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.

At it’s base this is a novel about two teens, Kris and Clem, dealing with the repercussions and upheaval of murders that happened 30 years ago. It explores generational trauma, homophobia, racism, and cultural appropriation as the story unravels.

The work this story is set in is rich and detailed and the different types of magic explored and how it’s described is really well done and something I can get lost in. The characters are complex and the relationships and their motivations are really interesting. This is a strength but also a weakness as there are so many characters that the story can get a bit bogged down by the different ways the characters connect and it affects the pacing. As I was reading I kept going back to the idea that this would work really well as a series as it would be a great way to depict these characters are explore them in an episodic way. So I wasn’t surprised that after reading the author’s notes that this was one option initially explored to tell this story. (And would also like to see it explored in this way if they ever decide to make it!👀)

While there is a lot more to explore in this world and some characters were briefly introduced with most likely the intention of a follow up novel, the ending still feels satisfying and complete. I would definitely look forward to a continuation of this story and it’s characters and will look forward to future projects from the author.

“We’re here to interact with one another, across the broad spectrum of all the different, innumerable ways living beings can.”

I was lucky enough to receive an electronic advanced readers copy of Blood Debts from Tor Teen/Macmillan in exchange for an honest review. Below are my thoughts.

✨ Blood Debts by Terry J Benton-Walker is the story of Clemont and Cristina, sixteen year old twins with magic in their hearts and trauma in their past. With the thirtieth anniversary of a local massacre drawing near, the two will need to work together to uncover the secrets that have haunted their town and their family for decades. Will their magic be enough to keep them and those they care about safe or is history destined to repeat itself?

The magic and politics of this world were absolutely my favorite parts of Blood Debts. The way the two aspects are interconnected is complex and interesting, and I legit could read magical bylaws of this universe and be engrossed as heck. I also loved how messy and complicated the family dynamics were — the mixture of fierce love with distrust and misunderstandings felt so real throughout the book.

There were a few aspects that fell flat for me. The pacing of the story felt a little off — honestly, this book had enough plot lines and developments to have easily been split into multiple books and left the story feeling rushed. I really think one of the main romantic relationships really suffered from lack of development, and because of this some of the moments that should have been heavy hitters just weren’t. I also felt that the twins were super repetitive with their thoughts, and with the book already feeling rushed this was especially frustrating.

Overall Blood Debts was a solid read, and I’m definitely going to be picking up the sequel whenever it is released because I need to know how on earth all this drama is going to pan out. This one gets three stars from me and is out April 4th, 2023! ✨

First off : I LOVE THIS COVER! This book kept me engaged. I do love when justice is served but we weren't quite sure how it was going to happen. The magic systems were interesting. The ending suggests another book is coming, cannot wait. I will be buying a physical copy when this comes out.

Received this ARC through NetGalley, thanks!

A magical urban fantasy set in New Orleans and featuring twins, this hit many high notes for me. The twins must come together to heal their family and achieve justice. The magical system was an interesting concept.

This was such a good read!
I loved the magic system and would love to learn more about it (which I hopefully will by researching the inspiration for it). It would have been interesting to have it explained more in the book itself, but it was easy enough to understand that that wasn’t a necessity.

The main characters were interesting, but I thought that there were too many points of view, especially when in the middle of the book yet another one was added and then just dropped again. While it gave some insight, it mostly just deterred from the story itself and the insight could have been given another way.

Cris was such a good character and I loved seeing her embracing her own power again and finding herself again throughout the book. Also, am I detecting a little romantic/sexual tension between her and Aurora?
I hate what Oz did to her and that everyone seems to just brush it of and tells her to get over it.
I can understand why she didn’t want to save him after all these violations, and he deserves much worse than what he got (which is virtually no consequences at all). I hope he gets what he deserves in the next book (even though that would mean we’ll have to see him again, which I’m not eager to).

Clem was also such an interesting a well written character, I loved him a lot. But I did hate that he thought he was entitled to every little detail of everyone’s private life and accused people of not caring about him when they wanted some privacy. This is not how that works, Clem!
I did like his relationship with Yves though. Maybe it moved a bit fast, but these are teenagers, that’s usually how that works at this age.

I don’t really know what to think of Valentina. Obviously, she is not a good person, but much to that is due to her upbringing, I think and we can all read that that wasn’t great and when the only person to ever care about you is a conniving, manipulative bitch, you’re likely to try to become like her to impress her. I hope she can get better now, but after the ending, I doubt her story will take a good turn. I don’t like her, but at the same time want to make things better for her.

