So, I definitely thought that this would be a book that I would rate so much higher than I did, however this just did not hit the mark for me whatsoever.

Let's start from the beginning. I definitely thought that they were much older than they were and then I found out this was YA, which made sense because that is definitely what it sounded like. I think what didn't hit the mark for me was that there was not a lot of interiority and the emotionality that was given was just not believable to me. All of their conversations lacked emotion and the emotions that would seem to be important are explained more through exposition rather than shown.

The side characters were not humanized enough for me to care. There is a scene where Cris is talking about her aunt and about why they felt the family, but there's no emotion that we gather from her dialogue. Same thing when Cris has to burn her journal later in the novel, a journal that meant a lot to her because her dad gave it to her and there is literally 0 emotions or interiority on how she's having to part with something so dear to her. And this is annoying because she lost her journal at the beginning of the novel and was a little irate about having lost it and now it's nothing to her because she has to burn it. It was just a plot device that we needed to be aware of at the beginning of the novel.

There are witty lines in the novel that hit for me and a lot that missed for me. Some were dialogue and others were slight interiority.

There is a lot thrown at you in the first part of the novel (Cristina's guilt, their moms' sickness, -- which isn't a sickness, but a hex -- their family drama, -- which was definitely muddled and confusing -- the magical drama, the killing of the mayor's daughter, etc. I also felt like at the beginning of the novel, the kids were trying to figure out what was going on and the adults were dancing around the subject for SO LONG. Like this novel could have been so much shorter than it was.

Let's talk about characters.

All of them are so dramatic it is unreal. I literally skimmed through a lot of their "Arguments" even though that's not really what they were. Scenes went from 0-10 so fast, I was like ?? where did the problem even arise. I think Clem was a dramatic character and I also feel like he's unneeded. His character development throughout the story really did lack for me and I wasn't entertained by his chapters or his romance.

I think Cris has a strong goal and I think the novel, as a whole, would have strongly benefitted by just making her the only point of view instead of giving us the five we had.

In some cases, I felt as though Cris & Clem (mainly Clem) were forcing their existence and problems into peoples' lives that have nothing to do with them and it amounts to -- not a lot. For example, when Clem approaches John-Louise's mom and then being like "We should have just gone straight to the source" bc then after that, we literally never hear about her again. Like ??

At many points, I felt like I was losing sight of the plot because there were a lot of scenes that had nothing to do with what was being explored. There were a lot of things that needed to be explained more at the beginning of the novel because towards the middle, I was confused on certain dynamics and what was deemed to be important.

The romance... not believable. It was a kind of insta-love after one date. I was SO disappointed. The romance moved so so so fast. And what was worse is that when Yves is shot, Clem didn't even TAKE HIM TO THE HOSPITAL. He took him to the freakin necromancer who animated his boyfriend back to life and he's a hollow man. So, yes, we expected Yves to turn into a hollow man too. I'm sure they're setting this up for book 2 and how Clem is going to dive into his necromancy, but I hated this story line. Speaking of Yves, why has his sister not asked about him??? It's been like a week since she's supposedly heard of him?? And doesn't he run errands for her? Wouldn't she have missed him?

Anyway, there's like a ton of things I didn't like. I also didn't like the ending at all. Like nothing really sat for me at all. I didn't care at all. I just felt like there was not enough tension or stakes that kept me invested and it took forever for me to get through.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Teen for the arc!

Blood Debts is the gripping, magical debut from Terry J. Benton-Walker. This is a story filled with emotion, multi-generational family, and strong ancestors. I appreciated the way that mental health is highlighted and de-stigmatized, especially with the use of medication and therapy when needed. There is excellent LGBTQ+ rep throughout the story and not just with the main characters. There is a large cast of secondary characters, who felt richly fleshed-out and meaningful to the main story. The tangled bonds and broken relationships in their family seemed very realistic and also really made me curious about what had caused the rifts between the sisters. Benton-Walker does a masterful job of bringing all the threads together as the story reaches a crescendo.

