There's so much great representation mixed with amazing magical fun. There's definitely some harder topics discussed in this but it's all done very well. I can't say too much without spoiling it but I was super interested once I got through some of the start. The writing style and characters are just so great and I can't wait to see how this ends. I'd definitely recommend for anyone who wants a good diverse fantasy!

Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker #booktour

Thank you to @hearourvoicestours for the gifted eARC.

Wow! What a story. I love reading about powerful Black families. Add the supernatural element and you’ve checked all my boxes.

Cris and Clem Trudeau are twins who are dealing with the devastating loss of their father in their own way. When they realize the truth about their mother’s illness, they find their way back to each other while restoring their family legacy.

You should read it.

So honoured to be a part of the Hear Our Voices tour for BLOOD DEBTS by Terry J. Benton-Walker!

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I absolutely loved this book! I've been thinking recently about who is afforded the grace to be angry and vengeful and unforgiving, and how Black people are never afforded that courtesy. We must always be the bigger person; always be the strong one in room and be "better".

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This book gave me EVERYTHING. I lived voraciously through Cris and Clem, when they started digging into their past and chose justice over forgiveness. I also absolutely love the world Benton-Walker created, with magic both familiar and new.

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There are still so many untied ends, which makes me suspect there will be a sequel, and I honestly cant wait! There are at least two characters who need justice served to them stat, and one I character really really hope returns 👀 I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for Black (Clem is also queer!) Morally grey MCs. This one won't dissapoint!

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Thank you so much to HOV and the publisher for the review copy! This in no way affected my review 😊

Thank you to TOR and NetGalley for the E-Arc!
I was so excited to receive this book, and I read it so quickly! The moment I picked it up I couldn't put it down. Dear characters and representation in the story are phenomenal. I am always excited to see queer characters and think the author did a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life. The magic and mystery is written very well, and I was on the edge of my seat throughout it.
This book had political intrigue, magic, mystery, murder, and wonderful characters. If you were looking for your next fantasy read definitely give this a try.

Thanks for Tor teen and Netgalley for approving my request. This was very easy to read on my phone, I didn't want to put it down. This was written so well, it was extremely easy to read and it was easy to understand the magic system. The magic system was so beautiful and I also loved the way it highlighted racism and how it’s utterly ridiculous to treat people different just because they look different.

Clem and Christine are both wonderful or so many reasons. Both created with so much depth that made it almost impossible for me not to form a connection and relate to them and the way that they showed coping with trauma was so incredibly beautiful. I loved Christine for the way she wished the best for her family and for the fact that she was brave and embraced her magic and that helped save other people. I loved Clem because I can never not love some good queer representation, but he also broke my heart, he was such a beautiful character who wanted the absolute best for everyone and I think he’s the person everyone would want as a friend.

The plot of this book, is amazing. A magical mystery! It was executed perfectly and now all I need is a sequel. The way small details fit together to create the story of what truly happened to the Duponts just made it worth the read and then to see the scene I like to call Blood Debts just was the cherry on top.

I honestly wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this one. I have to say, though, I enjoyed this. I enjoyed the storytelling and the characters. It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel.

I enjoyed following the twins through New Orleans (it’s one of my favorite places ever) and getting to know them. Clem and Cristina have to come together to save their mom. Watching them deal with their trauma was therapeutic (if that makes sense), as most of us have trauma we are (or have to) deal with.

This story took me on an emotional rollercoaster. (I probably shouldn’t have read this as a “stress reliever,” from my schoolwork because my schoolwork was dealing with heavy subjects.) But, with that being said, once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. I had a slight issue with the pacing; there were moments when it slowed down, but it was still enjoyable.

“Blood Debt” covers a slew of topics, such as racism and slavery, and I think Benton does a great job tackling the subjects. I particularly enjoyed the multiple points of view; although there were times when I couldn’t really distinguish between Clem and Cristina, it didn’t slow me down! In addition, the magic system was pretty cool and unique, which I enjoyed. Finally, it was refreshing to see teenagers that acted like teenagers. Benton did a great job of making sure they stayed teenagers because it’s so easy to call them teenagers, but they act too mature. There is some language if that is a problem for you.

My only complaint is how the pacing sometimes slowed down, but it didn’t detract from the story. I enjoyed this, and I think this one has something for everyone to enjoy.

