This was the best YA book I’ve read all year. It was dark and gritty, filled with more mystery and revenge. The scheming was god tier. Cris was truly standing on business, fuel with rage, getting revenge on all those who wronged her and her family. Clem still dealing with the loss of Yves, Valentina dealing with the grief of everything being striped from her. There were so many moving parts. The kids are all working to figure out who’s been murdering people all over town. I need the next book immediately!

A good conclusions to this series. Glad to see so much representation. Going to keep my eye on what else the author writes. Audio was fantastic way to consume this story.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this audio ARC of blood justice. I really enjoyed the book it was a perfect sequel. The twins have grown in character since blood debts and the family is in turmoil causing Christina to have to step up and once again fix things. The twins have grown closer but at the same time are very far apart with their many different inner life struggles. There were so many mysteries and plot twits that kept me on the edge of my seat. There were also multiple points of views which I enjoyed. New characters were introduced that were the perfect fit into this growing story. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy and magic. In my opinion the audiobook would have been better if read by people with a New Orleans accent since that’s where the book is based but these narrators still did an awesome job.

I was excited for this even though I haven't been feeling YA lately. I was not going to let that stop me from enjoying this story. Blood Debts was devoured in a day and Blood Justice was no different. The characters and their pain is written so beautifully. The stress, the culture, even the lore. I love being immersed into a world I don't know both for learning and new experiences. There was so much that happened that I didn't see coming. The ride really was a good one.

Love this one ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I need this on TV ASAP! Thoroughly enjoy this book and of The narrators were pure perfection!

Blood Justice by Terry J Benton-Walker is a great follow-up to Blood Debts. Although it's somewhat more violent at times I couldn't stop listening. I was drawn into the world the same as I was when I read the first book. the narrator did a wonderful job voicing the characters. I enjoyed this book and it's on my list of series to re-read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC for a honest review.

Terry J Benton-Walker is two for two with this series. I am not usually a big fan of books with magic and fantasy themes. HOWEVER, this series seems to have a hold on me. I love the character development of the charcters. This is the kind of book I would like to see turned into a TV series! The ending gives a bit of resolution but also enough of a cliffhanger that there can be (and probably should be) another book. This is a series i will swear by for sure. WOW! I really hope there will be another book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Available 23 April 2024

I want to express my gratitude to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Terry J. Benton-Walker for providing me with an AudioARC of Blood Justice for review. I remember enjoying Blood Debts, one of my first NetGalley reads in November 2022, so I was thrilled to review Blood Justice as well.

This exceptional book expands on the intriguing magical world that Blood Debts introduced. While it is not as much of a murder mystery as Blood Debts, it is equally captivating. If you enjoyed Blood Debts, you will undoubtedly enjoy Blood Justice as well.

I wasn't particularly fond of Cris's narration in Blood Debts, but she truly shines in Blood Justice and takes centre stage as our main character. She guides us through this tale of revenge, consequence, and retribution, and I believe she wouldn't mind it being described that way.

I'm eagerly anticipating what's next for Cris and Clem.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own.

***Cover & Title***
The cover of this book is STRIKING. Absolutely PHENOMENAL. The vibrant red of the plants, key, and blood moon + the character’s faces form a powerful and dynamic image, further enhanced by the details like the colors in their eyes, the stars in the background, and the font of the letters.

“Blood Justice” is a perfect title for this work—relevant and compelling—and works in conjunction with the cover to really draw the eye. As this is a sequel, I would have read it no matter what, but I can’t imagine a browsing reader could walk past this book without picking it up.


***Audiobook Format & Chapter/Part Structure***
I chose to read this as an audiobook, and, just as for Blood Debts, the production, sound design, and narration were amazing!!! The music in the beginning of each part translates the atmosphere of the setting of a magical New Orleans so well; I know it’s a detail, but it’s notable and enhancing to me.

The narration throughout was TOP TIER. This story was PERFORMED and performed impeccably. 👏 The effort and skill of each of the narrators cannot be overstated. I appreciated having different voices for each of the POV chapters; this, coupled with the distinct personalities of each character, made the multi-POV structure work so well in the audio format.

