I really liked the south gothic, New Orleans vibe. Blood Debts jumps right into a fast moving plot dealing with family history and magic. Defiantly leans more YA. Great job with anxiety and mental health representation. Also the cover art is beautiful.

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

Blood Debts is such a beautifully written YA fantasy. The world-building is outstanding. The story is well written with an enchanting storyline and well-developed characters that engage from start to finish. The world is atmospheric and feels real with vivid descriptions and rich imagery. I cannot get enough. Highly recommended. Be sure to check out Blood Debts today.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Teen for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Young adult twins Cristina and Clement struggle to find themselves, heal from their shared trauma, and protect their family as magical politics threaten those they hold dear. This novel is a celebration of family and its complex dynamics and contains a sweet queer love story at its center. It is set in the rich history of New Orleans and it has enough sprinkled throughout to make one yearn to visit.

I enjoyed the characters; they were all deeply complex people and contained their own thoughts, goals, and fears rather than just feeling like secondary characters. Clem's struggles with anxiety and intrusive thoughts were wonderful representations and Cris' guilt in her grief was also very realistic. However, most of the adults seem distinctly not helpful and the weight of the plot rests entirely on the two young adults. The history within the story was wonderful and I greatly enjoyed the mystery. I adored the lore, the ancestors, the gods, and the magic.

My biggest complaint was the pacing. There were also a few times that things happened because the plot needed it to and it seemed a bit too convenient. The middle of the book drags a bit and the ending seemed rushed and slightly incomplete (so I hope there will be a sequel). The revenge plot isn't as satisfying so much as it is vaguely sad given that we are given glimpses into the 'villains' with their own POV chapters. It was difficult to root for the main characters at times given that. I suppose it suits the story being more nuanced, but I'm not sure if that was intended.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I loved the generational magic and the lore contained within the story that is tied to the history of New Orleans.

I actually really wanted to like this, but unfortunately the writing was too immature and basic for me to be able to enjoy it. Very disappointing since the cover and synopsis were really promising.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

An absolutely stunning and magical debut I was enraptured from start to finish! Cannot wait for the sequel!!

The representation in this is excellent in its discussion of mental health, trauma, systemic racism, LGBTQ+ romance, and family dynamics, and I love the introduction of a new magic system; however, the book feels bloated in an effort to cover all of these topics. For me, it became tough to engage with the story because of how much the book jumps from one plot point and theme to another.

While I wish the execution had been better, I do appreciate the topics the book covers, and for that alone I'd recommend trying it.

Blood debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker
“Our family can’t peacefully coexist in the same room for five minutes. We’re all going to die.”
~~
Y’all, 30 (or so) year old murder mystery, New Orleans magic, family, representation, “payback is a witch.” I ate this book up!!
Murder mysteries aren’t really my cup of tea, but this one flavor made me drink the who thing. (Don’t judge me for my words.)
Let’s also point out the fact that how much Benton-Walker brought to light the amount of social injustice. There is a lot to unpack in the this book. It maybe fictional but we got a lot of realism here yall.
But I finished this in a day. I loved the FMC coming into her power, and then that cliffhanger. Yeaa, that was… Imma need to be reassured that there will be a second book. Cause that ending!!
🩸Blood Debts releases April 4,2023! Preorder now! 🩸

A super fun AND thoughtful YA fantasy. It reminded me of the witches of The Originals, so if you've ever been into the TVDU, this book will be a perfect read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The story follows 16 year old twins Clement and Cristina Trudeau. The twins are still dealing with the death of their father when their mother starts to fall ill. After finding out the real reason their mother was sick the twins come together to work to reconcile their family that has become estranged. before this Clem was embracing his family’s magical powers while Cris wanted nothing to do with them. I was instantly drawn to this book because of it being in New Orleans. I did enjoy the story and the fact that it’s left open that there could be a second book.

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillon-Tor/Forge Publishing for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Macmillian Publishers for sending me this e-arc in return for an honest review.

Honestly this book was for me, the pacing of the writing wasn't my style, the bickering between the two siblings was frustrating. And what seemed to be promising storyline did not hold up for me. If all the writing was hard to get into it most of all.

I was so excited to read this book and it definitely did not disappoint. I enjoyed everything about this book: the characters, the atmosphere, the magic and the mystery. It all accumulated together to create an incredibly interesting story.

I especially appreciated Benton-Walkers take on magic and I loved the setting of New Orleans. Clem and Cris were such interesting characters and although I didn't always agree with their decisions; I was still rooting for them to succeed. You also had some classic characters you just love to hate (*cough cough* Lenora and Valentina) so it's just so satisfying when they get finally get their comeuppance. I will say the story ended on a but of a cliff hanger so I am now anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.

Blood Debts was a fantastical YA debut with lots to love and lots to look forward to. Can't wait to see where this story goes!

Honestly this book was really difficult to get into. I was so excited to read it because of all the representation and diversity however there was so much going on I was confused. I could not focus and what was happening and it was like a brain overload. There was also a lot of unnecessary moment that could have been taken out. I am so sad because I really wanted to enjoy this book

Okay let’s talk about what I DID love: the rep! There is diverse rep, queer rep and even mental health rep which is amazing.

The depiction of generational trauma and racism is present throughout the story and it’s portrayal was well done. Something that is not seen as often as should be in YA books, or just doesn’t do it justice. The implications of such trauma is prevalent in every interaction and is a very important discussion to have at the fore front of the book. I mean just read the dedication:

“For every child of color who was denied the justice they deserved. You always matter.” Perfection.