This book is so freaking good. Not a dull moment in sight. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. One of the best books I’ve read this year. I’m ready for the second book!
It’s a perfect spooky, Halloween time read. It’s got magic, witches, and zombies if you will. It’s got mystery, a little bit of romance, betrayal, revenge! It’s got it all.
I also enjoyed the dual pov. There’s a lot going on in this book but I had so much fun reading it.

Where do I begin with this book? I have so many mixed feelings.
Let’s talk about the story first. The plot of this book was actually interesting, it kept me wanting to see the resolution. The magic was also intriguing. I wish there was much more of it. Even though those are good points of a book, they were both lacking a bit. The way the story was going felt too easy, everything was happening conveniently.
The writing in this book was not the best. It was so weird— this book feels like a new adult due to the content but the writing makes it feel juvenile. The prose was so cringy at times. Again, this book did not seem like a young adult. The content of this book is intense and graphic. I wouldn’t call this a young adult. I would’ve felt much better about it if it was marketed as adult.
There are two main characters of the story: twins Clement and Cristine. The only character I truly enjoyed was Cristine. I liked her chapters the most and loved seeing her grow. Clement also had some great moments but ultimately wasn’t as great as his sister.
Family is so important in this book and I love it for that. I only wanted to see these characters happy and their family come together and succeed.
I hope there is a sequel! The way this ended was too open-ended to not get one!
Thank you NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh yes, this book was fantastic. So many twists and turns that I did not want to put it down. I appreciate the fact that magical powers were not related to having blood magic. The generational magic of astronomy was a new concept in reading for me that I thoroughly enjoyed. The ending leads me to believe a sequel is coming. Plus there is so much justice that still needs to be served!

The cover is spot on!

Murder, magic, new orleans. What's not to like?

Clem and cris are twins at a crossroads- their family seemingly plagued with misfortune starting with the murder of their grandparents thirty years prior, their fathers death a year ago, and a mysterious illness now striking their mother. When they stumble upon a malicious cause, they work to win back their magical birth right and style the wrongdoings of the past.

This book was more than i expected-a fully developed modern magical reality with all its politics and intricacies, a huge splintered family dynamic and damn near investigative reporting. I truly felt for clem-i wanted to protect that precious angel baby. In the beginning, the dialogue/prose dragged a little for me but i flew through the last 120 pages in one sitting. And i smell a series.

This is totally a “it's me, not you” kind of rating.

I thought this was a historical fantasy story - I was excited to read about old NOLA and the magic that has always gone along with it. But this actually takes place during today's modern age and is an urban fantasy, which is not the genre for me. Had I known that ahead of time, I probably wouldn't have picked this up.

But I did try to give it a shot. And I unfortunately didn't quite connect with the setting/atmosphere as much as I would have like. I also didn't really care for any of the characters. But I do like that there is some good anxiety/mental health representation.

Overall, I just think I'm not the right audience for this story and my reading experience reflects that. But I know that many other readers will be able to connect with and appreciate this more than me!

This book was exactly what I needed to get me out of a reading slump. I loved the system of magic that was used, and the fantasy style tied in with the themes of race and queerness were amazingly done. The mental health focus for Clement, too, I thought was really well done, and the fear of letting people in after so many have hurt you hit deep. It definitely read as the start of a series, and I would love to read more in this world!

A stunning and important debut that tackles many societal conflicts through an intricate web of political and magical intrigue. New Orleans is a decadent world of power in Blood Debts and each character is brought to life in vivid strokes. Both Clement and Cristina show immense growth throughout the story, becoming stronger with each hurdle and as they reveal every truth buried in their family's past.

This book. Where do I start?! So much magic and mystery, twists and turns. It pulls you in so quickly and devours your mind. There’s crime solving, family drama, a search for justice, racial and magical power divide, love, heartbreak, and a full spectrum of emotions. Such a wonderful read and I can’t wait to get a physical copy!

This is a very interesting premise - I enjoyed the characters and the magic systems. I do wish the plot was better executed though. The book will make a welcome addition to YA Fantasy shelves.