Blood Debts incorporates real-life legends and traditions, while always honoring where they came from. The magic system is built with complexity and care. Cris was one of my favorite characters! I loved her relationship with Clem because I knew they would always be there for each other no matter what. Cris goes on an intense and at times painful journey in this book; I really enjoyed watching her step back into her power and reclaim her voice. Cris, Clem, and their family are faced with difficult choices when it comes to reclaiming the power they’ve lost and must make morally gray choices.

Benton-Walker does an incredible job with pacing, whenever I had to pause in the story, I could not stop thinking about it and wondering what might come next. I cannot wait for the story to continue!! I would recommend Blood Debts for fans of Liselle Sambury (Blood Like Magic), Tracy Deonn (Legendborn), and Kalynn Bayron (This Poison Heart). Readers who enjoy urban fantasy, complex magic systems, and bewitching characters will love this book.

Blood Debts is available April 4, 2023. Thank you to Terry J. Benton-Walker, Tor Teen, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

This is a wonderful YA contemporary fantasy set in New Orleans featuring both LGBTQ+ and BIPOC representation. There's a wide cast of unique characters, but the two central siblings do a great job of leading you throughout the plot of the story. Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

The things I loved about the book, is that every character felt very real. They all had their flaws, and reasoning for why they made certain choices in their lives, whether it was right or wrong, for family or for selfish reasons. The magic system was very easy to grasp for someone who doesn't know a lot about Voodoo, which the system is heavily inspired from.

The last few chapters, sadly for me, is where I have to knock off one star. The ending felt a bit on the rushed side. There were also a lot of smaller side characters that got reintroduced that were only briefly mentioned near the beginning of the book that left me feeling, "Wait, who is this character again?"

Overall I really loved this story, and I hope we can get more follow-up books within the same world, and really expand on these characters.

A sweeping contemporary fantasy that balances commentary with the character's personal desires deftly and carefully! This is a great read both for teens and adults.

I had extremely high hopes for this story - the description of the plot, the LGBTQ representation, and the representation of people of color throughout the cast had me very excited for the story. But from almost the first chapter I was lost - I felt that I needed a prologue and a list of characters to keep who was who straight, and the chapters were so dense that a lot of information was given and hard to keep up with. For me this was a DNF at around 33%.

Saying that - I do believe this book was simply not for me, and that in the hands of the right person, they will greatly enjoy this book. I DNF’d more out of my own ability to follow the plot and less out of the story - the writing is well done, the world building (while I was confused) was there, and I do think this book will go on to do great things.

A promising start to a series! Drama, family, old feuds, murder, and magic; with a New Orleans backdrop make this book unputdownable (not a word, but it is fitting). No doubt this book with take you for a ride and you'll be lining up to go again. Can't wait to see what these characters will do next!

Content warning: mentions of a dead family member (father), gun violence, necromancy, gore, body horror, blood, depression, anxiety, intergenerational trauma, catfishing, homophobia, depictions and discussions of racism, attempted sexual assault, attempted vehicular manslaughter, emotional and mental manipulation

Cris and Clem are twins and the heirs to a powerful magical legacy, which may or may not have been usurped in the aftermath of a series of murders which took place thirty years before the start of the story. Cris has distanced herself from magic, while Clem uses it to connect with his family and ancestors. But when it’s discovered that magic caused their mother’s sickness, not natural causes, they race against crimes of the past to protect their future and the ones they love.

Equal parts epic fantasy and contemporary fantasy, magic is a force not to be trifled with as a pair of twins come into their own despite the conflict and tensions circling the families around them.

If you really enjoy complex and twisty family sagas full of mystery plus the kind of drama and tension that can only take place in the twenty-first century, you’ve come to the right book. The magic meshes really well with the contemporary setting, in a way that feels organic to the entire notion that traditions don’t need to get left behind in modernity. And I also appreciate that this work commits to magic being real with escalating intensity as more spells are cast to undo past hurts. The magic system is clearly defined early on in the story and maps onto the power dynamics and struggles between the various magical families.

