Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker is the first book in this series. It is a contemporary fantasy with powerful magical families, intergenerational curses, and deadly drama in New Orleans!

The more Contemporary fantasies I read, the more I love them! I had heard great things about this book but went into it blind, not knowing much about it. There is drama, twists and turns, and plenty of intrigue to keep you guessing. Blood Debts is set around solving a 30-year-old crime through the lens of the two main characters, Clement and Cristina Trudeau. I loved the use of generational magic in this story and the inspiration from Voodoo, especially in New Orleans.

I listened to the audio version of this book and loved the dual POV, the narration of this magical system, and the rich history; I felt that it added to the story, really making it come to life. Terry J. Benton-Walker did a fantastic job with the storytelling in this novel. I had so much fun reading it and uncovering everyone's secrets. I recommend picking up this book if you haven't!

I missed my window to listen to this audiobook but have since listened and wow!

I love stories about twins. Twin siblings Christina and Clement were such a joy to journey with. Tasked with caring for their ailing mother after the loss of their father, they discover someone has cursed their bloodline and set out to figure out why and how to stop it. In this process they discover a murder 30 years ago that took the lives of their grandparents, resulting in someone stealing their grandmother's seat at the head of the Generational Council.

For such a politically charged fantasy, I believe the actual political elements of the world could have been fleshed out more. I adored the magic and how queer normative this was.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

4.5 Stars

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the Audiobook Arc exchange for an honest review.

Blood Debts is about twin 16 year magical siblings, Christina and Clement Traudeu, who are caring for their sick mom after the tragic death of their father. They made a discovery after a doctor visit that she wasn’t sick at all but was cursed by a person who does Generational Magic. As they trying to figure out who cursed their mother, that are unraveling the secrets of a 30 year old murder which took their lives of their grandparents who was killed by a lynch mob of a murder they didn’t commit. It all comes ahead as they figure out not only the secret they took from their grandparents and who cursed their mom but who stole their grandmother’s throne as the head of the Generational Council. As they try to clear their grandmother's name and take everything that was stolen from their family back.

Love this one for the most part but it needs more world building and political/court intrigue which is why it didn’t get a full five stars from me. They are both in the book which are done pretty well for the part but it needs to be more done in explaining the Gen council. It’s the fact it only feels like two families that are actually fighting for the Gen Council throne instead of multiple gen magical families. The author describes this book as the “Black Game of Thrones” but in Game of Thrones, you had multiple families fighting for the Iron Throne. Also you had houses allying with each other and also betraying each other to get more power and closer to the throne. It needs to be more of wheeling, dealing and scheming in the second one and not just two families doing it. The formation of the magical system and is explained is solid. I love how they do incarnations and the fact you have different gods that help them.

I should have read this one like last year when I had the arc. I really enjoyed the family, magical, mystery and political aspect of it. I always feel like what makes a good book is that if you can take the fantasy out of it and still put it towards real life and relate to it, it is this book. I think any group of people who face adversity can understand this and relate to this book but this book is really a love letter to Black and Queer Community. Certain things in this book you wouldn’t truly understand if you are not a member one or both because it is so deeply rooted in our culture. I am most definitely reading the second one!

This story was so so excellent to me!!!! I was really excited because I've been on a kick of stories that take place in New Orleans. I also love stories about family with a sense of mystery. This story was so exciting as a person who is new to fantasy. The narrator did an amazing job of conveying the story in general. I'm so excited to read the follow up of this story!

Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook and what a great story. Loved the diversity of the Characters and storyline. I’m so so with fantasy so at times it didn’t do it for me but I can see why a lot of people enjoyed this.

A beautiful fantasy with magic and more! Blood Debts follows the history of a family and the beginning of a new romance. Beautiful!

Clem and his sister Cris come from a dynasty of "gen" magic users. Their status was stolen by another family of gen users who now control the magic council of New Orleans. These two teens fight to right wrongs done to them and their family and take back their power within their community.

