This is a pretty original YA teenagers with magic take, steeped in the feel of New Orleans. These kids all have some growing up to do, and you really feel it early in the book. Of course, much of this is trauma and magic doesnt cure structural racism or the legacy of enslavement. That said, the emotions are believable and raw. The characters are missing key pieces of the story, which we know some of thanks to the multiple perspectives. That said, the book isn't spoiled at any time. There is obviously more to come for these characters since the book ends with a resolution but a whole lot of loose ends that get special focus in the final chapters. I think I'll be picking up the next one to see where it goes!

Blood Debts was a wonder of a book. It had mystery. It had magic and not magic just because but magic that is familial magic and lore that gets passed down. It is a part of who the characters are even though they go through trials and tribulations because of the magic whether it be by their own (perceived) doing or the doing of outside forces. The main characters were relatable to me while still having their own unique story and struggles as two young black teens growing up in New Orleans. I’m hoping from what I read in the eARC that there will be a sequel because there were a few threads that were just left to dangle in the wind.

Blood Debts is the story of a family - the family of twins Cristine (Cris) and Clement (Clem). A year after the death of their father in what was ruled an accident, the entire family is still reeling. Their father's death may - or may not - be tied up in the death of their grandmother 30 years before, a death which resulted in significant change for the family.

At 17, Cris and Clem are trying to find themselves, in a New Orleans which, like our own, is rife with racial tensions. In addition to those, this New Orleans is rife with conflict between two primary groups of magic users: those who use magic from the sun, and those who use magic from the moon. The two groups split largely along racial lines, adding to the racial tensions already running high in the city, and there is conflict between the leaders of the two groups, which are separated by the source of their magic: one group uses magic from the sun, while the other uses magic from the moon. Cris and Clem are caught up in the middle, because of their family's magic and because of conflict over the leadership of those who wield moon magic.

This is an interesting look into one perspective on voodoo, as well as some great characters. Recommended for high school students and adults, due to mature themes.

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

I'm not sure how to review this book. I think of it as a cross between Euphoria and Charmed. There were definitely interactions and plot points that I enjoyed. However, I found myself a little taken aback by some of the overt sexual content and viciousness of the teen characters (since they all were 16).
I liked the relationship between Clem and Chris, it showed that siblings can still love each other, but be impacted differently by the same life changing events.
The generational magic aspect was also cool, I just wished there was more of it throughout the story. Instead, a majority of the plot was showcasing the drama between the 50-11 different characters that you had to keep track of.
There were also a few plotlines that were left hanging and not tied up.

I enjoyed both the aspects of magic portrayed throughout this story. I wish the connections in this whether between the Dupart Family or others were fleshed out more. The mystery did grip me as did some of the other raised dilemmas. I felt like this was a too many pots on the fire type deal---some worked, some muddied things. All in all a decent read and I would read more from this world.

While a lot worked for me in this book, some of the dialogue didn’t. I also didn’t fully understand the magical world building. But I did love the characters and how they interacted with each other. I love that the book understood family is complicated and messy. Because it is and a lot of books don’t understand that. It ended on a cliffhanger and I’m interested in the sequel. 3 stars rounded to 3.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

DNF’d at 10%
Review copy provided by NetGalley

I wanted to like this book, but knew after the first two chapters it wasn’t going to be for me. The writing was juvenile and petty, but even more than that, took so many breaks from the plot to go over internal backstory and try to coyly hint at the “bad things” the characters have done, but if you read the plot synopsis (or use critical thinking skills) it’s spoiled for you. I do my want to read a list of plot points that have already happened and I’m not witness to as a reader in between the few pieces of current and relevant plot I’m drip fed. The pacing is already off only two chapters in and I don’t want to keep going.

Blood Debts has a lot going on. There are bucket loads of drama, plenty of twists and turns, and romance.