Benton-Walker also does a thoughtful exploration of the difference between gatekeeping and protecting oneself and their family from cultural appropriation, especially when consequences have been borderline deadly on more than one occasion. This is especially salient in Cris’s POV sections, because magic has meant so much to her but has seemingly backfired so thoroughly. I’m not going to speak more on the resolution of these tensions, as that will be spoilers, but the mystery and how it unravels comes to a satisfying and magically explosive head.

Every teen in this book deserves at least an f-bomb, and wow, does Benton-Walker deliver on letting them express their rage and hurt in ways that feel genuine both to the characters and to kids who had to grow up too quickly. The irony between both Cris and Clem’s internal monologues and the words they choose to speak to each other and others really make a book the perfect medium for this story. They’re both kids who saw grief way too young and have a family history of tragedy that echoes into the present day. There’s a lot of hurt that’s unaddressed and uncovered with each reveal. The emotions, both expressed and repressed, propel the story forward, and it’s satisfying to watch both of them come into their own power. It’s also neat that while Clem is gay, the story does not have a coming out subplot, which means he can just exist among all the other tension without having that hanging over his head (though there is some homophobia in his past).

The respect for women in this work is also something that really stood out to me. Each feminine presence, be it aunt, sister, mother, or otherwise, carries so much weight. They’re imperfect, they’re flawed, but none of that diminishes their power. Seeing the familial solidarity in several pivotal scenes made my heart both ache and sore. There is so much healing to be done and little agreement on how to seek justice, and it’s so, so compelling.

In short, if you like family sagas, magic that helps as much as it harms, and intense generational mysteries, definitely get this one on your TBR list.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Teen for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. The official pub date of this novel is on April 4, 2023.

In a city with a lush culture and history all its own, New Orleans sizzles with a sweltering heat and the delightful smells of creole food. In this contemporary fantasy world created by author, Terry J. Benton-Walker, that all remains true apart from the magic woven into the city’s history and people.

Clement and Cristina Trudeau are sixteen-year-old twins from a long line of powerful Generational magic wielders, but thirty years ago, their family’s reputation was tarnished by a murder accusation. Once the most powerful and tight knit family in the magical community, Clement and Cristina find themselves isolated from their peers and extended family, caring for their ailing mother all alone. As the thirtieth anniversary of the murder draws nearer, so does the one-year anniversary of their father’s death. Ever since their father died, Cristina refuses to touch magic, and Clement has no idea why his sister has pulled away from magic and himself.

After uncovering the truth about their mother’s illness, Clement and Cristina put their differences aside and work together to figure out who is trying to hurt their family and why. This investigation will start with unraveling the murder thirty years ago, but the secrets in their family and this city run deeper than either could have imagined, and they uncover deceptions around every corner - it seems everyone in New Orleans has something to hide.

Blood Debts incorporates magic into history, race, and politics in a realistic and plausible way. It is sad to say, but if magic were real, the depictions of attempted government regulation, political party affiliation, and racially and magically charged tension would play out exactly like this book. Gen magic wielders, ruled by the Moon, descended from those enslaved, forced to find some way to protect themselves from their white slave owners. Light magic wielders, ruled by the Sun, are people of white descent, also known as white mages. This magic system isn’t just wands and waving your hands though – it involves ingredients like crossroads dirt, moonlight, palo santo, candles, oils, etc. I felt like I was in a charms class reading about the characters going to local magic shops and gathering their tools.