Blood Debts is a great idea with poor execution. The pacing is so fast and the amount of information dropped is overwhelming and sometimes the story never comes back around to the interesting things. I have a feeling a lot of the plot points that dropped off will be in the next book but I think even books in series should try to not leave so many plot points hanging open. It just makes it seem like an unfinished book instead of part of a series. This book also didn't feel YA enough to be YA fantasy and not adult enough to be adult fantasy so it just came out messy most of the time. There's also violence and death that, to me, was very unexpected and felt a bit strange to the story. I'm not sure how to explain it, but it didn't sit right. I'd definitely recommend looking into content warnings for this book. There are four perspectives in Blood Debts but it really only needed two and the other two felt quite jarring any time it switched to them.

That all being said, the magic system is really interesting and the implications at the end left me quite curious. I might pick up the sequel in the future.

I enjoyed this read, but I think if I hadn't done the audiobook I would have DNFd. Just because the beginning was hard to get invested in the characters, and the overall plot. I did enjoy the family coming together, but even that was very surface level. Everything felt surface level. This book would be better as a TV series, it has that kind of writing. The narrators also helped me stay engaged, they were VERY good in their pace and intonation.

Picture modern day New Orleans, but with magic... generational magic that is passed down by the ancestors. This is the world twins Christina and Clement live in. And when someone curses their mother and almost kills her, they work together to solve the mystery.

This book delves into deep topics like institutionalized rascism, assault, and generational trauma through magical realism. Gen magic, typical among Black families is often pitted against white magic, and the book deftly discusses how the laws are written and enforced in favor of white magic.

Couched in these strong (yet not preachy) messages is the story of a family rebuilding after loss. It's a story of redemption and love and second chances.

Definitely worth a read.

3 ⭐️

Blood Debts is a story of teenage twins, Clem and Cris, who enlist the help of their (somewhat estranged) family in getting revenge on the people who stole their right to lead the magic council in New Orleans.

I was a big fan of the magic in this book - the spells, the appeals to different Gods for help and protection, and the way every bit of magic had a balance to it was really neat, and clearly rooted in the lore and history of magic in New Orleans. However, the rest of the book was rather hard to follow, with too many characters and too many side plots that didn’t fully come together for me even when the mystery was solved. Plus, it got incredibly dark with necromancy and cold-blooded murder that I probably should have expected from the title, but wasn’t actually expecting in a YA fantasy. It bordered on horror more than fantasy at some points, and that’s not my cup of tea. If I have nightmares tonight, I won’t have to question why.

I thought the LGBTQ representation was stellar, and really portrayed the full spectrum of how gays are being treated in our country currently (ranging from total acceptance to total homophobia). I also appreciated the racial discourse and the timeliness of its message.

The narration of the audiobook was very well done, and I liked having a full cast for all the different POVs.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, this was quite a ride and can't wait to see what comes next.
There is a lot going on in this book so I won't try to even summarize it. Just know that is a great read that mixes magic, mistery, great black representation along with great insight into racism and the toll it has taken on black people and getting back at whoever wrong you.
I ended up listening to this and highly recommend it on this version.

I loved the world that Benton Walker created. I love the sibling relationship and their struggles to relate to each other while all this was going on around them. The bad guy was obvious, but the path to confrontation was fraught and interesting.
There were a couple things that bothered me. The healing happened weirdly quick. The love was too instantaneous. Both of those things made it hard for me to connect with the characters that were involved in this.
I am unsure about the third perspective, but I understand why it was there. We see how easy it is to become the bad guy and it made me doubt what I was being told by all the points of view. So I both liked it and didn’t like it.
I hope we see more of Cris and Clem trying to find their way together through the complicated world they are a part of.

It's been a while since I read a series starter that made me this excited for the sequels. There are A LOT of threads in the story - but they intertwine and are so well presented that it's not too much of a challenge to keep them straight.

I will point out here that I am around the same age as the parents in the story, so well past the age of the target audience. But I absolutely love that the "long ago" part of the family history is 1989 - so many current stories are written by people my age and older whose grandparents were born 100+ years ago, and since we grew up with that twilight memory of most of the 20th century, we tend to think of "long ago" as the early 20th century. But mathing it out, if Chris and Clem are 17 in 2023, they were born around 2006 - so 1989 is twice as long ago for them as how old they are.

