I let myself get drawn in by the very pretty cover. Urban fantasy isn't usually my genre, but the mix of magic and New Orleans sounded like something I could get into. Unfortunately, Blood Debts just didn't do it for me. There are way too many perspectives in this one. Sticking to just Cris and Clem would have been enough. There was also too much going on and too many characters. It all started to bleed together until I didn't completely know what was happening and didn't really care to figure it out. There was a lot of potential in this; I think the basic premise of the story was good, but the unlikable characters and overly complicated plot just didn't work for me. I did enjoy the way magic was handled in this story overall, especially the creative way Clem substituted items for spells and details like that. The bones of the story and some of the attention to detail in Blood Debts were pretty compelling at times, which is why I'm giving this one 2.5 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! I loved the magic system and the atmosphere! That's what originally drew me to this book was that it was set in New Orleans.

Blood Debts was a beautiful adventure and I can’t wait for the new one. I love a good family drama, however, it was a little disjointed for me to follow so that was hard. I can’t wait for the next one so I can see where the author is going.

Twins, Clement and Cristina Trudeau who are sixteen years old are mourning their father's death and taking care of their sick mother. This all happens on the thirtieth anniversary of a young woman being murdered, a family being lynched, and one of the greatest magical massacres that occurred in New Orleans. But, the twins learn something. Their mother really is not sick like they thought, but is actually cursed and she has been cursed by someone on the magic council that their family used to rule. Someone is probably going to come after them next, but who? What will the twins really discover?

Blood Debts features black representation as well as LGTBQ representation.

When starting Blood Debts, I thought it was super promising and would be something I would absolutely love. Cristina was my favorite character at first due to her mourning her father and then having to go through a deep betrayal. Then, the other promising thing I thought Blood Debts had going on well was that the writing was good.

I quickly ended up loosing interest in Blood Debts and kept putting it off and down a lot. It took me over a month to even finish this.

I felt like the writing, the magic, and the world was not crafted fully and just skimmed along the surface to where everything fell flat. Due to these things, I felt like a not a lot of things were really going on and when it came to the twists, they felt like randomly occurred, but oddly were the type that did not even phase me. Additionally, I really do not feel like there was really any magic implemented in the book and was just mere mentions.

I ended up really getting annoyed with Clem and Cristina as the story went on due to their actions and inner thoughts.

Clement and Yves meet and I enjoyed their relationship and I felt like both characters were great for one another. I know this is a hot topic, but there is sex in this book and people either want sex in a young adult book or they do not. I really do not mind it as long as it does not go into full force smut, which this is what happened to the point I felt uncomfortable. I think I would not have been uncomfortable though if these characters were eighteen or over, but in reality these two characters are sixteen years old.

I really wanted to love this book, but really struggled. The writer does well with how they craft their writing, but ultimately fell flat. This definitely could have been amazing and I probably will check out this authors future work one day to see if their writing has changed.

New Orleans + Magic + Gods + Vengeance = a book I should have picked up a heck of a lot sooner because it is so good! “Blood Debts” follows Cris and Clem, twins who must learn to depend on each other again when they realize someone is coming after their mother. As these two put together clues to solve years-old mysteries and protect the ones they love, their relationships with their own family and friends, magic, and one another are challenged.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The haunting setting of New Orleans is just perfect for this particular story, and I loved how it addressed how complicating and frustrating it can be to come together as a family when wounds run deep. The magic systems at play in this world were fascinating, and the revelations were at turns heart-breaking and shocking. The pettiness, overwhelming desire for power, rage, and hidden histories worked together to make for a page-turning story that had everything one could want in a tale. While the ending of the book leaves it open for a continuation of the story, it also has closure. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who loves stories of people coming into their own, tales of justice and vengeance, and family.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely loved the audiobook, would not have been able to finish without it. I did however thing that the book was a little all over the play. the middle of the book was my favorite part but I did like the story overall.

