Tens across the board with this book! Upon finishing the first chapter I was immediately hooked. Benton-Walker has done an excellent job in creating a world almost exactly similar to our own but with the magic turned up! The characters are flawed and love-able in a way that makes me want even more of them. Each chapter had me up late reading and wanting to know how the issues would be resolved. This book is something both Young Adults and full Adults will love. And the Black representation is just a cherry on top! Can't wait for the possible sequel!

This was such a great ARC read for one of the first books I read in 2023! I went into this not expecting very much except that I knew it would be in NOLA and have a witchy element that I absolutely love in books!

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel! It was sweet, simple, and I didn't have to think that much while I was reading. This is a book that very much fits the YA category and reads as such, this being said, when you go into reading it, expect that it's YA and not an adult novel. The writing is amazing but the relationship growth, character growth, and plot development is very much young adult. Sometimes I found the characters immature, but I also really liked that about them because they were reacting like kids, it made sense!

It was absolutely adorable and showcased something that I feel is new for me but also for many readers. Blood Debts hits all the right spots and really made me so happy as I was reading this! Cris and Clem were so cute and precious, I couldn't get enough of them!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First, I would like to thank Netgalley and TorTeen for giving me this ARC. I was really excited for this book and really enjoyed it overall! That being said, it did have a lot going on and I felt like a lot of things were not properly executed because of there being so many things that had to be thought out a little bit more. I really did love Clem and Cris and so many others. They are what kept me reading and intrigued. Thank you once again!

3.5 stars
Overall, a good debut novel. The main characters, Cristina and Clement, are well- developed, interesting, and sympathetic. The generational issues and seeing them through the twins' perspective allowed the story to develop well though the short switches to other POVs were distracting.
The magic system was interesting and worked really well. The overarching story of who framed their grandmother for murder and was responsible for the death of family members was well done.
The rest of the plot, including the subplots, had too much going on so it felt like some things weren't fully fleshed out or seemed out of place. This left several things rushed or unresolved.
I enjoyed it and can't wait to see what the author does next.

Blood Debts is a book for everyone! I know it's marketed to the YA crowd but adults will enjoy this book too. It has something for everyone - romance - yes! - diverse characters who are nuanced and well developed - yes, 2SLGTBQIA+ rep - yes, a unique magic system - yes, a family wronged and a quest to restore their good name - yes. Do I need to keep going??

I loved the relationship between our main characters twins Cristina (Cris) and Clement (Clem). At the beginning of the book, they've drifted apart as Cristina has a secret that prevents her from opening up. They've noticed that their mom has been getting sick and it's not until they discover a hex doll under her bed that they realize that their family's bad luck might not be as simple as it seems.

I finished this book and immediately wished I had a sequel in my hands so I could continue to follow Cris and Clem's stories and so I could learn more about the magical universe that Terry J Benton-Walker sets up. Please tell me there will be more books to come!

Thank you to Netgalley and TorTeen for giving me access to this early copy of Blood Debts!

This book was a massive disappointment. I loved the cover and thought the description was right up my alley, but the execution was just terrible. I haven't read prose this bad since I had an active Wattpad account. There are moments when the perspective changes from first to third person, or from past to present tense, and while I understand that this was done to distinguish between perspectives, in effect it just makes the book seem poorly written and barely edited. All the characters sounded the same to the point where I had to keep flipping back to the chapter title page to check whose head I was in. The plot was also very disconnected; it was more a bunch of side quests while the main mystery was forgotten until the end of the book when it came back just to be neatly wrapped up. I hate to be so critical of a debut author but this is just not a quality book, and with book prices as high as they are, readers deserve a book that is worth that price.

I finished this book within 24 hours cuz I couldn't stop reading, I would rather mess my sleep schedule than stop reading this one.

The story is about two twins Christina and Clement who are looked down upon as they have a dark family background linked with betrayals, murder and use of magic for harm. Once they were the heirs of the throne of Gen Magical council but after their grandparents were lynched for murdering Mayor's daughter, their entire line was removed.

In present day Chris and Clem both are recovering from the loss of their dad, Cris thinks it's because of her fault and her magic spell gone wrong that her dad died but she cannot tell this to anyone and bears the burden alone while Clem feels like he is destined to loose everyone he loves as after his dad's death even his 4 other aunts left their house and their mother is very sick, almost on her death bed.

