Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Blood Debts

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker

44 reviews

kiwij96's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.25

Perhaps one of the best urban fantasies I have read in a long time. Sometimes urban fantasies are overcomplicated with lore and magic systems, but this book was so easy to read and understand the magic system with zero complications.

The importance of history, community, family, heritage, and love was strong in this. Within the first three chapters, I already knew the characters and fully enjoyed following them on their journey through this book. It was fast paced, and even the longer chapters were quick and easy to read, packed with drama and emotion and foreshadowing to a degree, and not a single page was wasted - it all flowed together wonderfully without filler.

There were a couple of things that I didn't enjoy:
1. The use of informal/slang language is one which confuses matters in books for me (the use of "fire" as a description of bread was one, and "dope" as a description for furniture/aesthetic was another. Obviously, these are words I know work as descriptions in the verbal sense, but I personally don't know how well they hold up in the written sense).
2. Clem oftentimes came across as irritating.

I don't love when people are constantly trying to pry information from me in the real world, so when he was consistently begging Ursula and Jean-Louise into sharing their history with him, it was really annoying and incredibly nosy of him. There was no need sometimes.

3. MAJOR SPOILER

Was Fab ever told what happened with Yves? Surely she'd notice that her only living family member was missing at least right?

4. MAJOR SPOILER

Was there a specific need for Lenora to die in that way? It was massively out of character for these two 16 year olds and their entire adult family to just allow them to have zombies tear her apart like that.

Anyways, 100% a brilliant story and a fantastic read from start to finish. Really looking forward to reading Blood Justice when I buy it! Fully recommend.

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chrisb913's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

This book had me hooked from beginning to end. The characters, plot, magic system everything was so familiar yet unique. I was enjoying the ride for the first half the book but once the plot twists started coming around the 50% mark, I could not put it down. Cannot wait to read the next book.

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erinkellyreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

Thank you to Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the AudioARC in exchange for an honest review!

This story is a WOW! There are so many layers to the story, the world, and the characters, it is hard to know where to start. Add in the narration from multiple fantastic voice actors, and you've got an easy hit in the audiobook world.

I initially knew I wanted to read this story just from the synopsis - I am also from New Orleans, and the queer and mental health rep caught my eye. However, the way that Terry J. Benton-Walker captures the beauty and hardships of the Black spiritual community of NOLA, from the dedication all the way to the final lines of the book, are just gripping and achingly realistic.

Our story is about the Gen-Magic (or generational magic) community in NOLA, in particular the Dupart family. While we do have multiple POV characters (each with unique voices in both writing style and narration), the story is mostly told through the eyes of twins Clement and Christina. I'm usually not a huge fan of multiple POV's beyond maybe three (ala Game of Thrones), but I appreciated the moments where we were able to get the whole picture of what was happening along with getting to know the ins and outs of our twin protagonists.

Clement begins our story as an anxious gay young Black man learning the Gen-magic and grieving the death of his father and illness of his mother (who we later find out is not sick, but cursed). I felt connected to Clement's vulnerability very quickly. His story is one of rage, love, and consequences, and there were many moments that I had my mouth wide open in shock at the twists in his story. I don't want to give any spoilers, but there is one facet of his storyline, something traumatic that seems like maybe a throwaway with Zack, that leads to a massive consequence - I really hope in the sequel that this part is addressed more. I feel like it had to be moved to the backburner to address the Big Bad at the end of the story, but I have a lot of feelings and questions!

Christina starts the story very closed off, even to herself, because she blames herself for the death of her father after using magic to seek revenge. She has sworn off magic, is dating a white boy that everyone in her family is suspicious of, and her walls are all the way up. As her story progresses, we see her walls come down, see her pick herself up again from pain after pain, and eventually see her come into her own power and confidence both magically, and as a strong Black woman surrounded by strong Black women. I grew to feel very protective of Christina, and it was easy to celebrate when she triumphed.

There are many important and interesting side characters in this book from the many Dupart sisters, the darker magic being done by the political scheming inside the Gen-Magic Council, the Gods intervening, and then we have a whole other conflict with the White Mages - magical white people who have had years of conflict with those of Gen-Magic descent. We even have a nod to the evangelical right with the anti-magic folks protesting and the election for mayor - with generations of trauma and fighting between the the communities. I must repeat - the narration with all of these characters is a stunning addition to the audiobook, and I think it sets it apart as a quality piece of art.

Terry J. Benton-Walker's urban fantasy rides the tricky and lovely line between modern day challenges (and this felt very real-world) and the magic its characters carry as a part of their heritage. This is a story about family and revenge, owning your truth and the consequences of our actions, regardless of intentions. I'm very excited for the sequel to come out, and I hope that anybody who loves audiobooks or fantasy will check this one out, especially folks in the upper young adult and new adult range. A definite 5 stars!

