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sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
š¬: "Iām a cadet. Iām nowhere close to his rank. Iām also so much more than that and good olā boy Radson decided to fuck with me on the right day. I smile at Radson while motioning him forward. Feeling the severe strain of my cheek muscles, I know I appear a little psycho."
Davenport, N. E.. The Blood Trials (The Blood Gift Duology Book 1) (p. 9). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
šGenres: fantasy, sci-fi, romance, adult,
šPage Count: 453
š§Audiobook Length: 18h 20min
š©š¾āš«My Rating: āļøāļøāļøāļøāļø - 5/5
----
The Blood Trials by N. E. Davenport is a sci fi/fantasy ADULT story about a Black woman
who lives in a racist and misogynistic society who finds out her grandfather was murdered when she previously thought he died of natural causes. Ikenna is spending her last night as a cadet with friends when she privately gets the news, she instantly decides that she wants revenge. Joining The Praetorian Trials means that Ikenna can get close to the people who might have had a hand in her grandfathers death, so that's what she decides to do. She's sure that she cans survive the challenges, because she was trained by the best (her grandfather) and she has a secret blood gift to help her. Will Ikenna be able to survive the challenges while also figuring out who killed her grandfather?
There were plenty of things I really liked about this book. I love how the main character made impulsive decisions, now these decisions weren't always the best ones but I felt as if the character's personality really shined through and it was consistent. I liked how Ikenna often remembered her grandfather and how she would think about what advice he might give her. The action scenes were really well described in this book. And although some of the twists in the story were predictable, the story was written well so it was still interesting when revealed.
There was only one thing that I didn't like. I couldn't understand why the challenges were so hard, there were characters dying left and right and it felt like the Praetorians reasoning for the challenges being so hard didn't make sense. If no one survives your challenge then who actually wins? Literally no one, because the Praetorians wouldn't gain any new soldiers. There were so many people dying that it no longer became a shock when someone died, and it was no longer impactful. It ruined the immersion for me. Thankfully the story was written well so I was able to re-immerse myself back into the story a few chapters later.
There was one spicy scene, it was written well but I'm uninterested in spicy scenes between young adults. I'm giving the spicy scene a one chili š¶ļø out of five chilies.
Overall, this book was really good. There was so much I enjoyed and very little I disliked. The theme of this book is "revenge" and it really reminds me of "Iron Widow" by Xiran Jay Zhao and I gave that book a 5. This book definitely deserves a 5 as well. I'm giving this 5 out of 5 stars.
āļøāļøāļøāļøāļø - 5/5 Stars
I listened to this for free on the library app [HooplaDigital.com]
Davenport, N. E.. The Blood Trials (The Blood Gift Duology Book 1) (p. 9). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
šGenres: fantasy, sci-fi, romance, adult,
šPage Count: 453
š§Audiobook Length: 18h 20min
š©š¾āš«My Rating: āļøāļøāļøāļøāļø - 5/5
----
The Blood Trials by N. E. Davenport is a sci fi/fantasy ADULT story about a Black woman
who lives in a racist and misogynistic society who finds out her grandfather was murdered when she previously thought he died of natural causes. Ikenna is spending her last night as a cadet with friends when she privately gets the news, she instantly decides that she wants revenge. Joining The Praetorian Trials means that Ikenna can get close to the people who might have had a hand in her grandfathers death, so that's what she decides to do. She's sure that she cans survive the challenges, because she was trained by the best (her grandfather) and she has a secret blood gift to help her. Will Ikenna be able to survive the challenges while also figuring out who killed her grandfather?
There were plenty of things I really liked about this book. I love how the main character made impulsive decisions, now these decisions weren't always the best ones but I felt as if the character's personality really shined through and it was consistent. I liked how Ikenna often remembered her grandfather and how she would think about what advice he might give her. The action scenes were really well described in this book. And although some of the twists in the story were predictable, the story was written well so it was still interesting when revealed.
