I have to start by saying I'm here for Ikenna, the hot-headed, murdering warrior! Similar to the first book, the fight scenes were intense and gruesome. Knowing the enormity of the brutal path before them, I was full of anticipation as I read this. I knew that "something" was lurking around each corner and was anxious to see how everything was going to play out.

Ikenna is a warrior in every way. She continues to love and fight for her home country even though its leaders would rather see her dead. We see Ikenna evolve into a stronger fighter and the leader of this murderous team. We watch these individuals grow into a strong and unbreakable unit.

Ikenna experienced so much grief in the first book, so I enjoyed seeing the relationship between her and Darius bloom. They had some steamy, intimate, and affectionate moments. And as she grows closer to him and the whole team, we witness her wrestle with the heaviness she carries. She has found a new family within this group and is determined to protect them at all costs.

While this book has more action than the first one, there were a few slow moments that impacted my reading enjoyment. I wish the discussions of historical elements were spread out more throughout the book, instead of offered in large chunks. I also wanted to learn more about Ikenna's power. I would have liked to see her actually practicing and mastering her abilities.

Even with the few issues I had with this book, I really loved it and am still thinking about parts of this story. I selfishly would have liked to see this series as a trilogy because I was not ready to say goodbye to these characters.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this advanced reader copy.

While the Blood Trials was an easy five star read and one of my best reads of 2022, I am a little more conflicted about The Blood Gift. The military sci Fi direction of the first book continues with an added focus on the fantasy element of Ikenna's blood gift. I felt like there was a lot of exposition and new information given in this book, and I would have loved to explore these elements more in depth. However, each time there was something explained that caught my attention, the plot quickly moved on to the next item at hand. In addition, there are two major conflicts that need resolving following the first book, and the first conflict takes about 80% of the book to resolve and then the other conflict takes the remaining 20%, with a hint at a spin off series in this world in future books. While I love duologies, I almost wonder if this would've been better as a trilogy so each conflict could get its own full length book.

However, I love the writing style of the author and I love the characters that are built within this world and would absolutely continue to read the works of this author.

Regardless, I am still so happy I read this book and a huge thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free eARC in exchange for my thoughts.

This is another book I was so grateful to be given the honor of reviewing in advance of the release. It is always a risk to fall in love with the first book in a series or duology for a few reasons. The next books have a hard path to follow behind. The first book was a sleeper that came out of nowhere and exceeded all expectations. This one is impossible to not compare to the first.

I loved this second book a lot but it is difficult to stand up to the first. For one, part of what made the first book my top read of last year was the sheer surprise I experienced not realizing it was adult instead of YA, not realizing how violent it would be, and not realizing there would be some spice. The Blood Gift doesn't get the luxury of having the element of surprise on its side.

That being said, The Blood Gift is still an amazing book. The pacing is engaging when it easily could have had sticking points. The combo of futuristic science fiction with elements of fantasy and old magic is a lot of fun and leaves less room for constantly overdone tropes.

One of the things this author does so well is tackle very heavy, relevant topics in a way that reaches multiple audiences. I am not someone who has ever experienced racism. From my perspective this book does not pull punches in its critique of the racism that still exists for POC in the US. Some authors' purpose is to have a book targeted at that audience and that audience only. Davenport also manages to make the topic flow naturally with the plot while sucking in other audiences as well.

After devouring The Blood Trial, I was eager to see how Kenna's journey would continue. N.E. Davenport delivers on the previous themes of snarky rage and bloody encounters, that's for sure! While I absolutely loved the thrill ride of the trials and competition in the previous book, it's interesting seeing how things plays out now that we're outside of the structures of a school.

While the plot is just as action-packed and fast-paced, it felt a little too rushed for me. At times the dialogue (both external and internal) just felt very...campy as well. I'm not sure how to put it, because I know and love Kenna's rage from before, but for some reason in this sequel it came across way over the top. When I'm rolling my eyes at the villains and their introduction and how those interactions are described, that's not a good sign.

However, I do think the character development progresses throughout the book and it gets better. I do love how Davenport sucks you in and makes it impossible to put a book down! She knows how to end each chapter in a way that has you quickly flipping to the next one because you HAVE to know what happens.