I also love that the primary families involved are rich enough that Chris, Clem, Oz, Valentina, Yves, etc. (I listened to the audiobook, so apologies if I've misspelled anyone's name) are able to come and go as they please, so the story can take place during the summer and isn't limited to school and home - these are the kind of folks who think nothing of driving around and parking within the French Quarter at the height of tourist season and have regular coffee shops and go on dates to museums. That opens up the story in ways that you might not appreciate until you think about other teen-focused magic series and notice that this one avoids falling into the same tropes.

I don't want to spoil the plot too much and deprive anyone the excitement of letting the story unfold, but in a very general sense I will say that for me the book struck a perfect balance for a series starter of exposition and blending short term mysteries that can be wrapped up in one book with a larger story to unfold in the sequels. The ending does not feel abrupt, but you definitely will be looking forward to finding out what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book. For me it seemed to drag a bit towards the beginning but I expect that for character and world building. Once the story picked up pace I was extremely engrossed in what was going on. I will say Clem was my favorite character and my heart absolutely broke when Eve died😭 I’m looking forward to seeing what the next book holds.

Thirty years ago, New Orleans saw the biggest magical massacre in its history. Trudeaus were lynched and dethroned. Despite what’s happened over those years, Trudeau twins, Clement and Cristina have continued to practice magic. Last year. their father died of a heart attack. Now, their mother starts dying form multiple organ failure. When the twins find a hex doll, the two realize that someone has cursed their family and coming for them next. Suspicious it’s someone on the magical council, the two start to investigate. To save their mother, the two must call upon their estranged relatives to help them solve the mystery. As the clues uncover, they point more and more to what happened 30 years ago. Can Clement and Cristina stop what’s happening before it’s too late?

Narrators, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Bahni Turpin, Torian Brackett, and Zeno Robinson do a great job of capturing the characters’ voices. They do a great job of navigating the intricately woven plot. The author does a great job of bringing historical and current events into the novel. characters are relatable and draw the listener into the story. The world building is well done and brings to life a magical world within New Orleans. Characters are black and some are LGBTQ+. Fans of fantasy, mysteries, and magical adventures may want to pick this one up. Social themes of sacred practices, racism, mental illness, sex work, sexuality, and consent do suggest that this book is best suited for more mature young adults. Recommended where fantasy audiobooks are popular.

Please Note: A copy of this audiobook was given in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are our own. No other compensation was received.

"Blood Debts" by Terry J. Benton-Walker, narrated by Bahni Turpin, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Torian Brackett, and Zeno Robinson, is a gripping urban fantasy set in New Orleans. The audiobook's diverse narrators breathe life into the vibrant characters, enhancing the immersive experience.

The story is rich with mystery, political intrigue, and intricate magical elements, woven against the backdrop of a magical New Orleans. While the plot is complex with multiple subplots and twists, it adds depth to the narrative, though it can sometimes be challenging to follow.

Despite its complexities, "Blood Debts" offers a compelling exploration of themes like racism, cultural appropriation, and family secrets, with well-rounded and flawed characters that feel authentic and relatable. Overall, it's a captivating listen for fans of urban fantasy and mystery.

This black fantasy was so interesting. Here were the things I loved:
-twin witches trying to find the the truth
-loved black history x fantasy/magic
-the writing really made me feel like I was with the twins
-the drama was juicy, the love rectangle is crazy
-I love how close the family was and the connection
-I loved that it was set in New Orleans
-the audiobook felt immersive
only note:
-sometimes the book felt a little long on redundant

I loved the concept but was confused most of the time. There were so many characters doing so many things that I lost track of who was who. I loved the storyline but would have enjoyed it more if it explained the magic system more and didn’t add side stories. I have so many questions and will probably pick up the next book to hopefully have them answered.

I really enjoyed this book! Listening to the audiobook was amazing! I loved that there are more than one voice actors. I loved the different relationships in the book and how a large focus of it was on family and race relations. It really pointed out how white people can be with other cultures (the entitlement) and I respect this book for that. There are parts in this book that really broke my heart but it is amazing. This book was interesting and the ending left definitely wanting to read the next book in the series. I recommend to go read this book!!

I was very happy with this story and the interesting take on magic. The diverse cast of characters, examination of trauma, and mysterious elements were very enjoyed. I loved the audiobook and felt like the narrators did a phenomenal job! I need to get my hands on the sequel asap!