A review by violentdelights
Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker

3.75

Things I liked:

• The general concept of this book. A pantheon of gods infusing people with voodoo magic (as well as other types) set in New Orleans? Sign me up!
• The complex family relationships. I read a review that said the in-fighting was petty, and of course it a little bit was. Sometimes family fighting is petty. Sometimes family brings out the best in you as easily as they bring out the worst. I really appreciated that honesty.
• The twins! Cris and Clem were my heart, and they both had such interesting and honest reactions to their trauma. I loved Cris’ aloofness just as much as I loved Clem’s open heart.
• Papa Eshu’s story. The idea of a slave becoming a god and imbuing his people with magic to protect them from their racial trauma is a beautiful one
• The overall themes in the story. Justice is a complicated thing, and there’s no easy answer for it, especially when you factor in racial and intergenerational trauma. I liked that the author tried to tell that story with no clear answer.

Things I didn’t like

• The cluttering. I felt there was a lot that could have been pared down. For example, five Dupart sisters felt like too many to keep track of. Additionally, the second act had a lot of plot lines that, while I was ultimately able to follow due to the author’s in-character recaps, felt a bit overwhelming.
• The lack of setting. While there were mentions of New Orleans here and there, it was ultimately not a central focus of the story. While that’s a necessary thing, a reader like me enjoys when the setting ends up playing a character in and of itself.
• The sameness of the POVs. Cris and Clem’s chapters were in first person, and yet they had very similar voices. This is a pet peeve of mine that I run into a lot, so I’m not too upset with it by a debut author, but it is a bother of mine.
• The twin’s romantic relationships. Ultimately, I never found myself too invested in them, because they either gave off red flags right away or were insta-lovey.

Overall, I would recommend this book for fans of urban fantasy and an interest in voodoo/hoodoo magic. Be prepared to be entangled in a whole mess of characters and plots that can be a little confusing to track, but result in intensely interesting plot lines when you get down to it.