Thank you TorTeen for the eARC! This was a cool read with familial magic and magical politics. I will say that Clem’s storyline seems so underdeveloped compared to Cris, but I’m hoping we get more focus on him as a character in Book 2. Valentina reads as a typical mean girl with a hint of depth; I understand why she’s needed for the overall plot, but she’s incredibly superficial, so I’m also hoping we get more depth of character for her in the next book, as well.

Rounded to 3.5 stars.

CONTENT WARNING: murder, death of a parent, anxiety, grief, excessive use of profanity, racism, homophobia, bullying, violence, depression, toxic relationship, gaslighting, gore, gun violence, trauma

I’d be lying if I said that the stunning cover isn’t what caught my eye first, but the summary held my attention, and I couldn’t wait to escape the New York winter for the sultry heat of a New Orleans summer. There was so much that I enjoyed about this one, although there were a few things that fell a teeny bit short for me. But overall, it was a bumpy ride and I couldn’t put it this page-turner down.

Clement and Cristina are fantastic and well-developed characters. I loved the difficult dynamic that they have with each other, as twins who are struggling with various relationships in their lives, but in different manifestations. And most importantly, they are struggling with their relationship with the other twin, in the aftermath of the death of their father and their mother’s sudden illness. While Cristina is blaming herself for her father’s death, Clement is struggling with mental health issues, vacillating between depression and anxiety, and closing himself off from most of his meaningful relationships other than Cristina, who has been slowly pushing him away.

It isn’t just the dynamic between the twins that is difficult, but the story also addresses other relationship difficulties, whether it is between friends, families, or romantic partners, and that is where a lot of the strength in the story comes from. It’s an intensely relatable situation, not just the situation in Clement and Cristina’s family, but in the other narrators as well—a family with parents that aren’t willing to separate but only fight between themselves and don’t have enough emotional resources to devote to their child, and even a queer child who plays a role in an effort to appease their intensely homophobic parent. It allows a snapshot into each of their lives, although it doesn’t necessarily feel like we get enough insight into some of the side characters that play a smaller role.

Another strength of the story is the way that it doesn’t hesitate to talk about the hard topics—the magic system is rooted in a way to fight back against oppression during slavery and beyond, yet it sets up additional conflict by entitled characters who feel as though they have the right to learn and practice generational magic that doesn’t belong to them. We see multiple instances of racism and preferential treatment of white characters in terms of justice, as well as the very different ways that the white and Black characters are treated by law enforcement. There’s also no shortage of homophobia, and the presence of magic itself is another facet for control of Black people, as evidenced by the growing movement for legal control over generational magic, while the forms of magic that are practiced by white people aren’t even addressed as needed to be controlled.

There’s a lot of profanity in the story. And I do mean a lot. This is coming from someone who curses like a drunken truck driver, and even in an adult book, I’d find it to be excessive, but when it’s in a YA book, finding an f-bomb on nearly every single page at least once, and sometimes more than that feels like a bit much. There were also some intimate situations discussed, but at least one sex scene occurs semi-explicitly between two of the teen characters. As an adult reader, this didn’t bother me and wasn’t anything as graphic as would be found in an adult romance, but probably wouldn’t be as suitable for readers on the young end of the YA spectrum.

The other, more pressing issue that I found with the story is that it felt as though it was trying to do almost too much in too short of a time. Although there was a range of POVs in the story, not all of them really played out fully throughout the storyline, and some of the plot threads were kind of left hanging by the end of the book. We never get any resolution for three of the side characters, and I was left wondering if they just got away without any consequences for their own actions, despite the massive harms that they had throughout the book, and there’s no explanation at all for the actions of one of them.

Overall, this was a fantastic debut, and I loved the way the story unfolded. I was hooked early, and only got more so the further into the book I read. Clement and Cristina are two characters that I was sad to say goodbye to, although their story still felt complete by the end of the book. I especially loved the world-building and the way the magic system was connected to their history of oppression and ancestry, both distant and recent. Benton-Walker is absolutely a talent to watch.

Had to DNF 10% in. This was not my speed, but it will be someone else's. I was very excited about the concept and the cover art. But I wasn't a fan of where the story was going. It's not you it's just my personal taste.

