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patricktreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Blood Debts I went into knowing nothing about it other than it was a YA story that had magic. I was BLOWN away by the intricacies of the story, the magic system and the magical factions that our characters come from. It is a very dark story, but in the best way. The writing was smooth and very easy to follow, but at the same time it was still complex with plenty of detailing to keep the story intriguing and moving.
The arc I received (special thanks to the publisher and Netgalley) was an audio edition of the book. The narration was done amazingly, and I think the production was pretty spot on to how well it was also written. I really hope that in the next book, the same narration and production team are used to keep that same stellar performance going.
The arc I received (special thanks to the publisher and Netgalley) was an audio edition of the book. The narration was done amazingly, and I think the production was pretty spot on to how well it was also written. I really hope that in the next book, the same narration and production team are used to keep that same stellar performance going.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Body horror, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, Death, Drug use, Racism, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Abandonment, Bullying, Classism, and Death of parent
amethystandherbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Death, Murder, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infertility, Medical content, Alcohol, Sexual content, Classism, Chronic illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, and Gun violence
trippyotter's review
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Siblings, Clem and Chris, are still grieving their father's death when their mother becomes ill. No treatment - magical or otherwise - has been able to save their mother from her ailment.
After a grim medical check-up, they discovered their mother wasn't ill. She'd actually been cursed.
Left reeling the from the betrayal, they're determined to discover who could and would set out to destroy their family.
The level of deceit and hatred amongst the characters and community is twisted over the generations into a raw and tangible thing about to combust.
I really wanted to rate the book higher, but there's so many point of views and loose threads that are condensed into such a short timeframe, that it's a lot to unpack and doesn't necessarily flow smoothly.
After a grim medical check-up, they discovered their mother wasn't ill. She'd actually been cursed.
Left reeling the from the betrayal, they're determined to discover who could and would set out to destroy their family.
The level of deceit and hatred amongst the characters and community is twisted over the generations into a raw and tangible thing about to combust.
I really wanted to rate the book higher, but there's so many point of views and loose threads that are condensed into such a short timeframe, that it's a lot to unpack and doesn't necessarily flow smoothly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death, Sexual content, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Murder, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
chronicacademia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Mental illness, Colonisation, and Rape
nemoslittlelibrary's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-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? No
4.5
“For every child of color who was denied the justice they deserved. You always matter.”
Blood Debts had me gripped from the minute I read the dedication and the author’s note at the beginning!
The magical world within Blood Debts was so unique to me - that Gen Magic was created for those oppressed to survive colonisation, slavery and lynching. We have on the other hand the white mages that work with light magic (the sun) and then of course the non-magic folk. Everything in this book was so carefully orchestrated and explained so well. There are multiple subplots within this book as well that add to the overall plot of the book (the mystery of who is coming after Cris and Clem’s family) and keep the story moving at a nice pace. The world building was phenomenal and the writing was beautiful - the imagery in some of the spell casting scenes is just pure perfection!
I think this book is so interesting with a wonderful fictional plot however it does clearly bring light to some very real and non-fictional issues that minority communities still face in the present day. The history to the Gen community and, of course Cris and Clem’s grandparents, is so relevant to real history and I think this book truly helps bring those discussions to light through a fictional world. The pure poc rage and also feminine rage within this book really moved me emotionally because so much that happened are unfortunately, still real problems.
Main things I liked about the book:
- Multiple pov, we not only get to see Cris and Clem’s perspective on things but also a couple of the side characters. It’s always a nice insight on how the scene is playing out from different point’s of view.
- The familial bonds! Yes there is romance in this book but I would say the main relationships are within the family, specifically sibling bonds. Any reader who loves to see unconditional love for family members will really enjoy this.
- The strong poc, and female, characters. I loved, especially Cris, who would not back down and see her family suffer or be further oppressed. She quite literally fought until the very end and stood up for what was right.
- The history! The way this story was written and gave so much magical historical context to the present life in New Orleans was done so well that at no point did I think the author was just giving a history lesson and trying to get as much information in as possible. It was appropriately mentioned at the right scenes of the book but done often enough that I did have the full picture of their history by the end.
- Clem and Yves, No words. They have my heart.
- Jean-Louise was such a tender character, his development was adoring to see and I loved how he kind of took Clem under his wing.
