Thank you Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for an eArc of Blood Slaves.

I am always excited to read about vampires, specifically Black vampires, so this book was calling me by the premise alone! It looks to answer the question- what if nobody ever freed the slaves, because they freed themselves?

Blood Slaves begins in the 1400s in Africa and introduces us to Rafazi, an immortal being (vampire) of the Ramangan tribe of Ghana. After an event weakens and eventually wipes out his entire tribe, Rafazi becomes the last of his kind standing. We then jump to the 1700s in America, specifically in the Province of Carolina, where we meet our main character, Willie. Willie is an enslaved human on the Barrow Plantation and he is beyond fed up with life as a slave. He begins to imagine what freedom might be like for himself and his loved ones on the planation. And when Willie is introduced to "Shit Boy" and his peculiarities, Willie's imaginations of freedom go from silly and hopeful imaginings to plausible reality.

I loved the concept of this book! The material of the writing is heavy, but the writing style is extremely easy to comprehend. The array of characters felt believable. It was easy to understand the characters' motives, even if their decisions weren't things I'd personally decide on myself. A few of the characters made me chuckle, some got on my last nerves, and some (I'm looking at you, Fanna) made me want to hug them tight & never let go. Above all, my favorite part of this book was how the enslaved people reclaimed their identities once they partook of the Blood. There's something so cathartic about reading/seeing those who were wrongly and unjustly abused for centuries get their lick back, both by stepping into their power and by exacting revenge on their oppressors. I was sooooo prepared for the revenge and the rightful, bloody justice!

What I wasn't prepared for, despite the clear trigger warnings, was how heavy the majority of this novel was. There's a lot of violence and turmoil to parse through before getting to the revenge aspect of this. One can say that the subject matter of the book comes with the territory when writing about enslaved people. However, some of the graphic depictions of abuse the enslaved people in this book faced felt like overkill. We *know* the kind of brutalities these people faced. We're constantly inundated with it from past (and present day) media and news. I would have loved if some of the violence was swapped out with more Ramangan lore. We could have spent a bit. more time learning about Rafazi, his maker "She," and life before his tribe was wiped out.

With that being said, I sped through this read! I enjoyed the majority of my time spent reading this, and am excited to read the next book in this series. I am hoping book two brings us more lore and world building and less racism and violence. I would like to see the characters even more fleshed out. I'm also extremely interested in the repercussions of the very last moment of the book! That's my kind of cliffhanger!

During chattel slavery in American history, Blood Slaves blends supernatural horror with the exploration of resistance and justice. This story was captivating at every page turn, and I couldn’t put the book down. Markus Redmond’s writing is cinematic and immersive, and I felt the tension in every scene. Markus also managed to capture the emotions and perspectives of every enslaved character so well. I felt more connected with them as I went on this journey alongside them. I empathized with every enslaved character and loathed everyone who lived on and worked for the Barrow plantation. The scariest aspect of Blood Slaves wasn’t the vampires; it was the fact that this is rooted in American History. But it was so refreshing and thought-provoking when you beg the question, “what if the enslaved were given an opportunity that would shift the balance”?

Markus Redmond said it best, “This is not a story about slavery. This is a story about a slave.” For all my Immortal Dark and Sinners fans, this one is for you. Releasing July 20th

Slaves turned vampires to seek revenge? I love it give me more!
This was a very interesting read set in South Carolina in the 1700s. It is brutal and challenging to read at times, but I was hooked.
The main character, Willie aims to free himself and the love of his life from their life of misery. hopefully freeing his people on the Barrow Plantation, however, this freedom comes at a cost. That cost is blood.
I wanted all of the characters to get the revenge they deserved after the utter torture they went through at the hands of their overseers. Seeing them develop from scared to angry was such a rollercoaster. The way the author describes emotion is brilliant, truly bringing their feelings to life.
I wanted more backstory for some of the side characters because reading about the abuse became less impactful as I read on. While it was still vivid and emotional, I just wanted a little more from it. The pacing at certain points was rushed, where I would have liked more detail, especially recording the transformation of the others.
I'd have also liked more history on the Ramagdan tribe they talk about.I kept hoping for more from the legend but it was mainly just the same points remade by different characters. Maybe in book 2?
That being said this is the authors debut novel and I can see potential in this story and I loved the themes explored here. The ending has set up a really interesting plot line for the second book which I hope we get soon. I can't wait to see how Redmond builds this world.

