Okay so I have very mixed feelings. There were things I absolutely adored and things that left me feeling meh. First everything I loved: I listened to the audiobook arc and it was beautifully done, I adored the jazz music between parts and all of the voice actors did amazing. I also loved how every POV in this book felt like their own and each had a distinct voice so you always knew which POV you were in. I also loved how each POV was there for more than just aiding the story and it was obvious that in each perspective, they were the main character if that makes sense. Each character definitely had a purpose and I feel like there weren’t any characters who were introduced only to disappear which was definitely great. I also loved the overall idea of the book and the magic system being based in New Orleans since they do have such an extensive history in terms of magic, ghosts, and more.

I also felt it pulled in current issues and politics into the magic system which honestly helped in understanding some of the hatred and need for regulation by the white community in the book. I also loved how the need for regulation stems from white people being upset they don’t have gen magic since the same exact things are constantly happening within society today and in laws and politics. The fact the magic system was also born on the oppression of black people and dating back to slavery was great and I really appreciated the scene in the art exhibit that kind of walked you through the history without it feeling like info dumping. Overall, the magic system was really well done and I never really felt overwhelmed or confused by the magic system in any way.

In terms of things I wasn’t a fan of, it was mostly for the POV of Cris. I felt that she was really repetitive almost and just kind of kept bringing up the same things over and over again. She would relate everything back to her hatred of magic and her fathers death and while those were very obviously important plot points, it just became too much. I also felt she was really hypocritical towards her brother Clement and was upset when he wouldn’t open up to her when she had done the same thing for so long. Same thing with magic, she was upset with him using magic but then never really explained why she felt the way she did since their fathers death. Besides that, I’m not sure if I missed it while listening but I don’t really know what happened with the sisters and why they stopped talking besides obviously the mother and one aunt. I also felt this all happened in such a short time frame and so the relationship between Eve and Clem felt extremely rushed especially once I realized it all took place over the course of like 2 weeks.

Overall I really did enjoy this book but I just was not a Cris fan at all which ended up affecting my overall rating. I loved all of the other characters, even the ones we’re meant to hate because they were written so well. I also didn’t realize this was the beginning of a series so i’ll definitely be impatiently waiting until the next one comes out to read what happens next.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced electronic audio review copy of this wonderful book. I enjoyed the characters, loved the New Orleans setting of the story, and the magic. The plot dragged in places for me but it was a great read overall. The ending hints there might be a sequel, so am cautiously optimistic and looking forward to return to that world.

Seemingly being set up for a sequel, this book has a lot going for it! There’s mystery, murder, romance, representation, necromancy, and justice for a family that was wronged! What I enjoyed most was being immersed in New Orleans culture throughout the book - never having been there - this book was a fun way to explore that part of the US in a sense and through a story full of excitement and intrigue. That said, the actual writing was hard for me to fully get into. I’m probably not the target audience, but I found it a little too crass and immature for me. I also felt like at times there was just too much going on as if the author was trying to cram as much content into this book as possible. At times I felt like I was getting lost - but it wraps up for the most part in the end. Mostly.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I love the idea, concept, and setting but couldn't fully immerse myself into the story. A lot was going on but it wasn't as fleshed out as I would like, especially with the side characters.
Overall, a decent read. If you're a fan of YA novels and NOLA settings with voodoo and hexes, give this novel a try.

Terry J. Benton-Walker is a fun, creative, and important voice in YA fantasy. The characters in Blood Debt give an in-depth look at what it is to be multi-marginalized in the US, The story covers some heavy topics like intergenerational trauma, racial violence, internalized homophobia, community suppression, etc. But at the end of day, the characters realize they are the drivers of their own lives, they struggle with and ultimately come to terms with self-acceptance. And perhaps most importantly there is a real push for community building.

I love the use of multi-POV in this story. Most of the characters don't view themselves as villains, as a matter of fact, most view themselves as victims. So the reader is left to grapple with the question of what really happened and where the truth really lies. So many characters are telling half-truths and hiding their secrets. So how could anyone be making fully informed decisions? How does this mindset further help the agenda of people in power, even if those people seem to be sympathetic to your cause? And ultimately what price are you willing to pay to right the wrongs in your history and to ensure the truth wins out, no matter what it may be.

