Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker

11 reviews

jadeandherbunny's review against another edition

I was just not interested enough. The characters were cool but I did not really care that much about them, felt sad-ish for

Eve's death (I don't know how to spell it, audiobooks ftw)

but that's it. I liked how mental health and homosexuality was represented. The pacing felt off for a YA book and I was surprised to see a sexual scene in a book of the genre, it was my first and also the first M/M scene I've read.
It is a good book in my opinion but it fell flat for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical trauma, Grief, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Medical content, and Racism

Moderate: Colonisation, Rape, and Gun violence

erinkellyreads's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Religious bigotry, Violence, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Classism, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Chronic illness, Child death, Colonisation, Grief, Cultural appropriation, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Sexual content, Slavery, Body horror, Bullying, Car accident, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Police brutality, and Self harm

moxiegirlzriot's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Racism, Car accident, Drug use, Body horror, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Homophobia

eastofreality's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, and Car accident

legalplanner's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

Run, don't walk to pick this up if you have not. 

I was thoroughly impressed by Benton-Walker's ability to weave a magical realism story in with a murder mystery cold case. The two protagonists are twins, who should be next in line to rule the magical community they are a part of. These 16 year olds felt real to me, especially living in a big city like New Orleans, this didn't feel unrealistic in their sleuthing around like some mysteries feel like.

I loved the dynamics between the characters in that they were messy. They had real issues amongst family and even though they were "close" they weren't perfect and had to work to be family. Even the twins who should have been their biggest allies to each other instead were often failing to see each other in their truest light.

Benton-Walker's writing was beautiful. I felt the heaviness that needed to be present in the tough topics of race relations, political oppression, and many other tough topics. More than that the multiple points of view were excellently well done. They didn't feel forced but didn't make me feel like it messed up the book either. I was invested as soon as I got through the first 30 pages.

I cannot wait for the next book and the series and will be patiently waiting, as much as I can, to read the next installment.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Toxic friendship, Death, Murder, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Gaslighting, Gun violence, Homophobia, Cultural appropriation, Bullying, and Car accident

Minor: Death of parent and Panic attacks/disorders

sarahsbookss's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Gore, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Homophobia, Bullying, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, and Cursing

eliselerario's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gore, Child death, Confinement, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Gun violence

Moderate: Mental illness, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, and Racism

Minor: Car accident

takarakei's review

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
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I didn't love this as much as I was hoping which is a shame. The magic in this book is really amazing, and there were some truly fascinating parts to read. Also a few 'gasp' moments that surprised me (in a good way). However, there were far too many background characters and their roles were not adequately described, so even though I took notes I was still confused. For example, there are these magical 'councils' that oversee the different types of magic and there are people on these councils who are mentioned ex: 'so-and-so is priestess of etc' but there's no explanation of what that means? So I felt the world-building could have been fleshed out more.

3/5 🌶️ -

there is one explicit sex scene 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Car accident, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Bullying, Sexual assault, Grief, and Hate crime

Minor: Slavery, Addiction, and Alcohol

SA/rape:

Main character Cris finds out her boyfriend used a love spell on her and their whole relationship is a farce - they had fooled around, but not 'gone all the way' yet...

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. 

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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

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. 

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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