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.

3.5 stars

I requested this book because the premise sounded so intriguing. I was down for magic, witches, and New Orleans. I thought it started off really strong. I was able to easily connect to the characters. I thought the writing was accessible and flowed nicely.

What didn’t work so well for me was the overall pacing. This book felt slow and fast at the same time. It seemed like it would take forever to build up to a point but as soon as we arrived, it was over. I wanted those scenes to be more drawn out and other scenes where the characters are just talking to be more condensed. I feel like there was a lot going on in the plot. Some tings worked while others didn’t quite make it to the satisfactory level. I thought the ending was well done for the most part. I wouldn’t mind reading the sequel in hopes of better world building and a more detailed description of the magic system.

Really liked this one, especially the New Orleans setting and the magical twin relationship. The writing, plotting, and world building was good all around. The one critique I have is that Clement's arc towards the end felt a little silly and maybe even out of character. (Haven't any of these magicians read The Monkey's Paw? LOL!) If he was going to have a sudden and dramatic moral descent, I wanted more nuance there.
Recommend this urban fantasy YA though, especially as it's the start of a new series.
Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

Cristina and Clement are the 16 year old twins whose grandmother was the queen of all the generational magic holders on New Orleans. That is, she was queen until she was accused of killing the mayor's daughter, and she was killed in a lynch mob 30 years ago. But now questions about the veracity of that accusation start Cris and Clem on a dangerous path to find out what really happened.

This is supposed to be a YA fantasy. A lot of the themes are really heavy, though, and the characters don't really seem like they're really teenagers, except when they break their investigations to whine about how former friends treated them in school or something. I think it's set in the summer time, which is why they're not actively going to school, but the characters are mature enough that they don't act all that much differently than the whiny, petty adults in their lives.

The magic ideas in the book are interesting, and seeing magic from a different viewpoint than other fantasy books was pretty cool. I like the idea of New Orleans as a backdrop for the story. I feel like I could've used a little more of the flavor of New Orleans to remind me where it was set.

Overall, it's a decent story, but the characters were kind of flat.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. Thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity!

It was hard to get into this book and I couldn't connect with the story at all. I wish I could have loved this but I didn't,=.

I loved this fantasy book set in New Orleans. The characters were great and I loved the story of inter generational curses and magic!

Decent story and great setting. Liked the magic and the plot twists. Great representation and love the New Orleans background.

I’ve only read the first few chapters but I have the audiobook from the library and want to finish it that way. I’m loving this story and I love the setting of New Orleans

I had to DNF unfortunately. The synopsis sounded great and is what drew me in and I was very excited to start it. Unfortunately the dialogue and the crazy amount of POV's really threw the pace of the book off. There were so may characters to keep track of and then the bouncing around a lot of those POV's made it even more confusing. The dialogue also felt really choppy and not cohesive or natural. It felt like there was an attempt to include phrases and conversation styles of young adults but it was very awkward and cringy at times.

Wow! Terry J. Benton-Walker does not pull his punches! I read Blood Debts a week ago, and my jaw is still dragging on the floor. This book is a stunning combination of magic, revenge, family, and social commentary.

Set in modern-day New Orleans, Blood Debts tells the story of the Trudeau-Beaumont family. Twin siblings Clement and Christina Trudeau have grown up under the weight of their family’s history - one of power, trauma, and loss. When they learn the truth behind their family’s fall, they use their skill, cunning, and dark magic to bring those responsible to justice.

According to Benton-Walker, the idea for this story was originally a planned screenplay. Eventually he decided the scope was better suited to a novel format (a sequel is already in the works), but the writing retains a cinematic feel. Reading this book is like a movie playing in your head.

Character development is another strength, especially in regard to the story’s young antagonist, Valentina. Christina’s friend-turned-nemesis is ruthless. But she’s written in such a generous manner that you can’t help but feel bad for her. I’m very curious to see how her arc plays out in the sequel.

If you read YA, run to get your hands on Blood Debts now. If you don’t normally read YA, this book is a great introduction. Packed with memorable characters, a driving plot, and themes of generational trauma, cultural appropriation, racism, acceptance, safety, and forgiveness, this is not a story to pass up.

Many thanks to Tor Teen and NetGalley for the eARC!