The twins are the dominant voices, each grappling with their fractured family, their fractured relationship, romantic relationships, and the shame of their family's history. They are fully formed and fleshed-out characters. Their emotions are relatable. And the motivations are natural. I, however, similarly love the POV chapters of the other teens, with their harsh, cold voices and individual perspectives. They should feel like unsympathetic side characters, but instead, very much live as the main characters of their own stories. And just to make sure you don't think they are just naive and immature, they very much mirror the behaviors of their elders. The result of this set up is a sense of foreboding—no matter how much things started to look up...........you always felt like they were seconds from crashing down.

It was pretty decent YA. A little too sexually explicit for my taste in a YA book. It seems set up really well to be a series, and I’m intrigued by that.

The plot was pretty slow-paced.

Overall, it’s much needed representation in the fantasy genre.

The narrators worked really well together. Sometimes when there's different narrators for multiple POV's, None of the characters sound the same in any POV. That's not the case here. This is one of the few times I've enjoyed it.

TW: homophobia, racism, lynching, murder

Thank you Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC.

For some reason, I went into this book thinking it was going to be a historical fiction and we were going to solve a murder, so I was a little bit disappointed when I started it and realized it was set in the present day about a murder that happened 30 years ago. It was a good story, but I think I just would’ve liked it better as a historical fiction set in NOLA. The story was really good, but I felt like too much happened and some loose ends weren’t fully tied up.

The audiobook was incredible - I loved the intro music and all of the narrators were so good. I’m sure the physical book is great, but I would definitely recommend listening to the audiobook! Joenice Abott-Pratt always does such a great job and this is no exception.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ARC of Blood Debts in exchange of an honest review.

Blood Debts is a multi-POV story tells the story of a family feud that started several years ago with the murder of a woman. The families in the story are magic-yield families and they are fighting over the power of the city. Cristina and Clement are the twins that, after they discovered that their mother was hexed, decided to take upon themselves to figure out what happened so many years ago and fight for their right to the top of the chain.
Right away I want to say that I loved this book! It was fast-paced with no idle time! The mystery is captivating! Imagine a mafia book but instead of them being italians they are powerful magic-holding black familes in New Orleans!
Speaking of New Orleans.. You will be teleported right away to the city! It's particularly one of my favorite cities of the US and after this book I cannot wait to go visit it again! Bonus point if you get the audiobook because the narration is great, it has some jazz sounds and the amazing southern accent!
In addition, I liked how the magic in the book is intertwined with African religion! Coming from Brazil, Exu is no stranger to me and I loved this homage to the African culture and beliefs.
I also enjoyed the diversity of characters not only for them being BIPOC but also queer, Clement is so sassy and I love his relationship in the book.
Anyway.. I think it's a must read and I cannot wait to ring it to my book club!

This book was A LOT. I mean that in a good way, because there was so much to enjoy, but also really felt like it was two books worth in one. So much happens. The author really deftly presents the parallels to racism and classism in our society and the Magic system, without sacrificing any character development to do so. You’ll fall in love with so many of them - and there are many (a few too many though?). I loved the narrators for the audiobook - they were exactly what I’d imagine the voices to be!

I really enjoyed this debut novel by Terry J. Benton-Walker, I thought he did an amazing job of keeping the reader engaged from the very first page.

The family dynamics and generational magic keep the reader on the edge of their seat and that ending leaves them gutted!! The author’s descriptions of things, especially the city of New Orleans, make the readers feel like they are right there watching and experiencing things for themselves.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves magic, complicated but satisfying family dynamics, betrayal, and a little bit of mystery.

Thank you to MacMillan Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

Blood Debts is a brilliant story that reminds me of an interesting combination of Ninth House, sans the dark academia aspect, and Legendborn, with a sprinkle of New Orleans vibes (I thought immediately of the Princess and the Frog because I haven’t been to New Orleans but I hope the Disney movie got the vibe right).

