I really liked this book, it was a quick and enjoyable read for me. I will definitely be recommending to friends!

I received an ARC of this book for my honest review, thank you NetGalley

I am flabbergasted by this book. I really really enjoyed the premise, the world building, the characters. This was so so so well done and I am honored to have read it.

You have: 3 unique and separate magic systems— light magic (based around the sun, uses crystals, is for whyte folx), Vamps (we don’t see much about this but I believe shadow magic is what they use), and Gen magic which utilizes the moon (this is based on Voodoo which I understand to be a closed practice to Afro & Afro-Latinx folx both in real life and the book).

The twins definitely have a tenuous relationship throughout the book which I think is so normal for 16 year olds so I can’t blame them at all for that. I will put out a CW for sexual activity that does occur in the book—I think normally YA steers clear of this so I just want to be sure others are aware. Nothing super graphic this is not by any means smutty, but it does occur on page.

THE FAMILY DYNAMICS goodness, I loved this. All these families are so realistic. No one has like a fairytale perfect family in this story, there are petty feuds, not so petty feuds, true blue narcissism, tough looks at anxiety and depression, and so much more. I always appreciate when an author isn’t afraid to get into the tough things.

Regaining confidence after feeling betrayed by magic was one of the best parts of this book. Cris was ugh so badass I really enjoyed her. Despite being betrayed in the worst of ways she regained her power for herself and her family and faced her biggest fear. I’m so proud of her. And Clem, I want to wrap him up and give him a shoulder to cry on. Were these teenagers perfect and making perfect decisions at all times? Absolutely not. And I love them for it 😂🥰

I assume there must be a book 2 after this and I greatly look forward to when that comes out! Thank you Terry for writing a wonderful story!

📖🗡️🥃

𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛, 𝚂𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚍𝚎𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚢’𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚍.

𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗜 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲, 𝗜 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘆𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘁, 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗶𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗮𝘇𝗲. 𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻. 𝗢𝘇 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿. 𝗛𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆, 𝘁𝗼𝗼.

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐭,” 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐉𝐞𝐚𝐧-𝐋𝐨𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞. “𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈’𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲, 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭?”

The book was interesting from the moment I started the book to the moment I finished the book the world building was amazing and the story and the whole concept was just amazing

I was very hype for this book: magical realism YA featuring LGBTQ+ rep and my hometown? YA tackling generational trauma and systemic racism? Sign me up!

The novel follows teen twins Cris and Clem in their journey to reclaim their magic, protect their family, and seek justice of a murder that their grandmother was framed for and killed over. That's obviously a very broad description but it's the best I can do without spoilers. The plot itself tries to tackle a lot and there's a lot of worldbuilding, which is good for the most part but becomes a little muddled in the middle. I like the ending, the last 100 pages or so were great. The author seems to set us up for a sequel, which I would read.

As a very minor gripe.... I'm from New Orleans and it's called a streetcar, not a trolley lmao, There were multiple times in the book when the characters were describing New Orleans and it was apparent that the author is not from here. And that's ok! It's one of the things I always look for, not a big deal. Overall I'd say that the author did a pretty good job at capturing the ~vibe~ of New Orleans but just had a few minor missteps in that.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of the book.

I loved this!! It was messy and full of magic! Everybody had secrets. Everybody had drama.
Crem and Cris were some busy bodies trying to solve who cursed their momma and who killed their grandmother and daddy.
I’m assuming by how it ended, there should be a book two. I hoping Crem will find justice for what happened to Yves and that we get more from Valentina.
A very strong debut!! Thank you to TorTeen and Hear Our Voices for the ARC!!

I must confess I am a pace girl I love a well paced out story and this had it for the most part but there was some moment I was wishing it would just hurry up, but it was very rare. I loved the twins, and I love seeing their relationship throughout the journey they are on (trying to save their mom). They were honest, & raw and it was so refreshing seeing teens being portrayed so realistically . The magic system you could tell was well thought out and researched. And what an amazing dedication!