However, while that remained the core theme/issue there were so many other themes competing that it became overwhelming at points to figure out what to focus on. (Family dynamics, sexuality, vengeance, etc…) I became lost in the multiple themes and characters that it was hard for me to engage with the story lines and truly invest in the characters because of how much it jumped around. I was never allowed to ‘simmer’ and fully digest an idea before moving on. NOTE: I am fully aware that this is a ‘me’ issue and not necessarily something other readers had a hard time with.

While this book may not have been for me it may be for you if you enjoy:
—diverse rep
—queer rep
—mental health rep
—siblings/family relationship dynamics
—intricate magic systems

I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Teen for giving me the opportunity to read and give my own opinions on the advanced reader copy. If you're into a revenge story featuring New Orleans magic and family feuds, then this might be the book for you!! Our two main characters are Cris and Clem, twins who can practice Gen magic and are working through two different problems but are still trying to bring their family together.

I really liked the different POVs that we get in this book. Obviously our main ones are Cris and Clem, but we get a few different ones that give another perspective of other important characters in the book, like Valentina and Lenora. You really get a feel for how Cris and Clem process what's happening around them and how they're dealing with their father's death. Benton-Walker really made an effort to ensure that the main characters are unique and have their own flaws; that they feel real. I enjoyed meeting them and spending time getting to know them and how they do magic.

The magic system, while a little confusing, was very interesting and something extremely unique. I've never read a book with a magic system that's as tied to New Orleans as this book's is, and so it's great to get the exposure of the different ways the characters do magic and cast spells. The world building was a little lackluster, but the world wasn't so complicated that it needed a lot of world-building for the book to make sense anyway, so that's neither here nor there.

My one complaint is that this book is a little wordy and some of the plot points could've been rearranged to make the wordiness make more sense. Like, you'll be reading a certain section of the book that when you finish, you'll think that it could've fit better in a later portion of the book.

I'm glad that Cris did that explanation at the end of the book of what went down between the different families, because lemme tell you I was so confused and it took me a second to really understand what went down and the whole revenge thing. Though it might be seen as cliche, but I don't really care because it helped me make sense of the plot and the mystery being solved.

I just want to say, that with Cris' boyfriend? I fucking called it and I knew that I was right. He's gross and I don't like him.

I really enjoyed this book!! The beginning was a little slow and the different ways that characters were keeping secrets bothered me, but once we hit the middle point there was no stopping it!! We just sprinted towards the end and the ending was quite the performance!! I can't wait to read the next installment of the series, if there is one, and get more time with our characters.

This was disappointing. I had such high hopes for this story but I was bored by chapter two and had to skim the last 60% because no way could the mystery be that easy to solve… it was, in fact, that easy to solve. There wasn’t even a red herring.

There was so much potential but with the odd pacing, hard to understand magic system, and the constant repetitive inner monologues this book was underwhelming.

There were also so many povs and unnecessary moments in this book that I’m mad just thinking about it.

I was not a fan and honestly I’m more disappointed we never got to meet any vampires even tho they are mentions multiple times.

I could not believe that this was a debut novel for this author. This story weaved magic realism with a coming to age story, using magic as a metaphor for issues sounding grief, family and transition towards adulthood. The character development is the best part of the reading experience. This author may become my next auto-buy.

Thanks to NetGalley & Tor Teen for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I did not finish the book and left off at 20% of the way through.

I think the promotions/marketing was way off with this book. First off, it's not remotely a historical fiction book. It's set in modern times with modern slang with magic--so it's urban fantasy. Second, it's a revenge story with extremely unlikable characters who make the worst possible decisions.

I love Young Adult books in general but these YA protagonists were driving me up the wall with their ridiculous petty arguments! Can't tell if they're 18- or 10-year-olds! It reminds me of how I couldn't get through Atlas Six, so if you liked that book then you'd like this one.

Don't get me wrong, I usually like morally grey characters, but the decisions these characters made only 20% of the way through were pretty *bad*. Especially with Christina...you'll have to read and see.

Another nitpick, Clem & Christina were the twins and their POVs dominated and we got other POV chapters as well but for some reason their POV were written in third person while the twins had first person? I'm not sure what the thought process on that but it was very jarring.

UPDATED REVIEW:

Just making it to 3-stars

Blood Debts is brimming with magic, political intrigue, family dynamics and curses. I really liked the twins and both the magic/political systems here however, I did feel there was too much info dumping at times which meant the pacing faltered. I also wasn't a fan of how many POVs we had - it made the story jolt in places. The saving grace for me was the vibe of the book. It was dark in places, funny in others and there were real moments scattered throughout. A strong premise with okay execution, there is definitely an audience for this book and I think it will find its feet in the YA fantasy genre. Even though I didn't love this as much as I had hoped, I will still pick up any sequels or something else this author writes.

Siblings, Clem and Chris, are still grieving their father's death when their mother becomes ill. No treatment - magical or otherwise - has been able to save their mother from her ailment.

After a grim medical check-up, they discovered their mother wasn't ill. She'd actually been cursed.

Left reeling the from the betrayal, they're determined to discover who could and would set out to destroy their family.

The level of deceit and hatred amongst the characters and community is twisted over the generations into a raw and tangible thing about to combust.

I really wanted to rate the book higher, but there's so many point of views and loose threads that are condensed into such a short timeframe, that it's a lot to unpack and doesn't necessarily flow smoothly.

DNF
Let me begin by saying I love the atmosphere of this. The plot/premise is incredibly interesting as well. The witchery with the New Orleans setting will nearly always get me excited. Unfortunately, the characters felt one dimensional almost and very, very immature - even the adults. I know it’s YA and was prepared for it to read as YA, so I expected some level of immaturity. But this was hard for me to read. I made it 46% through before I DNF’d and still feel a bit as if I should finish it eventually, but then I remember how I just didn’t care about what the characters had going on because it made 0 sense. It read similarly to a poorly done CW show.