I didn’t enjoy this as much as the Blood Debts. There was so much going on that I felt it was so unnecessary when it came to separate plot lines. The male narrator was nit my favorite as his voice was too elevated during times where he should’ve been sad, quiet, or frustrated. While I will recommend this to my students, I wouldn’t read it again.

Breathtaking, Thought Provoking, A Masterpiece. For a sequel of the banger Blood Debts, they knocked it out the park. I hold Cris and Clement to my heart and need the next book yesterday.

After all they have been through, Cris and Cem are finally getting back what their family always deserves: the New Orleans magical community throne. All should be well with Cris and Cem, but their lives are going to become messier than ever.

Cris is still dealing with the aftermath of reliving his boyfriend, who isn’t all there. It’s going to take everything for him to relive him through and through. And it doesn’t help that someone is targeting his family again.

Cem thought that getting back her family throne would justify the wrongdoings of others. However, she is now realizing that the justice system isn’t doing too much for her. She wants them to suffer for their wrongdoings toward her and her family. She may not like what the consequences are.

I wasn’t prepared at all when I read this book. I knew that it was going to be a bit dark and twisted from the cliffhanger. But this book was a rollercoaster ride. I felt so much throughout the book that it kept me on the edge until the end. It was unexpected, chaotic, and more messy than ever, with shocking surprises and an unbelievable ending yet again. I don’t know what to do, except convince everyone to take the ride with me.

I read this duology because I am a fan of the Locrottum series and Blood Debts and Blood Justice seemed pretty similar. And I was right, the social constructs are there, great characters are present throughout, and side characters serve their purpose and then we move on.
Chris and Clem have a bound very few people could ever understand. Their respect and chemistry are obvious from page one.
I love how urban fantasy tells a story why putting society's issues front and center. Incorporating magic and generational curses like C & C experience while showing the ready that evil is made evil, but why?

I received an arc from the publisher and at the time I still thought this was a duology (which it was pitched when I read book one) so I was surprised to find out that it wasn't and disappointed that it ends on a cliffhanger. I loved book one and I was very excited for this. I ended up sad that I nearly DNFed this after the first few chapters and that's why this review is so late. It almost didn't happen because it touches on things that are triggering. (

Cris became so filled with rage and murderous that I didn't want to read about her. Having Clem worry about it doesn't offset that I no longer wanted to know Cris. Clem's story was far more tragic and interesting and if this was his story alone I would have eaten it up. He has to figure out how to get back Yves soul and restore him from the zombie state and on top of that Yves sister has disappeared and his mother has been blamed for a murder. But just like book one there is too much story for one book.

Cris and her former friends are battling it out for being queen and it matters because Cris has convinced her mother that she should be temporary queen because Mom is jailed instead of you know, any of her adult sisters. I know this is because of the YA nature of the book but it props up Cris being a bit of a sociopath manipulating adults to give her the power, sort of the thing you see in serial killers which feels apropos.

Cris barely has any consequences to her violent actions. Don't get me wrong, I logically understand the rage at oppression but does that justifying being judge jury and executioner? Everyone is her enemy, certainly everyone of a different skin color or anyone standing in the way of anything she wants. I was put in mind of historical conversations between the approaches of Martin Luther King jr and the more violent approaches (her mom taking the side of MLK and Cris the other) Cris's the ends justify her means attitude wasn't working for me (and I admit that could easily be my own privilege talking).

Also it makes it clear people of color in jobs such as law enforcement and medicine which have a history of institutionalized racism are traitors and are going to get what they deserve. It's stated almost that way. I'm medical, saw my friends going through that attitude from the people we were taking care of (double ostracization if they were women because women shouldn't be in medicine either so I know that pain) It is, of course, a legitimate way to feel but I've seen the damage it causes. And maybe I find it hard to get past here because Cris has a LIST of people she thinks she needs to deal with (In a very permanent way) and she's using this as part of her justification.

I really wish these were two separate books because Clem's story has my interest where Cris's drama does not (which also disappoints me because I want to support the female characters) I am not sure I will read further. I do want to know what will happen with Clem and there is a twist with the family that will affect Cris that was interesting at the end but there is so much darkness in this.

Wow!!!! Want a follow up to blood debts. This was much faster paced and way darker and I LOVED IT!!!!!

There is so much generational healing and rage here and it gives the reader so much freedom to really scream at the book without remorse.

I was NOT expecting that ending!! OMGGGGG

Unfortunately I could not get far into this sequel to Blood Debts, whose violent ending was already borderline gratuitous. Especially with the venomous POV of Valentina. I understand that the premise of Black rage has many faces and facets and she represents only one essential aspect. That said, I feel this premise could have been tighter and wrapped up in one book. I honestly do not have the stomach for another round of needless politicking amongst people of color in a world where the race dynamics are already too close to reality with a formidable foe, that is not remotely as well developed as white supremacy and appropriationists.