Clement and Cristina Trudeau are sixteen-year-old twin heirs to a disgraced but powerful magical family that saw their matriarch dethroned by some pretty vicious and powerful enemies nearly thirty years ago. Fast forward to the present-day and it seems like the same folks that usurped, nay murdered, their grandmother all those years ago are still out to wreak havoc on their family when they discover that their mother has now been cursed in a pretty bad that was seemingly meant to kill her as well.

So what do you do when you have tremendous conjure magic flowing through your veins, you just discover that your mother has been hexed, and it's likely by the same folks who usurped your family’s crown in the first place? You take a beat to readjust your crown and you team up with your equally powerful twin to take your family’s legacy back, that's what you do!

Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker is a marvelous debut that tells the story of powerful magical families, intergenerational curses, and twisted family dynamics in contemporary New Orleans. Touching on themes of grief, racism, mental health, as we well as some political machinations and backstabbing thrown in, this book does a wonderful job of highlighting traditional african spiritual practices as well as the journey to self-discovery especially when destiny is calling and it doesn’t feel like you’re ready or prepared.

So do I recommend this book? Hell yes! I really enjoyed my time while I was reading and even though some bits were slightly predictable from the whodunnit perspective, the overall story and pacing were written really well and I look forward to seeing where the author will take the characters as it's the first in a series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for the e-ARC. Pub date April 4, 2023

I’m not sure why, but I was expecting this to be a stand alone story, but the book ends just as things are happening and certain story threads are completely unresolved, so I assume there will be another book to follow this one. This story focuses on siblings, Cris and Clem, and although we get parts of both of their stories in this book, it felt very much like Cris’s story. Based in where the book leaves the reader, I hope the next book will focus on Clem. I need to know what happens next!

This was such a fun, spooky fantasy thriller! One thing I really liked about the world was that magic wasn't a secret like in many paranormal novels. Everyone knows about magic, and as such, it's turned into a political issue. This concept and how it relates to race was explored heavily through the events in the book. I really liked Clement and Cristina; while I tend to relate to female main characters in most of the books I read, I really related to Clem's anxiety and the pressure he felt on a daily basis to live up to his family's expectations. While the twins were mostly following their own mysteries for most of the book before they eventually came together, I was equally invested in both situations. At first, I didn't like the chapters from side characters like Valentina. Especially with Valentina, I knew from Cristina's POV that she wasn't a good person. But I do think that showing her relationship with her grandmother added more layers to Lenora's true nature and eventual fate. Seeing her dote on Valentina and obviously love her very much, contrasted with how she acted with literally every other character was a great use of the shock factor. The cliffhanger at the end made me really mad so I can't wait for the next book!

3.5

The New Orleans setting was so top notch in this book, I want more books with this as the back drop, it felt so real and I loved the historical magic representative of the city.

Dual POV, brother and sister, BIPOC rep, LGVTQI+ rep, which is just so important in YA books.

Fast paced and fun, with darkness lurking at the edges.

The characters were funny and well developed my only major issues were some editing errors I felt that could have been tidied up and the ending was far too rushed.

This author is going places and I think this book will be a hit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Torbooks for the digital ARC all opinions are my own

Thank you to the publishers at netgally for sending me an eArc I am so incredibly greatful

Oh my goodness, this book! The themes, the characters, the magic, everything!! Considering the length of this book I sped through reading it and it had me caught from the very start. This was written so well, it was extremely easy to read and it was easy to understand the magic system. The magic system was so beautiful and I also loved the way it highlighted racism and how it’s utterly ridiculous to treat people different just because they look different.

Clem and Christine have my whole heart for so many different reasons. The way they were both written with so much depth just made me feel for them and relate to them and the way that they showed coping with trauma was so incredibly beautiful. I loved Christine for the way she wished the best for her family and for the fact that she was brave and embraced her magic and that helped save other people. I loved Clem because I can never not love some good queer representation, but he also broke my heart, he was such a beautiful character who wanted the absolute best for everyone and I think he’s the person everyone would want as a friend. Clem broke my heart with his magic, but I loved the way it was foreshadowed and when the plot started to turn I just new I would root for him and whatever mistakes he made.

The plot of this book, is amazing. A magical mystery! It was executed perfectly and now all I need is a sequel. The way small details fit together to create the story of what truely happened to the Duparts just made it worth the read and then to see the scene I like to call Blood Debts just was the cherry on top.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes magic and justice and of course a good mystery!