Soon after they find out that someone had placed a voodoo doll to kill their mother and their personal items are missing too. Also, this attempt to their mother's life may be linked to their grandparents' and father's death. Someone wants to end them all and they must find who. This also means they must find out what actually happened 30 years back and whether their grandmother was wrong fully accused by her best friend whose family current occupies the throne.

Strengths:
.. I really admired how well woven this story was, it was literally three generations tied together in one book.
There were so many intricate details that were splendidly done.
.. People of colour and lgbtq+ elements present and in my opinion the representation is the best I have ever read about, since Gen magic is basically the magic practiced by Black people and then there is Light magic for white mages, so one gets to read the symbolism of races depicted quite soundly.
.. There is the moral question which comes with necromancy whether it is right to practice for your loved ones based on your selfish needs or not.
.. There is a lot of emphasis on sibling relationships, how beautiful yet how taxing it can be, with the characters of 4 aunts or the twins.
.. Splendid character development!

Suggestions:
.. It would have been better if there was cast list but since it was an arc, it's okay
.. I wish we could get Justine's perspective too.
.. I wanted to know what was going on with Gabriella as she had an important role to play yet wasn't emphasized upon.
.. The beginning of the book felt a little weak and I didn't feel like continuing but after a few chapters it got so much better.

In all it was a great book, and I will recommend it to all. I received this arc through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Set in contemporary NOLA, Blood Debts is a fast-paced YA urban fantasy rollercoaster. From inspiring and heartfelt to gritty and horrifying, this book will command your attention and have you all in your feels.

This is a plot rich, character- driven story with multiple POV, morally gray characters, and compelling, supernatural community laced in ambitious political intrigue and all the drama.

What I loved:

- I really loved the main character development Cris and Clem’s POV offered fresh prose with distinct voice that really roped me into their stories. Their characters were nuanced, refreshingly flawed and relatable.

- I need a prequel story of Clem and Cris’ mom and aunts ASAP. I love how the adults weren’t just wooden figures, but fully fleshed characters with their own stories and struggles. Learning about their history and present day drama was almost more intriguing than the main plot.

- I enjoyed the overall plot. It had mystery, drama, suspense, and horror with a supernatural flair—everything you could want in a good read.

- I loved the different styles/spectrums of magical systems and how they were integrated in the story. I’d love to see more of this incorporated into the next book.

- Rich, diverse representation from race, sexual, socio-economical to mental health, age, and more. Very well done.


Some of the things that didn’t work for me:

- I think the multiple POVs outside of the main characters made the story repetitious and a bit predictable for me. I knew certain characters were going to die, how certain characters were going to act, and it was blatantly obvious who was the big bad of the story, what their motives were and many of the details that surrounded their part of the story.

- The additional POVs were also in a different tense and person (past, third person) which was a jarring switch (but maybe an intentional style choice that made me not care about those characters so much). Overall, I feel like time given to the side characters and the antagonists could have been better used on the main protagonists and their family- which were ultimately the heart of the story.

This story may include triggering content which includes but isn’t limited to: racism, bullying, homophobia, murder, assault, parent loss, loss of spouse/significant other, mention of infertility struggles, sexual assault, strong/coarse language

Romance meter: from sweet to mildly explicit (there is a brief sex scene), to it’s complicated, to downright toxic, there is a diverse and generous amount of romantic subplot.


Overall, this was a compelling and refreshing debut with an satisfying ending and a possible sequel that looks like it could take the story to another level of magical drama. Let’s go!

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Teen and Netgalley for a complimentary copy of this ebook. I am leaving a voluntary review. All thoughts and ideas expressed are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Teen for sending me an early copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

This is a stunning debut about intergenerational curses, family legacy, and the fight for justice in a world that wants anything but. From the very beginning, it gets into the depths of justice and the nuances of generational and systemic racism. It is beautifully woven into a world full of generational magic, and I really loved the parallels that this gave and the opportunity to show that justice and fight from different perspectives.

I felt like there was just a lot going on in this book, and it was a lot for me to keep up with. It felt like the author was trying to do too much, and with the audiobook, I had issues following along with all of that.