So while The Blood Trials was a five star read, this one gets 4 stars from me. Overall a very strong, thrilling duology!

I want to start this review by saying I loved this book. I went into it thinking I knew what was going to happen, Ikenna and her friends would fight the bad guys and win a revolution, etc. It was so much more than that. In this book, we see Ikenna come into her own as not only a fighter but a leader as well.

What I enjoyed about this book was the found family trope between Ikenna and her friends. She had people in her corner, some of which, didn't know her before the end of the first book; and we get to see her relationship with one of her rivals turn into a genuine friendship. We see that they both have the same goals in terms of the revolution and that they may have had the wrong idea about each other. I think the fact that she had a team that was willing to not only listen to her but also lay their lives down for her, really helped her come into her own as a leader and a pantheon-blessed person. She was able to make decisions based on logic more so than emotion like in the first book.

I also enjoyed how the relationship between Ikenna and Darius developed throughout the book. I was a little taken aback by how intense their getting together was, especially so early on in the story but I liked that their romance didn't overshadow the overall themes of the book. I like that Davenport gave us a bit of spice before we got to all of the killing and destruction in the book.

Overall, this book was wonderful. The ending was tied up nicely and written in a way that if Davenport wanted to write another book, she could do so. I am personally hoping that she turns this duology into a trilogy but if she doesn't I am still satisfied with how it ended.

Ikenna trained her whole life to be a Praetorian for her country, Mareen. But now, she is on the run from it, as well as many others. Despite being betrayed by her best friend, her country, and those she once considered family, she is now on a quest to save them all from the fearsome Blood Emperor. And luckily, while she has lost many people, she still has the members of her elite Praetorian squad to count on. They are all trained and engineered to be the perfect weapons, but how well can they fight against an emperor who can turn their literal blood against them? Ikenna might be able to fight him, but that’s only if she manages to understand her own power inside, and carefully tend to it until it is just as fearsome as the Blood Emperor’s. There’s just one problem: this power comes from the gods, and Ikenna knows better than to trust them. Is it worth making some risky deals in exchange for being able to defeat the most dangerous man in the world?

I received an advanced reading copy of The Blood Gift in exchange for an honest review.

The Blood Gift is a fantasy novel by N.E. Davenport. It’s also the sequel to The Blood Trials, which I read and reviewed last year. I was so excited to come back into this world, and see how Ikenna’s story ended, since I knew that this was the end of the duology. And, phew, what an ending!

This book is practically the definition of action-packed, same as the first one! Of course, that’s to be expected when the main character is basically a super-powered soldier. Ikenna is the kind of person who hits the ground running and just never slows down. And that’s pretty much the way the story goes. Once you open it, you’re caught in the flow of the action and off you go!

I love Ikenna as a character. She’s so stubborn, leaps before she looks, and so fiercely loyal to her friends. Snarky, imperfect, and passionate. And even when she’s in the worst situations, she remains consistent.

I rooted for her so much in this story, and especially when she was in such trouble I had no idea how she was going to get out. This is one of those books that is definitely not afraid to put their characters in difficult situations, but luckily Ikenna is strong enough to deal with them. There were so many twists in here that I never really knew what was coming next, and I spent so much of the book feeling so stressed for Ikenna and her team! And then the ending came. No, of course I can’t tell you what happens at the end, but I can tell you that Davenport closed off the main plot lines, but opened a door for a whole new… book? Duology? It is unclear but I guess we might find out soon! But, rest assured, if you want to only read this duology and no more, The Blood Gift does end the storylines introduced here. I’d just recommend skipping the epilogue if you don’t want to read any more. I, however, continue to be invested and I’m already looking for news on this.

The Blood Gift duology is a perfect read for those who love action-packed story with a bad-ass heroine. Magic, science, politics, and blood reign supreme in this world, and it’s such a fun adventure to dive into.

The Blood Gift will be released on April 18. You can preorder your copy from Harper Voyager here.

This is one of my most anticipated releases of the year! I absolutely devoured The Blood Trials, and started counting down the days until The Blood Gift! I'm over the moon that I got to read an advanced copy!

