The Blood Trials is a book that I would recommend to everyone. If the idea of a magical and deadly competition didn't pique your interest, it's also a book that explores privilege and racism in this speculative fiction world. We love a vengeful MC and Ikenna delivers. What starts off as a quest to bring her grandfather's murderers to justice, ends up exposing corruption in every corner. The action of the book made it impossible for me to stop reading.

There is betrayal and manipulation from the start as she races against the clock. And by the time you get to the ending, I will be here to listen to your shrieking! Because it took me a few days to stop reeling. At the same time, The Blood Trials deeply exposes elitism, nepotism, and racism. The ways that competition is used as a guise to perpetuate these actions. All the death from outside and within. How tradition can uphold problematic institutions.

I have to say….. this book gave me EVERYTHING.!

First off, I felt a connection to the main character and feeling her lost and her struggling through her grief was perfectly written well. Reading through it while she is enduring hatred, which I can understand. Love a country but have to deal with the politics and bigotry against you. It reminds me of what’s going on currently! I honestly figured out the mystery before she did and I feel her pain. To be betrayed by the closest to her and finding solace in new friends and enemies showed that she have grown as a person and earn her respect. The characters are well written like I had some hatred with some. The ending seemed sort of rush but it wasn’t too rushed that left you wondering how it ended so quickly! I’m so excited for its release! I absolutely loved it!

OH. MY. GOSH!!!!!!! You guys, I'm a huge fan of the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown and after I finished the series back in January, I really didn't see too much more Sci-Fi's captivating me the way that series did. I was wrong.

The Blood Trials totally BLEW me away and exceeded my expectations. It honestly is the perfect book to read for Sci-Fi fans especially if you're like me and suffer from Sci-Fi slumps here and there. It is very gritty, dark, and action-packed, but also incredibly violent. So yes it's on par with the Red Rising Series if you've read it. That being said, because of the extreme violence, I would say this really is an adult series as well. It does involve teenagers but I get the impression that we will "grow up" with them with the sequel in this duology.

Now on to the story itself. Ikenna is a freaking legend. She possesses magic, but also has to maneuver in a world that is incredibly racist so watch yourself here with the trigger warnings, The book follows her journey to figure out who assassinated her Grandfather, and to do so, she enrolls in a Miltary Academy for Praetorians warriors. Again - please read the trigger warnings!! This book does its own thing and is in no way a copycat to Red Rising in my opinion, but there are some similarities in terms of the characters starting off as teenagers, the sci-fi aspect, the discomfort that comes from reading minority characters be mistreated, and the military/warrior/survival of the fittest type of situation. This book does in on a cliffhanger, but the good news is that it will be a duology!! I can't say enough about how much this book impressed me. It's definitely a new favorite and I'm likely to buy a physical copy anyway to reread it despite having received an arc. Please give this a shot if you like action-packed, gritty, and violent with a dash of magic.

Thank you to NetGalley for approving an Arc.

A great read. I really enjoyed the storyline and I can’t wait for the sequel.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Blood Trials is an exciting SFF debut. While in some ways feeling YA-esque at first, particularly in terms of following young characters, the book is dark, and is very much adult, being gritty, high-action, and not afraid to go to very intense places. As the blurb promises, racism and misogyny are central topics, and while they are dealt with in a sensitive, deft manner, Davenport is not afraid to explore the depths of the issues to their full extent.
The world building and the social structures are a bit vague, beyond the exploration of these issues, but I feel that the exploration of them and the way the characters respond more than makes up for that. I also feel like it contributed to the pacing being much quicker, as it wasn’t bogged down by exploring this whole new system, and we got what we needed as it was relevant.
Ikenna is a great protagonist, and I liked that there’s a balance between seeing how she is impacted by these social issues while also making her a well-rounded character. She’s hot-headed and impulsive, making choices without reflecting on the consequences. But that also means that there are some great stakes as the results of these choices do come back around to make her face them.
This a fabulous debut, and provided you’re prepared for the amount of violence, makes a great crossover read for YA readers to get into more adult fantasy.

I’m so happy I got to read an arc of this book - as SFF goes it’s exactly up my alley. There are obvious superficial comps here to some of the early dystopian YA books (hunger games & divergent) but this book is definitely adult, not YA, has completely unique world building and narrative voice, and let’s not forget the Black MC and heroine, Ikenna Amari. She and all the secondary characters won my loyalty right away. The dynamic between Ikenna and her best friend, Selene, is an especially good example of how the author grounds her fantastical world in emotional authenticity and realistic humor. In terms of plot, the book structure (which goes in-depth on a few of the “trials” and also beyond them) was really satisfying, and the conclusion gives a good sense of both an ending to this chapter and a beginning of the next one. Worldbuilding-wise, this book achieves a perfect balance of having resonances with our own society while still operating fully on its own. The political situation, which stretches beyond domestic lines, has a satisfying sense of depth as well.