I also wanted to mention that I felt I couldn't rate it higher because, though it is marketed as a young adult book, there is a rather descriptive sex scene that felt as though it was not at all of the young adult genre, and that made me a little hesitant with the promotion.

If you are looking for a book that will broaden your perspective and break down such heavy topics into a beautiful world full of magic, definitely check this book out!

Rating: 3.75

Plot: 3.75/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing: 3.75/5
TW: Racism, abuse, sexual assault, gun violence, homophobia

A huge thank you Tor Teen! E-ARC was provided via Netgalley in exchange for a review.

Plot -
Blood Debts follows twins, Cristina and Clemont, who try to uncover the truth of a string of murders that happened 30 years and altered the course of their family's lives forever. The plot is a bit slow to start and the first 100 pages mostly sets up the ground work for what happens in the last 300 with a few side plots that fizzle out. I felt that some of the back story details were added sporadically throughout the book to help solidify what was happening later on which made the plot feel scattered. This book also deals with heavy social themes throughout. Look at trigger warnings before reading.

Characters -
Cris and Clem are forces of nature but each in their own way. Cris is confident and headstrong with a touch of female rage. Clem is able to bring people together like no one is his family and he can melt the iciest of hearts. Since the book is told majority from their perspectives, we get to the most character development from them. The side characters feel very flat in comparison since they don't get as much page time, and therefore we don't learn much about them unless the directly pertain to Cris and Clem's journey throughout the book. Even with the twins, Cris undergoes a more dramatic change between the beginning of the book and the end. It really feels like this is her story and her brother is a sidekick (which Clem says he feels like multiple times in the book). Overall, the characters are lovable and relatable which make you drawn to them even if they are a bit 2D feeling.

Writing -
The prose of this book was jarring and would often pull you out of the book because some of the slang used was so drastically different from the rest of the writing or it felt so forced that it detracts from the story. It felt very much like the author was trying to appeal to the younger audience by using more stereotypical gen-z slang. As mentioned above, this book talks about social justice issues a lot, which the author wrote about with grace. Those moments were handled well and not taken lightly. However, those moments were so poignant and contrasted too sharply with the lighthearted moments that it made the book disconnected. The premise is interesting enough to keep you reading but the writing makes it a challenge to really dive into the book.

Quotes that left an impact:
"As long as there is breath in my body, nothing will ever stop me from being there"

"Coffee is like life. Sometimes you have to dress it up to hide the bitter taste"

"...but what you cannot do is blame yourself. I will not let you carry that weight...That doesn't belong to you"

While I was invested in the story at some points, I found some of the writing hard to connect with. Some of the subject matter was very mature though I could have been convinced I was reading a middle grades book based on the prose.

The magic system was interesting but was overshadowed by a confusing plot. There were so many things going on at once that it was hard to keep up and I found myself rereading pages more than once.

The ending came all at once after a pretty slow beginning and middle and was not satisfying in my opinion. I don’t believe I would pick up the next book, if this were to become a series.

I loved this book and am crying that I have to wait for the sequel! New Orleans, witchcraft, necromancy, greed, revenge, this book had it all! It does end on a bit of a cliffhanger.

Thanks to Tor and Netgalley for the ARC copy!!

Blood Debts follows the story of twins Clem and Cris. While still reeling from the loss of their father the year prior, their mother has been stricken with a mysterious illness that doesn't seem to be letting up. In addition to that, Cris seems to have given up any and all dealings with magic and Clem seems to be fighting to pull their once tight-knit family back together, but the weight of their grandparents' murder and the death of a town girl that night seems to be keeping that from happening.

All in all, I found this to be a wonderful book steeping in New Orleans traditions and magic (I think it's hoodoo they use here) with a healthy dollop of unapologetic Blackness. I did find that the ending felt a bit rush in some areas as if this was part of a longer manuscript and it was cut in half at the wrong moment, but that just means that there will be more reading to cover when I make it through the second book. I also am very pleased with the Achillean representation here, as well as Black male sexuality being shown in a positive light. This book definitely shows that queer Black boys can be more than what society thinks them to be.