6 Stars ⭐️

WOW! Just wow.

I loved how the author laid out the setting for us with the characters and their own individual experiences on the plantation. It took some time, but it mattered. We needed to get an insight on what each character went through.

The divide between characters threw me off because some of the concerns that were voiced kind of annoyed me. Willie was blamed for everything on this plantation and he finally had enough. Once you get into this, you’ll start to feel annoyed and wonder who you would really side with 🤦🏾‍♀️

When the vampire chapters came in, we finally knew what the Ramangan (African vampire tribe) were fully capable of. I liked how there was time taken to explore the Ramangan powers and how it was explained. It wasn’t rushed, so we could just to get to the revenge. Now the revenge? Whew. It was personal! I don’t want to say too much but it felt like cinema.

I’m still processing this book and I can say that it was a straight 10/10 for me. I need my physical copy and I’m waiting for Book 2.

Be warned! This book is gory and it is horrific 😩😩

Quotes that stood out to me:

"We already dead," Irene said, her voice even. "They done already stole life from us.”

“She didn’t like it, but she understood that survival took many forms”

You can’t smell it?" "It's not for me to smell. That hate is for you."

"Why would you be scared of a meal delivered on a platter?"

Thank you @Kensingtonpublishing and @NetGalley for this arc

**I want to thank @markusredmond, @netgalley, and @kensingtonbooks for this early read ARC in exchange for my honest review. Publication Date: July 29, 2025.**

Wow. Just—wow.
Blood Slaves is an unflinching, blood-soaked, rage-fueled tale of retribution and resistance unlike anything I’ve read before. Part historical horror, part supernatural uprising, part vampire origin myth—this is a “good for them” story taken to its most brutal, justified extreme.

Set in 1710 Carolina, it pulls no punches in its portrayal of the horrors of slavery. The violence is relentless, graphic, and unfiltered—regardless of age or gender—and it forces the reader to sit with the ugly, unvarnished truth of what was endured. There were moments I had to stop, breathe, and brace myself before continuing.

But at its core, this is a revenge story. And oh, does it deliver. When Rafazi, a surviving member of an African vampire tribe, offers Willie a chance at liberation—through blood and fire—it sets off a chain of events soaked in rage and righteousness. As a vampire army grows, so does the reckoning, and it is glorious.

What I loved most is that this book doesn’t shy away from asking hard questions: What does justice look like when evil is the foundation? What happens when power is reclaimed in the most literal, monstrous sense? And can love survive when vengeance demands everything?

Equal parts exhilarating and devastating, Blood Slaves will have you crying, cheering, and clutching the pages. With that ending, I need to know where this story goes next. If there’s more coming, I’ll be first in line.

Let’s have more unapologetically violent, powerfully radical vampire stories like this.

Despite the heavy subject matter (trigger warnings included at the start of the book), I thought this book was great! As soon as I read that the premise was historical fiction and vampires I was sold, especially after recently watching Sinners and loving it.

However, I do think the first 2/3rds of the book could have been a bit shorter as there was a lot of similar scenes of extreme violence. It would have been interesting for some of those pages to be used to explore the Ramangan history further but that could be coming in later books (?). That being said I felt the start really built up the characters.

I’m looking forward to the next instalment after that ending! I’d say this was a 4 star rounded up overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the eARC.

Blood Slaves by Markus Redmond is not your typical vampire tale and that’s exactly what makes it so damn addictive. This book drips with grit, atmosphere, and unflinching honesty as it plunges readers into the shadowy underbelly of Los Angeles, where vampires don’t sparkle, they survive. Redmond gives us a cast of complex characters trying to outrun their pasts while navigating a world that’s just as brutal as it is seductive.

What stood out most was how deeply human the story felt, despite the supernatural premise. The themes of addiction, power, and survival are woven in seamlessly, and the pacing never lets up. It's violent, raw, and emotional in all the right ways. Redmond doesn’t hold back and honestly, that’s what makes the story hit so hard.

