What an incredibly fantastic novel! I loved the narrators and the depth it added to the lush storytelling that Benton-Walker gave to his readers. The story was gripping from the beginning until the close, yet still leaving me wanting more. If you love stories with difficult families, dark magic, and a great air of mystery, you will absolutely devour this book! Cannot wait for the sequel to continue this incredible story.

By all rights and measurements this book should be stupendous. It’s very very close to hitting every single mark.

I loved a lot about it. Not only the representation aspects (though those can hardly be overstated (black, LGBTQ+, mental health, ect!)) but also just for being an interesting story. The dive into family dynamics and past generational conflicts was more intricately woven than I expected.

I can’t quite give this book a 5-star though, mostly because some of the POVs weren’t as well developed as others, and while I understand their inclusion, for me it dragged the pacing of the book down. While I really wanted to be super invested, the shifts chapter to chapter pulled me into then back out of the story in turn.

Still, highly, highly recommend!!

Audio: 4/5 - I have no regrets about going with the audiobook version, it was a really energetic and enjoyable experience overall! However for me personally, I wonder if I would have had an easier time with the POV shifts in a paper format of this book.

Fantasy world-building has always been a challenge for me to get into. Recently, however, I have found fantasy books that add magic to the real world. That is what I have been needing, rather than trying to escape into a new world.

Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker is just that. Set in the perfect backdrop of New Orleans, Blood Debts tells the story of twins, Clem and Cris Trudeau, inheritors of a powerful and magical lineage. With the death of their father and the near death of their mother, they are trying to figure out if someone is out to get their family. Cris, who gives up magic after her father’s death, and Clem, who finds solace in magic, must come together to save their family.

Root magic is so empowering to read about. In the past, you would see root magic as something dark and evil, something to be feared. It has me questioning why we fear this magic so much. Do we fear root and blood magic because its origins are with Black people? With the conversion of Black people to Christianity through slavery and imperialism, even other Black people have grown to fear this magic.

My cousin came back home for Thanksgiving last year. I have a somewhat conservative (socially, not politically) Christian family, so they found her weird when she started talking about spirit teams, angel numbers, and crystals. I felt excited to have someone else in the family who was interested in this kind of stuff. While my mom was open to it, the rest of my family dismissed her, stating she was working with that stuff against God.

In Blood Debts, there are two forms of magic at work and opposed to each other: Blood Magic and White Magic. Blood Magic is practiced mostly by Black people, although some white people also try to learn how to do it. Blood Magic is rooted in drawing on the power of the ancestors who become gods and demigods. It is about honoring them for their survival and passing their power down by giving them offerings. It is connected to the blood, and magic is most often passed down through the generations. Blood Magic practitioners draw magic at night through the moon.

White Magic on the other hand is more aligned with the mainstream magic we have been seeing in pop culture lately. White Magic practitioners draw magic from the sun and store it in crystals. They use that stored energy to exercise magic at a later time. Sometimes that energy can be so powerful to create explosions. Oftentimes this magic was used against others.

Blood Debts shined a new light on this type of magic. We got to see Blood Magic as paying homage to the ancestors. It’s not just this thing practiced in the dark to manipulate and harm others, although it was used for this purpose in the wrong hands. Blood Debts shows us that it isn’t necessarily the magic itself that is good and bad, but the intent we use it for.

I love books that muddle the waters of what is good and what is bad. There is one more type of magic in Blood Debts: Necromancy, or the art of bringing people back from the dead. This brings up all types of questions about ethics, who gets to play God, and does the deceased person get a choice. As we see in the book, our choices have consequences, and they can provide access to forces set on destruction.

Overall, I loved Blood Magic! For a YA novel, it felt very mature in its exploration of topics around family, race, and ethics. I can’t wait to see what is in store for Cris and Clem in the second book of the series.

4 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.


Though it took me a bit to get into this I did end up enjoying this. I loved Clem and Chris, the magic system was good and the setting was amazing. Who doesn't like a novel set in New Orleans? The narrators Bahni Turpin; Joniece Abbott-Pratt; Torian Brackett; Zeno Robinson were all fantastic.

This does have some pretty hardcore, dark things happen in it so I would look up trigger warnings before reading this but if they do not bother you I would definitely pick this up.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced listening copy of blood debts. this wasnt a bad book but i didnt enjoy the narrator so it made it difficult to get through at times

Clem and Cris are twins in New Orleans who realize very quickly that there are some dark magic forces at play. I loved the secrets, the culture, and the commentary on racism throughout. My attention was caught - it did read just slightly YA for my taste at time, but overall, a great read!

I read the audiobook…. I will read anything narrated by Bahni Turpin! As always, she’s an amazing narrator - as were the others!

While I originally struggled to get into Blood Debts I generally really enjoyed the story - the audiobook made it easier to get into so I definitely recommend that. I enjoyed the story overall!

I let myself get drawn in by the very pretty cover. Urban fantasy isn't usually my genre, but the mix of magic and New Orleans sounded like something I could get into. Unfortunately, Blood Debts just didn't do it for me. There are way too many perspectives in this one. Sticking to just Cris and Clem would have been enough. There was also too much going on and too many characters. It all started to bleed together until I didn't completely know what was happening and didn't really care to figure it out. There was a lot of potential in this; I think the basic premise of the story was good, but the unlikable characters and overly complicated plot just didn't work for me. I did enjoy the way magic was handled in this story overall, especially the creative way Clem substituted items for spells and details like that. The bones of the story and some of the attention to detail in Blood Debts were pretty compelling at times, which is why I'm giving this one 2.5 stars.