Cris and Clem are twins dealing with the loss of their father, hexes, their love life, budding sexuality...and that is just their personal life. As heirs to the throne of a strong magical family, the two are torn apart due to the death of their father and are now tasked with caring for their ailing mother. Cris has given up magic due to feelings of guilt in regards to his death. Clem can't get enough of the magic. As a result, the twins barely speak. When they discover their mother's illness is actually a curse, the two are united to solve the mystery.

Blood Debts is told in three points of view: Cris, Clem and briefly a third character. Thanks to Benton-Walker's writing, it's easy to navigate between the chapters and characters. The book is also a pretty solid urban fantasy taking place in modern New Orleans. The magic system is interesting. Readers are introduced to moon magic based off of voodoo which includes the summoning of gods, and sun magic that draws heavily on the use of crystals and incantations. The magic systems are quite easy to understand and are very well explained through the book. There is also a long list of themes and conflicts imbedded in the story to include political challenges, racism, grief, depression, anxiety. Basically, there is a lot going on from the plot, themes, characters, world building and magic. Despite all of this, it's quite an accessible and solid read. Readers be warned, there is on page sex, sexual assault, and violence.

I enjoyed the read, but I think at time I found myself overwhelmed. There is just a lot going on in this story. I would have preferred a little more focus thematically rather than tackling several things all at once. I also struggled to like and emotionally connect with Cris and Clem. Of course this is more a me thing than the actual book. The ending also left a lot of loose ends and occasionally, parts of the plot and world building could have used further explanation. That being said, I think it's a pretty solid book. I look forward to seeing what Benton-Walker has to write in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Blood Debts is a story of family and a story of revenge, set in a world of magic stemming from the divine granting the oppressed power. I loved the concept of this work and was initially intrigued by its promise to interrogate the meaning of justice.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to feel more than annoyance for the main characters, even as I was extremely curious about how the story would unfold.

In part, this was an enjoyable story, I do wish that the world building had more meat to it, and I wish that the story had less going on. The story of their grandmother and the mystery of her death was riveting but how it related to the present was weighed down by so much relationship drama and family secrets. This was a story pumping on all the gears, when it needed a bit more restraint and tightening.

I see that the story tried to take a sex positive outlook on the YA genre, but I think it undermined itself a bit when the main characters all ended seemingly holding their, um, purity in high esteem.

The story, ends on a bit of a cliffhanger with so many threads left to follow. So I hope there’s a book 2, I’m not promising I’ll read it, but I’ll definitely try to find out what happened.

All in all, a mixed bag. I will recommend this for those 17 & up, who like a bit of fantasy elements in their stories, but nothing too deep.

Taking place in New Orleans, Blood Debts focuses on twins, Cristine and Clement Trudeau. After losing their father and realizing someone tried to kill their mother the twins set off to reconnect and figure out the mystery entwined with their family history while hopefully reclaiming what was stolen from them thirty years ago.

It took me a little bit to get into this one, probably about the 30% mark but it's so worth it! Once the world building and characters were established, Cris really started diving into the mystery and connecting with her inner Nancy Drew. This is when the story really flourished.

The mystery to this was fantastic, I loved the twists and turns and new elements that kept getting added. For the most part, I knew where things were going but only because the author did a wonderful job of subtly hinting and laying out the story. I say for the most part because the ending still shocked me and I would like the sequel yesterday please. I need closure 😭

Sidenote: Can we talk about this cover and how gorgeous the twins look 😍 - Cris' blue gown, Clem's red suit - absolutely gorgeous!

Blood Debts came out this last Tuesday, 04/04/2023 - GO READ IT!

Especially if you're looking for:
✨Black Queer Rep
✨Powerful Families
✨Family Drama
✨Mulit POV
✨Magic
✨Intergenerational Curses

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Teen for providing an egalley copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had no expectations going into this book but the more I read the harder it was to put down. It was a wonderful read I would recommend to anyone looking for an amazing and enthralling YA book.

This YA urban fantasy sucked me in! I fell in love with Terry Benton-Walker's version of New Orleans. The world-building is easy to follow and the magical system is interesting. I'm so glad I gave Blood Debts a chance.