First and foremost, the story told in this book is magic. I know the book is about magic but it is also magic. I truly enjoyed reading it. The modern-NOLA setting was really perfect for a story like this where Black folx and justice are the central focus. I was really invested in the relationships between all of the characters and would have loved if this book was longer honestly. A deeper dive into the family dynamics would have been nice.

Unfortunately, I found the prose to be a bit juvenile and some of the finer details got lost in the plot. Because the prose was juvenile, the book was very predictable. A bit more complexity in the prose and focus on finer details would’ve really elevated this book for me. For example, the purpose and function of the Gen Council was really just lost somewhere in the plot. Clem and Cris were really your standard YA-protagonists with naïve thoughts, feelings and actions but that was to be expected. This is a YA book after all.

I do think that the book was written in a way that sets up for a sequel. Particular loose ends include Zac, Valentina, Gabriela, Jean-Louise, and Jacquelyn. Hopefully the sequel brings more clarity to some of the plot holes.

Not a bad read at all, 3 stars from me!

Ok y’all. Let me preface this by saying: I was hesitant to go into this book. I’m from New Orleans. Born and bread, that place is ingrained into my soul. So when I see books that say they surround the “culture” I kinda give them the side eye.

But, I was hasty in my pre-judgment of this book. In this book, I felt seen, down to my very being. This book, this 400-ish YA novel broke down intergenerational trauma, racial violence ingrained homophobia, and community suppression – and brought it down to a level that we as adults can’t sometimes break down to our own children. Also, while that’s going on, we have a storyline of self-acceptance, stepping into one’s own power, and building of their own reliable community.

Blood Debts has sparked all those old questions I used to ask as a child and used to get shot down for: why is this done this way? How does this benefit me? Why am I bowing down to him? Why am I, the woman of the house, doing so damn much more, yet suffering so much more? Why have we not reclaimed our history, our power, our magic back?

Oh yeah. I felt seen. I was brought back home, not the same time period. But I was home. Very well Mr. Benton. I salute you. 4.5/5 stars

It's New Orleans. This New Orleans is filled with backbiting politics between members of the generational council and between the Generational council and the White Mages. There's bad blood going back to before the Civil War and chattel slavery.

The book wrestles with generational trauma, homophobia, racism, and cultural appropriation. It also poses questions around the nature of revenge and justice.

30 years ago, Kris and Clem's grandmother and grandfather were murdered because a white mob thought they murdered the mayor's daughter. Now, a year after their dad's mysterious death, their mom is so ill she might die. Kris and Clem have to untangle the three mysteries, reunite their families, and come to terms with their collective grief all with a dash of revenge.

I loved the characters, I loved the messiness of the adults, and I adored the representation of generational magic by a Black author. The mysteries were fun, and the book moved quickly.

At times, characters were introduced and not really brought a long or written out. This left me wanting for more time with them, particularly Zac, Madeline, and Aurora so I could better understand of the role they play. eG did I miss it, Did Zach shoot Yves or was it random gun violence?

The lack of consequences felt off when Ursula torched the bar and with the ending. nonmagical people want regulation makes sense 👀

The end felt a little fast, and I wanted to see more from the whole group in collecting the blood debt. It's almost like three were too many characters to bring along.

For a YA novel, there's sex on page and frank discussion of sex and sexual assault. This was done intentionally and thoughtful by the author to make the book sex positive.

It is well set for a sequel, and I'll be thrilled to see it when it does.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fantastic and excellent book. I cannot stress this enough. From the first line and page I was hooked. I love the characters so much. They were so interesting and complex. The writing style was amazing. It was so well written. It made me laugh out loud, but also some of the lines that were written were so beautiful it made my heart ache. I yelled out loud, my heart was pounding; it made me experience so many emotions. The scenery was so imaginative, it felt like I was in New Orleans every time the author explained the city. It’s such a compelling book, I never wanted to stop reading so I could find out who was trying to attack their family and learn more about all the complicated relationships in this book.

