Did I spend almost the entire book thinking this was a duology? Yes. Was I shocked but also happy it isn't? Also yes. I don't know how/why I got it into my head that this was a duology but I'm so glad it isn't- I'm not ready to leave this world or these characters.

Blood Justice definitely feels a lot darker than Blood Debts and I was here for it! Cris spends the book learning how to deal with her desire for revenge against the people that have wronged her and her family while Clem tries to figure out how to save Yves and also keep what happened to him a secret from Yves' sister. An attack at a soft opening of a club throws Clem and Cris's lives into turmoil when their mother is accused of murder. They spend the book dealing with the fallout while trying to prove her innocence.

I always feel a tiny bit disappointed when I get to Valentina's chapters because her thought process/decisions really frustrate me but I do like that we have points of view from both sides of this "fight" so I can't complain too much about her chapters. I feel so bad for Sophia and I really hope she finds a better friend than Valentina.

Terry J. Benton-Walker is a phenomenal author and I can't wait for the next book in this series.

I was hoping to love this book after enjoying the first in the series, Blood Debts. By the end of the book I got that wish, but it took a while for this book to pick up. The pacing in the first half made it difficult to get into it and I found myself putting the book down frequently. The second half did not have this problem and I breezed through Parts III-V!
The book picks up where the previous one left off regarding Cris and Clem’s darkness. The author did a great job making those moments believable and not feeling like their actions were out of character. While the ending was predictable, the way it was written was so good it made up for it not being a surprise.
Overall, I did found myself liking the book by the ending, it just took a while for the story to take off. The ending and cliffhanger is something you’re going to want to read and worth the slower start. If you liked the first book, you’ll want to read this!
(This was a solid 3.5. I rounded up because you can’t do half stars and this book was definitely closer to a 4 star than a 3 star.)

Blood Justice had the same amount of charm, love, and magic as Blood Debts without as many of its pitfalls. It was a compelling mystery with twists and turns that left me on the edge of my seat. The character arcs of the twins are a natural continuation of the first book, and speak to their own feelings around fairness and justice that raised interesting conversations.

The mystery in Blood Justice was just as captivating and page-turning as the one in Blood Debts, without as much of the second act clutter that felt hard to track. While not necessarily straightforward, the mystery didn’t feel nearly as overwhelming as the one in the first book, which I appreciate. I also appreciate how much the mystery tied in with the character arcs of our main characters, and how the pressures felt ratcheted up from the first novel (ie. solving a thirty-year-old murder vs solving a present-day murder).

Like its former, Blood Justice suffers from a large cast of characters. While the problem is less jarring as we had the entirety of the first book to get used to most of the characters, the new characters introduced like Ayden or Detective Sommers felt underdeveloped and ultimately not wholly necessary to the plot. Additionally, I was left wishing in both books that New Orleans played a larger role, or at least added more flavour text and description to the book. There were also a few lines that felt clunky and stilted, like the author didn’t trust the reader enough and instead went ahead and stated the obvious; however, since I was granted an advanced copy, I can only assume these lines will be ironed out and tried not to give them too much weight.

While I’m never a fan of a cliffhanger story ending, I can understand that the story told within this novel was wrapped up to the best of its ability, and can only wait with bated breath for the next book in the series.

Blood Justice was such a good read. The amount of anger, grief, and pain in this book was a rollercoaster, but it never felt like too much.

Cris was on a RIGHTEOUS warpath and I loved every second of it. Her journey to getting justice for her and her family while trying not to lose herself to the anger was quite the read. Clem & Yves in the prom scene was so heartwarming and made me so emotional.

This book focuses more on Clem and Cris, but we do still get POVs from Valentina and Zachary. Valentina is such a great complex character. We learn more about the politics and power dynamics of the magical community.