There was only one thing that I didn't like. I couldn't understand why the challenges were so hard, there were characters dying left and right and it felt like the Praetorians reasoning for the challenges being so hard didn't make sense. If no one survives your challenge then who actually wins? Literally no one, because the Praetorians wouldn't gain any new soldiers. There were so many people dying that it no longer became a shock when someone died, and it was no longer impactful. It ruined the immersion for me. Thankfully the story was written well so I was able to re-immerse myself back into the story a few chapters later.
There was one spicy scene, it was written well but I'm uninterested in spicy scenes between young adults. I'm giving the spicy scene a one chili š¶ļø out of five chilies.
Overall, this book was really good. There was so much I enjoyed and very little I disliked. The theme of this book is "revenge" and it really reminds me of "Iron Widow" by Xiran Jay Zhao and I gave that book a 5. This book definitely deserves a 5 as well. I'm giving this 5 out of 5 stars.
āļøāļøāļøāļøāļø - 5/5 Stars
I listened to this for free on the library app [HooplaDigital.com]
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Drug use, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, War, Child death, Racial slurs, Sexism, Torture, Grief, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Racism, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
squids_can_read's review
DNF (46%)
Kenna's grandfather is dead. Died of a heart attack or so the corner says. Suddenly information comes to light that her grandfather's death might not have been an accident like everyone says it is. Now Kenna has to fight for her place among the ruthless Praetorians along with finding out what actually happened to her grandfather.
Doesn't that sound great? It would have been if the author had developed the world at all. This is a mix of science fiction and fantasy but neither of these aspects are explained at all. There is random technology that simply exists with no information of how long it's existed or if people are still trying to create new technology. Similar to the fantasy element. Gods are referenced but are not described whatsoever in their effect on the world except for giving some people powers. And these powers aren't explained either. It seems like people with powers are much stronger than everyone else but they get beat up by people without powers. It also doesn't explain all of what they can do. Do they have one power depending on the god or do they have all of them? I was just really confused.
I also didn't like how focused the world was on racism and bigotry. This was a big part of the point of the book and I didn't have a problem with using those ideas to make a commentary on our world. I had an issue with how much was shoved in the reader's face that absolutely everyone where Kenna lives is a terrible person except for her friends, one of whom is from there. It just didn't make a lot of sense to me, especially in terms of the timeline of when these ideas started and where they came from.
As for the characters, I thought that they were okay. All of the characters seemed kind of two-dimensional to me. It didn't feel like they were very complicated, including the main character. But the characters were not why I DNFed this book.
PSA- Despite the fact that this book cover looks YA, this is definitely a book for adults. There is heavy graphic violence that took me a little by surprise. I did get used to it but it was a lot in the beginning, just so you know.
Kenna's grandfather is dead. Died of a heart attack or so the corner says. Suddenly information comes to light that her grandfather's death might not have been an accident like everyone says it is. Now Kenna has to fight for her place among the ruthless Praetorians along with finding out what actually happened to her grandfather.
Doesn't that sound great? It would have been if the author had developed the world at all. This is a mix of science fiction and fantasy but neither of these aspects are explained at all. There is random technology that simply exists with no information of how long it's existed or if people are still trying to create new technology. Similar to the fantasy element. Gods are referenced but are not described whatsoever in their effect on the world except for giving some people powers. And these powers aren't explained either. It seems like people with powers are much stronger than everyone else but they get beat up by people without powers. It also doesn't explain all of what they can do. Do they have one power depending on the god or do they have all of them? I was just really confused.
I also didn't like how focused the world was on racism and bigotry. This was a big part of the point of the book and I didn't have a problem with using those ideas to make a commentary on our world. I had an issue with how much was shoved in the reader's face that absolutely everyone where Kenna lives is a terrible person except for her friends, one of whom is from there. It just didn't make a lot of sense to me, especially in terms of the timeline of when these ideas started and where they came from.
As for the characters, I thought that they were okay. All of the characters seemed kind of two-dimensional to me. It didn't feel like they were very complicated, including the main character. But the characters were not why I DNFed this book.