This book had me hooked from the first couple of chapters however, it dragged a bit in the middle. The story was told from multiple perspectives and I feel not all of the perspectives were necessary. Also, at one point in the book they said that 1989 was eons ago and while it might feel that way to teens it still hurts my soul. It was an enjoyable read with BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ representation.

I really didn’t know how I was going to review this book. I liked it a lot, but it also wasn’t without it’s flaws. It’s not that it was bad, more so it had too much happening? Idk how to explain it.

Ok so first of all the characters in this made me want to shake them. They kept getting themselves into different situations that they didn’t have to do. Like the end with Cristina and the book? And Clement and the love interest? Idk it seemed like they were just getting themselves into trouble for no reason. And I get it, a love interest hardly seems like “no reason”, but it was more like the things they did. It was just weird. I didn’t actually care for the multiple POVs tho. Normally that didn’t bother me, but it was accompanied by all those different plot lines, and it was just confusing at some points. i had to keep looking at the beginning of the chapters to make sure it was done.

The plot was what made me take some of my rating away. It just had too much going on. It was a mystery, but it was also fantasy. And while that’s fine, it’s just that there were so many OTHER plot lines also included, like there was one about racism, then all the family drama, all the while still trying to explain the magic and the magic system. It just seemed like everything was being piled things on top of me over and over. And normally I like that, but this just didn’t explain everything? I don’t know how to explain it.

The magic system was cool. There’s spells and spell books. And a good and bad side of magic and the reasoning behind both of those sides. It was definitely cool. I really wanted a little more indepth of an explanation on how it came to be etc., but it was ok without it. I think it would have made another plot line, but it would have been cool to know. Like it gave us what happened, but I wanted more. And then there’s the gods that were in there. I would have liked to have seen more than just the one.

I’m super glad this is a series! The ending (and many of the pages before that) had me going like WTF. But what I really wanted to know wasn’t actually addressed in the end, so I was happy to see this was going to be a series. It made me think tho, what would I do in this situation. I don’t know if I can definitively say I couldn’t do it.

Overall, this book was such a surprise. And it was full of surprises. I can’t wait to get to the next one and make sure all these things get wrapped up. Also, I really need to see how ol girl is going to be once she finds out what happened to dear old granny………

I do think this is a solid book that is fun to read however I will say it isn’t my favorite. I appreciate how developed the characters are and how realistic they are especially in emotions but I wish the setting was described more and that overall we were just given more detail. I felt like we were being told more than shown in this book and felt pretty predictable.

Wow! What a JOURNEY. This book is so twisty and dark and there are layers to every plot point that took my breath away.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one, but I liked the story and the characters! I also really liked the magic system laid out in this world. It kept me hooked throughout and I can't wait for the next one. I will say, this definitely read as YA in terms of the writing style, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just comes down to personal preference for whoever is reading. Overall, I definitely recommend it for fans of YA urban fantasies!

The characters and magic system in Blood Debts was really well developed. However, I just wasn't drawn in.

I've had this book on my wishlist ever since I first heard of it, but never got around to reading it despite having an eARC for months.
I've been struggling lately to read, and just get into books, so I find it hard to know if it was the book itself, or just my own struggles that made it hard to really get immersed in the story. Overall, I enjoyed it, and I think it was an enjoyable book. I did find that the pacing of the story was a little off for me, as the first half felt slower than necessary, and then the ending felt rushed. It felt like a lot happened in the last 60 pages, and the ending felt rushed
One of the things that always annoys me with the marketing of a book is when it is not made clear whether or not it is meant to be a series, and I started this book expecting it to be a standalone, which it is not. The only time I don't mind not knowing is if it feels like it could stand on its own easily, which I didn't think this book made me feel.
Overall, I enjoy the novel, and I am looking forward to reading more about Clement and Christina. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.

Someone should really turn this into a television series because it would be excellent for that. Blood Debts is the start of a new YA fantasy series set in a magical version of New Orleans. It is a high-drama narrative filled with magic, intergenerational curses, political machinations, and deadly threats.