When I first saw the cover, I was concerned that this book may be too young for me, but this is definitely on the older side of Young Adult – I’d classify this as New Adult because of explicit language, sexual content, some mention of non-consent, and drug use. I rated this book 4 stars – the setting was perfect, the mysteries kept coming and kept me interested, the magic system was so cool, and the representation (people of color, LGBTQ+, anxiety/depression, positive/consensual sex work, etc.) was phenomenal. Do not sleep on this contemporary fantasy debut. I cannot wait to read what Terry J. Benton-Walker does next!

I was really excited about this book and it mostly held up. I think the message of the book is important and the magic systems are incredibly interesting. I thought the story was really slow and, to be honest, a bit boring at the beginning. Really picked up for me about 50% of the way through. I struggled through parts of this but don't regret soldiering through.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This novel has a lot going for it. Atmospherically it is beautifully done, I loved the setting and the way that I as a reader was drawn right into the thick if it. I found the magic system to be interesting and intricate.. I was not as impressed by the characters and the overall writing as I wanted to be with a book that I was highly anticipating. There were way to many character pov that were struggling for the spotlight in this book. Which really had a tendency to be not only confusing but also made the plot seem disjointed. The switching between 1st and third also contributed to this issue. Keeping in mind that the main characters are 16 years old, I still really struggled with the overall tone of this book. The pettiness and childish disposition of the characters really through me off then the subject matter was so serious in nature. This may really have just been an instance where I have outgrown the YA genre. Overall I would still recommend this novel.

Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker is a tricky novel to review. On the one hand, it is a story about intergenerational magic, revenge, and power that is dark, dangerous, and seductive. On the other hand, the execution of the story could be more masterful than the plot suggests. There is much to love and, unfortunately, a lot that would make a reader set it aside unfinished. What you think about the book depends on your patience and willingness to ignore some unfortunate prose for a great plot. Myself, I struggled until the story engrossed me enough to be able to ignore its faults. 

To say that Mr. Benton-Walker's writing style is simplistic is to understate the issue. The problem with Blood Debts is that it reads like a young teenager, still in the throes of puberty young, wrote it. No matter their age, every character sounds like a whiny teenager complaining about not getting their way. While this makes sense for Clement and Cristina, who actually are teenagers struggling to find their identities, school bullies, boyfriends, mean girls, and other high school drama, it makes less sense for the adults in their lives. Even the oldest character sounds a bit like Regina George, crowing at her power over the entire school, or in this case, the council. In addition, each sentence is as basic as you can get. While it makes for easy reading, it does not make for the best descriptions. Mr. Benton-Walker's metaphors and similes are too prosaic and less poetic. It makes Blood Debts feel clinical, dry, and dull when the plot is anything but that.

Where Mr. Benton-Walker excels is his story. There is something magical about any story set in New Orleans, which he uses to his advantage. In Blood Debts, he takes NOLA back from Anne Rice's vampires and brings the focus back to the true magical heart of the area, its long history of magic in the hands of its Black citizens. In this case, it is the intergenerational magic given to formerly enslaved people by their gods as a way to break free from their oppressors. With its roots in Hoodoo, Voodoo, Haitian Vodou, and European witchcraft, the magic the Trudeau family practices is unlike what we usually expect when we hear the word "witch." Theirs is darker, more dangerous, and more prone to cause harm to the person casting the spell as much as to the intended recipient. 

The other impressive aspect of Blood Debts is that Mr. Benton-Walker highlights his characters' failings and uses them as character development tools for them to learn and grow. In Clement's case, he must overcome his severe anxiety and the trauma he feels upon the death of his father and his mother's failing health. While it happens more often, a novel in which a character's mental health is not just a convenient plot device but rather an integral part of the character itself is still rare. For all his writing faults, Mr. Benton-Walker makes Clement a likable character because of his mental illness and not despite it. Through Clement, we understand what it feels like to suffer severe anxiety, and we rejoice when he stops letting it hinder his ability to obtain his goals. 