The only issue I had as a reader was some frustration with Ikenna quickly leaping to certain conclusions without sufficient evidence, but thankfully these shortcomings of hers were pointed out by other characters once they were looped in on her intel (meaning the author didn’t expect us to accept her logic either).

I’m planning to get a print copy of this book when it comes out in April, and I really hope that Davenport is met with all the success she deserves! Recommending this book highly and widely. Go check it out.

Fans of Red Rising take note! The Blood Trials needs to be on your radar. This gritty, action-packed, sci-fantasy debut was everything I was hoping for. (Note that this is ADULT fiction, not YA with high levels of violence)

Ikenna is the granddaughter of the Legatus of the Mareenian Empire. Not only does she face vitriolic racism as a minority, but she is also a hiding a dangerous secret - forbidden blood magic. When her grandfather is assassinated, she enrolls in a brutal military training academy for elite Praetorian warriors. So brutal that only a fraction of her class will survive training. Because she is one of few women and a minority, people want Ikenna dead. But she will do whatever it takes to uncover who assassinated her grandfather, and then wreak vengeance on the perpetrators.

This is an impressive debut and I truly hope it takes off and the right readers find it. Thematically and in terms of action and brutal twists this book has a lot in common with Red Rising, even while being something all its own. Ikenna can be a stubborn hothead, but she is also a survivor and I loved her as a character. She must survive trial after trial, not to mention conducting a secret investigation. The book ends with a major bang and I CANNOT WAIT for book 2!

Note that the racial and gender inequality Ikenna deals with are central to the book. This does a great job of parsing these issues, and even includes a case of "passing" where a biracial character looks enough like the majority race as to gain privilege. There are more spoilery events that also mirror real world issues in interesting ways as well, but I will leave them for you to find out.

If I had and quibbles with this it's that I would like to know a little more about the social structures of the world and the magic system. But honestly I loved this. If this sounds up your alley go preorder it! I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars.

If you love trials and books set at an academy, this is definitely the book for you. This book is not a YA fantasy and it does not hold back. There are very dark and gritty details in the violence that is shown in this book. This book had a lot of world building that sometimes felt a bit clunky hence the .5 star off but other than that I really enjoyed it. It is a fast paced book that ends on a cliff hanger and I can't wait to pick up the second book.

You will fall in love with the characters and how they are portrayed in this book. They all bring something new to the table. You may also loathe some of the characters as well. But you will feel something towards every single one and I think it makes a great impact on the reader.

Ikenna sets out for a military academy to prove that she is made to be what the Republic wants her to be. However, before she heads to the military academy, her Grandfather is murdered. She decides to fight for revenge and figure out who killed him in the Republic. Ikenna and the crew fight for survival in the trials to become essentially a Soldier for the Republic. However, Ikenna has a blood gift that she needs to hide while she fights in the trials. The trials are bloody and gruesome and the book really goes in depth in the trials as Ikenna is trying to figure out who murdered her Grandfather at the same time. I did NOT expect the plot twists that came at the end of the book.

Overall, a great fantasy book that I can see a lot of people loving! Also, the cover? LOVE!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the Advanced Reader Copy**

What an amazing RIDE!!!
This book was well worth the hype.
The characters were easy to identify even when they make decisions you do not agree with. Ikenna was someone that you could identify with especially as she goes through the trials.
One of the interesting things about the book for me was that just when I thought we were working towards a resolution something bigger happened in the story. I found myself sacrificing sleep at times just to learn what comes next.
This was an great adventure and I cannot wait to see what comes next.

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It's all about blood.

The blood spilled between the Republic of Mareen and the armies of the Blood Emperor long ago. The blood gifts of Mareen's deadliest enemies. The blood that runs through the elite War Houses of Mareen, the rulers of the Tribunal dedicated to keeping the republic alive.

The blood of the former Legatus, Verne Amari, murdered.

For his granddaughter, Ikenna, the only thing steady in her life was the man who had saved Mareen. The man who had trained her in secret, not just in martial skills, but in harnessing the blood gift that coursed through her.

Who trained her to keep that a secret.

But now there are too many secrets, and with her grandfather assassinated, Ikenna knows two things: that only someone on the Tribunal could have ordered his death, and that only a Praetorian Guard could have carried out that order.

Bent on revenge as much as discovering the truth, Ikenna pledges herself to the Praetorian Trials--a brutal initiation that only a quarter of the aspirants survive. She subjects herself to the racism directed against her half-Khanaian heritage and the misogyny of a society that cherishes progeny over prodigy, all while hiding a power that--if found out--would subject her to execution...or worse. Ikenna is willing to risk it all because she needs to find out who murdered her grandfather...and then she needs to kill them.

Mareen has been at peace for a long time...

Ikenna joining the Praetorians is about to change all that.

Magic and technology converge in the first part of this stunning debut duology, where loyalty to oneself--and one's blood--is more important than anything.