I also really appreciated the choices to add powerful quotes at the beginning of each part and to incorporate snippets of news articles sporadically; they felt very fitting to the story as a whole. I loved that we got some detailed recaps from book 1 in here because it’s admittedly been a while since I finished it.😅 From what I remember, I really enjoyed Blood Debts, but I had a couple issues with pacing, namely that the romance subplot moved a bit too fast for my preference.


***What I Loved! Writing, Imagery, Themes***
The writing at the sentence level felt very true to the characters and the setting; writing teenagers and modern language can be tricky, but Terry J. Benton-Walker delivered beautifully and realistically. The narration of the audiobook, as a result, flowed perfectly and felt very natural.

I loved the imagery throughout. The language was evocative and graphic; I could see both the shimmers and the carnage equally vividly in my mind.

Blood Justice was clearly written with strong empathy and emotion. The characters (incl. antagonists) are layered, imbued with humanity and depth. I love that we get so many different perspectives throughout the story and that each POV is written distinctly; the judgments or personalities of other characters don’t accidentally leak across into others’ internal thoughts.

I greatly appreciated the diversity of perspectives and identities and the way the characters reflected on them. I loved the palpable respect throughout the writing for the people in this story.

Note: This is not a huge part of the book at all, but I wanted to highlight one line that really got me. “Ana was fat and strikingly gorgeous” made me tear up and pause the audiobook. Maybe many people won’t understand why, but growing up in the early 2000s I don’t think I would have ever seen that sentence with an “and” in place of a “but.” I was a bit startled by how profoundly that touched me to be honest.😅 Respectful representation matters.

Anyway… lol.

Blood Justice is clear in the themes and questions it explores. As stated in the beginning of the book itself: How far is too far in the name of justice? What are the consequences and implications of choosing violence over forgiveness or tolerance toward those who have profoundly wronged you, and can that ever go too far? “What happens when the oppressed stop being nice?” Is there such thing as a blood debt to be reaped or blood justice to be executed? How do we dismantle injustice built into fundamental & powerful institutions? I love the breadth of responses to these questions from the cast of characters.

This book makes space for intense and complicated discussion. It touches on rage, justice, structures of power, fear, respectability politics, hopelessness, trauma, anxiety, community and the duty to protect it. Inheritance, birthright, sacrifice, identity through heritage, generational gifts and curses, how racism and violence shape tradition. Divine intervention, monstrosity and godhood and who decides which is which. But also: tenderness, intimacy, queerness, love, and friendship.

Ultimately, it’s about people, the societies that create us, the choices we make, and the futures we, in turn, shape.

And somehow within all of this there is still room for some humor.

The fabric with which the story was woven—i.e. these themes + the language, symbols, context, imagery, etc.—was very compelling to me.

That said, there’s something holding me back in terms of my connection to this book, and I suspect that it has to do with the plot and target audience.


***What Didn’t Work As Well for Me :/ Pacing, Structure, YA Plot***
I did see some of the revelations and plot points coming, and there was something a bit off about the pacing for me. I saw someone mention that this book reminded them of a dark CW tv show type of story, and I think that that vibe could ABSOLUTELY fit. If I had read this book with that in mind, maybe it would have enhanced my impression of it; without that lens, though, I did feel some strain on my disbelief suspension, and the way certain events are grouped together. The flow of the book could feel a bit awkward or disjointed at times. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t specify further than: The beginning and the end were swollen with events, while the middle felt like waiting for things to happen in response to things past. I didn’t feel strong building pressure/stress like I would have wanted, and without that tension I felt an out-of-place lull in the pacing. This could definitely have just been a me thing, though.

The context, background, and themes are very prominently established and often took a front-row seat in terms of my reading experience; the plot of the book itself sometimes felt a bit secondary to the presentation of larger questions and arguments. As someone who has read (and will continue to read) nonfiction about these topics, I am not seeing them here for the first time, and I think that a more subtle approach to these questions and greater focus on more plot points + the fantasy side of this story would have improved my emotional attachment to the storyline.

Don’t get me wrong — I absolutely think the questions the story approaches are relevant and fundamental; I just think they could be a bit too direct from author to reader, especially for readers who have visited these topics before and would have enjoyed more space for added nuance, intrigue, and playing with the characters & magic. Of course, it is very believable for these characters to be having these conversations, but there were a couple times where their thoughts or dialogue felt like the author speaking directly to me a bit too clearly. The story is very grounded in real-world conversations, history, and systems, so I think more fantasy and focus on plot could have helped bolster this as a magical story.