Blood Slaves is dark, addictive, and utterly gripping. From the first chapter, I was pulled into a brutal, seductive world where power, survival, and desire are constantly at odds. It’s not for the faint of heart—but if you like morally grey characters, high-stakes tension, and a dash of forbidden romance, this book delivers in spades.

The main character was fierce and compelling—both a fighter and a survivor—and I appreciated how the story didn’t shy away from the horrors of her world while still allowing space for vulnerability and emotional depth. The vampire lore felt fresh without losing that gritty, old-world allure, and the dynamics between captor and captive were tense, layered, and unsettling in the best way.

This book had me torn between racing to the end and lingering in each moment. It’s dark fantasy with bite (literally), and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Markus Redmond’s Blood Slaves is a masterpiece of horror fiction. The trigger/content warnings prepared me for what I was in for and it is heavy. This book isn’t for the weak or faint of heart as there is a lot of gore and violence within the entire book.
In this alternate universe that Redmond creates, the juxtaposition between vampires and humans begging the question of who is truly the monster is so masterfully done that you have no choice but to root for the vampires.

The lore of the Ramunga was well done and I felt that I had a good understanding of how they came to exist, their heirarchy and purpose in history when the story was said and done. Rafazi called himself a coward because he hid among the living for centuries until he and Willie met. Then he had purpose. Even Rafazi, a centuries old vampire, had more humanity and morality than the slave masters. I wanted to ungodly things to Monroe, Amos and Barrow for what they did to Willie and the other enslaved. The fear of humanity, the monsters who live among us is real. Those that hate enough to kill, rape, pillage and torture - those are the real demons.

This book was so good, that I couldn’t sleep until I finished it but I did take breaks because it is a very emotionally heavy story but I feel the ending made it worth it. Brava, Mr. Redmond, brava!

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blood Slaves is an alternative history with a fantasy spin, where enslaved African Americans free themselves by becoming vampires (what an amazing premise!)

Be aware before starting to read of the heavy violence against enslaved people shown here (tw for rape and torture). This book doesn't shy away from how horrible slavery was, which feeds into the horror aspect. Also, very gory kills, particularly of the enslavers (which were very satisfying to read).

There was a lull in the story for me in the middle, where I felt we were repeating some things. Like, how many times do I have to hear about Gertie's opinion towards the Ramangan vampires? I already got it the first couple times. Nonetheless, the rest of the narrative was great, and I wonder how the story will unfold from now on.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so much more than I expected. I went in thinking I would get a horror story featuring enslaved people... blood, gore, and tragedy.... What I got was a masterpiece of horror fiction.

First, the writing is phenomenal. Markus Redmond is now an auto-buy author for me. His grasp of language is impeccable; the effortless movement and vocabulary, the fluid and harmonious dialogue weaving between vernacular and colloquialisms, it was absolute perfection. What a commander of the written word.

This book delivers literal jump scares and had me on the edge of my seat like I was watching a movie. The characters are deeply developed and compelling, making it impossible not to root for them. But be warned: this book will torture you emotionally. There are high highs where you celebrate victories with the characters, but given the brutal context of slavery, the lows are devastating. You will dwell in the depths of sorrow, hatred, and the searing desire for vengeance alongside them.

💭 Narrative Impact:
The story of slavery is an important one, and this novel tells it through powerful, unflinching fiction. It reminds us that there are monsters among us far worse than any blood-lusting vampire. The narrative is expertly crafted so that by the end, you are rooting for vengeance at a primal level.

💬 Final Take:
Blood Slaves is part historical drama, part supernatural horror, and part alternate history (maybe a light romance?), an ingenious creation myth of the vampire rooted in justice and the violent means sometimes required to achieve it. This book will haunt you, move you, and demand your attention long after the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC.

This was a wild ride from beginning to end. I enjoyed the returning of violence from the enslaved back onto the enslavers. Don’t go into this book lightly, there is a lot of violence perpetrated on the enslaved, both physical and sexual. But it all drives the point home the treatment they received was unwarranted and gratuitous. Some aspects of the story were briefly touched upon and could have been explored more in depth, but overall this was an enjoyable read and highly recommended.