Overall, I loved this book more than the first. This was an excellent sequel and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next one. Thank you NetGalley and Tor Teen for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I thought blood debts was good but oh my God this book absolutely blew my mind. I absolutely love the nitty gritty gory way that Terry J Benton Walker writes and describes things. It is absolutely impossible to read his books and not be able to imagine a full scene of what he is writing out in his head despite the fact that pretty much most of the stuff is never going to happen in real life. I fell in love with the way that he point blank describes his characters, with the petty dramatic relationships between some of the characters but also the death defying and soul achingly loving relationship between Yves and Clem. I honestly thought that this was going to be the finale in a dulogy but about 44 pages from the end I was sitting there thinking to myself there is no way that all of this is going to wrap up in the next 44 pages. and by the time I got to the epilogue I was absolutely flabbergasted and obviously knew without a doubt that there was going to be another one. This book doesn't even come out until April and I am eagerly awaiting the day that I can request the third book on Netgalley because I truly do not know how I am going to sit there and wait to be able to find out what happens to everybody in the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC.
Onward and upward with this spoiler free review. Currently in Blood Justice the family is moving forward after taking their place. It’s still unclear who Cristina and Clement can trust. Everyone has alternative motives and everyone is hiding secrets. The twins are maturing and growing in their own way and creating their own path. I honestly wished they would be different from their mother and auntie. I felt so many of their issues could have been avoid with a simple conversation. Yet everyone in this story has a secret. When I tell you everyone in this story made me mad and upset, I mean all of them. Valentina with her annoying self girl please leave Cris alone. Zachary please go get some help young man. Clearly you are battling with your true identity. Osward you are a creep. Mom and sisters grow up are you the child? The way they allow these kids to run around and do what they want is insane to me. All of the aunties are still selfish and care nothing about none but themselves. But when I tell you here for all of the drama, all of the disagreements, all of the conversations to move forward. I love this book. All of it!

I love this series! I love the idea of reclaiming justice and fighting systemic racism in this magical world of dysfunctional family dynamics mixing with spiritualism and navigating relationships. This book was much slower for me than the first and made me less invested in reading, but being YA it was also easy to keep reading when I did pick it up. After that ending I’m excited to read the next one!

This is a great book to introduce young readers to the ideas of systemic discrimination and how it impacts generations of people through initial harm to sustained harmful methods of operation.

Again, this book is fantastic! If you are not normally a YA reader you do have to keep that in mind. But the storyljne, the characters and representation is so beautiful and the themes very important. If I was a teacher or librarian I would most definitely be putting this in the classroom for teenagers.

I thought "Blood Debts" was an okay book and was honestly on the fence about reading this sequel. But I'm glad I did, because "Blood Justice" was pretty great and left me wanting more. It dealt with the fallouts from the first book really well, and had a nice balance of mystery, thrills, and emotional beats. The author doesn't shy away from taking the main characters in morally grey or downright dark directions, and the book presents some poignant philosophical questions around social justice, dealing with oppression, dealing with loss and grief, and other heavy topics that aren't always handled as deftly in YA fiction. There's a wonderful cast of characters (at times, maybe too many to keep track of) and enough resolution to feel satisfying while still setting up a third book. The last bit felt a little rushed, and I would have liked a final check in with certain characters before closing. But the epilogue was beautiful and I'm excited to see what comes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this advanced copy!

Thank you tor teen publishing and netgalley for giving me this eARC

I am so upset that I have not heard about the author terry j. Benton walker before reading this book. But since reading blood justice I have to read everything by him, it was so captivating and exciting. It has so much power struggles and magical elements the dynamic between Cris and clem, is so powerful its crazy. It has everything that a YA fantasy should have to keep you hooked its has magical elements, personal vendetta, suspense, danger, magical protestors, and a brutal god. I do have to go back and read the first book but honestly I didn't know what I was getting myself into reading this book but I am more than happy with the outcome.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author of this book.