The adults in this book were very frustrating as they constantly kept relevant things from everyone, things that affected the others as well, which is not fair in my opinion. If someone wants to kill you, you deserve to know why and you also deserve to stop it yourself.

While the plot was very interesting, especially the mystery, some of the solutions seemed very rushed after all the build-up. They were good and predictable, but still a bit anti-climactic, sadly.
I also thought there were far too many side-plots, many of them getting dropped before they were resolved or really anything was done with them. Why bring them in at all if you’re not going to do anything with them? It just distracts from everything else.

All in all a very good book that lives of its characters.

I want to thank #netgalley for letting me read an eArc of #BloodDebts.

I love books set in New Orleans and the representation of the African American community in more and more books lately is wonderful. The different types of magic are intriguing. There is so much mystery and intrigue in this debut novel.

****Thanks NetGalley for the e-arc****
I am kind of surprised how many people didn't like the way this book was written. For me, this was fun and messy.
While reading this it took me back to Princess and the frog movie and The Originals in New Orleans. The magic and the rich history New Orlean has is so intriguing. I always get very invested.
I loved the magic aspect of this. I liked how race was interwoven and made the story seem more current.
Clem and Cris were so frustrating at times, as siblings usually are, from my experience. They were dealing with their own problems and just making messy decisions left and right.
There was SO much going on, I had to go back and connect the dots so many times. That was one thing that brought it down to 4 stars. Each character had something going on that connected them to the next event. The book is definitely a little darker and I think the sequel will be even darker because of certain characters' choices.
THAT ENDING-goosebumps!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book!

Characters: I like the sisters as the main characters. There was a generational family dynamic that I haven't read in fantasy before, and I really enjoyed that aspect. I loved the themes of family and what it means to be family in the book.

Atmosphere: New Orleans is a great setting for this kind of book.

Writing: It is very young sounding, but it is YA for a reason.

Plot: This feud between the two groups was interesting. I think there was more to be explored about the non-witches and their contention with our main characters. Not sure if this is going to be a series, but I would love to see that explored if this is going to be a series.

Intrigue: I liked the mystery aspect of who's done what in the book. It keeps you going for most of the book.

Logic: I think the book keeps with its own logic fairly well.

Enjoyment: It's a nice YA Fantasy. I recommend it! 4/5 stars

Absolutely obsessed with this! Literally loved everything about this!
The family drama? So intense. A magic system based on the moon and your ancestors? Amazing. Queer Rep? We love to see it. Black families getting to carry out their family practices without white people stealing it? God tier.

I thought the switching point of views was really well done. It really broadened the world and allowed for a lot of story lines to be playing out simultaneously. The fact that the main characters are a set of boy girl twins was an added bonus.

The fact that despite all the tensions they may have, the Dupart family always comes back together and takes care of each other, was really nice to see.

This book had me at New Orleans, black main characters, and magic. Blood Debts was written descriptively well, I felt like I was there with the characters trying to solve mysteries and casting spells. I was obsessed with this book while I was reading, and didn't want it to end.

Since this was YA I didn't have a lot of expectations, but the premise sounded interesting, I loved the cover and I was excited to discover this was written by a black male author in the LGBTQ+ community! So what did I think of this author's debut novel? FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!

My first author obsession was Anne Rice and that included her amazing Mayfair Witch series which took place in New Orleans. Since then, I have a deep love and appreciation for the city and its association with the occult, voodoo and witchcraft. That was my biggest draw to this book. Now I will say the parallels stop there, because it is a very different story, but I think if those settings and themes also appeal to you, this is worth checking out.

The story takes place in modern day New Orleans and follows the Trudeau twins Clement (Clem) and Cristina (Cris) whose family practices Gen magic. At the beginning of the novel they are struggling to deal with the previous loss of their father and are now preparing for the reality of losing their very ill mother. Clem attemps to make a charm to help bring luck to his mother, but inadvertently discovers a cursed hex doll inside her mattress.

Now Clem and Cris are determined to find out who tried to kill their mother, and could they be next? Trying to solve the mystery means digging back into their family's past when their grandmother was once the Queen of the Gen Council, until she supposedly murder the mayor's daughter. Perhaps in their hunt to find their mother's attacker, they can also discover the truth of their tainted history.

As I said before, I loved the story! I enjoyed switching from Clem and Cris's POV which were done in 1rst person, but we also got to see into the lives of other important characters as well in 3rd person chapters. The history surrounding the different witch families and also the different types of witches was well done. I loved learning about all of the different Aunt's who each went off to enjoy different lives but ultimately have to come back together (this did remind me of the Mayfair witches.) There were good minor plots going on in the background that still tied in with the major plot and the mystery itself was well executed.