PSA- Despite the fact that this book cover looks YA, this is definitely a book for adults. There is heavy graphic violence that took me a little by surprise. I did get used to it but it was a lot in the beginning, just so you know.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Gore, Alcohol, Body horror, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Blood, Classism, Racial slurs, Racism, Addiction, Death, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Torture, War, and Violence
maresuju's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Sexual content, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Deadnaming, Physical abuse, War, and Sexism
Minor: Colonisation, Genocide, Death of parent, Cannibalism, and Torture
zviews11's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Sexism, Cannibalism, Racism, Violence, Misogyny, Genocide, and Classism
lycanhood's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Torture, Bullying, Racism, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, War, and Violence
Moderate: Colonisation, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Classism, and Death of parent
Minor: Genocide
tahsintries's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Blood, and Torture
Moderate: War, Xenophobia, Grief, Racism, Misogyny, Death, Racial slurs, Genocide, Sexism, and Death of parent
kingrosereads's review
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, Iām 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, thereās 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 didnāt 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 wasnāt smart enough to understand and catch on fast enough.
This is likely the first 5 star rating Iāve given to a book where I genuinely donāt care about any shortcomings in the book, thatās 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 grandfatherās 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. Sheās does this, while combating adversity, and also hiding the fact that she is blood-gifted. No one knows who Kennaās father is (her mother never told anyone his identity), but itās clear heās from the Blood Empire. Thereās 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.
Thereās a good chunk of the book thatās just info dumping, but itās spaced out between action scenes or dramatic ones in a way that youāre not totally bored or overwhelmed. Itās still a lot to take in, but itās good shit and it is (mostly) relevant. I like that Kenna is unapologetically herself and sheās not going to reel in her anger for the sake of decorum or ārising above itā. There were a few things that were just repeated too much (like the āI want my knife backā¦My knivesā like the realization of two knives was mentioned too many times). But, itās 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 doesnāt respect or fight for you. And a country that does a lot of messed up shit. As well as what itās like to be biracial and be white passing. Then thereās the experience of being a woman and being a black woman thatās shown in this book. Where Kennaās friend, Selene, is expected to be a wife and give heirs to her House, Kennaās 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 Kennaās 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 didnāt hold anything back. Itās 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 justā¦I donāt know how to describe the feelingā¦but the irony of it in this book and it being a thing in real lifeā¦
And Iām 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 sheās just had her entire world turned on its head, so she doesnāt make the best decisions, and she shouldnāt be expected to be perfect and avoid mistakes, sheās a human being and sheās 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 donāt 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 wonāt have your babies, I will.
So yeah, go read the book. Learn some things and be entertained. Let me know when itās April.
I just want to note, that I saw somewhere that this book was labeled as YA, Iām 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, thereās 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 didnāt 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 wasnāt smart enough to understand and catch on fast enough.
This is likely the first 5 star rating Iāve given to a book where I genuinely donāt care about any shortcomings in the book, thatās 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 grandfatherās 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. Sheās does this, while combating adversity, and also hiding the fact that she is blood-gifted. No one knows who Kennaās father is (her mother never told anyone his identity), but itās clear heās from the Blood Empire. Thereās 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.
Thereās a good chunk of the book thatās just info dumping, but itās spaced out between action scenes or dramatic ones in a way that youāre not totally bored or overwhelmed. Itās still a lot to take in, but itās good shit and it is (mostly) relevant. I like that Kenna is unapologetically herself and sheās not going to reel in her anger for the sake of decorum or ārising above itā. There were a few things that were just repeated too much (like the āI want my knife backā¦My knivesā like the realization of two knives was mentioned too many times). But, itās 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 doesnāt respect or fight for you. And a country that does a lot of messed up shit. As well as what itās like to be biracial and be white passing. Then thereās the experience of being a woman and being a black woman thatās shown in this book. Where Kennaās friend, Selene, is expected to be a wife and give heirs to her House, Kennaās 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 Kennaās 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 didnāt hold anything back. Itās 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 justā¦I donāt know how to describe the feelingā¦but the irony of it in this book and it being a thing in real lifeā¦
And Iām 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 sheās just had her entire world turned on its head, so she doesnāt make the best decisions, and she shouldnāt be expected to be perfect and avoid mistakes, sheās a human being and sheās 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 donāt 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 wonāt have your babies, I will.