I like Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker. The story is dark and bloody, and revenge stories never get old. Where I struggled, and where I see many people struggling, is with Mr. Benton-Walker's writing style. It does not match the nuanced and complex story he builds. Every voice is too immature, and each sentence reads like a middle-grade English textbook. Given that, I am still deciding whether to continue the series. I want to discover what happens to Clement and Cristina, but I wonder if I should put myself through the writing issues again.

I was very excited for this debut, but unfortunately it fell quite flat for me. I think my main issue lies with the writing style, which I couldn’t get into at all, rather than the magic system, which I found complex and interesting. I think other readers, especially younger audiences will have better luck with this book than I did.

Thank you to TOR Teen and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Before I get into the bulk of the review, I want to say a quick thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers over at NetGalley for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Blood Debts is a Fantasy novel set in New Orleans that follows twins Clem and Cris who attempt to avenge their family by solving a 30 year old murder. The book comes out on April 4th and is available for preorder now.

The book covers a lot of heavy topics such as magic, grief, generational trauma, family secrets, mental health, racism, and politics. For me, it felt like way too much for a book that is less than 400 pages long and action packed. A lot of the time I felt lost in the plot. Every character seemed to have their own thing going on and we never really got a moment to tie everything together. I would have loved it if the reason for all the action had been explained better and if we had gotten moments to breathe between all the chaos and drama. For me, it felt pretty reminiscent of CW teen dramas--which would lead me to believe I would enjoy it since a CW teen drama set in New Orleans and featuring magic was a show I loved watching a few years ago. But I was too confused by either the plot or the magic to fully enjoy it. I also felt like the author didn’t dive deep enough into the New Orleans setting/world building. There are some books when you can just feel the setting and see the world around you as the story unfolds but it wasn’t happening here which is sad given how much promise the premise of the story has. But, like a lot of the reviews I’ve seen, I can’t tell if it’s just me or a book problem.

I did enjoy the concept for this one and I thought the family had a lot of dynamics that I’d love to see explored some more. The book ended in such a way that another book could be in the offing, but also wrapped up well enough that it doesn’t have to have a sequel. Which felt pretty well done given how the plot felt leading up to the third act. I will say that the third act packed a punch and gave me a lot of the things I felt were missing in the first two. The third act is less than 50 pages so I don’t think it’s quite enough to redeem the book as a whole, but I was flying through the end of this novel. We got to see one of the twins really dive head first into revenge while another explored darker magic. We got a satisfying ending with the villain of the story. And we got to see some gods behaving badly (who doesn’t want that?).

Overall, I think this book is good for people who can picture things without needing to be led by the author. I also think it’s a good read for anyone who likes witches/witchy vibes. It definitely does that well. I wouldn’t say it’s perfect for those who want to see a character go there with their vengeful plots, but it’s good for people who don’t always want to see their favorites cross that line. This was still a pretty quick read and good to get you in the spooky mood.

I give this credit for having a plot that's fast-paced and without filler. The author does have the skills to keep the story moving well. There are moments in this book that grip you. I wonder if those moments will be different for different readers. I expect they may be, because this book is trying to be many things. It's trying to be a paranormal fantasy. It's trying to be an urban fantasy. It's trying to be a kind of depiction of what it's like to be marginalised. It's also trying to be a book about positive identity. There's probably more things it's trying to be than this, and I think it does a good job at the things I've mentioned at different times, and on different levels.

However, I feel that the plot itself suffers due to the author trying so hard to move those themes and concepts into the forefront so often. I'm not saying the themes and concepts are bad. On the contrary, I think they are powerful and worthy. My feeling is there may be ways to still have them prominent in a story, but not sacrifice the plot so much. Because, while the book is fast-paced, sometimes the story does go off on tangents that leave the main plot behind. Maybe that can also be a strength - the author is showing a multi-woven plot. True, that is a strength. However, some of the plot threads don't feel as powerful as others, at least me for. And that's where I think this book will mean different things to different readers.