While there are several perspective characters, the main focus is on Black twins Clement and Christina Trudeau who are grieving the death of their father, dealing with hexes, and trying to manage their own love lives and exploring sexuality. Clem has been unlucky in love, but now there's a new boy he's crushing on and things seem promising. Christina is dating a white boy, but sometimes he seems too interested in her magic.

There is a lot of drama, many twists and turns that I won't spoil, but this is a very strong debut and a promising start to a series. I could easily see this being adapted by Netflix or the CW and it could be a hit. There were a could minor things that didn't totally make sense, and I think it might have been stronger with fewer perspectives, but overall I really liked this and wouldn't be surprised if a lot of other people do as well. Note that it is on the more mature side of YA due to things like violence and sexuality. The audio narration is done with a full cast and is excellent. I received an audio review copy of this via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

I loved the concept of Blood Debts, teenaged twin heirs to a magical family in New Orleans. The characters as well caught my attention right away -- Cristina and Clement both had strong voices and felt like real teens.

The world and plot didn't grab me, however. It almost felt like we'd started at the wrong place in the story. There was a lot of telling and hinting at backstory, rather than immersing the reader in the current story.

I wound up deciding not to finish this one, but I think it could easily appeal to other readers who aren't as frustrated by all the backstory.

The best part about this book is the relationships between these family members. I read for character, and this book mainly focuses on character development and interpersonal relationships. It definitely reads as a true YA, so the characters can be a bit impulsive and selfish at times, but it didn’t bother me too much because that is true to teenage brain development lol. The only thing that really bothered me was that the author leans heavily on telling versus showing, especially with the emotional aspects of the story. Overall, great twists and great setting! I would pick up the sequel for sure.

I enjoyed this! The beginning of the book was a bit slow, but there was a lot of intriguing plot points and I liked the mystery element overall. I really enjoyed the commentary on race and how it paralleled with the different types of magic in this world. Cris and Clem read a bit immature at times, but they are only 16 so I guess they were acting their age lol! The plot ended up going in a direction I wasn’t expecting and it set up nicely for the mystery that’s to be explored in the second book.

i knew when i read the synopsis for this book i had high hopes for it and i’m pleased to say it lived up to expectations! the first page is captivating and intriguing making you excited to read on which is always good for a book and not something found easily. i found the relationships and the plot both to be intriguing with good twists and turns. i don’t want to give too much away but if you’re considering picking this up i would say you won’t be disappointed.

The best part of this book was the unique magic system. Unfortunately, it was hard to get excited about it since there was so much anger in these characters. Every character was lying or hiding something and was angry or ashamed about something. It was hard to read because of how heavy every characters emotions were on the reader. Each character rightfully had things to be angry about, but reading a 400+ page book where every character has anger brimming in their almost every move can be exhausting. I wish the author had written the book so that we felt the anger instead of just constantly being told they are angry because of x,y, and z. The few times the author showed us why the characters were angry instead of just telling us they were are some of the best scenes in the book. The lighter moments of the book felt disingenuous because of it and had such a tonal shock that it felt insincere. I enjoyed the plot, but it wasn't a very good reading experience.

Blood Debts uses a backdrop of magic to explore the trauma and racial tension of being black in New Orleans. Clement and Cristina, twins who have generational magic, spend the novel trying to solve a decades old murder that led to their grandparents being murdered by a mob. The book is full of petty drama, displays of magic, and lots and lots of secrets.

I think I expected too much from this novel. I wanted to be immersed in the cultural (and humidity) of southern Louisiana. I wanted to be in awe of the magic. Instead, the plot could have been happening anywhere in the US and the magic system seemed confusing. One of Benton-Walker’s strengths is creating emotionally compelling characters, but the pacing of this novel was slow; it took a long time for the action to pick up.

This is Benton-Walker’s debut novel, so I’m interested to see what he writes next. I also won’t be surprised when Blood Debts gets opted as a Netflix series. In fact, I think the plot would work perfectly for episodic TV. It would mix the drama of Roswell with the magic of The Umbrella Academy—people would love it.

I received a complementary e-book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.