Clem and Cris are twins who come from a prominent magical family who has an unfortunate past. Their grandmother was accused of murdering the mayor's daughter 30 years ago, and as a result, their family fell from grace and another magical family became head of the generational magic counsel.
All of that is to say, these two families do NOT get along.
Clem and Cris are determined to find out what really happened that night 30 years ago, who hexed their mama, and if their dad died of natural causes.


What to expect:
- multiple POV chapters
- Black main characters
- queer representation
- family drama
- murder mystery
- necromancy and hex dolls
- themes of grief and justice

I absolutely adored the setting of this one and I think it’s an important story that really did need to be told. Sadly this book really wasn’t the one for me, I wish more of the story had been fleshed out for me which hurt my overall enjoyment of the book. I encourage people who enjoy this setting and type of story to give it a chance because I honestly truly wanted to love it and it’s sooo clear that the author put a lot of time and effort into this book. It just isn’t the book for me.

WHAT A DEBUT!!! I fell hard for this book, which is fiery and tender and exciting and atmospheric and everything I want when I feel like escaping into a novel. Typically, multi-perspective chapter structures are a hard sell for me, but I loved Clem and Cristina's distinct voices so much (and definitely appreciated poor, awful Valentina's chapters) that I didn't mind at all. I listened on audiobook for the first few chapters and then had to switch to a hard copy because I wanted to read faster than my ears would allow. The family drama, the layered cultural complexity and expansive world-building, the beautiful description of first love, the agony of grief, the pulse of revenge--just an absolute banger of a book. I am already desperate to get my hands on the next one!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge as this eARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Blood Debts is a YA modern murder mystery fantasy novel that follows the story of twins Clem and Cris who have been drifting apart in the year since their father died. However, as their mother falls ill and the twins risk losing her as well, they uncover a curse that not only impacts their mother’s health but their whole family’s survival.

There is a lot going on here.

There’s the mystery, there’s romance, there’s Clem and Cris’s relationship with each other, there’s relationships between all the adults that you feel like you need newspaper and red string for, there’s Cris’s falling out with her ex-best friend, there’s a necromancy bit, there’s the conflict with the branches of magic, and more.

And following all of those plots is commentary on intergenerational trauma, how legal regulation impacts groups differently, and themes of grief and justice.

Most of which I can’t reliably comment on, but I can comment on the magic.

The story never really goes over how the generational and other magic systems work. Which might throw off people expecting more worldbuilding out of a fantasy novel. And I feel like that’s on purpose.

There are places where the magic is explained in more detail, usually when it’s less “realistic” like when the characters create moonlight, but I felt that the whole idea of not explaining the magic because it was hereditary was very grounded in reality and I found it similar to hereditary magic systems in the real world. I also really felt Cris’s pushback on other characters trying to learn generational magic as true to the real world because theft from closed practices and practices that require initiation occur more often than they should. And much like in Blood Debts, that cultural theft can cause harm.

I think most readers can get their bearings without fully understanding the magic systems, as the mystery is the core of the story, but it is something to be aware of.

I would rec this book to people who are looking for the following:
- Messy family drama
- Murder mysteries with a sprinkle of magic
- A story grappling with several complex social issues

I will also say, if you’re NOT a fan of the miscommunication trope, or the “character withholds critical information from another” set-up, this is NOT the book for you, because there is a lot of secret hoarding happening to make the plot work.

TWs: Death of Parent, Magical Violence, Protests, Car Crashes, Lynching, Racism, Arson, Guns, Necromancy, Sexual Content

I am giving this book 3 stars on NetGalley because with all the plot lines occurring, I felt as if the book could have used another round of editing to tighten everything up, and specifically the middle felt bogged down to me. I also understand that I might be older than the target demographic of this story, but I found Cris very repetitive for about the first half of the novel. It is not the best thing I've read this year, but it is certainly not the worst, so average it is.

