I feel awful. Every other reviewer I know who got this one early has absolutely loved it. I am just not in the majority. I really wanted to like. The writing was really well thought out and the messages were really hard hitting. I just couldn't connect that well with the characters. I'm not sure if that has to do with my reading tastes or my age. I think that this one just wasn't my cup of tea. However the story was good and the writing was very great for a debut author. I've definitely read some really bad debuts. This was a good book but just not for me anymore. My tastes are different so I just didn't connect well. But if your looking for YA magical stories set in New Orleans look no further, this is for you.

The cover of this book was beautiful, and this book was originally already on my to read list, but thank you netgallery for giving me an arc so I could get a head start. I love the concept of magic in books and the addition of BPOC/LGBT representation was amazing, This is more of a personal problems, but the beginning was a little slow for me, but it definitely picks up once I got further in because I love the drama, There are a little too many characters/POVs so I got a little lost along the way with so much Info but otherwise it was a nice read.

**I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Terry J Benton-Walker presents Blood Debts, a YA contemporary fantasy centered on generational magic. Using a magic system inspired by Voodoo, Benton-Walker builds a story that highlights family, betrayal, and a quest for justice. Readers follow twins Clem and Cristina as they seek to discover the truth about the deaths of their father and grandmother even as they discover an ongoing threat to their mother's life.

Benton-Walker crafted the magic system with care, mindful to keep the story entertainment-minded rather than in any way devaluing the sacred practices the magic is inspired by. Even the gods presented were treated with equal care. The ways that various characters interact with magic was appreciated rather than keeping the views more surface level as is commonly seen in YA.

I also appreciated that the queerness depicted was casual and accepted without issue. Clem and his various love interests along with queer characters of earlier generations (Jean-Louise and Rosalie) were never questioned by their families, though Clem faced some issues in school earlier in his life. Clem and Yves were among my favorite characters in the book, in part from the sheer joy of having them share a page.

While there is so much of Blood Debts to enjoy, I, unfortunately, also found that a good portion of the book fell a bit flat for me. The pace of Clem and Christina's investigations had no real drive, even when there were meant to be lives at risk. As such, I found myself putting the book down for days at a time and forgetting to pick it back up. There was nothing I particularly disliked about this story, but nothing that really gripped me either. Ultimately, the big culmination point, the "unmasking" sort of situation, felt lackluster and a bit like a hurried tidying of loose ends.

I am left feeling generally positive about my reading experience, and pleased that there is a lot of room for Benton-Walker to continue Clem and Cristina's stories. I would certainly still recommend this work to interested readers, and look forward to the author's future works.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars.

It took a while to get into it, but then I couldn't put it down. I liked how it alternated between Cris and Clem as they set out to settle what are ultimately blood debts. The magical society is integrated into New Orleans (and the world?) and the relationships are well done. I also liked the side plots each of the siblings had. There were some POV chapters from other characters that probably weren't needed....but I felt myself slowly engrossed with the story as it unfolded. There's trickery and hexes and moonlight magic and it's really, really well done especially when the generational magic is tied into Blackness and ancestors.

It's left pretty wide open at the end, so I'm assuming there are more books coming. The plot in this book is tied up by the end, a classic whodunnit plot, but there are a LOT of ways the story is left open for more.

Let me start this off with one sentence: If I were younger and a teen, this book would be so fun. Sadly, as I go through my 30s, I just find a hard time getting into YA books. BUT.
This book was good. The thing that pulled me in was the cover. But also the synopsis.
Clem & Cris are twin siblings living in a world where Generational magic exists. The first chapter right away pulled me in. It's a very interesting world and truthfully, the "news article" that starts off the story had me invested pretty quickly.
I didn't find it hard to understand what was going on at all which was great considering so many stories in my opinion struggle to pull you in. Things did start to slow down a bit for me and dragged some. But a lot of books can do that so I don't really count it as a negative.
My only real issues came from the characters themselves. I get it, Clem & Cris are teens, but there were some instances where they just come off very childish but then other times where they come off almost older than they are? If that even makes sense. Some characters really blended together for me. Personalities were too similar. Or I just had a hard time trying to figure out who the person really was other than just someone who showed up.
The author did a great job I think at getting you to dislike Valentina super early on and girl, I was raging about her. If you can hate the bad person so early into a book, it really helps things carry on!
This definitely seems like the first book in a series and while it may not be perfect, I look forward to more. I always enjoy when series only get better as they go.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