I’m not sure I would have had any notes about this^ if I didn’t feel like I wanted a bit more from the plot, though.

I also understand that this book is YA, which is not my age group anymore; I think it’s important for younger readers to encounter these ideas explicitly, so I am very happy that this book exists and that these very real experiences, complex questions, and sometimes-contradicting responses exist in here. These arguments should exist explicitly in fiction, and I think there are a LOT of readers out there for whom this book will be exceedingly impactful. Even if the ideas are not new to them, perhaps the language and way of voicing these experiences, feelings, and challenges will be. Essentially, take my previous critique with a grain of salt, keeping in mind that the target audience is not me.


***Overall Thoughts! TLDR***
Overall, I loved the empathy, characters, themes, and questions of this story, but I also felt something holding me back from it. I attribute this feeling to a combination of some awk pacing/structure, wanting more from the plot, very direct moral and political arguments and observations, and this being a YA book vs. me being 23.

However, I can see that this will be a book and a series that many readers will be completely OBSESSED with — I cannot wait to watch that happen. I will absolutely be recommending this series to readers around me, and I am so happy to know that my library will have it.

The way Book 2 ends, I am very excited to see where Book 3 goes; I’m hoping for more plot- and scheme-intensive scenes that take full advantage of the power dynamics, characters, and setting meticulously established so far.

Thank you to the publisher and author for the early copy to review!

3.5 stars rounded up.

I really struggled with what to rate this book. In general, I enjoyed it. However, I did have some issues with that really influenced my overall rating of it.

Things I didn't love:

1. I'm still really struggling to understand what the magic system rules are. I feel as though we're not getting enough about the magic, the history, the how of the magic system. And maybe that's intentional, but I think right now it just leaves me with way more questions than we should have about a magic system at the end of the second book.

2. I feel like this book could have been roughly 100 pages shorter. I started and stopped this book three times. I tried to read it physically (thank you to the publisher for the physical arc), tried to read it on my kindle, and then finally was able to get into it by listening to the audiobook arc. It feels as though the first 65-70% of the book is a hurry up and wait kind of experience. Don't me wrong, when shit starts happening, it is HAPPENING. But it feels like less time could have been spent on the often times repetitive revenge parts and maybe more time could've been spent on building up the magic system.

3. In general, I keep finding myself wanting more and better for our main characters, which keeps me interested in the book. But, the main characters have never met a good decision and that feels a bit redundant.


Final thing I'll say is that I gave this book an extra star because of the potential that I see in it. I think this has the potential to be a really good series.

After enjoying Blood Debts last year, I knew I had to see how the story continued with Blood Justice. And I wasn’t disappointed with this intriguing second installment of this Contemporary Fantasy series set in New Orleans. While I did have a few minor issues with the storytelling, I enjoyed the story, characters, and expanded world building in this installment, and got me listening for hours on end despite a 19 hour run time on 1x speed (I read this at 1.25x speed).

First off, due to some of the content (some disturbing imagery, graphic violence, too spicy for YA romance, frequent profanity) and subject manner, I probably wouldn’t give this book to 12 year olds, and part of me wished this was New Adult with the main characters being 19-21 years old. This also deals with several types of discrimination in various ways, and things get quite intense. However, if you’re up for it, you’re in for a really good read and/or listen. Also, I do think the new cover style fits the Contemporary Fantasy setting a bit better, as the old one felt like it was set in the 1920’s, not modern day New Orleans.

The story picks up a few months after the end of Blood Debts, and it deals with the continuing storylines of the Gen magic council in a stage of transition and facing off against outside influences that would want anything for them to be gone. Add to that some magical murder, diving into the consequences of justice and magic, and we have ourselves some raised stakes! I do enjoy that we have also have character building in between to help with the pacing as the characters explore injustice and rage in healthy and unhealthy ways. There is a bunch of setup early on, but it’s worth it. There’s plenty of twists and surprises as the story continues, with lore and world building expansion, and while I did like most of the new additions, the whole thing with the White Knights seemed like it was mostly setting up for future plot points and primarily detached from the rest of the plot. Part of me wishes there weren’t so many names to remember that I did lose track of a few of them, and wish some things were either expanded on a little bit more, or left for later in the series. However, the intensity of the last parts of the story makes up for it. While there are several HUGE gut-wrenching cliffhangers, the main standalone storyline is resolved.