Things I loved about the book: Ikenna is the same strong, capable, rash, bad*ss hero we know from the first book, but this second book allows us to explore her vulnerabilities, her feelings about her friends, and the complications of her history, both from where she grew up and where her family is from. The book explores themes of friendship, family, power, and destiny so perfectly and the tension was high at the right times and simmered when needed for a beautiful reprieve. Each character feels so real and three dimensional, and Davenport's writing is so visceral that you feel when Ikenna is hurting, or raging, or happy, or sad. And we love to see a woman kicking butt and taking names! Overall an incredible step up from the Blood Trials!!

Things I didn't love as much: really just two things. One, at some points the world building could get a little too detailed. Many people love this, so I think this is what I call a "me" problem, where it's not an issue with the actual book, just my personal preference. The other issue was dialogue. Most of the time it was perfect and flowed easily and had me absolutely inhaling the pages, but almost every character has a few monologues that went a little long for me. I read the first book via audiobook so I can't tell if it was the same and just the format I read the sequel (ebook), but everyone seemed a touch long winded for wartime.

Overall, a PHENOMENAL sequel to one of my favorite reads last year. Would definitely by 10 more books in this series and can't WAIT to see what Davenport comes up with next! Auto-buy author for sure!

First Thank you Net Galley for this Arc

Second, it’s getting 4/5 stars for me because at times it read YA the ending was too rushed for me. I felt like this series needed to be a 3 book instead of 2. I enjoyed the first book more than this one.

Third this book is still fast paced, actioned packed and bloody. I love Darius even more and how he made Ikenna communicate and talk about her feelings and we saw Ikenna grow more. I love the whole Found family aspect and Selene needed a better ass whooping for me. Can’t wait to see what else Davenport got in store for us.

THE SEQUEL WAS EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!

Ikenna was just as sassy as I remembered but she also grew and I really liked that about her. I loved all the side characters as well and the conclusion was so worth it.

I just want to start by saying that this book was AMAZING and that my only criticism is that it was not a trilogy! This book is a stark contrast of the themes in book one as it less a competition to the death like in book one but more a revolution from start to finish.

I think what took me by surprise is the development of the love between Ikenna and Darius and the delicious chapter we get of them together in the beginning of the book. This was my favorite part as I am a romance reader at heart and this tied up all the loose strings I had in book one about their romance. It was SPICY AS HELL PEOPLE! That chapter will live rent free in my head for the rest of my life.

I would say that there is somewhat of a found family trope in this book but not in the sense that you would think. If you thought that Ikenna was strong in the first book, there is no comparison in this book. She is a COMPLETE BADASS!!

The ending is neatly wrapped up but it is set up in a way that if N.E. Davenport wanted to write a third book she could. I really hope with my deepest desire that there might be a third book one day but for now, I am pleasantly happy with how this duology ended.

This book was a 5 STAR read for me and the Blood Trials Duology will forever be burned into my brain as one of the best adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy series of all time!

I really enjoyed book 1 in this series with all of its mystery and intrigue. This one didn't quite have the same oomph. Rather everything is focused on being on the run and stopping the Blood Emperor. It just didn't feel as thought out as the first novel and started to drag after the first 20%. And then things just get REALLY weird with communing with gods and the like. I feel like Ikenna is protected by plot armor almost to the point of being a Mary Sue, and that detracted from my experience. This book is also definitively more violent than the previous installment, and sets up a new series in such a random way.. Just not a fan, I guess.

*Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I was so impatient to get my hands on this book after I devoured The Blood Trials. Similar to the first, it took a little time for me to get fully invested but once I got there I couldn't put it down. Kenna grew so much in book one and just continues to find her confidence and power in this book. Kenna was still an imperfect character who couldn't avoid making decisions based on emotion and didn't have a clear and easy path to success. Also, the side characters were the perfect addition to this story!

While I loved this book, it didn't quite reach book one for me. It felt like there was a little less action and a little too much telling over sh0wing.

Overall, I loved this book and the duology. The writing was stunning and fun and captivating and I will not hesitate to pick up N.E. Davenport's future books.

Ratings : 3.75

The Blood Trails has a much smaller scope than The Blood Gift.
Ikenna needs to survive the trials
Who killed her grandfather, why?

