Reviews

The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport

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teachertoledo_books's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

geoirene's review against another edition

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2.75

Not bad, racism background. Addicting but not sure I'll read the second one. Got annoying sort of and long in the middle

fictionalcass's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful tense 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? Yes

4.5

This was such a great read!! It truly had a little bit of everything, and is filled with interesting characters who make some ~unexpected~ turns. The war training academy and some of the overall plot moments had me thinking that The Blood Trials is the book that another book I shall not name thinks it is.

Ikenna is an enjoyable main character to follow, and I really grew to love her throughout the course of the book. Some of her decision making and ability to ignore clues that are slapping her in the face had me yelling at the book, but it makes her much more believable. I love that she wants to believe in the good in things even when faced with seemingly undeniable proof, and I love her fighting spirit.

This story starts just before graduation and the bulk of it takes place in the very extreme training setting, before taking a sharp turn for the last stretch. This felt a bit discordant at times with the pacing in the big picture, but it feels like the perfect setup for the second book and I’m excited to see how things play out.

Highly, highly recommend this one if you are looking for a vibrant SFF read with a great crew of characters, mystery, and even a little dash of romance. Exceptional 4.5⭐️ read!

Content Warnings

cait_readsxox's review against another edition

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5.0

This was so amazing! I'm so excited for the sequel! Amazing writing and badass characters, I'm here for it! This is definitely not YA and more new adult novel due to the amount of gore and violence in this. This was such an action-packed and character driven story that was immensely compelling to read about. I'm so impressed that this is a debut! This book was such a wild ride, I legit sobbed and laugh while reading this book. I love Ikenna as a main character so much! Also, the world building is complex but easy to understand and the blood magic in this is so cool and unlike anything I've ever read before! New favourite book!! <3