I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a book that's spooky and familiar, just like a trip through a New Orleans graveyard.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of this book.
I did enjoy the beginning but stopped reading after around 50%. It didn't hold my interest and I felt. like the villains were to one dimensional.

An evocative and compelling take on magic, family, and the trauma that can be carried in a family's veins. Incredibly excited to see more from Benton-Walker.

Unfortunately, I didn't love Blood Debts. The concept and the story were really interesting, I love the New Orleans setting and the influence of Voodoo. But I just didn't have a good time reading the story. I think in part because the writing felt kind of young despite the fact that the content of the book is extremely mature, dark, and heavy. I think a lot of teens will really love this though. The characters very much felt like teenagers but that made me, as an adult, struggle with them and the decisions that they made. Twins Clem and Cris have to face numerous traumas over a very short period of time and have to work to keep their family safe from outside forces. So much happens in this book and then I realized that only a few days had passed in world so I'm just not sure how I felt about it sadly.

This book was fantastic from start to finish. I couldn't put it down. This author is going to be an auto buy from now on I loved it so much.
I just reviewed Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Thanks to netgalley for the arc which in no way influenced my review. I was torn what to rate this because it's about a 3.5 for me so I rounded up. It's good but it's also overstuffed. It's also going to be tough to review without spoiling why it overstuffing was an issue.

So to that let me say it honestly felt like two separate stories sewn together, like one of them absolutely could have waited for book two and carried a whole novel, that's how overstuffed it was. We have Clement and Cristina's family drama (and drama is underselling how much trauma and backstabbing going on there is) and then there is Clem's side story with his new boyfriend and the darker side of magic. (this is the one that I felt could have been book two. It just seemed like they were hedging their bets on not getting book two and shoved it all here).

Clem and Cris are very engaging characters even when you want to slap them silly for the shit they do. they are twins from a magic family (magic here is different depending on ethnicity, definitely not my favorite construct but in this story it makes sense as it is being used to highlight racism) In the past year they have lost a lot, their father has been killed (and Cris blames herself. You're going to hear a lot about that) and their family is under attack) 30 years ago, their grandmother was blamed for killing the mayor's (white) daughter. She and her husband were murdered by a mob and the twin's mother lost her position as queen of the New Orleans moon magic group (i.e. the one borrowing heavily from African culture and voo doo) to a power grasping woman whose granddaughter was Cris's best friend until she wasn't. Now they're best enemies.

The magic system is well drawn and the mystery to who tried to kill Mom and who set up their grandmother (and by extension who killed their father) is done very well as well. You can see who will betray them coming a mile away though and that was disappointing. There is a third side plot that is left dangling (so I'm sure we'll see that coming in book two and in a way that will probably disappoint because it's so obvious)

Their investigation takes them to a former friend of their grandmother who is practicing necromancy which is forbidden to all whether they're white or black. This will be a major plot point (and again no doubt for book two). Cris's former friend will do anything to grab the throne of power so there is a lot of ugly there (we have a few chapters from her pov but mostly it's in either Clem or Cris's pov) There is a crap ton of Machiavellian plotting and there is no way of reviewing that without revealing/ruining them so just enjoy the journey there.

There is plenty of LGBTQ rep here. Clem is gay (actually almost every man in this is) one of his aunts is as well. There are trigger warnings for this too, one chapter with homophobia, racism and lots of violence. I liked this book a lot but I do hope book two is a little less overstuffed (because it is definitely set up for a second book).

this book is honestly so magical with some amazing characters. i finished this book in one sitting and lost myself in the book. i believe that this is perfect for all fantasy readers and for those who love mystery. and the POC representation is amazing! i can definitely feel that Benton-Walker wrote from their own experience when writing this as this book did not shy away from from harrowing elements that black people endear in their lives.

normally when i read a fantasy book i get lost in the world and the system, but i didn't with this one! if someone told me that this was a debut novel, i really would not have believed them. this book radiates maturity and fluidity with writing that i have rarely seen in debuts - which is something to be so proud of as it is very hard to do!

thank you so much for the arc! i cannot wait to see what Terry Benton-Walker does next!

I really liked the magical system and world building in this book! The family secrets were interesting to unravel and the characters were super interesting and realistic! I loved that the audiobook had jazz to introduce each part of the book too.