This book does a lot of things well, but I was ultimately a little disappointed by it. I liked Clem and Chris, and their family (especially the aunts) but there were a lot of characters and it was hard to keep track of everyone. The New Orleans setting and the magic system were really interesting and fun to read about. However, I ultimately found this book to be a little too long and tedious. I lost track numerous times of what the kids were even trying to figure out, as it seemed every chapter they were being sent off on another quest. It did all make sense in the end, but the payoff wasn't especially gratifying.

this was so so good. i loved the magic system, the politics, the way it showed social issues in a magical setting. the characters were so fun to read and i'm so excited for the second book.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. all thoughts are my own.

Blood Debts is the story of a magical family in New Orleans seeking justice. The story primarily follows teenage twins, Clem and Cris, in their own relationships with magic, family, love, and trauma. This book had a lot of really great elements — I loved the family relationships, the magic and politics surrounding it, and the gods that popped in and out of the characters’ lives. It ultimately felt like it was trying to do too much, though, which resulted in a rather messy ending and pacing that didn’t totally work for me.

From the very first page, Benton-Walker's writing hooks you, drawing you into a world where danger lurks around every corner. The author expertly weaves together a complex web of interconnected characters, each with their own motivations and secrets, creating a story that keeps you guessing until the very end. The pacing is relentless, with twists and turns that will leave you on the edge of your seat, eager to uncover the truth.

One of the standout aspects of Blood Debts is its well-developed characters. Each protagonist and antagonist is distinct and multi-dimensional, bringing a depth to the narrative that keeps you invested in their fates. Their flaws and vulnerabilities make them relatable, and you find yourself emotionally invested in their struggles and triumphs. Benton-Walker does an excellent job of exploring the psychological complexities of his characters, adding an extra layer of depth to the story.

so i don’t know if this was my brain being dense, but i struggled my way through this book, barely following along with the sheer number of characters and storylines we followed. not only did it take a solid 40% of the book for me to even feel like anything was happening, after we were introduced to the easily 20+ characters. what was happening was honestly kind of boring to me. i’m totally fine with a fantasy book being slow as long as there’s intrigue in the story. and unfortunately, this just didn’t hav that to me.

i truly just think we were following too many characters, and our main three(ish) povs’ of the twins + valentina, i just couldn’t get behind any of them or their actions. they, unfortunately, just annoyed me so much with their motivations, their inability to communicate ANYTHING. it made me feel so discombobulated. then we throw in the other random povs, which for the most part have little to no importance to what’s happening in the story. and that left me feeling lost. like, at the final events, and i still can’t even figure out who’s who kind of lost.

now, am i going to read the sequel… i honestly don’t know. i think i need like 5 days to process what i even just read before i consider it. i don’t think i could handle reading about any more car crashes tbh (no seriously, how were there two in the span of like 100 pages??? what are even the odds in real life of that happening like 3?? days apart).

A story of family, magic, secrets, and power. We follow twins Clement and Cristina Trudeau as they discover that the violence of the past has never really left their family and it's up to them to save their future. There's also a slew of very personal, emotional rollercoasters they each have to get through before they can face off against the evil that's trying to destroy them.
This is one of those books where I want to rave about specific decisions the author made because I loved them but I'm afraid that talking about them might ruin the surprise and/or shock that they actually went there with the story. It has a lot of the elements you'd expect from a YA of this genre while also touching on some dark themes that up the ante on every decision the characters make. It pulled me in, made me care for the characters, and kept me guessing.
I can't wait to get my hands on the next volume because I am still enthralled by the Trudeau family.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Tor Teen for the brilliantly magical read!

Things I liked about this book:
-The magic and its duality. Neither good nor bad.
-Fleshed out characters, who had both bad and good qualities
-The vibes
-The rage, and revenge

Things I didn't like about this book:
-What happened to Yves
-The mystery could have been a little more interesting

I wasn't sure what to expect with this novel. It seemed like it could be a mix of historical with modern, but it was just modern. I did find the writing to be a bit juvenile, however, this is a YA novel so I can understand why the writing style is the way it is. The twist wasn't really shocking in my opinion but it was still a good twist some won't see coming.

I enjoyed the idea of the book and the characters along with the storyline but about half way through it seemed drawn out and like the characters were repeating themselves. It didn’t feel like we’re making any progress but there was still info dumping going on. Sadly dnf’d it but I do look forward to what else the author has to offer.

I was a little thrown off by the beginning of this book... The first hundred or so pages had me worried that I wouldn't enjoy the story that was being set up. Thankfully the initial thing that we were working toward wasn't the entirety of the narrative, and while the middle of the book felt a little messy at least there seemed to be somethin that we were working toward.

Of the two romances in the book, I wasn't invested in either one. Now I am a grown man reading a book intended for children, and so I do think that there are elements at play in the Cristina/Oz situationship that a younger me might not have picked up on. As it stands I thought it was clear from jump that some fuckshit was going to go down and so the enjoyment for me was getting to see the breadcrumbs pay off. As for Clement's romantic life... I'm willing to see how the sequel plays out before I judge him too harshly. Of the two I guess his was the more interesting as I wasn't sure how Zachary was going to come back into the mix, and I never would have guessed that it was going to go down the way it did, even given some of the breadcrumbs.

The thing that really kept me going even when I wasn't sure if I was really going to like how the book was playing out was how important the family was. I've read books where there's a family secret or a person is trying to get to the bottom of what happened to a family member, but here Cristina and Clement and their various relations felt authentic in a way that endeared me to them. I was invested to know why their grandparents suffered the way that they had, and if their grandchildren were going to be able to get vengeance on the people that were behind their suffering.

