Reviews with content warning for Cannibalism - The Blood Trials

Wow! Between this and Queen of Nothing I’ve been reading some of the most vicious, blood thirsty, and VIOLENT books I’ve ever read. It makes for a really intense experience. The backstabbing, betrayal, who can be trusted, political agenda absolute beast this book is took me by storm. I couldn’t put it down! I was gripped and at the end I was staring into space experiencing this book. Incredible storytelling, incredible challenges, incredible strength and resilience in times of adversary. Wow.

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shaipanda's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Ok this book is bat shit insaneeee - I absolutely loved it but definitely did not expect exactly how dark it is so keep that I mind if you read this. However despite that, I really loved Kenna and this was a superrr engaging book. Despite it being darker than I tend to prefer I’ll almost definitely read the sequel when it comes out cause omg so well doneee :)
However I will say I personally didn’t give it a 5 star because of how unlikeable pretty much every character is at various parts of the story (including Kenna occasionally lol) and I tend to prefer to at least somewhat like the characters I’m reading about
Oh also reallyyyy look at the trigger warnings fr cause this book is insanely dark and has no issues killing off characters

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lycanhood's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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tahsintries's review against another edition

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4.0

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kkarl3's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

CAWPILE Review

Characters: 6.5/10
The character work was one of the weaknesses of this book. I liked the character of Ikenna and realated to a lot of her motivations. As a 19 year old girl who has lost EVERYTHING and was being attacked for who she is, Ikenna’s rage is completely valid to me. I wish we could have seen her develop at least a little more logic and critical thinking towards the end of the book. I think just a little more character growth with her could’ve gone a long way but I do not fault her for being the way she was. I really wish we could’ve gotten more screen time from some of the side characters. Some of Ikenna’s thoughts were super repetitive and I think some of that could’ve been replaced with more interaction with some of the other characters.

Atmosphere: 8/10
I really really enjoyed the world that was built in this story. My only qualm is that I wish some of the lore and history of the world could’ve been explored a bit more. I found the forest and mountain scenes very intriguing, especially when it pulled back the curtain to some of the magical and historical world that Mareen tried to squash out of this world. I think this story could’ve benefited from being a trilogy so that more of the details of the world could’ve been fleshed out. I really enjoyed the trials and the war atmosphere that was brewing in the background.

Writing: 6.5/10
The writing felt a little amateur; however, I think this is valid considering this is a debut novel. Some things were extremely repetitive while I felt that other scenes could’ve used more detail. The writer’s voice felt a tad bland and underdeveloped in parts. There was a lot of telling instead of showing throughout the book. This is not to say that the writing was bad because it wasn’t but I think the author has a lot of potential growth for future books.

Plot: 9/10
The plot of this book was INCREDIBLE.

I did guess pretty early on about Brock’s and Selene’s guilt against Ikenna

However, there were several aspects of the ending that took me by major surprise. The trial scenes were majorly intense and the background murder mystery allowed for a lot of intrigue in the background that kept me wondering about several details all the way through the book. This plot was a rollercoaster ride and I loved it.

Intrigue: 9/10
This book kept me interested and invested the entire way through. I could not put it down and I often could think about little else. This book captured me and captivated me. I was obsessed with reading this and couldn’t get away. It was a very addictive story and I simply cannot wait for April for the second one. If Davenport’s next novel is as addictive as this one, she will be for sure going on my auto-buy author list.

Logic: 6.5/10
There were definitely a couple times were it felt like Ikenna’s powers were used as a cop out to get out of a situation. Her power needed a couple more checks on its abundance I think. She often withstained life threatening injuries that just healed overnight. There were a few reveals at the end that tightened up some of her surges of power and I appreciated that. Overall, a bit lacking logically but it wasn’t so much of an issue that it majorly took away from the story.

Enjoyment: 10/10
I LOVED the experience of reading this book. I had a wonderful time. While it is not the most technically sound novel, it is a debut and a damn good one at that. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride this story took me on and I will be picking up book two once it comes out.

I think it should also be noted that this is a VERY graphic novel and should not be read by the faint of heart. There are some VERY disturbing scenes that caught me off guard. If you can stomach a lot of gore this book is so worth it, but it is not a light read.

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kingrosereads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A high sci-fi fantasy new adult novel about a kickass black MC and political drama. Love it!!

I just want to note, that I saw somewhere that this book was labeled as YA, I’m here to tell you it most definitely is not! I learned the hard way as I stomached through the Accursed scenes. Also, check your trigger warnings, there’s a lot of violence and gore, racism, misogyny, bigotry, cannibalism, death, and you know, all the fun stuff my therapist will hear about later.