New Orleans! Witches! Murder! Curses!
Thank you NetGalley!
What more could you want from a book! After a brutal murder and lynching years ago Cris and Clem need to figure out how it’s all connected. Figuring out their mother isn’t sick and actually curses was a big shock, and knowing it must all be connected starts them on a wild ride! This mystery novel has many themes and just an amazing book that I couldn’t put down. Getting to know all these characters and, seeing it from their point of view made me realize how hard some people have it. I related a lot with Clem because of how much anxiety, he has along with the need to help whenever he could. I was so worried I wasn’t going to be a fan but the book was an eye opener and I will be on the look out for more from this author for sure!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for both an ARC and ALC for exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

This books shocked me on so many different levels in such a great way it was so much fun to read!

The representative: amazing so many different groups were represented in this books
The plot: very well done and very fun to read
The audiobook: excellent narration and i love the fun extra sounds
How this book approach racism: extremely well done and very easy for readers of any age to understand

I plowwweeeedddd through this book and i highly recommend to fantasy fans of all ages!!

Blood Debts is an urban fantasy novel set in present-day New Orleans where magic is openly practiced and managed by different organizational bodies. I would describe the plot as a two-fold murder mystery, one from the past and an attempted murder of the present.

Clement & Christina are twins whose family has a dark history. Their grandmother was accused of murder many years ago which resulted in not only her fall from Queendom of their magical community but a family lynching from a local mob. In the present day, the twins’ mother falls ill and when they discover a hex doll in her room, the teens decide to figure out who is attacking their family and why. As the reader moves through the plot, they stumble upon information surrounding the notorious grandmother as well as complicated politics plaguing the magical and non-magical communities of New Orleans at present.

I finished reading this book yesterday and have been struggling with how to rank my final review for this book. On one hand, it contained many elements I loved but then it also included a lot of shortcomings as well. I suppose the best place to start is to share what this book left me wanting.

First off, I felt like the plot twists and outcomes were not overtly surprising, so I was missing the shock factor. The novel weaves a decades-old murder as well as a present situation, and therefore the cast list was incredibly long. As the climax approached and it was revealed who was tied to which plot points, I realized just how overwhelmed I had been with the numerous characters. I had a hard time connecting who was who and how they were interconnected to others in the mass web; to me, the many threads of characters convoluted the story. I was also missing information about the motivations behind the opposing communities and their overlapping relationship with the gods.

The story contains information about two main warring families in this magical community, and we see a generational cycle of targeted abuse from one to the other. This toxic vengeance carried the theme of, “an eye for an eye,” and I kept hoping for a character of good conscious to stop the cycle. This volatile relationship felt unsustainable and gives the reader a sense of hopelessness that there will never be peace amidst the community. My last critique ties into the previous one as well, which is that I felt like elements of the story lacked depth. The main characters didn’t show substantial character growth. If anything, they spiral more into chaotic choices and traits than finding strength or growth.

Okay, I know that seems like a lot of issues and you may be asking why I was struggling to review this book. Well, that’s because there were many elements I really enjoyed in this story! The setting of modern-day New Orleans was very atmospheric, and I loved seeing how magic was performed on the page for each of our character’s POVs. The reader gets to witness several instances of conjuring and the resulting aftermaths. I loved the simplicity of the objects needed for the spells and how when tied with their generational gifts, it brings magic into the world.

I also felt like the family dynamics were a highlight. I love a good sibling bond, where twins add a double layer of tension. I felt like Clement & Christina had a realistic sibling dynamic and their relationship was one of the most interesting for me to see unfold. The extended family was a messy element in the best of ways; I bask in dramatic family relationships like we see in this story.

A theme explored in Blood Debts surrounded the sexual activity of the teens. I personally like seeing this in young adult books, because it would have been the type of story I’d of sought out during my adolescence. There are mentions of sex workers, safe sex practices, consent, and LGBTQ+ representation with one of the main characters. All of which I felt were handled beautifully and included important messages for the reader.

Finally, I listened to the audiobook format of this book and absolutely loved the production. The story contains multiple POVs, and the narration includes a full cast of voice actors for each one and included some of my favorites such as Bahni Turpin, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Torian Brackett, and Zeno Robinson. Jazz music was an appropriate and fun special effect that opened the book and served as an interlude between each section of the novel.

So, you may ask, what’s my final review? I decided to settle on 3 stars. I’m glad I gave this book a chance and though it had many elements I enjoyed, there were too many faults to ignore. Blood Debts will be a series, and this first book ends on a cliff hanger with many elements needing to be explored in the sequel. I don’t see myself rushing to pick up the next book, but if raving reviews poor out – I may reconsider. So it isn’t a hard no, but just unlikely. Coming to this decision is what moved me to keep my final review at 3 stars instead of bumping it up to a 3.5/4 star review.