So yeah, go read the book. Learn some things and be entertained. Let me know when itās April.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Cannibalism, Death, Gore, Grief, Racism, Xenophobia, and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcohol and Alcoholism
Minor: Genocide, Slavery, Vomit, and War
thereadingskeleton's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you to B2Weird Book Club and Harper Voyager for an ARC in exchange for an honest review and promotion. All opinions are my own.
Rep: Black MC, biracial LI, Black side characters
What. A. Ride.
Honestly, what else can I say?
Actually, a lot.
First of all, this book is extremely violent, bloody, and gory. It follows Ikenna Amari as she enters the Praetorian Trials, a brutal military initiation, to search for her grandfatherās murderer. With a premise like that (not to mention a name like The Blood Trials, amiright?), I went in expecting violenceābut, even so, there was A LOT. I wasnāt particularly bothered by it, but if youāre squeamish, you might want to skip this one.
If I had to choose one thing about the book to gush over, it would be the blending of science and magic. I love science fantasy; itās a genre I never get enough of. In The Blood Trials, Kennaās home country of Mareen has eschewed magic in favor of technologyāso much so that theyāve executed anyone in the country born with magic. This is a big problem for Kenna, since she secretly has a blood giftāone of the most reviled forms of magic. Throughout the novel, Kenna embraces her gift more and more, and Iām hoping that, in Book 2, that extends to the world and we get to see more mixing of magic and technology.
There were a couple of things I wasnāt as big a fan of. For one, Kenna hardly experiences any character growth. I expect weāll see more in the second book, but it was frustrating to see her consistently making the same kinds of mistakes without learning a single thing. I was extremely frustrated with her for most of the book. That honestly didnāt detract much from my enjoyment of the story, because I was really here for the action-packed (if not always the least predictable) plot, and Iām excited to see the plot threads that were left dangling get picked back up in the sequel.
I also highly recommend the audiobook version! The narrator, Jeanette Illidge, did a fantastic job.
As a last note, this book is not YA. It is firmly in the adult category, and I definitely wouldnāt recommend it for younger teens. Some older teens will probably enjoy it, though.
Rep: Black MC, biracial LI, Black side characters
What. A. Ride.
Honestly, what else can I say?
Actually, a lot.
First of all, this book is extremely violent, bloody, and gory. It follows Ikenna Amari as she enters the Praetorian Trials, a brutal military initiation, to search for her grandfatherās murderer. With a premise like that (not to mention a name like The Blood Trials, amiright?), I went in expecting violenceābut, even so, there was A LOT. I wasnāt particularly bothered by it, but if youāre squeamish, you might want to skip this one.
If I had to choose one thing about the book to gush over, it would be the blending of science and magic. I love science fantasy; itās a genre I never get enough of. In The Blood Trials, Kennaās home country of Mareen has eschewed magic in favor of technologyāso much so that theyāve executed anyone in the country born with magic. This is a big problem for Kenna, since she secretly has a blood giftāone of the most reviled forms of magic. Throughout the novel, Kenna embraces her gift more and more, and Iām hoping that, in Book 2, that extends to the world and we get to see more mixing of magic and technology.
There were a couple of things I wasnāt as big a fan of. For one, Kenna hardly experiences any character growth. I expect weāll see more in the second book, but it was frustrating to see her consistently making the same kinds of mistakes without learning a single thing. I was extremely frustrated with her for most of the book. That honestly didnāt detract much from my enjoyment of the story, because I was really here for the action-packed (if not always the least predictable) plot, and Iām excited to see the plot threads that were left dangling get picked back up in the sequel.