I haven’t read a YA fantasy in a while and I’m glad I picked this one. The story revolves around Cristina and Clement who committed a murder, but not the logistics of how. It was quite different than a typical fantasy or a typical mystery novel. Unfortunately, the speed in some parts is pretty slow, causing me to want to skip ahead. Grief is a heavy with grief but the author writes it well. I was not a fan of the narration used because it was difficult to discern who wrote what section. Overall, this book had beautiful magic and mystery and I would recommend it to others

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy. All reviews are my own.

Plot: 8/10
This was a great combination between magical realism and mystery, bringing in healthy elements of each. The magic played a real and necessary role in the story, but it never overshadowed how important unraveling the mystery was. It was also a little unique in that the question wasn't who but how and why. Clement and Cristina know from the get-go who committed the murder, they just need to prove it to the public.

I also really like the magic of this story. It felt just more down-to-earth than the sweeping, dramatic spells that typically come with fantasy. There's a lot of detail about how certain spells work and how components contribute to that, and it feels like the author is familiar with the practice, or at least did a lot of research. The take on gods and their interactions with humans is also quite refreshing. The gods are involved in human life in a way I don't often seen in fantasy, with them appearing in bars and on people's doorsteps. Still, they don't lose the power and otherworldliness that would typically be associated with a deity.

One thing that I found difficult about this book was a general lack of urgency. While there are many great scenes with good tension, the moments were Clem and Cris are just researching or talking or anything, the momentum stalls. This is mostly because while this is a very important thing to the twins, there is ultimately no time limit. They aren't trying to get ready for an event or beat the clock on a spell or anything like that. As such, the tension, which is quite good in individual scenes, is lost in the in-between moments.

Characters: 8/10
Cristina and Clement are twins and share most of the narration, but they're pretty distinct in terms of personality. They have different ideologies concerning a lot of things, such as magic and morality, which generates a lot of conflict. Cristina was my personal favorite, just because I found her guilt and flexible morality quite interesting, and her arc felt complete. Not that I didn't like Clem, I just prefer my protagonists willing to commit murder, though he seems on his way by the end of the book. The way this book deals with grief is quite good, and Clem bears the brunt of it.

My favorite side character was probably Valentina. Don't get me wrong, I despised her, but I found her to be a great character with a lot of insight into the other side of things. I'm really interested to see how she develops in the next book considering what she's going through at the moment. Jean-Louise, who gets one chapter from his perspective, is incredibly complex, but it doesn't seem like we'll be getting more of him, which sucks. The other perspective side character, Zachary, can rot in hell, I don't want to see anything about him.

While I appreciated how complicated things were in Cris and Clem's family, I feel like it isn't addressed enough. Their mother and aunts have been estranged for quite a while, and while this is only the first book, Mama and Aunt Ursula have a reconciliation that seems rushed. I also feel like the only aunt I really know is Ursula—the rest are barely there.

Writing Style: 6/10
The writing itself didn't particularly stand out to me. There was nothing bad about it, but nothing took my breath away either. I think there's a good balance between the more archaic, flowery writing associated with magic and fantasy and the modern, casual speech of today. There are very few pop culture references, and they are kept vague enough that it won't date the material. I think the pacing was good; other than those stalls I mentioned earlier, the build is steady and feels like a natural progression.

My major gripe is probably the style of narration, in that it has little variation. While Cris and Clem are very distinct in terms of personality, their narration is very similar. I often found myself flipping back to the chapter title to check who was speaking or checking which twin was actually getting called by their name since it was in first person. My final issue is with the texting. There is no indication as to who is sending which text, and sometimes people were double- or triple-texting, and I basically had to make educated guesses as to who was speaking.

Meaning: 8/10
This book isn't as focused on modern issues as other contemporary stories are, but it by no means ignores it. Cris and Clem are Black, which affects their day-to-day lives significantly, and the backdrop of the story is filled with 'Redeemers', those who advocate for regulating magic. Gen (generational) magic is specifically a Black practice, born from necessity during American slavery. White people have their own magic, light and shadow magic, but the desire of certain white characters to be involved in gen magic plays a huge role in the story, especially how gen magic is targeted more than light or shadow.

