tension, the angst, the build up, just everything was amazing!

Keera is a such a strong FMC, and the Viper just breaks my heart, he seriously needs a cuddle!
There were so many aspects of this that were just so well executed, which I can't gush about without spoiling some of the story! This is in a desert setting, which has its own magic, there are magical trials, enemies to lovers, great side characters, some of which I still can't decide if I can trust!

This has been a 5⭐️ read for me!

Thank you to Netgalley and SC Grayson for this copy!

4.5⭐️ Obsessed is an understatement!! 🤯

I would like to thank Victory Editing, S. C. Grayson, and NetGalley for recently providing me an e-ARC of this book though it has been published for about a year now.

If you’re a fan of Reylo from Star Wars, you will absolutely eat this up!
I had seen this book float around on booktok from a few influencers and was completely intrigued by the premise of the story and it did not disappoint.
The world and the magic was a breath of fresh air and felt original and unlike anything I had read in a romantasy before. A desert that is essentially alive and is angry that her magic has been disrupted and is lashing out at its inhabitants? Sign me up. I loved learning more about the world and how the magic of it was connected to our two main characters.
The Viper.. don’t get me started.. I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again, I love a tortured soul MMC and The Viper delivers on that very well. I’m also a sucker for a masked MMC and I loved how his own relationship with the mask evolved as the story went on. You can tell from the very beginning that though he has a mission, he is deeply torn with the acts he has to carry out as The Viper and I immediately wanted to know more about him.
Keera was strong, powerful and overall an awesome FMC that overcame a lot and had great character growth. I enjoyed watching her go from a weak exile to a powerful warrior that is taking down beasts of legend. She was awesome.
The slow burn between the two was everything. I loved that we only got small touches and tension filled looks before the spark really ignited. And when it did. Oh boy. It blazed and was well worth it.

The only reason this was not a 5 ⭐️ for me was that I did feel like it dragged just a little in the middle. The beginning and last 40% were sooo action packed and awesome, that the middle of it fell just a hint flat in comparison, but it still also had me intrigued and had my attention because I knew it was important to the story. I think the next book is going to really pop off with Erix and Keera wanting to find their way back to each other and I. Can’t. Wait!

grateful to NetGalley for granting me the free e-ARC of this book.

this was one of the more unique romantasy books i ever ever read with a very complex world/setting and equally complex and multifaceted characters. i fell in love with the story and main characters but for so e reason, i couldn’t connect to the writing as much as i would have liked to because some of it felt redundant and mildly unrealistic. there were also some typographical errors and sentences that disappeared quite make sense but i would hope that the officially published books were edited further. anyhow, this was a strong first book in a duology and i can’t wait to get to the next one!