To start off I wantt to say thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and thank you to Terry J Benton Walker for writing possibly one of my favourite fantasy books of all time

After finishing this book I was left speechless, very rarely do I find a book that is so consistently engaging that it is hard to put down. The book is set in new orleans and follows the two main characters (Clement and Cristina) as they try to figured out who cursed their mother. This unravels into a deep dive into their extremely messy family and many other secrets are later revealed.

The book takes place in multiple perspectives with the primary ones being Cristina and Clements and I just knew this book had a hold on me because when ever the perspective would switch I instantly wanted to read on to find out more.

If you are someone who loves family dynamics introduced into books this one is for you because their whole family made this book what it is. I don't know how he done it but every single interaction felt real and genuine.
I actually cared about each one of them and I loved how they would help the main characters but not take over, just allowing them to thrive throughout the story.

The magic system in this book is expertly written. I loved the fact that Walker was not afraid to bring up race and used gen magic to show how white people take what's not their even if it is culturally significant. I also love how the consequences of magic are explored in multiple scenes in the book because that is rarely ever mentioned in fantasy. Cristina’s inner struggle through out the book was realistic and the resolution was just as powerful.

Honestly, when this book comes out I am going to be the first to pick up a physical copy because this is such a fun and exciting novel and it really has potential to be one of the best modern fantasy series.

DNF 10%

The writing almost killed me i kept pushing so hard but nothing kept me going. Not the plot, nor the characters. The writing felt too passive in my opinion I may as well just read a summary

I think I must note something important that my issue was with the craft itself, not the subject matters tackled in the story. I do think so many people will truly enjoy this book, I am just not the target audience for it

Blood Debts is set in ghostly and haunted New Orleans with the titillating thrill of magic weaves into every fiber of the city, story and characters. It has a LGTBQ+ and African American main character and the story is told through multiple viewpoints. The story is filled with witty jabs between siblings that make the characters feel relatable. Terry J Benton-Walker intertwines the concept of racism into the story to teach us more about it and show how we can learn from it. 2 siblings have to solve a mystery that is intertwined with family and town secrets and are faced with betrayals from people who were supposed to be there for them. I would give this book 5 stars.

Wow I loved this book so much! Magic, New Orleans, some of my favorite things! I really hope there is another one and soon! Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest review.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. It’s a genre I like….unfortunately I couldn’t connect with the writing style… it felt like a lot of superfluous swear words and unsophisticated language… Thank you to NetGalley for advance copy

I enjoyed this so so much. There were so many interesting characters, an amazing magic system, beautiful writing, an intriguing plot, and so much family drama!! It was so nice to see the characters’ growth and the relationship between Cris and Clem. Like all siblings they have their problems, but you could really tell how much they care for each other. I also really liked how we got to see a bit of Valentina’s POV, as she’s with the antagonists’ side, and I think it will be interesting how her character develops in the next book. The only thing that disappointed me a tiny bit was that there wasn’t some twist at the end, I feel like the characters got the answers too easily and I was hoping for a surprise. Buuut after that ending, I cannot wait for the sequel!!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for my review.

I’m so sad - I really wanted to love this. Every part of me loved the description of this, but in all, I think it’s a little too young for me and almost *too* YA.

I love what this author is trying to do, I love this idea of a plot and where they’re trying to go, but I found that the writing didn’t do it as much justice as I wish it could have.

I believe that someone else will love this book. Someone else will pick this up and find the book that changed their life, it just wasn’t for me.

Tens across the board with this book! Upon finishing the first chapter I was immediately hooked. Benton-Walker has done an excellent job in creating a world almost exactly similar to our own but with the magic turned up! The characters are flawed and love-able in a way that makes me want even more of them. Each chapter had me up late reading and wanting to know how the issues would be resolved. This book is something both Young Adults and full Adults will love. And the Black representation is just a cherry on top! Can't wait for the possible sequel!

This was such a great ARC read for one of the first books I read in 2023! I went into this not expecting very much except that I knew it would be in NOLA and have a witchy element that I absolutely love in books!

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel! It was sweet, simple, and I didn't have to think that much while I was reading. This is a book that very much fits the YA category and reads as such, this being said, when you go into reading it, expect that it's YA and not an adult novel. The writing is amazing but the relationship growth, character growth, and plot development is very much young adult. Sometimes I found the characters immature, but I also really liked that about them because they were reacting like kids, it made sense!