I loved N. E. Davenport’s The Blood Trials. I went into this book without any expectations and turned the final page both surprised and satisfied. It offers up a complex world, rife with geopolitical conflicts, futuristic technologies and awesome fight scenes. But it also introduces a dark, supernatural magic system that plays into the racial and social dynamics of its corrupt society. All of this and more combined for a solid debut and a wondrous world that I can’t wait to read more of.

So why did I connect so much with this novel? It’s a bit strange, ‘cause I didn’t at first. The main character, Ikenna, is brash and arrogant. She has a hot temper, but she also has incredible combat training and blood magic powers to back up her “fight first, ask questions later” attitude. She came across as a bit grating at first, almost unlikeable. I mean, the whole book hinges on her, right? It took me until chapter two to warm up to her and understand how the story’s inciting incident and promises could turn her into an amazing protagonist—and that is exactly what happened.

The story kicks off with the death of Ikenna’s grandfather, and what follows is a story of vengeance that fuels her journey. This revenge mystery was compelling, and I appreciated how the clues and red herrings of Ikenna’s investigation clashed with her over-confident personality. This led to dead-ends and false expectations that were quite satisfying in how they unfolded, and, overall, the revelations of her grandfather’s mysterious death were well managed.

Ikenna also came into her own as an individual and a leader—for the most part. She deals with racism and discrimination, due to her dark skin color but also her high position in society (both of which many find abhorrent). A lot of her ability to overcome various hurdles is due to her own skills, endurance and luck, but also the people around her. Her core crew, Seline and Zayne, were both great foils and contrasts to Ikenna, each complex in their own ways. There were also some stereotypical character types—notably on the antagonist side of things—but even they were given moments of relatable moral complexity.

On top of that, the pacing was top notch, delivering a rip-roaring action thriller that didn’t shy away from character moments, relationships and emotion. The fight choreography was tight, and there were some spectacular action set-pieces throughout the novel. As well, action was often seamlessly blended with conversations and relationship building in a way that I loved. This also played well into a side of Ikenna that I liked, which was the more calculating, observant side she inherited from her military leader grandfather. It balanced well with her outward aggressiveness.

Another highlight for me was the worldbuilding, which incorporated an intricate chess board of geopolitical rivals, each with their own goals and societal quirks. Once again, contrast is key. The mostly white-skinned, techno-capitalist, militaristic society that Ikenna lives in is compared to their innovative, dark-skinned neighbors and an empire of bloodthirsty magic wielders led by a despotic emperor. All this when Ikenna is a mixed-race female with dark skin who has to hide her blood magic, and she’s been indoctrinated by a misogynist, military industrial complex that prejudices her very own skin color and magic. It was fascinating commentary on our world, on modern America, and the contradictions of Ikenna’s life panned out toward a satisfying conclusion.

On the flip side, I had some criticisms. While the pacing was mostly excellent, the book hit a lull in act three until things pick up towards an exciting finale. It threw me off a bit, but I was definitely invested enough to push through the minor slog. Also, there were romance and sex elements that were interesting, but at times felt a melodramatic—kind of like a CW show. Sure, things got steamy, but there was a YA vibe to it when so much of this book leans more adult. Still, the majority of characters in this book are nineteen-years-old, and thinking back on me at nineteen, yeah, I get it. Shit at that time was messy and awkward.

While The Blood Trials wasn’t entirely perfect, it nailed it in so many ways, leaving me aching for its sequel. So, are you looking for a tight, fast-paced narrative brimming with stellar action and geopolitical drama? What about a thoughtful blend of technology and magic/sci-fi and fantasy, or a female protagonist who kicks some serious ass? The Blood Trials delivers all that more, and N. E. Davenport’s debut proves she has a ton of talent—this book is clearly just the beginning.

This is a debut to end all debuts. It's a New Adult dream - a little bit of mystery, a little bit of romance, and a WHOOOOLE lot of fantasy. I loved the worldbuilding, the tech, the ACTION SCENES. But we also get to experience the world through Ikenna's lens, especially in how she deals with the grief of her grandfather's passing and the constant racism and misogyny she experiences. The characters around her feel fleshed out, my personal favorite being Reed. I'd recommend this to fans of The Testing and Crescent City, or anyone who wants a dynamic SFF novel that isn't a tome.

*Thank you to B2Weird, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Ikenna hasn’t been doing well. Since her grandfather’s death, she’s hardly been able to keep up with her classes, even as graduation looms, as well as the chance to do something she’d dreamed of ever since she was a little girl: becoming a Praetorian Guard. While becoming a part of this elite group of soldiers used to be all she lived for, now, she’d rather drink away her woes in a bar with her two best friends, ignoring the many insults sent her way due to her skin color. But when Ikenna discovers that her grandfather didn’t die, but was murdered, and that the Praetorian Guard might be involved, her entire life is turned upside down. Now, she has to pass the trials and join the guard, not to be an elite soldier, but to get justice for her grandfather, and maybe some revenge. How deep does this mystery go, and how far will Ikenna go to find out the truth?