The mix of race and how white people are trying to take power away from people of color was weaved into the story seamlessly. Showing how Black people were treated and are still treated to do this day was so sad to read about. It’s hard enough to read about it, which makes it even harder to stomach that it happens in real life. Even if it is hard to read about, it is so important to read it to shed light on it. That and the topics on political power and how it’s corrupt, homophobia and mental health, was handled so well. The author did an excellent job.

I LOVED Clem. He was such a deep character, and I thought his anxiety and his grief was handled so well. He was also so funny, I was laughing out loud at his little one liners all the time. There was a bit of instalove, but I didn’t mind it honestly. As I was reading the relationship, it felt very natural, so it didn’t bother me like it usually would. It was touched on in the book as well, so that was partly why it didn’t bother me as much.

I wasn’t as invested in Chris’ storyline and her character, but I still really liked her! I felt for her with everything she went through. Her and Clem’s relationship was so good, the perfect sibling blend of we can bicker and fight but I will always love and protect you. Her struggling with magic was such an interesting storyline!

Their mom’s relationship with her sisters and their family dynamic was so interesting and fun to read about. I really loved their mom and Ursula especially so much.

Yves was also such a great character! And Jean-Louise…man! I could say a lot but I don’t want to give anything away. There were just so many good characters, you can’t help but love so many of them, even if you aren’t sure how to feel about them at first.

It’s definitely a more mature read, so beware of that if you decide to read it.

One very small thing that bothered me a little bit was that the characters seemed to get answers from everyone very easily. I get that you need that in order to move the story along, but everyone seemed to be a little too willing to talk right away, even if they didn’t give all the information that was needed. But it didn’t take away from the story or my enjoyment of it, so I’m not too concerned.

That ending??????? I need more!! Most of the plot lines were resolved, so it was a satisfying ending, but also…I need a sequel so badly.

I never wanted it to end. I will definitely be picking up whatever else Terry J. Benton-Walker writes. Everyone should read this book, it will not disappoint! I can already see myself rereading this.

What an absolutely breathtaking debut by TJB!! This reminded me of the witchy parts of The Vampire Diaries/The Originals, but where Black people aren't constantly killed off the show. I kept going back and forth on who was my favorite sibling, but I think Chris is my fave! The world of mystery, betrayal, and family secrets sucks a reader in until the very last page.

Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. Blood for Blood.

The author did an amazing job portraying the dysfunction of a family riddled with secrets, the realness of racism both subtle and in your face variety, as well as the different representations of sexuality.
This book was not sunshine and roses, but more dark nights and belladonna.
The grittyness, dark side, and overall vibe made me fall in love with all of it.
Even moments where I wanted to wring the main characters necks, I still loved how they evolved. I am not one who personally seeks out vengeance or retribution, but if I was. Baby, the Trudeau family would be my idols on collecting.

I will say this book is not for those that get uncomfortable easily by racism. If you are one who can empathize with characters and people affected by racism then please do pick up this book. You won't regret it.

DNF at 15%

Initially, I was interested in the concept and setting. The cover is fantastic.
Right off the bat I had issues with prose and characters. So much angst, repeativness, and cliches.
The magic system sounded fun and promising. I think this would have been better suited to being historical and not urban.
The prose was very weak with odd flowery descriptions for people's appearance, but blunt, whiney paragraphs otherwise.
I was confused on the relations of who wad who in the past, yet found that part more interesting than the present. The many styles of pov was difficult to follow, along with the run-on sentences.

Unfortunatly, I would not recommend this to anyone.

Clem and Chris are twins in a family with a magical legacy. When they discover their mother has been cursed, they work together to root out the truth about the massacre 30 years ago that led to their Grandmother's death.

Although I wasn't a huge fan of the main characters in Blood Debts, I did love the magic system and the though the world building was unparalleled. Every moment had me gripped and needing to know more!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

The dedication at the beginning of this book brought tears to my eyes. I knew in that moment this was a book for US.

Blood Debts is a story of a family fighting to overcome trauma, racial injustice, grief, heartache and betrayal. Leading the charge are the twins, Clem and Cristina. They are dead set on protecting their family, and clearing their family’s name. It’s a journey that opens them up to emotions so heavy yet they continue on.