Absolutely loved the audiobook, would not have been able to finish without it. I did however thing that the book was a little all over the play. the middle of the book was my favorite part but I did like the story overall.

DNF around 30%. I found this story boring. Which makes me sad because the way it was described, I was excited. Unfortunately for me I didn’t connect with the characters or story. I had to force myself to read this book, so I gave up. I like the setting of New Orleans and the narration was good. The plot was lacking.

I really didn’t know how I was going to review this book. I liked it a lot, but it also wasn’t without it’s flaws. It’s not that it was bad, more so it had too much happening? Idk how to explain it.

Ok so first of all the characters in this made me want to shake them. They kept getting themselves into different situations that they didn’t have to do. Like the end with Cristina and the book? And Clement and the love interest? Idk it seemed like they were just getting themselves into trouble for no reason. And I get it, a love interest hardly seems like “no reason”, but it was more like the things they did. It was just weird. I didn’t actually care for the multiple POVs tho. Normally that didn’t bother me, but it was accompanied by all those different plot lines, and it was just confusing at some points. i had to keep looking at the beginning of the chapters to make sure it was done.

The plot was what made me take some of my rating away. It just had too much going on. It was a mystery, but it was also fantasy. And while that’s fine, it’s just that there were so many OTHER plot lines also included, like there was one about racism, then all the family drama, all the while still trying to explain the magic and the magic system. It just seemed like everything was being piled things on top of me over and over. And normally I like that, but this just didn’t explain everything? I don’t know how to explain it.

The magic system was cool. There’s spells and spell books. And a good and bad side of magic and the reasoning behind both of those sides. It was definitely cool. I really wanted a little more indepth of an explanation on how it came to be etc., but it was ok without it. I think it would have made another plot line, but it would have been cool to know. Like it gave us what happened, but I wanted more. And then there’s the gods that were in there. I would have liked to have seen more than just the one.

I’m super glad this is a series! The ending (and many of the pages before that) had me going like WTF. But what I really wanted to know wasn’t actually addressed in the end, so I was happy to see this was going to be a series. It made me think tho, what would I do in this situation. I don’t know if I can definitively say I couldn’t do it.

Overall, this book was such a surprise. And it was full of surprises. I can’t wait to get to the next one and make sure all these things get wrapped up. Also, I really need to see how ol girl is going to be once she finds out what happened to dear old granny………

I'm still not sure if I really liked this book or not. For me (as I am clearly not the targeted audience) there was a little too much "everyone else is at fault cause they are racist and we are Black". It did get a bit better towards the end but it was not for me. The writing seemed very juvenile and really screamed TEEN but also felt like it was written by one. I would not run out to purchase the sequel.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one, but I liked the story and the characters! I also really liked the magic system laid out in this world. It kept me hooked throughout and I can't wait for the next one. The audio performances we also great. I will say, this definitely read as YA in terms of the writing style, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just comes down to personal preference for whoever is reading. Overall, I definitely recommend it for fans of YA urban fantasies!

A wonderfully complex tribute to the magic and history that is New Orleans. Being very familiar with New Orleans, I loved the nods to local history and lore that made my Nola heart happy. The characters were deep and had great development from beginning to end. The way events unfolded kept this a page turner with a satisfying conclusion. The narrators did a fantastic job portraying the numerous characters and sounded like New Orleans natives making it even more immersive.

The narrators were so good that they mask some of the issues with this book. I love a novel that just plops us into the world without having to explain too much. I appreciate Benton-Walker's approach there. The issue was that some of the writing was too juvenile. I read YA books all the time, but this wasn't that. It just needed fewer similes and less awkward moments without all the secret keeping between the siblings.

This was a great book! I really enjoyed the immersive experience of the audiobook with the music and narration. I also loved the story and thought it touched on so many important themes.

I had no idea what to expect going into this book/audiobook. I found the premise to be intriguing and the cover is stunning! Overall I loved the sibling dynamic and how real it felt to me as someone with a sibling, that I am equally close to and at the same time hate their guts. I thought the magical aspects were super interesting and the story itself led to a very fascinating listen/read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Anything Bahni Turpin narrates ends up being a favorite listen for me. Blood Debts was fast-paced and an easy read/listen. I cannot wait until the book because I am anxious to find out what Valentina will do when she hears the news. Definitely check it out!

This book is utter perfection. I'm honestly obsessed with the perfect mix of modern times and fantasy. The way the Mr. Benton-Walker is able to weave a tale of 2 twins in a modern age but they're both so enmeshed in the witchy and fantastical world of powers and magic. I love that it was set in New Orleans, a place near and dear to my heart.

There's a prelude to the book from the author and I love learning more about the thought process behind books. It brings a brighter connection.

Also, as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I really love finding books where the characters are out and its a part of their story. I love that Clement is out and his family is aware and accepting.

I also loved all the voices that brought this book to life. They were all so incredible. As a person who listens to exclusively audiobooks I can say this is one of the best audiobooks i've ever heard! Thank you to: @prospertunia , @jabbottpratt , @sabertb , & @childish_gamzeno . I'd give you all a standing ovation, but thats hard to do as a solo person... and online. but you all did amazing work.

every time I think I'm done with this review. I think of something else I want to write. but i'm just so in love with this book!! Seriously, GO BUY IT!! Its perfection.

Thank you again to @icecreamvicelord for writing this amazing book. Thank you to @netgalley for allowing me to listen to it. Thank you to @macmillan.audio for publishing it!

I loved Blood Debts! This is the perfect spooky season audiobook! I love that it was set in New Orleans with a family filled with magic and secrets!