Now that Ikenna has answers and has survived the grueling trials the world of this story has expanded in the Blood Gift. Ikenna and her crews main objective is :
Take down the Blood Emperor, stop the war, and reform her country's government

Now Ikenna is fighting forces beyond Mareen, there are a lot of new characters that are introduced and while there is still action in the story the plot is heavily based on politics.
We get a little more insight on the fantasy aspect of the world and Ikenna’s powers(but I wish it was elaborated on more).

What I liked about the book is being able to see:
- Ikenna develop more as a character and be vulnerable with the people around her
- The dynamic of her squad and how they supported each other
- Ajani as a character is a compelling antagonist and morally gray
- Getting introduced to fantasy aspects of the world

I think this story had an underlying message about standing up for something that doesn’t always love you back( in Ikenna’s case Mareen) in order to protect the innocent and create change for everyone.

What I think could have been improved is the pacing of the story. I felt like the pacing forced decisions that could have been expanded upon and made more sense if this book was longer or split into two, and was made into a trilogy. Davenport introduced a lot of new things we didn't get to see fleshed out.

While I think there were some areas of improvement, the book was still an engaging read . I love Davenport’s writing and will continue to support her efforts in the future.

Here is my honest review. Thanks to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this ARC!

SPOILER CONTENT BELOW
SPOILER CONTENT BELOW

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Things I wish were handled differently :

Ajani’s transition from enemy to morally grey ally - felt a little jarring and rushed

Learning more about Ikenna’s powers and what it means to be zenith

It felt out of place to give Ikenna an instant surge of power to go against the blood emperor but the repercussions of the strength she was given we do not get to see on page (will there be a book 3? The end felt open ended)

SELENE GETS TO WALK AWAY !!!!

A billion stars.

From a chance meeting of Nia at Yallfest 2021 — a fierce heroine and icon has entered my life.


“I am forged by adversity. I am tempered in perseverance. I will not bend. I will not break. I will not bow. I will not yield.”

As usual, I will never think Ikenna did anything wrong even though she topples a nation, brings back gods that were not supposed to be around humans, and definitely defiled a war room table. In all seriousness, N.E. Davenport is an autobuy author for me at this point. The way she care for Ikenna's character and really took time to make sure we could cheer for and understand her wrongs was IMPECCABLE. And yes, Ikenna is the star, but we care for the whole Gamma, excuse me, Invictus crew as well. Especially our boy Reed. Whew. That's a book boyfriend right there. I am broken-hearted to know this is the last of the crew we may see for a while but, there was enough of an open end for us to HOPE AND PRAY (to all the gods) that we go on another romp with these characters in the future.

The pacing was QUICK. If you like a fast paced book that his multiple peaks, this will tickle your fancy. If you are a reader that prefers to linger, this is also for you. I find the time N.E. Davenport devotes to Ikenna's inner most thoughts to be enough of a grounding point to even the pace out. Additionally, we are introduced to many characters and they were all easy to remember and identify. This is a THRILLING conclusion to the duology. I could not have asked for a more satisfying end (I am excluding that one character that got away). Please, publishing overlords, give us just one more. Two tops. We need it.

This was certainly a book, words written on the page...

Maybe the biggest criticism I have of the book isn't entirely fair, but at this point I don't care. I don't feel like there was enough runway for this to be a duology. Listen, I get that the first book has a trial component, that a lot of the runtime is dedicated to something so that spiting the narrative might make sense when pitching the book and super gluing this book to the previous book might have resulted in the same general feeling, I still wish it were the choice that had been made... Like... is traditional publishing trying to have an 800+ page debut? I mean, clearly not... but I think that the first 30% of this would have been better as the middle of a book in place of the first 30% of a new book. Sure it's a book in a series, so in a way it's still the middle of an over arching story, but it's still the first 30% and here that first third was rough.

I can't even say that it got better for me. I never really felt like the characters had a plan... Like they had a rough sketch, they had an end goal and they knew getting their would require things that they didn't have... but it never really felt like they were working toward that even in scenes that were supposed to be them doing just that. Though it probably didn't help that the characters didn't really have a whole going for them.

Just like the first installment this book too overstayed its welcome. At least in my house. Again, it's a thing where I understand thematically while it was important, and maybe in an alternate universe there exists a third book in the series where that third act could have been explored more, because while as written there isn't enough material to be a whole book the ideas presented could definitely be explored more and then what feels like a let down of a second act finale could be expanded? I'm not sure.