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moxiegirlzriot's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Delightful split of narrators, made it easy to tell who was speaking when

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bree_h_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-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

2.25

I was really looking forward to read this book. I thought it sounded like a promising concept and I was really curious to see where it went. Unfortunately it felt brought down by lacking the family and family working together when a theme seemed to BE family. What really ruined it for me was a s3x scene between 16-year-olds in the book. It don’t mind that being alluded to, some teens do it and there’s nothing wrong with acknowledging it. I, however, think that those scenes between characters that are minors should be FTB. I will say, it wasn’t drawn out or in explicit detail, but it wasn’t FTB and there was enough detail to make me feel uncomfortable as an adult listening to the book. Outside of that, the only other issue I had was my inability to buy into Clement’s romance, it just felt very shallow and while I felt the chemistry between characters it happened in such a short amount of time I couldn’t buy into the ending for it.

Otherwise, it was overall enjoyable. I thought the sibling dynamics felt realistic. I not only bought into them being siblings, but also their care for each other. The main character also really read like teenagers and felt realistic in that aspect. Overall most characters actually felt very dynamic and rounded out.

The magic system and world building felt realistic and were well executed in delivery. Overall it was interesting and I enjoyed learning about it. The world building also really helped convey some of the books themes and messages. Even with the aforementioned themes and messages were conveyed to the reader in a very heavy handed way. It was a minor detriment to the quality, as it didn’t allow the reader to think for themselves while reading.

Overall, I don’t intend to continue the series, but this was a mostly enjoyable read.

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amberinpieces's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

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roseleebooks's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? No

5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a YA contemporary fantasy that explores themes of trauma, family, racism, power, and justice, all through the lense of characters who are still working out their place in the world.

This is a story that follows teenage twins Clem and Chris, whose family has a history of power and loss related to their inherited magic and former leadership on the Generational magic council. Their search for answers about the death of their father leads to a much bigger mystery than they were prepared for.

The book reads like a detective story and there are a lot of elements built around the magic system and politics related to the council. It is fast paced but the way each new piece of information is revealed makes sense and helps to move the story along without feeling contrived. I thought the characters actions were logical for them as teenagers who are trying to solve a mystery while also navigating their lives as 16-year-olds.

I really enjoyed the writing, it feels like it would translate well to television or film because of the focus on events and plot. There is resolution at the end, but definitely some setup for the next book.

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tharrisreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective 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

4.5

Lovedddd it! I love black family magic and young people discovering their power and their faults; it was perfect!

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mallorypen's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-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

3.75

The premise and magic system of this novel felt very original, and the voices of the protagonists were strong. This was one of those stories that played out very easily in the mind's eye like watching a television show - I could see the emotions and actions of each of the main characters clearly, and the magic made sense in how it behaved in the world and the consequences of using it.

Racism and classism were also main characters in this novel, and the concept of Gen magic fit into the "real world" aspects of the story in a way that didn't at all feel forced or awkward. If magic did exist, I could believe wholeheartedly that this was how magic came to be, and that this is how it is practiced, demonized, and regulated.

Other things I really enjoyed:

The duality of the gods and how magic could be good or evil - and that even when gods became personally invested,
like Papa Eshu backing Marie,
they still have their own agendas.
Chris' story arc away from and back to magic - especially being a badass in her first act back to magic
The relationship between Clem and Chris as twins

My main qualm with the book was the cast of characters got to be a lot to keep straight; recognizing this is book one of three - and that characters who played smaller roles in this story may have different roles to play later - I still got confused on who was who, and which characters did what as the twins unraveled the mystery of who tried to kill their mother, and ultimately, who set their family up to take the fall for a murder. It also made some of the relationships a little hard to believe - Ursula is meant to have a special connection with Clem, and yet there's so much other stuff from other people happening in between their scenes and Clem's thoughts about her, it doesn't show as entirely as consuming as the characters tell us it is.

I also wanted the pacing to be a little tighter:

fewer characters and less of the added POVs would have helped with my perception of how the story lagged in some places.
I get leery of instalove, and though I thought Ives and Clem's relationship was VERY cute and sweet, it got strong WAY fast - I wanted more development in some places, like with their courtship.
The ending - after allllll that build up - was abrupt. Again, acknowledging this is the start of a series, but the loose ends didn't really feel like "ooh, read on!" cliffhangers
besides the moon god arc and of course, WHATEVER IS GONNA HAPPEN WITH IVEEEEEEES

All told, I enjoyed this novel, but I don't think I'm going to continue the series.

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eastofreality's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-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

4.0

I enjoyed the focus on family and family bonds, but the pacing was ... off. The first half was languid and slow burning, the second half zipped past with a great deal of "how convenient the person you need is right there at the right time!" But it's YA, so I can forgive a lot of it. Overall, a fun book and I'm looking forward to book 2.

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