I received an advanced reading copy of The Blood Trials in exchange for an honest review.

The Blood Trials is a fantasy novel by N.E. Davenport. It’s a book that also combines many science fiction elements into it, creating a world that blends magic, myth, and technology, and one that I had a very fun time visiting!

From the very beginning, though, I want to say that this book comes with a trigger warning. I think the summary made it clear, but the main character, Ikenna, deals with a lot of racism in The Blood Trials. Just be aware before picking up the book!

I want to start talking about Ikenna, and mostly how hot-headed she is. She’s the kind of character who runs into a fight not knowing how she’s going to get out of it, and I loved it! This trait means that she often gets herself into very sticky situations, and exciting moments, but also it means she wears her heart on her sleeve for a large part of the book. She won’t stand for injustice, or stupidity. She calls it out like it is, and it was so great to see her. I wish I was more like her, to be honest.

Ikenna also lives in a three-dimensional world! And what I mean here is, Davenport gives us a world that has a history, that has politics, that has culture and tradition. All of these elements are valuable to create a place that actually feels real, and I’m also a huge fan of light politics in fantasy novels in general, so you can be sure that I absolutely loved seeing that here. Even if Ikenna is a soldier, she’s still wrapped up in so many tangled political webs, and I kept watching them unravel as she tried to figure out which would lead her to her grandfather’s killer.

The plot was exciting too! This is a book full of action, which I’m sure you can see from the cover. To become a Praetorian Guard, Ikenna has to pass a bunch of trials, and none of them are easy. In fact, several of them are harder due to the fact that people hate her merely for what she looks like, and they’re intentionally trying to sabotage her. There were many moments where I stopped and wondered just how Ikenna would survive to the next page, and she never disappointed. She might be a hot-headed character, but she’s certainly clever, and her actions often kept me on the edge of my seat!

The book ended all too quickly for me. I wanted more! Lucky for me, there’s a sequel coming out next year! But until then, I guess I’ll just try to be patient. It’s going to be a long wait!

The Blood Trials will be released on April 5. You can pre-order your copy from Harper Voyager here.

*Actual rating of 3.5 stars

“We do not bend. We do not break. We do not bow. We do not yield.” --N.E. Davenport

CW: violence, blood, gore, death, torture, cannibalism, rasicm, sexism, strong language

I want to start off by saying that this book is, I think, being marketed as young adult/ upper YA. It’s not. There is a lot of violence and gore, there’s a sex scene, and other adult themes. Although the main characters are around 18-19 years old, it’s really not a YA book. Thus the content warnings above. I feel like that’s important to start off with so people do go into this book with different expectations.

The main character, Ikenna, lives in a military republic (Mareen), where magic is outlawed and everything is run by a panel of generals. She finds out that her grandfather, who held an office of high power, has been murdered and that the government was likely behind it. So she decides to become an elite soldier called a Praetorian in order to investigate her grandfather’s death. She faces countless obstacles, such as severe racism and sexism, as well as the brutal trials that kill many who attempt to become Praetorians.

This book was wildly entertaining from start to finish. The action barely lets up for the entirety of the book, and I truly never knew what was going to happen next. It’s a delicious blend of sci-fi and fantasy, with a lot of magic and a lot of technology and the clash between the two. I’ve never read a book quite like it, and I loved how the author mixed genres to create something unique. Another part of this genre-mixing was having a complex magic system (that could do with more clear rules/ explaining in my opinion). The book also has slang and cursing the likes of which we would see from teenagers and young adults today. The way the characters speak makes the fantasy world more accessible.

The world is definitely the best part of the book. I loved the idea of a republic that is wholly focused on military might and power, who puts their elite soldiers through brutal training. There is a lot of death in this book, and it’s made to seem like it’s a totally normal part of this country. I also loved seeing various parts of the larger world outside of Mareen, like a huge forest full of nasty creatures and the colorful country of Khanai. The end of the book has much more of the world, religious system, and magic system than the rest of the book, and it seems to be setting up for the second book to have even more exploration of the world.

Another thing I loved is how fierce Ikenna is. She’s a strong warrior who doesn’t put up with any of the racism and sexism thrown her way (and it’s a lot). She chooses violence more often than not, which makes for an exciting heroine whose strength you can really root for. In a world full of morally gray characters, Ikenna fits in. However, her upbringing in a world that wants to put her down means that she has a strong moral compass. She is constantly, loudly calling other characters out on their BS, fighting them, or both. She does not put up with people looking down on her or on others for any reason. While she’s morally gray in some ways, she’s easy to root for in her compassion and empathy for those who aren’t seen as equal by those in power in her world. I really enjoyed reading a character like her who isn’t afraid to stand up for herself and for others no matter the circumstances.