Still, there is a lot to like about this book. I mean, we have magic and witches. We have intrigue, suspense, tension, twists, thrills, heroes and villains. We have a multi-level plot, where there are conspiracies and just plain acts fueled by bitterness, anger, or vengeance. There's a lot going on in this book, and the setting in believable.

The conclusion of this book left me in two minds. On the one hand, it felt awkward and rushed, but on the other hand it's left me wanting more. I need to know what happens to some of the characters after they learn about the events of this book. That's the sign that the ending make an impact. I must know more!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a free ARC of this book for an honest review.

Rating:3 1/2 Stars
Blood Debts tells a wonderful story of magic, New Orelans, and two siblings. However I think the book would’ve been better if the characters were more fleshed out.

Blood debts is set in modern times and is more of an urban fantasy. This book took a while to grow on me it wasn’t quite what I was expecting and I had to adjust my view of what I thought I was gonna be reading I didn’t find myself very attached to any of the characters and thought that a lot of the scenes felt forced and kinda cringy I did think the writing it improved as it got further along but overall I don’t think this was my for me.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

I love when books start off with an author's note. When they are at the end, you don't see them until after you finish, and often the context really adds depth to the story they decided to create. So, I especially liked seeing Benton-Walker's note on how they used writing this story to process the world.

This is a modern, urban fantasy with a magic system inspired by voodoo. Two twins become "Black Nancy Drew" to try to uncover a 30-year-old murder that their grandmother was accused of (and lynched for) and whose fall out may have led to their father's recent death and mother falling ill. It was fun to watch the pieces come together and the pacing of the mystery kept the reader engaged. There were a few side-plot journeys the characters went through to come to terms with their recent trauma and family relationships that were beautifully executed.

One aspect that I did struggle with was the delineation between Clem and Cristina's POV chapters. The tone tended to blend together and found myself having to backtrack to remember whose chapter I was in. There were a few other POV chapters spliced in and I did enjoy those additions to the story.

Blood Debts combines a celebration of Black personhood and culture with deep questions about justice. With a very genuine New Orleans vibe, this book explores an imagined intersection of race and magical ability which provides a parallel to real dynamics in American society. The magic system had certain elements of freshness that should interest readers, though at times it was lacking in explanation.

Readers may struggle to distinguish between the twins' voices until further into the book or get lost in the multiple sub-plots. The sub-plots do not always complement each other, and because this is multi-POV, dragged the book down at times and made me question what the main story was about. There is definitely an extended level of suspension of disbelief required for this book, as in the span of two weeks the protagonists solve a 30-year-old cold case. I was frustrated by the level of "insta-love" between Clem and Yves, as I felt it undermined the emotional payoff and significance of that relationship, particularly given the end of the book.

Worth a read if you are a fan of magic, Black culture, the American South, and books that leave you wrestling with big questions through morally gray characters.

Trigger Warnings: knife, death of family member, illness, cursing,
gun violence, murder, homophobia, racism, sexual assault, sex, lynching, loss of bodily autonomy, bullying

Representation: Black, Gay, Twins,

Blood Debts is a young adult, queer fantasy. Clement and Cristina Trudeau are the twin heirs to a throne stolen from their family thirty years ago. When they accidentally discover their ailing mom is actually cursed, they must work together to figure out who is coming after their family. With tensions high in the city already, New Orleans depends on the twins to avoid another massacre or worse.

I want to start by saying this book was very good. It’s written well and very enjoyable. That being said, this isn’t my normal cup of tea. I struggled to get invested in the storyline but it’s not the book’s fault. I tried my best to keep an open mind but in the end, I couldn’t connect enough.

Overall, this is a great story- just not meant for me. The magic and setting are great, the writing is very clear and concise, the author gets so many things right with this one. I think any fan of this type of surreal fantasy will enjoy this story!

This is a knock out and sure fire smash hit! From the brilliant representation on the cover, to the action packed breathtaking events of the story itself - this will be a new favourite for my students, I have no doubt