I read this on audiobook and the narration was great.

Trigger warnings: Death, murder, violence, attempted rape, racism, homophobia, possession

Quick Synopsis: In an urban fantasy, where magic exists in our own world, generational magic is shared through familial bonds. Our main characters, Chris and Clem, are twins but could not be more out of tune with one another. Both working through their own traumas, dealing with the death of their father, and the impending death of their mother, the two continue to grow apart. Until, that is, Clem discovers a hex placed upon their mother, a hex that would have killed her had he not discovered it. The twins’ pursuit of truth to discover who wants their mother dead, leads to an unraveling of a decade’s old murder, the truth about their ancestors, and the drive to get justice for their family.

What I liked:
-Chris and Clem are incredible characters that go through so much character development as they grow separately and back together as twins.
-The varied familial relationships were very well-done and I loved how dynamic and complex they were. I also loved how their ancestors were brought in and referenced frequently.
-There are a lot of twists and turns and reveals but I was never overwhelmed. The pacing was spot on in terms of how much information we receive, when we receive it, and what is revealed.
-This book tackles racism in a way that made me, a white person, want to scream at my fellow white people on more than one occasion. In that way, I think it’s a book that more white people should read. Putting yourself in the shoes of a black person in America in particular, and also wanting to defend characters you have grown to love and adore from racist people, is a tough and eye-opening experience.
-There is a scene where Chris confronts a character that has done her wrong in one of the worst ways possible and that scene will live with me forever; I was rooting for her so hard and she didn’t let me down. Brava, Chris.

What I struggled with:
-In the beginning, Clem and Chris say that their mother doesn’t have any enemies and they can’t imagine who would hex her, and then a few pages later we have like 5 reasons listed why their mother would have enemies.
-Clem and Chris each have a personal struggle to reconnect with their twin. I wanted to see these two reconnect fully and we just don’t really get that. Maybe in the next book though.
-Chris goes through something incredibly traumatic and while Clem defends her, he doesn’t take the time to review how that prolonged experience could have been the cause of their strained relationship. It made me dislike him slightly throughout a portion of the novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel; and I’m very much now a Terry J Benton Walker fan and can’t wait for the next book.

Let's start by taking a minute to admire the cover. It's gorgeous.

I thought the characters were well written and I really enjoyed the family relationships. I have not read many books that feature a relationship between grandma/granddaughter and nieces, nephews/ aunts and I felt this book represented them nicely.

The magic system was also a joy to read about.

If you love Lengendborn, but we’re hoping for more dynamics between a Black family, you will love this book! This book has it all; betrayal, vengeance, love, generational trauma and healing, magic, and much more. It’s fast pace and keeps you guessing until the end, perfectly sets up the sequel and leaves you wanting more in the best way!

The multiple story lies made the overall plot a bit scattered and hard to keep track with. Each character seemed to have their own separate story but it all came together at the end. The magic and melanin were a perfect combination and the symbolism and metaphors throughout the story were not lost and well written.

4 stars for Blood Debts!

I genuinely enjoyed this so much. It felt a little slow at the beginning and it took me a while to get into it but once I did, I was rolling. I found the parallels between this magic system and real world issues fascinating and I found it helped me grasp the magic system so much quicker. The generation magic and politics was intriguing without being overly complicated and the relationship between Chris and Clem was one of the more realistic depictions of siblings I’ve read. Overall I would absolutely recommend this for its New Orleans setting, magical vibes and depictions of a family unit coming to terms with trauma and betrayal. I’m looking forward to what this author will bring us next!

Blood Debts is a magical story about twins Clem and Cristina that is set in New Orleans. They learn that their mother has been cursed and set out to figure out who would do that to their family. Along the way, they realize that the curse is also related to a 30-year old murder and other family secrets.

There were good and bad parts of this book. I loved the descriptions of the city and the way magic worked. However, it was a little messy explaining the intricacies of magic in this world and how different groups of people could access it. I also wanted more on how magic was public knowledge and politicized. It seems this was touched on throughout the book, but never enough to make it clear on how connected magic was with the rest of the world until the very end.