This story is mentally and emotionally gripping and raw in such a unique and thought provoking way. It was a really good story. The pacing was a little challenging at times due to it being a much slower pace, which may be because it was overly detailed at times. The pacing made it hard to stay engaged with the story sometimes.

This book was recommended reading for those of us who saw Sinners, the cinematic masterpiece from Ryan Coogler. While this book didn't quite rise to the excellence of Sinners, it was still a very good read. Given the political climate of the day (which, let's be honest, has been the political climate since the "birth" of this country), I was definitely drawn in by the promise of enslaved people exacting revenge on their enslavers. Redmond certainly painted the pages red with revenge, sometimes quite graphically. I think the story was maybe a little lopsided, though, and too much time was spent setting up the reasons for revenge. The true horrors of the book were the enslavers, who inflicted horrific and unimaginable violence through word and action upon the enslaved...but we already know that and at times, it felt like the violence was almost gratuitous. The folklore behind the vampires was cool and it sent me down a googling path to learn more; I wish there had been a little more of that in the book. I also wanted more Irene; she was a badass and felt far more developed than the main character Willie. All in all, this was a good book and if this is the first in a series, I hope the author digs a bit deeper into the characters in the next one. From what I understand, he is a screenwriter; I hope he puts more of a novelist's hat on for the next book.

Fierce and emotionally raw, Blood Slaves smashes the door open to a new genre in fiction For Us By Us: Plantation Horror. The combination of historical reimagining and reclamation is delivered in a way that has always been a part of our legacy - storytelling.

It's 1710 and as the last of his vampire tribe, Rafazi, is wasting away as Shit Boy on the Borrow plantation in the province of the Carolinas. On the same plantation, Willie is paying dearly for his unsuccessful attempt at escape. His punishment opens the door to a chance meeting with Shit Boy and an opportunity to change the future of slavery.

Willie must decide if the price of trusting a stranger from a time lost to legend is worth giving up everything for the possibility of creating freedom for his people. Sacrifices will be made. Tragedy is inevitable. And there will be blood.

If an act of malicious violence was the key to the salvation of a people damned, what would you do?

What I:
Love Loved – there is a moment in the story when one of the characters reclaims their identity. It made my soul pause. That wasn’t just a storyline. That was an ‘I see you’ love letter from the author to all of us.
Loved – the characters in this novel are the shining light for me. Redmond managed to give every single person a voice and purpose without copious backstory. Just bang, in a sentence or two, you knew exactly who you were dealing with. And the couple few people he allowed for some shades of grey, he still managed to deliver a complete character.
Liked – there wasn’t any wasted space. This was written and edited to perfection. Every chapter, scene and sequence of dialogue was meaningful and moved the story at a pace that made me want to simultaneously tear through it and savour each page. Original storytelling that reads like a movie with the emotional quality of classic literature is a vibe I didn’t know I needed.
Meh – n/a, it’s just that good
Didn’t like – n/a, can you tell I loved it yet??
What I wish was included – a playlist

Fav Character – Irene. Oh man, she was so bad ass. I appreciated that she didn’t really fit in anywhere and when life bore too much for her to bare, she was given a second chance and allowed herself to be wholly consumed by her new path.
Fav Scene – return to innocence ~ without giving anything away, there is a young girl, Fanna, who is given an opportunity to right the wrongs done to her. The entire scene is hard core, merciless, satisfying and terribly heartbreaking.
Fav Quote – “Your bloodline will be a blight on this world no more.” Irene

Please be prepared for multiple TWs, especially violence towards the enslaved.

Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Publishing and Markus Redmond for this eArc and the opportunity to share my honest review.

A bold, unforgettable twist on historical fiction!

As a lover of historical fiction, especially stories rooted in the era of slavery, Blood Slaves by Markus Redmond completely surprised me. This isn’t your typical tale—Redmond introduces vampires into the narrative in a way that symbolizes resistance, power, and transformation. The love story between Gertie and Willie (aka Kwadzo) was beautiful and heartbreaking, especially when he makes a life-altering choice. No spoilers, but that ending? Shocking in the best way. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough and now I’m patiently waiting for book two.

Highly recommend for fans of speculative historical fiction, strong Black leads, and stories of rebellion and resilience.