I hope this series has an excellent launch because it deserves it! I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series.

"Blood Debts" is hands down one of the best novels I read this year, full stop. Benton-Walker's New Orleans jumps off the page with a tight cast of characters connected by a most intricate web. With a focus on three primary points of view, this story of familial bonds and broken friendships sings from the first chapter. Clem and Cris are a wonderful foil to one another, as twins even, and really make the other have something to fight for and against. While I think the story would have been just as strong if told from just these two characters points of view, the addition of a few other characters "featured" in chapters breaks that action up a bit. I was a bit confused by the inclusion of one character's chapter at the end of Part 1 as it seems that story thread was never really wrapped up by the end of the book. The mystery of the book was far-reaching, and there were a lot of points where I thought to myself, 'where is this going," but everything eventually came together, although the ending felt a bit rushed.

It is nice to find a fantasy novel where magic, although a large part of the story, is not the focus, but rather a constant presence that impacts decisions and relationships throughout - there is no need to learn a new magical language to understand this world, as the reader comes to understand the important bits through the story. I really hope we get a chance to continue with these characters in this rich world Benton-Walker has created. 10/10 for sure.

The hook caught me, but it turns out that I’m not the target audience for this book, which became abundantly clear early on. The Author’s note should have been my first clue.

The book was overly verbose, especially for young adult fiction, but finally picked up about half-way through. Oddly, despite its length, there wasn’t much magic or meddling. If you can wade through the muck, there is a good story buried in there.

From page one, I knew this book would take me on a rollercoaster ride.

The magical realism world of New Orleans that Terry created is exactly how you would envision the city feeling.

The family dynamic between Clem & Cris and the entire Trudeau gang was complicated and complex but yet filled with so much love like most black families are.

This novel is so much more than the description says. The amount of people that I wanted to slap with the power of my ancestors’ hand is something serious. But the amount of people I want to give hugs and a warm blanket is insane.

This book allowed me to fill whole in my blackness. The happiness & dangers that come with having rich & melanated skin. Blood Debts is extremely pro-black and we love to see it.

You will never what is coming on the next page and I promise you will love this book!

Thank you to Tor Teen and NetGalley for the ARC.

Black magic, family drama, revenge, and MESSINESS. I went through a lot of emotions while reading this story. The characters had me crying, cursing them out, and applauding them. This novel is New Orleans through and through! The culture, the food, the juju, literally everything.

I loved how this story touched on different things and how descriptive it was. There was Black joy, politics, romance, mystery, and so much more. This was a really good read.

"For every child of color who was denied the justice they deserved. You alwavs matter."

A magical family in New Orleans must uncover the truth behind their grandmother’s death while also figuring out who is after their family. The Dupart family is a Black magical family in NOLA that has been torn apart thanks to racism, betrayal, and lies. Now, 30 years later, twins Clement and Cristina have their own secrets and powers but must find a way to work together to work out how to save their family before it’s too late. Cristina used a spell that she believes has killed their father and it is eating away at her, while her twin brother Clem is struggling to deal with life after their father’s death. They’ll have to bring together their family to face all their old traumas and pains in order to help each other unravel the mystery of their grandmother’s death and bring justice to their ancestors. Unfortunately this one did not work for me, I just found myself detached and not interested in the story at all. I couldn’t connect to the story or the mystery and I just didn’t really care for the characters that much. Maybe it was me and not the book, but it just didn’t work no matter how hard I tried. I did end up finishing the book and still couldn’t find it in me to care all that much about the result or the ending. The premise was interesting however the story felt immature and just not what I was expecting from the premise. While this one didn’t work for me, give it a go and it might work out better for you.

* Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Teen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Blood Debts might not be coming out until April of 2023, but it was such an amazing read that I wanted to get a jump on shouting about it in the reviews! This book tells a well-written story of a family fighting back against dark magical forces using their own generational powers. The contemporary fantasy world was just perfect for me, with the magic integrated in seamlessly into an extremely realistic modern world. I especially loved the use of multiple perspectives in Blood Debts, as each of the characters was strong enough to stand on their own narratively. I will be eagerly awaiting whatever Terry J. Benton-Walker writes next, because if it is as fantastic as Blood Debts, I won’t want to miss out!

My Recommendation-
If you love contemporary fantasy novels, where magic is woven into a modern setting, you need to grab a copy of Blood Debts as soon as possible! I would especially recommend this to readers who loved Disney's The Princess and the Frog, but who would prefer the movie focused more on the dark magic and less on the amphibians.