I did not know this book was a sequel when I requested it based on the blurb and it was really confusing to go into it without knowing the context behind all, so I ended up DNFing it. The writing was incredible and I started to like the characters. I will revisit this once I read the first book in the series, but that will probably not be for a while.

** 4.5 **
A TIME WAS HAD!
This book started & ended with a bang!!
Cris stood on business this entire book!!!
Clem </3
I cannot wait for the next book in this series.


I did receive this book as an E-ARC courtesy of NetGalley ( :

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the e-book copy!

I enjoyed the first book in this series as I felt it was a good high-stakes urban fantasy. Going into the sequel, I expected that it could be either just as good or better than the first book. I ended up feeling in the middle about this sequel as it was not terrible by any means but it had middle-book syndrome. A lot of this book was mostly set up for the next book but it also had filler that was not needed. I am not entirely put off by the series and will likely check out the next book to see where things end up going. I would still recommend this series especially if you like fantasies that focus on magic, sibling relationships, and politics.

I enjoyed the first book and this was a very worthy sequel. It started off slow, but I could not put it down after the halfway point. That ending…wow! We’d better be getting more of this world after that.
Benton-Walker’s writing is descriptive and immersive - I felt like I was in New Orleans with Clem, Cris and Valentina. As a reader, I struggle to visualize what I am reading, but the author’s descriptions really helped me feel everything that the characters were experiencing. The characters continued to develop throughout this book, but not necessarily for the better. Valentina is by far the character that I dislike the most. Does that girl care about anyone but herself? Cris is getting darker by the page, but why? You’ll have to read to find out. I still couldn’t help but love Clem and feel his pain. I found his part of the story quite heartbreaking. Is there hope? You’ll see…
I recommend this book to lovers of fantasy that takes place in modern times steeped in magic in our world and complicated characters that will do just about anything to protect their legacy (and family)
Many thank to NetGalley and Tor Teen for an e-arc of the book. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

A story should always have a clear beginning, middle, and end. In Blood Justice — we gain a phenomenal middle that still kept me at the edge of my seat. It brought me emotions that the first one easily did but this time, it was full of rage like the characters. Book Two aka Blood Justice did not hold back on what our main characters felt and I’m glad it didn’t. Terry reminded me that if he can write a story about people who can express their rage about their lives or the world around them then there is no reason for me to hold back in expressing my own emotions to myself or to others that are willing to listen. A wonderful book/series to get into. Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to review this.

I loved Blood Debts so I was really excited to read Blood Justice and it did not disappoint. This book was an exciting, action packed sequel that got a little dark at times, but it worked perfectly for the sake of the story. For this to be a YA story this book felt so thrilling and slightly mature, but still digestible for a younger audience. I really enjoyed this and based on how this ended I do hope there is a third book!

This one took me a while but this is just as much of a sucker punch as the first! Benton-Walker really takes you another thrill ride and the justice is on another level. Like others have mentioned Clem is stands out a lot this go around.

I'm so happy that this book has come out! Not only because I was truly intrested in seeing how the story would continue but because the authors writing is so eloquent. Also, even though I loved the original cover design of the first book in this series, Blood Debts, I truly love the new direction the cover design went with the sequel.

y kids and I recently listened to and read Terry J. Benton-Walker's recent release, Blood Justice, the sequel to last year’s Blood Debts which we also loved. This sequel has exceeded our expectations and it has now left is waiting for the third part of this trilogy. This new book is brilliant in keeping the characters and the magic and worldbuilding consistent. It has a great plot, filled with unexpected twists and turns. The cast of characters is wonderful in the juxtaposition of their uniqueness and relatability. They are flawed but their motivations are completely understandable.
My 17yo son said: Creative story consistent world building but the redemption arc of one of the main characters was too short for my taste so I am really intrigued to see how the author takes that into the next level
My 15yo daughter said Phenomenal writing, treating the characters trauma with respect, not rushing Chris into a new relationship, it was easy too sympathize with characters even when they were villains they had a plausible backstory, great LGBTQ+ representation !

So I really loved Blood Debts and I had really high expectations for Blood Justice. I thought this book started off with a bang and it really did reel me back into the story however when I got to about 50% and I wasn't sure were the story was going. I felt like the story was a little disjointed. I think there were a lot of plot lines that the author was trying to show us but they didn't come together. I still really love the characters and this world and if there is another book in the series I will defiantly be reading it.

I was excited to read Blood Justice because of how much I liked Blood Debts, however, even though I liked the book it felt a little disjointed at times. It felt like the author had a lot of ideas that weren't fully fleshed out. I hope that the story won't be all over the place for the next book because I do like the story and would like to finish the series.

DNF! The story and its set up is throwing me off at the moment. this book is feeling more disjointed than the first.

THIS WAS AMAZING. Often the second book of a series fails to compare to the first, but BLOOD JUSTICE didn’t have that problem. This book had action, scheming, depth, murder, and even soft moments. The pace stayed fast and engaging. Clem and Cris are so unique in their emotions and how they handle situations, yet I can see myself in both. I can’t wait for what’s next. I hope this series never ends.