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A review by kpeninger
The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
4.25
I really liked this, but whoa is it dark. Like, feeling physically ill at times dark. I haven't been this disturbed at points by a novel since reading the Poppy War Trilogy. So fair warning - the cover makes it look like YA, but this is very, very much adult sci-fantasy, and DARK adult sci-fantasy at that. I liked the characters, though I wanted to shake Ikenna at times because she was so brash and impulsive that she was sometimes missing some really obvious clues. But while I may have felt that way, it made Ikenna feel very real, and I was invested in her. There were many other characters that was intrigued by and invested in, too, which is good. Though... don't get too attached, y'all. This book was also super fast-paced; I blew threw this in one sitting because I could NOT put it down. Every few pages something new and intense was happening, and I needed to know what was happening.
There are some things I wasn't totally sold on in this, though. The pacing, while fast, was also a bit off at times, with major revelations happening in three lines without much detail or explanation - including the reveal for the major mystery of the book. And sometimes I felt like character's motivations switched purely depending on what the book needed - there are a few characters whose final stances didn't seem earned. I also felt that there was just a little too much going on. There were so many plotlines, and some I felt weren't very well developed to warrant a mention in the story.
But I will absolutely be reading the final book in this duology. I am so intrigued by what this author is exploring with regards to the way the state will use the people it doesn't value, and what sort of loyalty one of those devalued people owes to the state, that I absolutely must see what her answer to those questions are in the context of this story. I recommend this, but also, maybe read it when you're a little mentally prepared for really dark shit, okay?
There are some things I wasn't totally sold on in this, though. The pacing, while fast, was also a bit off at times, with major revelations happening in three lines without much detail or explanation - including the reveal for the major mystery of the book. And sometimes I felt like character's motivations switched purely depending on what the book needed - there are a few characters whose final stances didn't seem earned. I also felt that there was just a little too much going on. There were so many plotlines, and some I felt weren't very well developed to warrant a mention in the story.
But I will absolutely be reading the final book in this duology. I am so intrigued by what this author is exploring with regards to the way the state will use the people it doesn't value, and what sort of loyalty one of those devalued people owes to the state, that I absolutely must see what her answer to those questions are in the context of this story. I recommend this, but also, maybe read it when you're a little mentally prepared for really dark shit, okay?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cannibalism