The lore and world building get expanded big time, as we learn more about Gen magic and the other parts of the magical worlds and practices, which came into play. Oh yes, I can’t forget about the touches of New Orleans throughout the story, I felt rather immersed in the city during the story, with plenty of references to it’s food and culture, I’m so much in love with it.

I was intrigued to where the Trudeau twins were going in their arcs; bonding closer, yet growing apart at the same time due to the events of the first book and this one. They have their own trauma and complications to deal with in their own ways, as well as sins they’ve committed and justice they want to pursue. And part of me wants to give them both hugs for what they’re going through. Though one late story twist implies the pain might be planned out. The other POVs were a little interesting, but the one that surprised me the most was Valentina. While she’s still a manipulative young lady and her being 17 does break some disbelief in how much she’s working the long game in her revenge plot for the end of book 1, I felt for her as she started connecting to her family, and gave another side to her. Though her storyline almost ends abruptly, I wish she got another chapter or so to sorta wrap things up, but I’m assuming it’s going to continue later in the series.

Once again, the narrators nailed their performances. I especially give Joniece Abbott-Pratt and Zeno Robinson kudos in the final chapters for the emotional depth and range they were able to display. It’s really understandable, given the situation they’re in. One thing I wish the publisher would add is downloadable pages for audiobook listeners to know spellings and some of the relationship trees that are in the physical versions of the books. For instance I thought Yves (Clem’s boyfriend) was spelled “Eve” for over a year until I was informed by another reader.

Overall, I’m ready for the next book of the series (apparently 5 books) and see where the Trudeau siblings and the ones around them end up, and if you know what you’re getting into, you’ll enjoy it as well.

As the second in this series, this narrative continues the adventure and mystery of the several different types of magic in this world. I liked that there were so many diverse characters, different motivations for the characters' actions, and the rich culture and new exciting magic system. I enjoyed the second book as much as the first, and I can't wait for the next installment in the series because it ended on such a cliffhanger.

Wild AF…

This series kept my jaw dropped. I could not predict what was going to happen next. What I appreciate most about the series is the pure balance between fantasy, romance, thrill/spookiness. I also appreciate the acturate historical references as well as the current pop culture trends and language. I felt all the emotions in the series. I am ready for book 3.

Thank you to netgally for this arc. This is an honest review.

This was an amazing sequel! I loved this book. It is even better than the first. The discussions and conflicts that this story presents were just so masterfully done. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators are absolutely amazing. They speak with such emotion that it truly brings the story to life’. I highly recommend this series and this sequel 5⭐️.

Thank you again to NetGalley for this arc

•Magical New Orleans
•Witches
•YA
4.5 ⭐️
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If judging a book by its cover was a person. It's me! This cover is beautiful 😍.
Blood Justice is the sequel to Terry J. Benton-Walker debut book Blood Debts.
Holy gosh, the narrators did a phenomenal job! This is a good example of how an audiobook should be done when there are more than two POV's, the different narrators for the different characters! LOVE IT!
The representation of this book, oh my, oh my! It's delicious 😋. It deconstructs African Americans generation curses, anger, grief, suppression, and pain and gives US readers a different outcome. And I am here for it!
This book ends with a semi
Enough, I highly recommend this book.
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♡ Audiobook Review ♡
♤ Release April.23 ♤
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Thank you, Netgalley, and MacmillanAudio for this ALC (audiobook) for my honest review.

This book had ne in a chokehold from the beginning!

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group for the Audio-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Blood Justice did not disappoint as a sequel and wait....a CLIFFHANGE!!?!??

I have never had a book, audio or otherwise make me cry real tears, this one did it! The narration was spot on coupled with the injections of jazz and atmospheric sounds. It helped to fall into the world of the Trudeau family. The world building and character relationships were quite refreshing. One thing that really stood out to me was the use of the term "UNHOUSED" to refer to the homeless represented in the book. I think I will add that to my vocabulary. It is much more dignified than homeless.

Side note: the deaths in this book were very satisfying. Is that a bad thing to say?