Despite the strength of Ikenna’s character, the other side characters really aren’t as interesting as she is. The stakes in the book are really high–there are characters literally dying left and right in the Praetorian trials–but the investment was low for me. The characters are really two dimensional for most of the book. Part of this is also just how cheesy and arrogant some of the characters speak and behave. There’s a lot of posturing, smack talk, and characters who are beating us over the head with their mentions of how they think they’re better than everyone else. However, I do think that the characters that are left by the end of this book will be a lot more interesting and developed in the next book.

That’s part of the main reason the book doesn’t get a higher rating from me despite it’s interesting world and plot–the lack of investment in anything other than Ikenna’s character. It was hard to care about the really high stakes when I simply wasn’t invested.

Another thing that was tough for me was some of the worldbuilding. A lot of the politics–which were important to the plot–were hard to follow. It also seemed like the last quarter of the book was much different than the rest, and a lot of the plot threads seemed like they weren’t introduced until later in the book. There were also a lot of pacing issues for me personally, including the fact that the last portion of the book felt so different. The author doesn’t give a lot of insight into things that happen before the beginning of the book. I would definitely have been more invested if there had been more backstory given to multiple events and characters throughout the book, including Ikenna’s past.

Overall, I recommend giving this book a read. I think it set up a strong foundation to have a really great second book. It’s a lot different from other fantasy books I’ve read recently. If you like strong heroines, a lot of action and violence, and unique worlds and magic systems, then this would be a book you would enjoy.


*Releases April 5, 2022*

*I received a free electronic copy of this book from NetGalley
*Review also posted to Goodreads and The Book Keepers Blog (link on my profile)

This wasn't a bad book, I want to start this review off with that.

While NetGalley had it as a Young Adult, the ages of the characters are more New Adult as they're twenty-one-ish. And there are adult scenes, sex, violence, etc. It's dystopian with some interesting scifi elements.

And a lot of racism.

Kenna is a Black woman, her grandfather, a Black man who attained the highest rank possible and was then murdered. Her friends are light/white.

When I say she faces a lot of racism I mean it is constant. Almost every page if not every page with someone using a slur for her.

She's a tough, stubborn, angry woman and I don't blame her. Her grandfather was all she had and he was taken from her. I just can't deal with the racism. As a Black woman myself, I couldn't deal. So this is a book I'll be recommending people take care of themselves while reading.

Like I said earlier in my review, it isn't a bad book. There are some problems though. Not the smoothest writing, it gets kind of jerky. There's also an issue with flat characters. I didn't care about a lot of people because aside from the real core characters, they weren't very stand out for me.

We also have to talk about the trials that take place in the book. You want me to believe that it started with over one thousand ( 1,000) people and then it's down to eight hundred (800) then so on. The trials are violent and I get it but that's kind of a lot.

Also, there's a lot of misogyny. And yeah, it comes from a character who's an absolute waste and I couldn't stand him but it was just so much.

I need a break from seeing people who look like me dealing with all of this crap. I want a strong female Black character who is strong and goes through hardships that don't have anything to do with her skin tone.

That's not a dig at the author. She's a Black woman. I just can't deal with this anymore.

I give it three (3) stars.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publishers.

For Ikenna, the only thing steady in her life was the man who had saved Mareen, her grandfather, who was just assassinated.

Bent on revenge as much as discovering the truth, Ikenna pledges herself to the Praetorian Trials—a brutal initiation that only a quarter of the aspirants survive. She subjects herself to the racism directed against her half-Khanaian heritage and the misogyny of a society that cherishes progeny over prodigy, all while hiding a power that—if found out—would subject her to execution…or worse

Here are some points I made while reading this:
-opened on a fight scene
-unlikeable main character (good or bad)
-choppy dialogue
-miss categorized, obviously not a YA book
-info dumps
-MC is obsessed with certain thoughts
-unique world, leaning more toward sci-fi/dystopian

I struggled with this one. Anytime I see the word trial in a book I instantly want to read it. The story has a lot of world building and character flaws to get through before you will even get to the trail. I knew from the first sentence that I didn't like the MC, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It felt like it match how she should be in the situation she was stuck in. Many reads will love the tough attitude she has. It gets her through many problems. I think with a little more focus on making better dialogue, less info dumpy world building, and rounding out the MC more this could be a really great book.

Also please be aware this is not a YA book!

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is definitely a page turner and kept me on the edge of my seat for most of the time. It has a great and strong female main character, Ikenna. The story is as much about the character as it is about the world around her. It is very detailed and deep with politics, history, betrayal, magic, and action. In saying that though at times I think it was hard to keep the politics and the history straight. A lot of details are thrown at you. I am sure if I re-read this book or continued in the series it would become clearer, but as a first read it can get a bit heavy.

After her grandfather is murdered, Ikenna is super foucused on revenge, surviving with her secrets most of all and figuring out who is responsible for her grandfather’s death. At times I also found the inner thoughts a bit repetitive and I think it could use some editing. Also as far as the ending goes I am left with way more questions than I like.