I loved the intricacies of voodoo, family ties, secrets and love woven into this story.

I’m kinda hoping this is the beginning of a series 🤞🏾

Special thanks to the author publisher and netgalley for my advanced readers copy.

Everyday I find another reason why I should read fantasy books more. This debut novel was definitely a wild story filled with lots of magic, intergenerational curses, mystery, betrayal, and history. A world where everyone wants power and will stop at nothing to gain control. New Orleans was the perfect setting for this magical story to unfold.

We get the POV of multiple characters which gave us a broader perspective on what’s happening and why.

Nearly 30 years ago the throne was stolen from their family. Now it’s up to Cris and Clem to help restore power and clear their grandmothers name. Their mission is initially hindered because of missing pieces of information and secrets. But that doesn’t stop them from uncovering the truth.

The MC’s Clem and Cris were my fav although they were twins their personalities were different and I loved getting to know them both individually. Cris was the independent and ambitious one while her brother Clem was more of a lover and protector. We get to witness the typical brother and sister feud. But when it came to getting justice for their family they had each others back.

The author covered a lot of topics from racism, family secrets, violence, revenge, murder, love and grief.

Overall this was a pretty decent read and I’m all for anything involving magic. I wasn’t expecting it to end the way it did but definitely looking forward to what’s to come. Representation was EVERYTHING!!!!

I enjoyed this book so much!! I have found myself drawn to urban fantasies with magic as of late, and this was perfect! While sometimes I got lost in which character was speaking, I loved how every character and plot point bled into each other. It's hard to describe this book without giving it away, it's beautiful. I also think that having Black and Queer main characters is something that is definitely needed for YA. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Quick thoughts: Wow. Absolutely fucking brilliant.

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

With a dedication like this, I just knew that this book was going to rip me apart, and it absolutely did.

This is a story that follows the Dupart family, a Black magical family in NOLA that has been torn apart thanks to racism, betrayal, and deceit. 30 years later, twins Clement and Cristina are determined to uncover the truth behind their grandmother’s death while hoping to bring their family back together.

I can’t even begin to describe all of the emotions that I went through while reading this book.

I absolutely loved Clem and Cris even when they were making the dumbest of decisions. I couldn’t help but root for these Black babies to keep them protected at all costs.

I LOVED the magic system and the magical communities. We see magic of the Black ancestors that of course the white folks are trying to get their hands on and even the underpinnings that take place within the Black magical community itself.

The Dupart family is MESSY, but I was here for it. I think I secretly just wanted to drink some bourbon alongside Ursula while she was cussing folks out. Honestly, this family is just top notch.

There were so wild twists in this book that made me set the book down and just go “WTF just happened”. I was hooked. I don’t want to give anything away, but this one is definitely a roller coaster ride.

I want to start with the good things in this book because there were good things. I thought the magic system was super interesting, and the politics surrounding magic seemed well-fleshed out and complex. However, Benton-Walker did not give his characters the same treatment. Clem was severely immature but somehow was also sexually promiscuous at the age of 16. However, he wasn't a real virgin because he hadn't had penetrative sex yet, which is of course the marker for virginity. All of that changes when he meets a guy, knows him for two days, and suddenly gets over his fears of "real sex". Cris did not frustrate me as much because she was a lot less immature, but somehow she still seemed to miss every sign ever, with her boyfriend, her ex-best friend, or her family. Not only that but the writing and dialogue were just bad. I think that if Benton-Walker talked to some teenagers and also learned how to write this could've been a good book but that just wasn't the case.

I have never read a book and been so emotional from the jump like I was with this one.
Clem & Cris are twins and magic users. Clem is really leaning into his magical heritage, whereas Cris is trying to distance herself. A sinister plot for revenge and secrets about themselves force the siblings to work together with some unlikely allies to seek the greater good.


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Big thanks to Hear Our Voices Tours, Turn the Page Tours, and the publisher for this early copy!