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e_flah's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Thank you to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The copy of The Blood Trials I received for review was an un-edited ARC, which feels particularly worth emphasizing. The overall summary of my feelings about The Blood Trials can be distilled into the following -- the premise is super cool but the book itself felt like a work-in-progress.
The Blood Trials is part murder mystery, political intrigue, and violent tournament. The story follows Ikenna who signs up to endure the contest to become a Praetorian, the most elite soldiers, as a means of investigating the murder of her grandfather. The prominence of the various elements of The Blood Trials ebbs and flows over the course of the story. There would be periods where I would wonder if Ikenna forget about her search for answers as there hadn't been so much of a mention of the mystery for huge chunks of the story.
Ikenna is a tough-as-nails, loyal protagonist. Watching her grow through her interpersonal relationships with her friends and Praetorian competitors was really satisfying. She is a protagonist who makes mistakes but isn’t afraid to grapple with them in an attempt to do better next time. Ikenna endures a lot of racism and sexism over the course of the story but never wavers in her conviction that she deserves to be a Praetorian. Through her character development, we see how predominantly white institutions impact people of color, which added a powerful emotional component to Ikenna's quest for belonging and answers about her grandfather.
That said, Ikenna felt all over the place as the narrative voice of this story. Her internal dialogue often swung from logical to filled with rage in ways that could be hard to follow. These mood swings were conveyed through telling, rather than showing, which made them seem almost performative on Ikenna's part in a way that didn't make sense. There’s also a lot of internal narrating, which often popped up in the middle of a scene that otherwise had a lot of action going on. Ikenna’s musings usually restated information that the reader had already been told numerous times while completely ignoring obvious questions or further areas of investigation.
The Blood Trials felt like 2 books smushed together rather than one cohesive whole. The first portion of The Blood Trials focused heavily on Ikenna’s time competing for a place among the Praetorians and a bit of her investigation into the murder of her grandfather. (view spoiler)
I found the world-building really frustrating. The world of Iludu sounds beyond intriguing. Some people have gifts that are legacies of special talents bestowed by the gods before the gods were banished. This is a world with a long history of war that it seemed like the reader was supposed to be familiar with but was never explained in a comprehensive way. The first portion of the book swung from huge passages filled with info-dumping to situations where explanation would’ve been helpful but was notably absent. The synopsis of The Blood Trials explains the situation in Mareen better than the book itself, which about sums up my frustration with how world-building is handled in the book.
The Blood Trials has an interesting concept and a lot of potential. I think some of my issues with the book are probably due to the fact that this ARC seemed more on the un-edited side.
The copy of The Blood Trials I received for review was an un-edited ARC, which feels particularly worth emphasizing. The overall summary of my feelings about The Blood Trials can be distilled into the following -- the premise is super cool but the book itself felt like a work-in-progress.
The Blood Trials is part murder mystery, political intrigue, and violent tournament. The story follows Ikenna who signs up to endure the contest to become a Praetorian, the most elite soldiers, as a means of investigating the murder of her grandfather. The prominence of the various elements of The Blood Trials ebbs and flows over the course of the story. There would be periods where I would wonder if Ikenna forget about her search for answers as there hadn't been so much of a mention of the mystery for huge chunks of the story.
Ikenna is a tough-as-nails, loyal protagonist. Watching her grow through her interpersonal relationships with her friends and Praetorian competitors was really satisfying. She is a protagonist who makes mistakes but isn’t afraid to grapple with them in an attempt to do better next time. Ikenna endures a lot of racism and sexism over the course of the story but never wavers in her conviction that she deserves to be a Praetorian. Through her character development, we see how predominantly white institutions impact people of color, which added a powerful emotional component to Ikenna's quest for belonging and answers about her grandfather.
That said, Ikenna felt all over the place as the narrative voice of this story. Her internal dialogue often swung from logical to filled with rage in ways that could be hard to follow. These mood swings were conveyed through telling, rather than showing, which made them seem almost performative on Ikenna's part in a way that didn't make sense. There’s also a lot of internal narrating, which often popped up in the middle of a scene that otherwise had a lot of action going on. Ikenna’s musings usually restated information that the reader had already been told numerous times while completely ignoring obvious questions or further areas of investigation.
The Blood Trials felt like 2 books smushed together rather than one cohesive whole. The first portion of The Blood Trials focused heavily on Ikenna’s time competing for a place among the Praetorians and a bit of her investigation into the murder of her grandfather. (view spoiler)
I found the world-building really frustrating. The world of Iludu sounds beyond intriguing. Some people have gifts that are legacies of special talents bestowed by the gods before the gods were banished. This is a world with a long history of war that it seemed like the reader was supposed to be familiar with but was never explained in a comprehensive way. The first portion of the book swung from huge passages filled with info-dumping to situations where explanation would’ve been helpful but was notably absent. The synopsis of The Blood Trials explains the situation in Mareen better than the book itself, which about sums up my frustration with how world-building is handled in the book.
The Blood Trials has an interesting concept and a lot of potential. I think some of my issues with the book are probably due to the fact that this ARC seemed more on the un-edited side.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Blood, and Sexual content
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, and Sexism
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