Can I just say, THANK YOU, Davenport. Thank you so much for writing a sci-fi fantasy that didn’t actively try to hurt my brain. The people have normal dialogue and the world building was explained is a beautiful way that still felt like I was reading about this fantastical world on another planet, without feeling like I wasn’t smart enough to understand and catch on fast enough.

This is likely the first 5 star rating I’ve given to a book where I genuinely don’t care about any shortcomings in the book, that’s how good it was.

The book follows Kenna Amari, 19 year old recruit for a special warrior group called the Praetorians. The trials to becoming a Praetorian are gruesome and deadly, and Kenna must overcome racism and misogyny (and attempts on her life) in addition to the shit tasks she and her fellow recruits are given. Kenna is sort of a legacy Praetorian since her grandfather was one and he was essentially the general for The Republic of Mareen. Her grandfather was a war hero from the war against the Blood Empire (all of the people there are blood-gifted, and having blood-gifts in Mareen is punishable by death) and he eventually rose above the ranks despite the blatant racism and bigotry that was thrown at him for being half-Khanaian (a nation where the population is predominantly black).

Before Kenna graduates from cadet school and can be recruited for the trials, her Grandfather dies suddenly. For three months, she grieves by drinking and getting into fight, and almost not graduating. That is until her grandfather’s friend and Tribunal member, Brock, tells her that her grandfather was murdered, and it was likely an ordered assassination by one of the other Tribunal members. She enters the trials to get close to the murder suspects so she can exact her revenge. She’s does this, while combating adversity, and also hiding the fact that she is blood-gifted. No one knows who Kenna’s father is (her mother never told anyone his identity), but it’s clear he’s from the Blood Empire. There’s a lot of action, a bunch of weird creatures and old, vengeful gods, lots of disturbing events, some mystery, a little bit of heat, and a healthy dose of twists and betrayals.

There’s a good chunk of the book that’s just info dumping, but it’s spaced out between action scenes or dramatic ones in a way that you’re not totally bored or overwhelmed. It’s still a lot to take in, but it’s good shit and it is (mostly) relevant. I like that Kenna is unapologetically herself and she’s not going to reel in her anger for the sake of decorum or “rising above it”. There were a few things that were just repeated too much (like the “I want my knife back…My knives” like the realization of two knives was mentioned too many times). But, it’s whatever in the end.

Kenna struggles with her identity as Mareenian and the fact the country outright hates her for the color of her skin. I think the book does well in diving into the issue of fighting for a country that doesn’t respect or fight for you. And a country that does a lot of messed up shit. As well as what it’s like to be biracial and be white passing. Then there’s the experience of being a woman and being a black woman that’s shown in this book. Where Kenna’s friend, Selene, is expected to be a wife and give heirs to her House, Kenna’s experience is much more violent. Especially since Selene has the added protection of being basically royalty to keep her from actually dying in the trials. I think the range of Kenna’s experience as a black woman in this mostly white nation of bigots, from microagressions to full-on attempts on her life, was written well and didn’t hold anything back. It’s difficult not seeing the parallels between Mareen and the US. The fact that Mareenians are outright racist and are visibly disgusted by Kenna, her grandfather, and all Khanaians, while also adopting Khanaian fighting styles, aircraft, and technology was just…I don’t know how to describe the feeling…but the irony of it in this book and it being a thing in real life…

And I’m sorry, but this is a debut? A DEBUT?! Davenport, I hope you fix some things and make some tweaks, but you did it. This is such a great book! Bless you for making it a duology. My heart and brain can only take so many 5+ book series.

This is also probably the first time a 5-star book has taken me a week to complete. Because I needed to put this book down. Some scenes were too much (again, the Accursed scenes really disturbed me) and some had me so heated I needed a minute to cool down and just do something else or read a lighter book. Kenna is 19 and she’s just had her entire world turned on its head, so she doesn’t make the best decisions, and she shouldn’t be expected to be perfect and avoid mistakes, she’s a human being and she’s NINETEEN!

I was suspicious of everyone and like Kenna, I was ready to kill these characters on the spot, she showed so much restraint, I don’t know if I could in her shoes.

And can I just say, the friggin sexual tension in this book not only kind of came out of no where (in hindsight, it was like a sneaky, slow build), but it was friggin amazing. I loved it. Reed, my expectations for you were low and I had zero faith in you in the end scene, but you surprised me, and I love you. If Kenna won’t have your babies, I will.

So yeah, go read the book. Learn some things and be entertained. Let me know when it’s April.

Content Warnings

ajamwelch's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book was absolutely amazing!! 10/10!! Seriously. Stop reading this and go read the book instead. It hits EVERY mark. A little more graphically violent than I anticipated, but overall utterly fantastic. I need the sequel immediately.

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