I genuinely got so emotionally invested with the story line and a few of the characters. I will now eagerly be waiting for the second book because what was that cliffhanger!!!!
Some of my favourite quotes:
• “Gen gods literally created our magic to survive colonization and slavery and lynching—all because of white people. Pokémon are cool. Generational magic is my heritage, Oz.””
• “but let me make myself quite clear: Before I allow a group of limp white dicks to lord over my gods-given right to wield magic, I will decimate the entirety of New Orleans and every one of your cute little thrones along with it.”
• “A woman’s worth is not tied to her ability to conceive, nor are we obligated to pop out children to serve the patriarchy.”
• “You thought your brother was a rainbowed whore.”
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an earc of this book⭐️
Blood Debts had me gripped from the minute I read the dedication and the author’s note at the beginning!
The magical world within Blood Debts was so unique to me - that Gen Magic was created for those oppressed to survive colonisation, slavery and lynching. We have on the other hand the white mages that work with light magic (the sun) and then of course the non-magic folk. Everything in this book was so carefully orchestrated and explained so well. There are multiple subplots within this book as well that add to the overall plot of the book (the mystery of who is coming after Cris and Clem’s family) and keep the story moving at a nice pace. The world building was phenomenal and the writing was beautiful - the imagery in some of the spell casting scenes is just pure perfection!
I think this book is so interesting with a wonderful fictional plot however it does clearly bring light to some very real and non-fictional issues that minority communities still face in the present day. The history to the Gen community and, of course Cris and Clem’s grandparents, is so relevant to real history and I think this book truly helps bring those discussions to light through a fictional world. The pure poc rage and also feminine rage within this book really moved me emotionally because so much that happened are unfortunately, still real problems.
Main things I liked about the book:
- Multiple pov, we not only get to see Cris and Clem’s perspective on things but also a couple of the side characters. It’s always a nice insight on how the scene is playing out from different point’s of view.
- The familial bonds! Yes there is romance in this book but I would say the main relationships are within the family, specifically sibling bonds. Any reader who loves to see unconditional love for family members will really enjoy this.
- The strong poc, and female, characters. I loved, especially Cris, who would not back down and see her family suffer or be further oppressed. She quite literally fought until the very end and stood up for what was right.
- The history! The way this story was written and gave so much magical historical context to the present life in New Orleans was done so well that at no point did I think the author was just giving a history lesson and trying to get as much information in as possible. It was appropriately mentioned at the right scenes of the book but done often enough that I did have the full picture of their history by the end.
- Clem and Yves, No words. They have my heart.
- Jean-Louise was such a tender character, his development was adoring to see and I loved how he kind of took Clem under his wing.
I genuinely got so emotionally invested with the story line and a few of the characters. I will now eagerly be waiting for the second book because what was that cliffhanger!!!!
Some of my favourite quotes:
• “Gen gods literally created our magic to survive colonization and slavery and lynching—all because of white people. Pokémon are cool. Generational magic is my heritage, Oz.””
• “but let me make myself quite clear: Before I allow a group of limp white dicks to lord over my gods-given right to wield magic, I will decimate the entirety of New Orleans and every one of your cute little thrones along with it.”
• “A woman’s worth is not tied to her ability to conceive, nor are we obligated to pop out children to serve the patriarchy.”
• “You thought your brother was a rainbowed whore.”
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an earc of this book⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, Death, Murder, Violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
purplepenning's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
There is a lot going on in this dark, contemporary urban fantasy. It's a great concept, but it didn't end up working for me. (I'm not giving a star rating because I'm definitely not the target audience.) Blood Debts is, as promised, absolutely dripping with generational magic, trauma, and family and community drama. But the cast and scope felt too big, and the characters managed to feel both underdevoped and belabored. I hope it works better for other readers, or that the series as a whole comes together better than this first part.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Drug use, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcohol, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Car accident, Death of parent, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Grief, and Infertility
Digital bullying, necromancycaseythereader's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-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
3.0
Thanks to Tor Teen for the free advance copy of this book.
- The world of BLOOD DEBTS is fantastic. A New Orleans with several branches of magical families, warring for power on multiple levels. The imagined world here is so rich it feels like it could be real.