I would give this book 3.5 stars. I liked it but found some parts hard to get through and other parts needing to be read faster to find out what happened next. This book has a little bit for every reader. If however you are not into violence or the use of swear words, you may not want to read this because it has a lot of both. I am not sure I will seek out the other books in this series, maybe if I can get the audio version I would give it a chance.

The Blood Trials is the debut novel of author N.E. Davenport, and the first half of a new YA SciFi/Fantasy Duology. The story features a young woman, Ikenna, who is the granddaughter of a famous soldier who saved his Republic from the armies of a powerful conquering Empire...even despite that Republic's racist prejudice against his mixed blood heritage....and who suddenly and mysteriously died three months prior to the story's beginning. And of course when Ikenna gets the word that he might have been murdered, she enlists herself in the dangerous trials that determine who becomes the Republic's elite soldiers in order to discover who killed him and to get her revenge.

It's a pretty classic setup, but Davenport tells it in ways that are both brutal and often surprising in how it shows the brash Ikenna trying to get her revenge amongst horrifying odds and tremendous racial prejudice, with a setting that features honestly too many interesting parts for the book to really get into. As a protagonist Ikenna is highly enjoyable in her impulsive good hearted but unabashedly brutal at times behavior and is easy to care for, and several other major characters are really well done side characters. Still, the final act of the book introduces a part of this world only hinted at previously, such that it feels really really rushed, as the book rushes towards a cliffhanger ending to end before book 2. But there's enough compelling and different here to keep me interested to try out the sequel.



-----------------------------------------------Plot Summary--------------------------------------------------
Three months ago, Ikenna's grandfather, the legendary Legatus Verne Amari, died. Verne was a legend, hated by the racially prejudiced orthodoxy of the Republic of Mareen for his half-Khanaian but beloved for saving Mareen from the armies of the Blood Emperor. And to Ikenna, he was her steadying force - the man who raised her, who trained her, and who was the only one who knew her secret: that she possess the same Blood Gift as the Blood Emperor's legions, a power that every person in the Republic fears and hates.

And so Verne's death causes Ikenna to fall into a drunken spiral until one of the Republic's leaders, one the only one her grandfather trusts, hints that her grandfather was assassinated by a Praetorian Guard in his own company.

Enraged, Ikenna joins her friends in enlisting in the Praetorian Trials, the brutal trials that determine who will make it as one of the Republic's most elite soldiers, for only those Praetorians could have killed her grandfather, and she is determined to find out the culprit and who ordered the hit. But what Ikenna doesn't realize is that the trials are fatal to 3/4 of candidates, meaning she'll be hard pressed to survive them....even if she wasn't already a target of racist classmates and instructors who might not have ulterior motives to kill her.....
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The Blood Trials has what's a pretty classical setup, to the point where some plot points are very predictable. You have the brash youngster set up on her quest of revenge by the words of a supposedly trustworthy family friend, with him pointing her at a potential suspect, a person she doesn't know who was close to her grandfather. You have the mixed race character facing severe prejudice from the society she lives in, particularly from the privileged rich asshole children of the country's leaders. And of course you have the best friends who keep Ikenna going even as she fears telling them all the truths she's hiding, causing breakdowns between them in the worst places. As I name these things, I'm sure you can picture how they're going to go somewhat and how you've seen them in the past.

But the Blood Trials mixes these in with other ideas and concepts, and well the very well done character of Ikenna, such that it manages to work pretty well for most of the book. For one thing, Ikenna isn't just mixed race and hated because of that, she actually has another secret part of her heritage giving her access to a powerful magic that is feared throughout her country for what it did to them at the hands of their enemy....and with her impulsive nature, the chance that she'll accidentally release it is always real and a constant fear. This magic makes Ikenna's decision to hold some secrets actually logical - after all Ikenna fears the true nature of this magic herself, so what will others think (and her grandfather taught her to hide it).

For another, Ikenna's blindness in her quest for vengeance, and how that leads her awry, is made very clear to her through this book's brutal plot. That blindness leads to start using her magic in dangerous ways which start to lead her in dark paths; that blindness also leads her to make decisions in one of the deadly trials that get an ally killed, something that haunts her tremendously. And in one memorable moment, a no name side character points out that in her blindness, Ikenna isn't really that different from the rich privileged assholes she despises - whereas that side character, who doesn't have any privileged background, took the time to know the names of all their fellow aspirants, Ikenna only knows a few, just like the rich privileged assholes only took the time to know the few they deemed worthy. It's really well done, and well goes along with Ikenna's impulsive nature that leads her to even more disastrous and sometimes not disastrous results, like a moment of horniness that leads to her jumping on a boy.