I want to start by saying in no way do I think this is a bad book, I think it’s written remarkably well, but it’s just not a book that was for me. I read the first book because I got it from Bookish Box and I liked it enough that when I saw the second book on here I thought I would read it but it just fell flat for me. They way that it was hyped and talked about I was expecting to get a similar vibe to The Originals TV Show with the magic in New Orleans but imo it was VERY political and didn’t focus so much on the magic itself but making magic political. If I had known that it was so politics heavy I probably would not have picked it up. The one storyline I kind of stuck with just to see how it ended was Yves and Clem. Maybe if I wait till the hype settles down and try separating it from what it was compared with I might like it but for now I will put it on the back burner.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book!!
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
There's a lot of TW's in this story too. Check my storygraph review and/or storygraph in general because it lists all of them.

I also received an ARC of the first story Blood Debt and I remember not liking the plot very much. Magic in New Orleans is great! The political intrigue of a magical society is fun! But the way the story came together in the first book felt convoluted with too many plot points, way too many characters, and a lot of POV's for people I couldn't remember. It felt like the story was this big run around for the characters and nothing seemed like it was connected to the other thing but nevertheless, I decided to read this sequel because I knew it was going to be better. (I also knew I needed to give the ARC of Blood Debt some leeway because it was an old draft that wasn't vindictive of the final product).

So, Blood Justice. There was still A LOT of characters in the story but I was less confused this time around (sort of, I didn't have a family tree to help this time) about who everyone was and how they all knew each other. The plot was also a lot less chaotic. Cris and Clem had one goal, find out who was framing their mom, and they didn't go around and around New Orleans trying to catch the person.

I still don't like Valentina as a person and I don't think I'm meant too? From what I remember of the first book, Cris literally did nothing to incur her wrath and since Valentina always says "This isn't about OZ" then what the hell is it about? Cris did nothing to Valentina that was worth all the bullying, the scheming, the lies, and Valentina plotting to kill her mom, the last parent Cris has. There's nothing that could ever make me like Valentina and I hope she doesn't get a redemption arc.

The whole possession plot line was horrifying in all honesty. I know Zac is an asshole in the first book for what he did but... damn... the trauma that's been given to him is so sad.

I still like Clem and Cris a lot, they're fun characters and I was glad to see them fight less in this sequel than they did in the first installment.

I also was under the impression for some reason that this was a duology and not a trilogy (?). I do think I'll read the next book because I want to know how the overall story ends. I just hope that the last book isn't as long as this one.

HOLY PLOT TWISTS, BATMAN! I loved Blood Debts and book two took things even further. I loved how important topics like racism, xenophobia, greed/power, family dysfunction/relations were woven seamlessly into the plot and world-building. I also really liked seeing and how LGBTQIA+ characters were plentiful and not othered because of it, and how femme characters held and pursued high level positions and were not pigeon-holed. Cris in particular is a fascinating character as readers see both her darker side as well as her deep love for her family and what is just. The only bad part? Having to wait for book three!

I liked the first books plot and the cliffhanger we left off on. This book continues its engaging journey. I like that the author is able to capture how typical teenagers act and feel and it can be easy to get annoyed by the twins decisions but you remember they are teens and then their decisions make more sense.

I really enjoyed Blood Debts so I was stoked for the sequel but honestly I think this one maybe needed to like, put one or two characters/plots back on the shelf. Like I still love Clem and Cris as characters and I think the magical worldbuilding is so cool but this was just...a lil too much for me tbh

full of rage, anger, and revenge. the protagonists got stronger and the plot got more focused, but the mystery was a little weaker. thanks for the arc.

This is the sequel to Blood Debts, a YA novel that follows Cris and Clem and their family’s journey for justice. We are continuing to learn of the magical systems and those who practice them. Cris and Clem’s family may now be leading the magic council, but this does not mean they are safe from harm. Terry J. Benton-Walker continues to give us multiple POVs with Cris and Clem at the forefront. All the POVs are woven together smoothly so that the reader does not get confused nor does it feel like info dumping.