- I loved Clement and Cristina, both prickly and headstrong in their own ways, and deeply loving of their big, loud, fractured family (the aunts! I loved them all!) Also, it has multiple queer characters, which I haven't seen mentioned much in the marketing.
- However, for me, this book was a lot of telling rather than showing. It was mainly the kids running from adult to adult and prying pieces of secrets out of them, then rehashing everything they know in the next scene, repeat. I think this might have worked better as an adult fantasy instead of YA/New Adult, with POVs from the many adults and their grudges rather than the teens, who are the only ones out of the loop.
- The world of BLOOD DEBTS is fantastic. A New Orleans with several branches of magical families, warring for power on multiple levels. The imagined world here is so rich it feels like it could be real.
- I loved Clement and Cristina, both prickly and headstrong in their own ways, and deeply loving of their big, loud, fractured family (the aunts! I loved them all!) Also, it has multiple queer characters, which I haven't seen mentioned much in the marketing.
- However, for me, this book was a lot of telling rather than showing. It was mainly the kids running from adult to adult and prying pieces of secrets out of them, then rehashing everything they know in the next scene, repeat. I think this might have worked better as an adult fantasy instead of YA/New Adult, with POVs from the many adults and their grudges rather than the teens, who are the only ones out of the loop.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Homophobia, Violence, Bullying, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Sexual content, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault
mshiiken's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
BLOOD DEBTS floated across my inbox from Booklist Delivers, and I am SO GLAD it did. NetGalley provided a galley in exchange for an honest review and this book rules. A fuller review will be posted to Mzinigan Mshiiken, but brief incredible points:
- fascinating magic system
- political intrigue, both mundane and magical
- New Orleans
- LGBTQIA+ representation and love
- messy family ties
The only reason this gets 4 stars rather than 5 is because the writing at times was a little tough to get into. It was a little bit like getting a firehose of description to the face, and I found myself having to re-read sections to parse what was being said. Granted, the chapter titles helped a lot with perspective and the character changes were fascinating. Others have noted that the beginning is slow and I agree - that said, the latter half of the book had me on the edge of my seat for the few hours it took me to speedread. I think teens will really like this book (although a few scenes are a liiiiiittle more explicit than I like to recommend), and plenty of adults will too. I'm excited to see what comes next in the series!
- fascinating magic system
- political intrigue, both mundane and magical
- New Orleans
- LGBTQIA+ representation and love
- messy family ties
The only reason this gets 4 stars rather than 5 is because the writing at times was a little tough to get into. It was a little bit like getting a firehose of description to the face, and I found myself having to re-read sections to parse what was being said. Granted, the chapter titles helped a lot with perspective and the character changes were fascinating. Others have noted that the beginning is slow and I agree - that said, the latter half of the book had me on the edge of my seat for the few hours it took me to speedread. I think teens will really like this book (although a few scenes are a liiiiiittle more explicit than I like to recommend), and plenty of adults will too. I'm excited to see what comes next in the series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Death of parent, Racism, Murder, Homophobia, Grief, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Bullying, Infertility, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Car accident, Sexism, Alcohol, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, and Infidelity
Minor: Vomit
meganpbell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
A Voodo-inspired magic system, queer Black boy love, generational trauma, and messy family drama intertwine in this older YA urban fantasy.
In the wake of their father’s sudden death and their mother’s suspicious illness, twins Clement and Cristina Trudeau struggle to solve a decades-old murder that cost their grandmother her throne.
All of the above are what I appreciated about this book, but I had a lot of challenges: the messaging around eye-for-an-eye violence and vengeance, the family relationships so strained and unloving to the point of having a hard time rooting for the extended family, and ultimately being frustrated that the book didn’t seem as invested in the political depth that the dedication and epigraphs indicated.
In the wake of their father’s sudden death and their mother’s suspicious illness, twins Clement and Cristina Trudeau struggle to solve a decades-old murder that cost their grandmother her throne.
All of the above are what I appreciated about this book, but I had a lot of challenges: the messaging around eye-for-an-eye violence and vengeance, the family relationships so strained and unloving to the point of having a hard time rooting for the extended family, and ultimately being frustrated that the book didn’t seem as invested in the political depth that the dedication and epigraphs indicated.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Death of parent, Drug use, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, and Violence
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