My social media review is tentatively scheduled to post April 6th on Instagram.

I am loving this book, it is Nancy Drew, magic, family, New Orleans, supernatural and yet rooted in a believable world.

Cris and Clem are interesting characters and the depths that secrets go are truly insidious.

Recommend! I wrote this at 68%,

Edit: Life got in the way of getting through the book before the publication date, but I ignored the rest of the world to finish the book. I really liked it. I grew up on Nancy Drew and magic, so when I saw the premise of New Orleans, mystery, and magic, I was instantly intrigued. I loved Clem and his story line, Cris was good - but honestly, parts about her annoyed me. I am looking forward to reading what happens next.

Recommend for mystery lovers, queer (Clem is gay), magic, urban fantasy. 4 out of 5 stars, there is on page sex (entirely consensual but between 2 minors - 16), so upper YA age recommendation.

Unfortunately, I am DNFIng this at about 50%. Blood Debts should have been everything I loved. Diverse characters. Magic. NOLA. But I struggled to pick the book up. I hated every character. I don't mind unlikeable characters, usually, I prefer them. However, here they aren't interesting enough for me to like them. They are all whiney and petty. It got old very quickly.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5464004671


Okay so let me start by saying the cover ??? Absolutely stunning. Literally exactly what drew me in lol BUT - I just couldn’t quite click with the pacing at times and I wasn’t obsessed with some of the dialogue. HOWEVER, that could be a me problem as I am older - YA readers may love this!

I enjoyed the talk about family and the shared purpose - I just felt like it could develop a bit more.

Would recommend to someone younger/getting started on their fantasy journey.

Cris and Clem are from a powerful line of gen magic users, though Cris hasn't practiced ever since their father's death. But when Clem asks her for help creating a talisman to protect their dying mother, she does--and with the talisman's help, they discover that she's been hexed, setting the twins of a path of discovery: about who has it out for their family, the twisted backstory as to why, and how the twins fit into everything, now.

Blood Debts is full of fraught family bonds, betrayals, and love of all kinds. It's steeped in magic that's described with breathtaking beauty, as well as all the pain that lives alongside it. This book is beautiful, and tough, and sweet.

tw for sexual assault in the form of a love spell, and death of family and of a romantic partner

Thirty years ago, a young woman was murdered, a family was lynched, and there was the largest magical massacre that New Orleans had ever seen. In its wake, the magical queen was dethroned. Now, sixteen-year-old twins Clement and Cristina Trudeau mourn their father and care for their sick mother. They accidentally discover she's not sick, she's cursed by someone who will come for them next. Cristina stopped practicing magic after she cast an ancient spell that killed her father, and Clement uses magic as a distraction. While they no longer speak to each other, they must team up to defend their family and solve the murder, or else New Orleans may see another massacre.

We switch primarily between the perspectives of the twins and Valentina, Cris' former best friend and the granddaughter of the current council family. They're subject to thirty years and generations of secrets, and the enmity between them all is due to misunderstanding, jealousy, and in Valentina's case, a drive to prove herself as well. Add this to a backdrop of political and racial landmines, and it's a very tense world for the Trudeau twins. Cris discovers that her boyfriend wasn't who she thought he was, and magic isn't the terrible thing she feared it was. Clement finds love and has a running gag with Yves about the meaning of life; its heartbreaking when he decides what it actually means. As the story progresses we see more of their family and the influence of the council, as well as how far the corruption goes.

The magic is first presented as sun vs moon, with the voodoo-inspired generational magic coming from the moon. It can do very impressive things, and the gods invoked are real and can manifest if they choose to. Sun magic, using crystals or jewelry as well as other incantations is a different realm and one that isn't called to be regulated. Most of that is in the background, but I have no doubt that it will make an appearance if future books are set in this world. We have a satisfying ending, but lots of loose ends left. I can't wait to see what happens next for the city and the Trudeau family. All magic and choices have consequences, which are fascinating to see.