Reviews with content warning for Medical trauma - The Blood Trials

Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport

9 reviews

blakeandbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad 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

5.0

LFGGGGGG

Why did no one force me to read this sooner?! What’s freaking masterpiece. Ikenna is such a badass who doesn’t take shit from anyone! So much happened from beginning to end — I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The audiobook? So so good! I’m excited to read book 2.

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kaerene's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Unhinged Review As I Just Finished The Blood Trials:

I need the sequel and I need it now. I am speechless. The plot. That ending. What an absolutely satisfying read.

This book has everything:
-Great World Building
-Creative World Building Info Dump (Seriously. I was so confused about the world in the first few chapters, I kept thinking that I was missing something and it super bothered me. BUT THEN!!! The author creates this scene with different characters answering world building questions in an almost classroom setting as part of the trials and I was amazed. It was so clever since the story/plot was already going in full force.)
-A Badass Female Main Character who kicks a lot of butt
-A+ Characters
-A+ Plot
-A Zuko/Avatar The Last Airbender-esque Redemption ark?! CHEFS KISS.
-So So Many Deaths
-Mystery
-Mayhem
-And takes a good long look at questioning authority, perpetuating and being complicit in racism and bigotry.

Highly highly recommend this to anyone who wants a fast paced story that does an amazing job at blending elements of sci-fi and fantasy together into something new. Definitely check trigger warnings as there are a lot unsettling things that happen around and to our FMC, Ikenna.

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risaleel's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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erincrichter's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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kkarl3's review

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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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