My one issue is that I can't really pinpoint how the author wants us to feel about the Redeemers. It is an obvious issue that their efforts are the result of a long-ago murder of a white woman (that ended in a lynching) and inordinately targets gen magic. However, direct comparisons are drawn between it and gun control, which makes me inclined to support at least some restrictions, especially considering how magic is utilized for truly horrible means in this book. The characters never outright say how they feel about the Redeemers, but it seems to be mostly negative, which I am hesitant to side with.

Overall: 8/10
I think this is a good book. The plot is interesting with a unique take on magical realism, the main characters are complex, and it addresses some important issues with magic as a stand-in for all kinds of cultural practices. I have my issues, mostly with the lack of urgency, narration, and unclear message, but they are by no means dealbreakers. The cliffhanger is attention-grabbing, definitely enough to get a reader to want to read the next book, and I just love Cristina so much. This book comes out on April 4th, so be sure to give it a shot!

Blood Debts is a really great debut novel. Chris and Clem are complex and dynamic main characters. I really liked the magic system in the story. The books is rooted in the story of their family dealing with racism and generational trauma. I flew through this book and can’t wait to get the next installment. I will be getting a physical copy of this book when it is released because I really want this one on my bookshelf!

A purely magical YA fantasy full of family history and magic. This novel was so good and I loved the setting in New Orleans.

I think this was a good book, wrong person situation. I expected more of a historical fantasy set in New Orleans, and the immediate use of modern day language and slang threw me for a loop. However, I think if you go in with the right expectations, this could be a great book!

I have so many mixed feelings after finishing this book. This is this authors debut novel and there was a lot to unpack in these pages.

This story mainly follow twins Clement & Christine as they are navigating life following their dads death and a family that has been torn about by murder and secrets. Their lives are filled with magic whether they like it or not.

Given the way this book ended this is sure to be the start of a continued series. I loved the magic in this world and the characters themselves it was hard not to like them and see them come to life on the pages. I enjoyed the importance’s placed on family and bringing them back together. I loved Yves & Clement & my heart ached for them so bad.

What is not clicking with me at the end of this book as I sit here and reflect is there were so many great ideas and plot points but i was just too much for this to be book 1 in the series. It was so hard to keep up and things that started off so interesting fell flat for me. The climax I felt like was so rushed. I just think a lot of the stuff that was jam packed in this book could have been stretched out across the series. Like book 1 could have been stretched to book to to give time to develop everything more.

I still enjoyed it and will be checking out book 2 to see where this goes because that ending had me like what??

Let’s start with the things I liked:

I felt like the twins were both incredibly likable and their humanity was at the center of every decision they made. They both love really hard (each other, their mother, their family). I liked that they each had their own journey. And I would really like to continue along with their stories and find out where things are headed in a sequel.

I didn’t love how rushed the ending felt. Some things just felt sort of unexplained in the last few chapters. I wanted a little bit more world building as far as the magic systems and the history of the different types of magic. Maybe a book 2 can do that?

Overall it was a fun read and I really enjoyed the New Orleans culture and style that permeated the story and the ties of the family.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I know I am to old for this, so I will write this review for my younger self. As a younger teen I would have loved this book. I went in to just wanted to explore New Orleans and magic and I was given so much more. There is a blend of racism, homophobia, family drama, generation pain weaved in with magic. The magic we got I loved and I loved seeing the generation connection and rituals. I wish we could have explored more of the magic and seen it more through the family members. The ending was the type of ending I love. It had a darkness to and a desire to know what comes next..

This was an intriguing magical YA story. Twins Clem and Cristina’s family are part of the generational magic world. When they discover a hex doll is what’s causing their mother to be sick and almost die, they take matter into their own hands to find who is responsible. In the process they also intend to uncover the truth of their family’s past.
I enjoyed this take of a magical society inspired by the practices of voodoo and spiritualism of African and African Latino cultures. There was a lot in this story to follow. There were times when I felt lost trying to remember all the names mentioned and how and to who the were connected to. But other than that, it was a fun ride and it seems as though this will be a series because there was so much left unanswered.

This is such an important and entertaining read. Books with so much history and such to remember can often get confusing but Blood Debts never falls into this trap. I never once found myself confused about what was going on.