Every new character, magic system/spells, and twists that we learned will keep the reader hooked! Towards the end of the book, I couldn't put it down and had to finish reading to find out what happens next! I had no idea that this was going to have a third book so the ending shocked me in the best way!

This book is a lot darker than the first and the way that Cris is seeking justice had me agree with her at times. Clem, oh Clem, he holds a special place in my heart. Everything he goes through and his sacrifices for those he loves are just heartbreaking! These siblings keep their secrets, but in the end, they will have each other’s back to ensure they save themselves from themselves.

This was one of my top 3 books of 2023! I cannot wait for its release so I can reread the physical copy!

A huge thank you to NetGalley for this E-ARC, it in no way influences my review. Blood Justice will be out in the world on April 23, 2024, so preorder NOW!

Terry J. Benton Walker knows how to create a compelling story!! This book was so tense, even more so than Blood Debts in my opinion. There was a lot going on and once I got started, I flew through this book to see what was happening! I also appreciate what he did with the characters in this book. I was blown away by some of the character's actions, but it all had a purpose in the plot. I also think Terry Benton Walker does a great job taking us through a complete story within each book, while setting up the next book perfectly!

What I did not enjoy about this is the way racism is explained in the narrative. It feels like the characters are using academic textbook definitions of systemic racism in their regular interactions with people, even other Black people. I didn't understand why Black characters were talking about "Black and Brown communities" when referring to their own neighborhoods or experiences? It felt like a very impersonal, detached manner of speaking and more like the author is trying to explain systemic racism to White people using professional jargon lol. It just felt out of place in some parts, like when Cristina and her mom are talking to each other.

Other than that I enjoyed this for the most part and can't wait to see where the story goes in the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of this title.

The Trudeau siblings are back, and just as great as ever. Every time I go to read a sequel to a book I loved, I get nervous that the second book won't live up to the first. This book, however, exceeded my expectations. This was such a good sequel. It built upon the story, providing both answers and further questions. I really appreciated that the author included a few reminders at the beginning of the story to help bring you back into the universe and where book 1 left things. I didn't get a chance to reread the first book before starting this, but this helped me feel right back at home in this world. The character development in this was so interesting. I loved the direction that Benton-Walker took with the story. It is the perfect combination of plot and character. It works so well. I enjoyed how we get a bigger picture look at the world in this one, seeing a bit past New Orleans' magical community. I once again thought that the multiple POVs was handled really well. It's often something that's so irritating for me personally as a reader, but I had no complaints with it in this. This series is just so good, and I love the development in Blood Justice. I would definitely recommend this title and the series as a whole to anyone with even the slightest interest in fantasy novels.

An ARC was provided through NetGalley.

This is a spoiler-free review, as Blood Justice is a book that needs to be read without any spoilers provided. The twists and turns are just That Good. Don’t let the length of time I spent reading the book fill you. Real life might have reared its head, but all I wanted to do was sit up day and night and read the book until I was done.

There’s a fine line between justice and vengeance, as the characters in Blood Justice, Terry J. Benton-Walker’s sequel to blood debts find out. Combined with a desire to create and/or maintain family and legacy, these themes make the book a stellar sequel to Blood Debts, one that is even better than the original.

What could be a basic one-note novel about magic and a quest for power is turned into something far more intriguing and spell-binding (no pun intended) in Benton-Walker’s hands. The grief and rage that the Clement, Cristina, and Valentina are feeling only serves to provide more depth to the characters , fueling their motivation and making their choices throughout the book completely understandable, even if those choices break the reader’s hearts in the process.

I was blown away by Blood Debts and the sentiment has only doubled after reading Blood Justice. The way that Benton-Walker creates layer upon layer of characterization and motivation, all fleshed out in the rich history of New Orleans is something to behold. After reading Blood Justice, I could easily make a trip to New Orleans and expect to witness the gods and magical families out there walking among us.