And Ikenna's quest for vengeance comes among a world that is really interesting and well done for the most part. You have the "Republic", which is really basically an Oligarchy ruled by a bunch of rich and powerful families, whose squabbling and greed once nearly resulted in their own deaths, and who might lead them to the same again in their arrogance. It's a military oligarchy, with themes of service to the state being prevalent, even as it features tremendous racism and misogyny towards those who aren't the state's equivalent of white men, neither of which Ikenna is of course. Then you have the feared Blood Empire, which certainly doesn't seem good....and yet also has the power of gods the Republic has forsaken behind their magical gifts, gifts that are in Ikenna's blood and call to her. And then you have side nations, like the one where Ikenna's other racial mix comes from,, and others with whom the Republic should be allied...if they can get their cultural superiority out of their own ass.

It's in this latter element that The Blood Trials kind of falters, as the plot shifts from the incredibly deadly trials - which are extremely brutal and test everything about Ikenna and her friends as most of them are killed in the process - to a diplomatic conference which introduces these side nations and Ikenna's connections to them....and it just sort of comes out of nowhere even as these connections are hinted at earlier in the book. The result feels kind of rushed as these side nations play a major part in the epic cliffhanger, because well, you don't really ever get to know these people and who they are and how they feel to Ikenna before things go awry and betrayals hit hard, and Ikenna's and her allies actions at one point in the end are so gullible that it's almost unbelievable. The only other element perhaps that the book falters on is the romantic subplot, as Ikenna's attraction to the love interest isn't really developed until right as she jumps on his bones, and just feels like its obligatory to this type of book honestly, even if it develops fine from there (and features a surprisingly nice sex scene).

Still, this book's cliffhanger ending more than intrigues and if certain elements feel shortchanged, well I'm curious to see where they go in the second book. So I'll be back for the sequel to The Blood Trials, and this definitely gets my recommendation for worth a try in the process.

5/5 Stars

TWs: graphic violence, significant racism and misogyny, lots of death (seriously, no one is safe), scene with cannibalism. There may be more things that I've missed –– this is a very dark book.

Before I begin, I want to emphasize that this is NOT a young adult book. Even though the main character is 19 (technically still a teenager), this is very much an adult book. I've seen some tags stating that is a YA book but it is definitely not YA.

I finished this book about an hour ago and immediately came on here to post my review. This is one of the best books that I've read this year. I really wish I knew how to properly articulate my thoughts besides excited screaming but this is one of those books that will have you thinking about it long after you've read it. I'm already so excited for the sequel to come out next year.

The Blood Trials is a dark sci-fi/fantasy novel following Ikenna Amari –– a Praetorian-in-training going through the violent and deadly Praetorian Trials not only to become a Praetorian but also to find the person who killed her grandfather from the inside and enact her revenge. Throughout the trials, Ikenna faces a significant amount of racism, due to her half-Khanaian heritage, and misogyny, as she is one of the three female recruits in the trials that year. This book does not shy away from either of those things –– it's hard to read at times.

One of the things I love most about Ikenna is how human she is. She frequently makes mistakes throughout the narrative and the consequences of this are, naturally, very bad. But she's such a resilient main character, she always gets back up on her feet and keeps going. Anyone not as strong as her would have given up within the first fifty pages! I really appreciated her resiliency and strength, and how she pushed to keep going even after making a mistake. I connected with her humanity almost immediately and I applaud the author for making such a real, relatable character.

I also loved how the plot progressed through the book. We learned things as Ikenna did and the plot twists constantly kept me guessing. For example, I guessed one plot twist correctly but it ended up happening in a completely opposite way that I would have thought. The overarching narrative of this book is so creative and slowly becomes more and more complex as the book goes on. What happens in the last 15% or so of the book genuinely had my jaw dropping. I couldn't put it down –– I had to know what happened next.

I also loved the relationships in this book. There was very little romance but a lot of the focus was on platonic friendships and seeing how strong bonds become through trauma, hardship, and grief. So many side characters have such wonderful arcs throughout the novel and I love how there is focus and development on characters other than the main ones.

All in all, this book is a strong 5/5 stars from me and one of my favorite books I've read this year. I highly, highly recommend it!

I had been very excited to read The Blood Trials for quite some time, ever since I first saw the amazing cover a few months ago, and I was very lucky and ecstatic to receive an early copy of it, which I immediately jumped into. Unfortunately, however, this book had so much language and violence in it that I almost DNFed it in chapter 3 for that reason alone. I persevered, though, because I really wanted to read this book and enjoy it, but the vulgarity and violence only got worse.

The story here is surrounding Ikenna, a strong female protagonist who is hot-headed and quick to start a fight, in the aftermath of her grandfather’s murder. Her grandfather was the former Legatus Commander, a high-ranking official who trained her to keep her Blood gift a secret. Determined to discover who killed her grandfather and avenge his death, Ikenna pledges in the Praetorian Trials, a grueling set of physical tests that mean death for most who try. But Ikenna has an advantage with her Blood gift, a power that no one knows she has and that the government of Mareen tried to wipe out years ago. If she is found out, she will be killed. If she fails the trials, she will be killed. She might just be killed anyway because of her mixed heritage and dark skin color. But she will die fighting if that’s what it takes.