This is definitely a story that takes a very original approach to vampires. It was really interesting to see this author blend this time period with unique vampire lore in a story set on revenge. Having a story set in on plantation during slavery time is a very challenging task and I felt that the author did a really good job creating a very realistic narrative of the times. The author did not hold back on the brutality of this story and somehow made the vampires the “good guys”. I liked our main character and really enjoyed the cast of side characters. The ending although predictable was very cathartic and the epilogue was a nice little touch!

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. “Blood Slaves” will be published July 29, 2025.

A gruesome, heartbreaking, and amazing tale of revenge! Willie's journey is not an easy read (check your triggers!) but it is an immensely rewarding one, and so, so earned. Can't wait to see Markus Redmond's author career take off!!! I am here for it.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 45%.

I wanted to love this. I was so excited to read Black vampires getting revenge on the slave owners. But it takes so long to even get to the vengeance that I just cannot do it.

I’m almost halfway through the book but this book seems to be less about the ancient vampire tribe and more about spotlighting the grotesqueness that happened during American slavery. I swear, there were so many SA scenes, whippings, etc that I almost forgot this was supposed to be a story about vengeance with vampires. I feel like it was supposed to set up the reasons for why each character would want to become vampire/get revenge but yeah, no. It was too much and I don’t think they were handled with care. It felt there just to be there and perhaps, shock value. I hate when authors show violence like this just for the sake of it and after the first few scenes, that’s what this felt like.

The vampire tribe could have been cool if we saw more of them. Rafazi could have been a cool character as well but he takes an backseat to the other characters.

All that to say, I’m very disappointed. Don’t go into this for the vampire lore. You will be sorely disappointed. Instead, check content warnings and expect a very slow build up to the vengeance.

Thank you the publishers for sending me an eARC through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

There were times while reading this novel that I had to close my eyes and breathe while bearing witness to the atrocities our beloved characters were subjected to. And then there were the times, more and more as I reached the end, of rage-filled rebellion and bloody vengeance that had me brimming with pride and sporting a grin so feral I could’ve been counted among the Ramangans. I was so enraptured by the story, and felt so many emotions while reading it. I found Willie/Kwadzo’s character development particularly compelling in how he allowed his anger at the injustice of his and his fellow slaves’ treatment to outweigh his fear of the Barrows’ retaliation, and how he became more sure as time went on that the definition of what was good isn’t so black and white when they would never be rewarded for that goodness. When he said “She could do good. He would do right.”, it was that moment where I think he really drew a line in the sand, where he truly understood that in order to not only survive, but to actually claim a life of freedom, he and his fellow slaves would have to set their own terms of what was good and right, and that what might be seen as a monstrous change does not actually make you a monster. I think it was very understandable that Gertie had reservations about the Ramanga and what it would take to truly be free. At times I was frustrated with her for condemning Willie/Kwadzo for having opinions and making decisions against her beliefs, though I could see why it would be a daunting realization to come to that instead of holding on to hope and waiting for grace to fall upon you, that you will need to instead demand that salvation for yourself by means you’ve always regarded as evil or wicked. You do not need to allow how others have utilized or abused their power to dictate how you wield that power should you come to possess it. Self determination I feel is an overarching theme present throughout the narrative, and you can see it play out in Gertie’s character arc, as well as in Irene’s wrathful transformation, Rafazi’s vow to redeem himself from his past cowardice, Willie/Kwadzo’s reclamation of his true name and establishing himself as a leader for his people.

Redmond stated in his opening author’s note that he sought out to write “a badass vampire novel”, and I can attest that he achieved that and so much more with Blood Slaves. I find myself feeling almost possessive of it, because though I did not write this novel, I felt the narrative becoming a part of me the further on I read. The characters became my family, my ancestors. The plantation owners and overseers became my enemies. I was Willie/Kwadzo, Gertie, Rafazi, Irene, Charlie, Fanna, Rosanna, and Tussy. This story was my pain, my fear, my hope, my love, and all of my rage. This story was written for me, for all of my fellow Black readers. It belongs to us, and we belong to no one.

Never again.

Thank you so much to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC, and I cannot wait to sink my teeth into the next installment of the Blood Saga.