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kstacy91's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Homophobia, and Racism
abookdork's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Racism, Murder, Hate crime, and Violence
rmperezpadilla's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia, Alcohol, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, and Drug use
Minor: Bullying, Sexual violence, and Terminal illness
sahramahtab's review
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Death of parent, Violence, Sexual assault, Murder, and Car accident
Minor: Rape, Slavery, and Violence
thissagreads's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Racism and Violence
Moderate: Car accident
bookishpriest's review
3.5
The story is well-told and a lot of fun to follow. Race, class, and complicated histories are touched on and there's LGBTQ+ representation too.
I didn't think Blood Debts did anything especially new or mind-blowing, but it did a great job of telling its story in a fun way. Great for some mildly spooky summer reading.
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Violence
ashylibrarian's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
- Intergenerational, family magic; dark and light
- Attacking white supremacy
- DRAMA and, of course, blood debts
- Sometimes the story felt a bit heavy, but overall, the story was engaging and powerful
*Representation
- LGBTQIA+
- Gay
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Bullying, Car accident, and Gun violence
taratearex's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
An urban fantasy and murder mystery centered around a magical family living in New Orleans. The plot is thick with a complex history, tense politics, and family secrets. I loved learning about the different magic systems and their history and connection to people and the world- generational, sun, and moon- and the racial dynamics this brings into the world, this was a really interesting take on magic systems layering in conversations about racism and cultural appropriation. The murder mystery kept me interested, while I had some things I guessed correctly, there were so many twists and turns that were unexpected.
This book is dense and rich and at times this works so well- when it weaves in politics of white supremacy, cultural appropriation, generational trauma, homophobia, trust, grief, community care, and a lot more. Sometimes there is also A LOT going on with A LOT of characters that made it a bit hard to follow- there are multiple POVs, multiple subplots, and a lot of people to keep track of. I think the author does a good job of trying to keep you following along by explaining or repeating information, but it can still be a lot to follow and I did lose my bearings here and there.
But overall it's a great story with great worldbuilding and complicated messy characters that you root for.
CW: Racism, Murder, Violence, Sexual assault/coercion, Sexual content (references to and on page scene), Death of parent, Gun violence, Car accident, Bullying
Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book to review.
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Death, Cultural appropriation, Racism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Car accident, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Minor: Bullying
hobbithopeful's review against another edition
- 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
To say this book went above and beyond my expectations would be a lie. It BLEW my expectations out of the water! This is one of the best debut novels I've read, and if I could read it for the first time again I WOULD! The storyline was tense and kept me on the edge of my seat, and even though there was a wide and varied cast of characters, it was never too confusing. Each person introduced felt like they were so different and complex, it was never hard to keep track of them. I couldn't even tell you the amount of times I flipped to the family tree to try and suss out the mystery before it was revealed on page. I loved the inclusion of history, of queer characters, and the depiction of intergenerational trauma. This is one of the best magical systems I've seen depicted in books. All the rituals and spells that are shown felt so real, I almost expect to see people harvesting moonlight the next time I look outside at night.
This is definitely a heavy read. Benton does not shy away from discussions of race, appropriation, and injustice. I saw so much of myself in Cris, realizing justice is reserved for the white and privileged has been the hardest pill I've had to swallow. (And it's still stuck in my throat to be honest...) I would burn down cities if it meant getting justice and vengeance for those I believe are truly evil.
The book had the perfect amount of loose ends, not too many where you felt the story wasn't resolved, but the right amount where it sticks in your brain and you wonder what's going to happen in the next book. (I have so many theories it's insane!)
I truly cannot wait for the sequel, I know it's going to put me through the emotional wringer, and I will thank it when it does so!
A must read! SERIOUSLY! READ THIS!
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Violence, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, and Gun violence
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Sexual assault, and Bullying
Minor: Domestic abuse and Slavery
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Anyway! There were some great characters, and I appreciated the family history/mystery aspect of the plot. Those parts were the most interesting to me, and narrowing the focus would have let that part of the writing shine. There's a hook at the end that hints towards another book, but without that, you could mostly read this book on its own.
All in all, this was a book with potential that just fell a little flat for me.
Graphic: Racism, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Minor: Car accident, Bullying, and Gun violence
Also a brief mention of lynching