The characters themselves were absolutely perfect. I hate characters who do no wrong and put fault on those around them. Blood Debts is far from adding this. The characters are a reflection of the imperfect people of this real world in the fictional situation. I could go on and on about how much I love how these characters were written.

I’d recommend this book if you’re looking to be entertained by magic and mystery

4ish stars, maybe just under

This was an intense, magical YA story of family, love, betrayal, revenge, and so much more. It deals with racism, appropriation, death, mental health, and other heavy topics; it also made me laugh or smirk at a few key moments. The characters have been lovingly crafted, the plot is fast-paced and suspenseful, and the ending is tragically ambiguous in a way that (I really hope) leaves room for a happier, less devastating conclusion for one of the central queer relationships. I’m intrigued to see what comes next from this writer, and I’ll be adding this title to my list of books to purchase for my classroom library.

Note: I think this book is considered a young adult novel, and the protagonists are teenagers, but a few more intense moments have me wondering if it could almost be considered new adult by some categorizations. Or maybe just an older YA choice? Either way, I did mostly enjoy it and think some of my students will as well.

Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker

Published: April 4, 2023
For Teen
Genre: Teen & Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy
Pages: 404
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Terry J. Benton-Walker grew up in rural GA and now lives in Atlanta with his husband and son, where he writes fiction for adults, young adults, and children. He has an Industrial Engineering degree from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Georgia State. When he’s not writing, he can be found gaming, eating ice cream, or both. Blood Debts is his first novel.

“Because I’m free.”

Cristina is trying to work through her feelings, she knows it’s all her fault, but she doesn’t know how to fix it. Clem wants to have someone stay, and he also doesn’t want to risk losing anyone else. The mystery and the magic are all-knowing.

This book was beautiful. I loved the mix of old and new mythology, and the generational history is woven together.

The characters were all well-developed. I loved the emphasis placed on family, both blood and chosen. The power contained within the safety of the family is so strong.

This was unlike any story I’ve read, and I devoured this book. I could not read it quickly enough—how the plot builds and the plummet to the truth will leave you breathless.

This was a beautifully written novel, and I enjoyed how magic was used. The way light and dark elements were represented, as well as the undertones of relevant topics, was fantastic.

I hope this is the beginning of a series because so many things could happen if this story continues, and I desperately want to know what happens next.

With magic, Nola and Black leads, I should have eaten this YA up in a day and yet it caused a month-long reading slump trying to slog through. The twist was more of a straight country road. I unfortunately can't recommend this title. I found the writing, plot and characterization immature and underdeveloped. I feel horrible writing this review but part of my role on Netgalley is to give honest reviews in exchange for the privileges of accessing these titles and a month later that reminds my honest opinion.

Based off of the synopsis, I was hoping for social commentary with a magical twist- that is not what this novel is. This book is a young adult, contemporary, revenge story with a magic system & a villain you love to hate.
I’m giving Blood Debts ⭐⭐.5 stars because of several factors. The book kept me interested enough to finish but events really began to feel staged for me. I was meant to feel a certain way but it felt very forced so it took me out of the moment- events felt forced instead of flowing through time. There were also too many people with too few personality traits. I will admit that I am terrible with names but I don’t think this was simply a me issue this time. For example, Cris and Clem have four (or was it three… or five?) aunts but only one has a strong personality. The others flit in and out of the narrative but have nearly zero personality.
The other big area of discomfort for me was the resolution to the main problem- it took a very dark turn. I’m a fan of thrillers and am not unfamiliar with dark themes but this again, felt a bit forced. I’ve seen other reviewers mention that Cris and Clem sound very similar as our two, main POV. While I can definitely see this, the issue I, personally had, was Cris’ personality felt too fluid. Sometimes she seemed meek and weak, other times downright cruel. That was confusing as a reader.
Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillon-Tor/Forge Publishing for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

A dark, high stakes story about siblings, magic and prejudice.

I enjoyed the concept and the plot of the story was intriguing, but ultimately the writing wasn't great. I felt like the pacing was off, but I loved the setting and the magic history behind it. This book was dark and made me angry at times due to the instances of injustice being shown, but I was rooting for the siblings. I just wish the characters were more fleshed out!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-arc!