Black Blood Earth - Benjamin DeHaan

Milan, a terminally ill shepherd from the snow village Bangal, and his adopted daughter Sara, a "weird one," are thrown into war against Lord Deimos, the noseless, fearless leader of the strictly selected drugged cavemen who yearns for forgotten Earth's lost relic "The World Ender". With it, he will give birth to a Poranda continent that bows only to him and fill it with the Earth's past of destruction. Joining forces with Milan's brother Tygo and the Forlorna army, Milan and Sara face incredible dangers, stop history from repeating itself, and lay Poranda on a path to a bright future.

"Usually nostrils and marble-shaped objects are a recipe for disaster, but in DeHaan's Black Blood Earth, disaster is displayed with unflinching originality. Well, the author isn't flinching. I was reading with my fingers over my eyes. This world is deeper than it seems, and DeHaan wastes no time throwing you into its turbulence. There's no love stronger than that between a parent and a child, so expect big waves...and expect a fight." -Christopher O'Halloran, author of Pushing Daisy