The pieces are there, and individually the art work is nice to think about, but as assembled and presented? It's a miss for me.

((3.75))

Unfortunately, I did not love this book. I did like it. I felt like a lot of the essence from the first one was missing. We were introduced to many people & it felt rushed with lots of politics thrown on top of it. I would still recommend the duology.

Like the first book in this duology, The Blood Gift deliveres when it comes to action packed brain candy. Davenport excels here. Violence (and romance) aside, this story continues to feel very messy and childish with the banter between Ikenna, her team, and the often cheesey, drawn out exposition from various villians/threats throughout. In contrast, the ending was wrapped up (at warp speed) a tad too tidy, for my preferences.
Still a solid okay, fun duology.

Thank you to the publishers at Harper Voyager for allowing me a chance to read “The Blood Gift”! After reading “the Blood Trials,” I was so excited to get a chance to read its sequel!

The story picks up right where “The Blood Trials” ended: Ikenna Amari is on the run with only a few Praetorian comrades, ready to bring down the Blood emperor who terrorizes her home and burn down her country’s government.

I appreciate that the novel is fast-paced! There was never a dull moment in the book, which makes it read super quickly.

The trouble for me is that some relationships feel a little rushed in the process. For example, how did Ikenna go from “Ajani is a war criminal thirsting after the Blood throne” to “Ajani is the best person for the job”? Different revelations on Ikenna’s power also felt arbitrary. Conflicts get resolved particularly with the Blood Emperor, despite the fact that N.E. Davenport spent the bulk of the last novel impressing how impossible/strong/supernaturally talented the Blood Emperor is.

I actually think this book would have benefitted so much from being split up into two books, because it felt like there was so much world building missing that’s normally present in a traditional sequel. It would also have helped with making the relationships between characters stronger and made eventual plot beats make more sense.

I loved “The Blood Trials,” but I think “The Blood Gift” suffered from having to resolve huge political intrigue/high stakes without having something like the aforementioned Blood trials to give the narrative a bit more direction. Regardless I’m happy to see what more N.E. Davenport has up her sleeve, especially if this series gets a third book.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

HELLO. WHAT DID I JUST READ. This book was AMAZING. Of course just like the first book Ikenna is my absolute favorite character! She has her flaws and had so much growth throughout the book. One of my favorite parts about the book is that is has such a diverse range of characters that all play an important role into this story. The characters were constantly holding each other accountable for their past and mistake and always made sure to support each other when on of the group members was down. This is how you do a found family trope! By the end of the book they have become family. You are definitely going to get frustrated with our mc but have to reflect on the fact that she has so much constantly being thrown at her and you’re waiting for her to just get a win! Reed also had so many good moments where his character shined through but I felt that mostly happened towards the latter half of the book. I love how Ikenna and Reed learn to be vulnerable with each other reaching elevating their relationship to a new level. Davenport did such a great making sure that we had a complex villain that was formidable to our MC. I cannot stress enough what a great job she did with the layered characters in this book!


This book is action packed and super fast paced. You’re not going to want to put it down and will have this sense of anticipation with every page you turn. That being said there was so much being thrown at us and our mcs that I felt the ending was lacking. Just when you thought the book was going to finish you get more thrown at you and even some new lore that would have been great is they were better fleshed out. So many of the fantasy elements of the book are under developed and I would have enjoyed getting more details on those aspects. The ending felt as if there is a promise to a third book and not so much the conclusion of a duology. I cannot talk more in depth about without going to spoilers but I hope she continues to write about this universe in some way!

In terms of the writ ring Davenport has such beautiful prose and so many impactful line. There are so many lessons learned throughout the book. I have so many quotes highlighted and pages bookmarked because of her exploration of different emotions. Davenport also paints a clear image of everything that was happening and the setting they were in!


This is definitely an ADULT novel. Davenport does not shy away from violence and we definitely get “our favorite murder girl.” The book also get spicy and in certain scenes!

Overall I gave this book 4 stars as the pacing was of and the ending was rushed. It also felt incomplete and hinted as if we will be getting another book. If you enjoyed the first book you will enjoy this one!

TW: Exteme violence, Sexual Assault, War, Torture