I also highly recommend the audiobook version! The narrator, Jeanette Illidge, did a fantastic job.
As a last note, this book is not YA. It is firmly in the adult category, and I definitely wouldnāt recommend it for younger teens. Some older teens will probably enjoy it, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Sexism, Bullying, Racism, Cannibalism, Gun violence, Torture, Confinement, Misogyny, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Xenophobia, Classism, Death of parent, Racial slurs, War, and Sexual content
Minor: Colonisation and Genocide
foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you to B2 Weird Bookclub and Harper Voyager for an arc in exchange for an honest review and promotion. All opinions are my own.
4.5/5 Yāall this book took me on a ride.
This was so bloody, but I loved it all! The Blood Trials is an immersive, bloody military fantasy that follows Ikenna Amari. She has just graduated her training and is planning to take time off to grieve the loss of her beloved Grandfather. When she learns he was murdered, she decides to pledge to the Praetorians to find out who killed him. But sheāll only find out if she survives the fatal trial process.
There is so much action in this story, and a shit ton of graphic and violent content. I loved going on this journey with Ikenna. She was a character I enjoyed getting to know. She doesnāt have everything figured out, but she has a goal in mind and nothing will stop her from getting there.
The magic and world building was really well done. There are so many cool parts to the societies to explore and I cannot wait to learn more about them all in the sequel! I really hope we get to see more of the other countries besides Mareen, because I am so curious about them all. Especially Ikenna's friendship with the Crown Prince. I need more details Ikenna!
Overall, I highly recommend this book.
Rep: Biracial Black cishet female MC, white cishet female side character, biracial cishet male side character, various Black male side characters.
CWs: Racism, racial slurs, xenophobia, violence, gore, blood, injury/injury detail, cursing, death, cannibalism, misogyny, sexual content (on page and discussions), classism, sexism, grief, war, bullying/hazing, torture, murder, death of grandparent/parent, gun violence, medical content. Moderate: vomit, alcohol, alcoholism, confinement, gaslighting, colonisation, genocide, abandonment.
4.5/5 Yāall this book took me on a ride.
This was so bloody, but I loved it all! The Blood Trials is an immersive, bloody military fantasy that follows Ikenna Amari. She has just graduated her training and is planning to take time off to grieve the loss of her beloved Grandfather. When she learns he was murdered, she decides to pledge to the Praetorians to find out who killed him. But sheāll only find out if she survives the fatal trial process.
There is so much action in this story, and a shit ton of graphic and violent content. I loved going on this journey with Ikenna. She was a character I enjoyed getting to know. She doesnāt have everything figured out, but she has a goal in mind and nothing will stop her from getting there.
The magic and world building was really well done. There are so many cool parts to the societies to explore and I cannot wait to learn more about them all in the sequel! I really hope we get to see more of the other countries besides Mareen, because I am so curious about them all. Especially Ikenna's friendship with the Crown Prince. I need more details Ikenna!
Overall, I highly recommend this book.
Rep: Biracial Black cishet female MC, white cishet female side character, biracial cishet male side character, various Black male side characters.
CWs: Racism, racial slurs, xenophobia, violence, gore, blood, injury/injury detail, cursing, death, cannibalism, misogyny, sexual content (on page and discussions), classism, sexism, grief, war, bullying/hazing, torture, murder, death of grandparent/parent, gun violence, medical content. Moderate: vomit, alcohol, alcoholism, confinement, gaslighting, colonisation, genocide, abandonment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Death, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Gun violence, Grief, Racism, Bullying, Torture, Racial slurs, Blood, Cursing, Cannibalism, Classism, Sexism, Death of parent, Violence, Gore, Sexual content, War, and Murder
Moderate: Gaslighting, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Confinement, Genocide, Abandonment, Vomit, and Alcohol
internationalreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Abandonment, Classism, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Colonisation, Grief, Bullying, Sexism, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Torture, War, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, and Misogyny
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