It was absolutely adorable and showcased something that I feel is new for me but also for many readers. Blood Debts hits all the right spots and really made me so happy as I was reading this! Cris and Clem were so cute and precious, I couldn't get enough of them!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First, I would like to thank Netgalley and TorTeen for giving me this ARC. I was really excited for this book and really enjoyed it overall! That being said, it did have a lot going on and I felt like a lot of things were not properly executed because of there being so many things that had to be thought out a little bit more. I really did love Clem and Cris and so many others. They are what kept me reading and intrigued. Thank you once again!

3.5 stars
Overall, a good debut novel. The main characters, Cristina and Clement, are well- developed, interesting, and sympathetic. The generational issues and seeing them through the twins' perspective allowed the story to develop well though the short switches to other POVs were distracting.
The magic system was interesting and worked really well. The overarching story of who framed their grandmother for murder and was responsible for the death of family members was well done.
The rest of the plot, including the subplots, had too much going on so it felt like some things weren't fully fleshed out or seemed out of place. This left several things rushed or unresolved.
I enjoyed it and can't wait to see what the author does next.

Blood Debts is a book for everyone! I know it's marketed to the YA crowd but adults will enjoy this book too. It has something for everyone - romance - yes! - diverse characters who are nuanced and well developed - yes, 2SLGTBQIA+ rep - yes, a unique magic system - yes, a family wronged and a quest to restore their good name - yes. Do I need to keep going??

I loved the relationship between our main characters twins Cristina (Cris) and Clement (Clem). At the beginning of the book, they've drifted apart as Cristina has a secret that prevents her from opening up. They've noticed that their mom has been getting sick and it's not until they discover a hex doll under her bed that they realize that their family's bad luck might not be as simple as it seems.

I finished this book and immediately wished I had a sequel in my hands so I could continue to follow Cris and Clem's stories and so I could learn more about the magical universe that Terry J Benton-Walker sets up. Please tell me there will be more books to come!

Thank you to Netgalley and TorTeen for giving me access to this early copy of Blood Debts!

This book was a massive disappointment. I loved the cover and thought the description was right up my alley, but the execution was just terrible. I haven't read prose this bad since I had an active Wattpad account. There are moments when the perspective changes from first to third person, or from past to present tense, and while I understand that this was done to distinguish between perspectives, in effect it just makes the book seem poorly written and barely edited. All the characters sounded the same to the point where I had to keep flipping back to the chapter title page to check whose head I was in. The plot was also very disconnected; it was more a bunch of side quests while the main mystery was forgotten until the end of the book when it came back just to be neatly wrapped up. I hate to be so critical of a debut author but this is just not a quality book, and with book prices as high as they are, readers deserve a book that is worth that price.

I finished this book within 24 hours cuz I couldn't stop reading, I would rather mess my sleep schedule than stop reading this one.

The story is about two twins Christina and Clement who are looked down upon as they have a dark family background linked with betrayals, murder and use of magic for harm. Once they were the heirs of the throne of Gen Magical council but after their grandparents were lynched for murdering Mayor's daughter, their entire line was removed.

In present day Chris and Clem both are recovering from the loss of their dad, Cris thinks it's because of her fault and her magic spell gone wrong that her dad died but she cannot tell this to anyone and bears the burden alone while Clem feels like he is destined to loose everyone he loves as after his dad's death even his 4 other aunts left their house and their mother is very sick, almost on her death bed.

Soon after they find out that someone had placed a voodoo doll to kill their mother and their personal items are missing too. Also, this attempt to their mother's life may be linked to their grandparents' and father's death. Someone wants to end them all and they must find who. This also means they must find out what actually happened 30 years back and whether their grandmother was wrong fully accused by her best friend whose family current occupies the throne.

Strengths:
.. I really admired how well woven this story was, it was literally three generations tied together in one book.
There were so many intricate details that were splendidly done.
.. People of colour and lgbtq+ elements present and in my opinion the representation is the best I have ever read about, since Gen magic is basically the magic practiced by Black people and then there is Light magic for white mages, so one gets to read the symbolism of races depicted quite soundly.
.. There is the moral question which comes with necromancy whether it is right to practice for your loved ones based on your selfish needs or not.
.. There is a lot of emphasis on sibling relationships, how beautiful yet how taxing it can be, with the characters of 4 aunts or the twins.
.. Splendid character development!

Suggestions:
.. It would have been better if there was cast list but since it was an arc, it's okay
.. I wish we could get Justine's perspective too.
.. I wanted to know what was going on with Gabriella as she had an important role to play yet wasn't emphasized upon.
.. The beginning of the book felt a little weak and I didn't feel like continuing but after a few chapters it got so much better.

In all it was a great book, and I will recommend it to all. I received this arc through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.