In some ways I see why this story is going to continue into another book. There's certainly material for it that to happen, but partof me almost wishes this were a self contained story and that if it had been then maybe there could have been time to firm up some of the middle that felt like we were padding time and casting anchors into the future that we could deal with in the present.

This book has an incredible premise, tons of intrigue, and impactful social commentary. The characters feel well-rounded, and their relationships are complex and believable.

From a writing perspective, the point of view switches were sometimes a bit confusing, but that may have more to do with my following chapter titles. I will also say that sometimes the characters’ feelings and motivations are told rather than shown, leaving less for the reader to put together on their own, and draw conclusions from.

From a story-telling perspective, this book is very well done. It is well paced, suspenseful, heartfelt, and causes you to reflect on yourself and the world around you. I am not a POC so I will not comment on the experiences of racism felt by the characters in the book, but I will say that as a white person I appreciated that this book did not hold back when discussing the ways in which white people benefit from institutional racism, and how systems of oppression or personal biases play out even now. It is a book that makes you think about your place in systems of oppression, which we need more of.

Overall, I would give this 4/5 stars.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT

This book was so so so so good! I could not put ti down whatsoever? Needed a drink? It could wait. Needed food? That waited too. Needed sleep? I didn't sleep. I tried to put it down to sleep, believe me, but I knew I wouldn't have been able to sleep because I just needed to know what happened after where I would have put it down.

Everybody go read this! GO GO GO!

A heartfelt debut that I felt teetered on the edge between young adult and new adult. Balancing the themes of family conflict and preserving Black history and culture through the magic system of this world was beautifully done. The cast of characters seemed to grow every chapter and became a bit difficult to sort out at times, but each character serves a purpose and has a place in the story eventually. Our protagonists Clem and Cris' personal romantic storylines being the undercurrent of the much larger murder mystery plot and ongoing power struggle between magic families was an interesting and unique way of tying together the story elements while also differentiating the twins through their own more isolated conflicts. All in all, a fantastic debut that seemed already ready to outgrow it's pages and expand into something bigger and bolder.

Blood Debts is a gripping and magical story set in New Orleans, filled with mystery, political intrigue, and several characters, each with their own motivations. The premise of Blood Debts was exquisite, and while I thought the execution could use some work, overall, I think it's a great story, with great potential for the sequel.

I thought the characters were all really well-rounded, and I could always understand where their motivations came from. Some of the characters could be unlikeable at times, but I think this was intentional. Since they're teenagers, it makes sense that they're messy and imperfect. It made the story feel much more genuine.

In regard to the plot, I loved the idea of a magical New Orleans. It's the perfect setting for a story like this, so I couldn't wait to read it. And overall, I thought it was done really well. The magic system itself was intricately designed and thoroughly developed.

My main issue with Blood Debts came from all of the plot points. There were so many of them that I had trouble keeping track of what was happening and how each event was connected. I feel the book would have been significantly strengthened had it focused more on fewer main plotlines and worked to thoroughly expand on those. Then, the rest could be explored in the sequel.

Despite this, though, I did still enjoy the premise of Blood Debts, and I'm interested to see where it's going in the sequel, so I'll definitely be continuing on with the series!

This was just phenomenal. The characters, the setting the plot this was just perfect and I can’t wait for the sequel.

I absolutely adored this book. The setting and world alone drew me in initially, but the characters kept me there. Thanks so much for the eGalley and the opportunity to read it early. The writing in Blood Debts is both fun, descriptive, and interesting. The multiple POV storytelling really worked for this too! Absolutely adored it! 5 stars!

Debts is a magical YA Fantasy about warring magical families in New Orleans. It has themes of family drama, coming of age, family secrets, and voodoo or other magical practices. I really enjoyed the relationship between twins Cris and Clem, and their practice in generational magic and holding their family legacy close to their hearts. However, I did find certain parts to be slow and it took away from the story for me which is why I'm rating this 3.5 stars. I will be giving the sequel a try, but for now this remains on my "It's good, but I didn't love it" list.

Blood Debts follows twins Cristina and Clement, who are heirs to a magical but dethroned family. The twins are mourning their deceased father and caring for their sick mother. But on the eve of a brutal murder that took place thirty years ago, they discover that their mother isn't sick--she's cursed--and someone on the magical council their family used to rule is the one who did it.

The twins disagree on magic. Cristina gave it up after accidentally casting an ancient spell that killed her father, while Clement views magic as a lifeline and distraction from his pain. The twins don't get along anymore but will have to work together to figure out who is coming after their family.

Overall, I thought this was a fantastic start to a new series! I loved the twins' relationship and the worldbuilding. I look forward to reading the rest of the series when it comes out and following along their journey!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for giving me a copy in exchange for my review!

This is a book filled to the brim with family secrets (and drama) that I can't get enough of. I definitely see the comparison to the show The Originals, and the witches of the French Quarter.
The introduction of the book is super cool too. I love the news article style of introducing us to the world and it's political status in a simple and straightforward way. The magical politics works right alongside the racial in a very relevant way. The characters are also so diverse in their personalities and ideologies, it's interesting to see all of their different perspectives and how they clash against one anothers. The mysteries in this book are so fun, and the queer reader rep is immaculate.
I did struggle a bit with the necromancy, because it really just isn't my thing, but overall I liked it!

This was a fantastic read! I love a good revenge/vengenance story. And add in some magic and I was hooked! I really liked this book from Terry J. Benton-Walker and I look forward to reading more from them in the future,

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.