One of the very first things I noticed about this book, which continued throughout the whole story, is that the writing is very choppy. There are lots of short sentences right after each other instead of being combined with commas and contractions. Stopping at so many periods so frequently was jarring and made for a reading experience that wasn’t too enjoyable for me. There also was not a lot of worldbuilding at all—just a little bit about the government of Mareen and the Pantheon of gods they may or may not believe in, but not much else. The writing style really makes this book feel like a debut novel to me. I kept being pulled out of the story because of how something was explained or the word choices made, and it made it clear that this story has a really cool concept but with poor execution.

The trials started with over a thousand people, then there were 600, then 300 people left, yet the same five people are the only ones who ever get mentioned. It feels like no one important dies and no one else is even present because the lack of talk about them. Why do the training officers pick on the same handful of people in every chapter when literally hundreds of more options are out there? I know Ikenna isn’t going to interact with every single person in the trials with her, but how few people were actually mentioned made it feel rather unrealistic and like there was only a small group of people present the whole time.

I could not connect to or care about any of the characters besides Ikenna. A lot of minor characters I got mixed up because they would be referenced once or twice in the beginning and then not at all in the middle and then again at the end, or there would be a ton of side characters introduced at once with no distinguishing traits between them and I was expected to remember them all. Just not very good character work in this book, in my opinion.

This definitely feels like just a dystopian with a little bit of futuristic technology, instead of the science-fiction / fantasy crossover that I thought this was and that the cover and synopsis alluded to. I absolutely love the cover for this book, but I think it’s the wrong cover for the story within. The appearance of multiple planets and spired buildings are not indicative of the type of story this is; the vibrant colors on the cover make it seem more lighthearted, action-packed but fun, instead of the dark aggressive story focused on murder, racism, and bigotry that it is.

The Blood Trials is very dark and gritty and violent, most of the book focusing on what Ikenna has to go through to survive the brutal trials. This honestly looks like a young adult book cover, but this is very much an adult book with adult content, and that’s to this book’s disadvantage because it is likely that the type of audience that will be drawn to the cover is not the type to be prepared for the directions the story takes (like me).

I wanted to love this book, but I spent most of the story just waiting for it to end because I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I wanted to. I think this will be an amazing book for the right audience, and I thought that was me before I started it, but now after having read it, I know I’m not the right audience anymore.

Because Ikenna is Black and suffers unnecessary racism in her world because of her mixed heritage, I think Black women looking for a strong female protagonist that they can see come out on top of all the suppressors would really enjoy this story. The author is Black and the main character is Black, and this just feels like a story written for the strong Black women out there who feel like they don’t belong but are powerful, determined fighters. This is a book for them, and that’s great because we need more books like that. But that’s not me.

Even though this is a book I would describe as “good,” I didn’t particularly enjoy it. Ikenna faces so much hatred and injustices that it constantly made me just so mad. I read books to feel happy, so I didn’t want to keep returning to this story that I knew was going to keep making me angry with every passing page.

I quit reading at 84% and skimmed to the end, reading dialogue here and there and then reading the last page. I just couldn’t do it anymore. I had been suffering through this book for over two weeks, reading during every spare second I had, and it still would not end. I brought the book on vacation with me and read and read and read it, and I still was not done. From about 50% onward is when I switched from being engaged in the story to just wanting it to be done simply because I was not enjoying it anymore, but I pushed forward until I eventually decided to stop at 84%. The trials end at the 70% mark and the last 30% is just politics that set up the story that will take place during the sequel, which I already know I won’t be reading. Plus, even though I normally like political intrigue, I did not care about a single thing the characters were talking about or doing. I didn’t know who they were talking about or what the nations and alliances were, and I certainly didn’t care about the future of any one character or country.

Overall, I am very disappointed with The Blood Trials. I wanted both more fantastical elements and more science-fiction elements, and I wanted less graphic on-page violence and less vulgarity. I also wanted more character development and world-building. I expected this book to be a new favorite, but I struggled to push myself through it and found myself not caring what happened in the end. Even though this book didn’t work out for me, I think this will be a great book for the right audience, so I encourage you to check if out if you’re interested. Just know ahead of time the content gets very dark.

this is easily a top read of the year and is the second book i read where i went through all the emotions: happiness, anger, disgust, sadness, fear, and everything in between. the world-building of Mareen, the lore and legends of gods of the past, the AMAZING main character, the complex relationships with supporting characters, the political intrigue of all the governments…it’s quite literally the perfect blend of sci-fi and fantasy for me. but i will say this: Chance makes me wanna 👨 🤛 every time he spoke or even LOOKED in kenna’s direction. however…DARIUS REED??? OMG. we love morally grey characters in this household.

anyways, go preorder this book rn, but do keep in mind that it is a NEW ADULT/ADULT BOOK (a full list of content warnings will be in my goodreads review)
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thank you so much harpervoyagerus and netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for a review!