Terry J. Benton-Walker did an excellent job of weaving real life issues within the LGBTQ+IA community, racial inequality and injustices, and familial dysfunction with magic, folk lore. and Mythology. The voice actors did an amazing job of translating the emotion of each chapter, leading me to waterworks in a couple of spots. Especially when it came to Clem and Eve.. ugh!

I honestly LOVED this book, and will be suggesting it to my friends and family!

OOooohhhh “snap, snap, snap” lol. I love some good
gen magick! I love reading about our peoples,
this is how we keep our stories alive.
I love the deep familial bonds in these books-even if they can get a little messy & petty (who’s family ain’t lol).
I love that more books are tackling problems related to the Black community, the queer community-marginalized communities in general.
This book was sooo good - how far would you go for revenge, love, family?
Book 3 can't cone fast enough!

When I tell you that I could not wait to get my hands on this book! I listened to the audiobook after physically reading Blood Debts and all the narrators did an amazing job. Especially the narrators for Clem and Christina, I felt every emotion listening to them. Blood Justice starts of powerful, immediately drawing you in and reconnecting you with the characters we grew to know from the 1st book. The quotes that were given were notebook worthy. I had to pause and rewind to capture some of them because Christina was giving them left and right. Clocking in at slightly over 19 hours, I broke down the listening over 3 days. I will say that towards part 2 and 3 of the book I did disconnect slightly as the pace had slowed down which can happen with a lengthier book. However, it does pick back up and finishes STRONG. Clement Trudeau is the standout star in this book, I love him, and we must protect him at all costs. Terry J Benton-Walker is a powerful author this is a magnificent follow up and I will follow him throughout his journey. The book is engaging and witty, the growth we see in the characters is amazing, even if we may not agree with their choices. I found myself numerous times begging certain characters to not go down a road. I cannot wait to see where we will be led in the 3rd installment.

Although this second book did not grab me like the first, this series is really elevated by a superb audio version. I highly recommend it to really get that New Orleans feel and atmosphere.

Story: Cristina and Clement rectified the injustice that saw their father and grandparents murdered, Mother Marie is on the Generational throne and all should be well. But it isn't: Clem's boyfriend Yves is still only partially resurrected and Cristina is bitter over the Gen community's treatment of her family. But as they set about making things right, a new evil is eying the opportunity to enter the human world again and there are those plotting against Queen Marie in an attempt to take the Trudeau family off the throne once again. As the twins soon find out, there are things much worse than murder out there.

This continues right where the last book left off and has many of the same themes. There is a far larger supernatural element this time that takes its position as main character of this book 2 in the same way that the New Orleans setting was such an intrinsic character in the first book. The twins are smart and resourceful as in the first book but also with distinct vulnerabilities that others (both human and god) will seek to exploit. Once again, we get smaller POVs of Oz, Valentina, and Zach.

As good as the writing is, the audio narration elevates the story. After having listened to hundreds of audio narrations, this is among my top 5, really bringing the characters to life. I especially appreciated that they have different actors for the twins and even the side characters with the smaller POVs.

As for why I didn't get into it as much: the messages (while important) about injustice were blunt force presented constantly in the story. A novel can be a soapbox but more subtlety would have made the distraction away from the characters/plot more palatable.

This is an engrossing series with a lot of depth and nuance set in a vividly recreated New Orleans. I liked both characters a lot and looked forward to following each of their storylines. Definitely get the audio version - it is easy to follow and the narrators are amazing. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

I really liked Blood Debts and was excited for the sequel, which was also very good. I do think it's got some pacing issues and drags a bit towards the early part of the book, but things definitely pick up and there is a LOT that happens. It gives me dark CW teen drama vibes, with this book focusing even more on revenge, the price of using certain kinds of magic, injustice, and the fallout of murder.

The series is set in a magical version of contemporary New Orleans, following a cast of characters from powerful magic families including a brother and sister. It's book 2 so I don't want to spoil things, but it offers a good balance between action and blood-soaked vengeance, and quieter character moments that fit it being a YA novel. If you liked book 1, you should for sure pick up book 2. Just note that it ends with some resolution, but also a bit of a cliffhanger! The audio narration is excellent with a full cast and different voices for each of the perspectives. I received an audio copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.