There were too many characters and some of them were not relevant to the story. I'm not sure why Zachary's character was included or useful to the plot point. I kept waiting for some of the plot points to come together at the end to make sense, but not all of them did. I was disappointed that there was so much going on and for no real purpose to the overall plot. It made it harder to keep up with the main part of the story. I feel like the author could have removed a few side plots to really focus on the main characters and storyline.

I enjoy a book told from multiple perspectives, and love that the audiobook featured multiple narrators. The writing style was a little odd because the chapters written for Cris and Clem were written in the first person, but chapters for all other characters were written in third person. I'm not sure the purpose of this, but it took me out of the book at times. Otherwise, I found the writing to be engaging and fun.

Overall, I would recommend this for older teens due to the excessive swearing throughout the book and the level of detail in the sex scene. However, I did appreciate the clear wording when it came to consent and safe sex practices from the teens.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book, but it ended up going in many more directions than I anticipated. There's drama, romance, death, violence, and more! The ending of the book definitely leads you to believe there will be a sequel, if not more.

Someone should really turn this into a television series because it would be excellent for that. Blood Debts is the start of a new YA fantasy series set in a magical version of New Orleans. It is a high-drama narrative filled with magic, intergenerational curses, political machinations, and deadly threats.

While there are several perspective characters, the main focus is on Black twins Clement and Christina Trudeau who are grieving the death of their father, dealing with hexes, and trying to manage their own love lives and exploring sexuality. Clem has been unlucky in love, but now there's a new boy he's crushing on and things seem promising. Christina is dating a white boy, but sometimes he seems too interested in her magic.

There is a lot of drama, many twists and turns that I won't spoil, but this is a very strong debut and a promising start to a series. I could easily see this being adapted by Netflix or the CW and it could be a hit. There were a could minor things that didn't totally make sense, and I think it might have been stronger with fewer perspectives, but overall I really liked this and wouldn't be surprised if a lot of other people do as well. Note that it is on the more mature side of YA due to things like violence and sexuality. The audio narration is done with a full cast and is excellent. I received an audio review copy of this via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

I will actually start a riot if this is not part of a duology. I need more information and more story because that ending? What the fuck, you can't leave it like that?!?!

This is a story set in current New Orleans about a family who practices magic. In this universe there are a couple different types of magic and this one follows a few different POVs and has a murder mystery and some generational family feuds. It was wild. And absolute ride.

There's a lot of really important discussions about racism and classism and queerphobia. Definitely one that I would recommend and I sincerely hope that there will be a second book.

Oh my one note is that there is a sex scene on page and there is no discussion of prep or lube or anything. And if you're going to include sex in a YA at least do it in a way that actually prepares teenagers and doesn't give them an unrealistic expectation of what sex looks like. You're for real telling me that you're going to portray first time anal sex with no prep or lube? Okay. Sure. I do want to mention too that it's not really an explicit scene because this is still young adult, but they go from kissing to doing it from one sentence to the other and It wouldn't have been difficult to add in a sentence about prep. It's an important part of sexual health and including conversations about consent and condoms in lube and STDs are all important aspects of sex education and it's a disservice to omit them from the story.

I was fortunate to get the audio copy of this from NG. I love a good familial witchy history. The narrators really good. I was afraid that the questions I had wouldn't get wrapped up, but they did and I'm sure (at least hopeful) there will be a sequel.

The premise of this story really intrigued me. Generational magic, New Orleans, mystery, a colorful cast of characters, deception and political intrigue - what's not to love! Ultimately I felt like this could have used a heavier hand with developmental editing. The pacing was off, it moved entirely too slowly and spent too much time on mundane transition scenes. Cris and Clem were well-developed characters but the rest of the cast felt flat and two-dimensional. The plot overall was interesting and kept me engaged enough to finish the book but it was predictable and a bit anticlimactic.

The narrators and overall production of the audiobook were very well done. They did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life and I enjoyed listening.