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The Blood Gift Duology #1
The Blood Trials
Blending fantasy and science fiction, N. E. Davenport’s fast-paced, action-packed debut kicks off a duology of loyalty and rebellion, in which a young Black woman must survive deadly trials in a racist and misogynistic society to become an elite warrior.
It’s all about blood.
The blood spilled between the Republic of Mareen and the armies of the Blood Emperor long ago. The blood gifts of Mareen’s deadliest enemies. The blood that runs through the elite War Houses of Mareen, the rulers of the Tribunal dedicated to keeping the republic alive.
The blood of the former Legatus, Verne Amari, murdered.
For his granddaughter, Ikenna, the only thing steady in her life was the man who had saved Mareen. The man who had trained her in secret, not just in martial skills, but in harnessing the blood gift that coursed through her.
Who trained her to keep that a secret.
But now there are too many secrets, and with her grandfather assassinated, Ikenna knows two things: that only someone on the Tribunal could have ordered his death, and that only a Praetorian Guard could have carried out that order.
Bent on revenge as much as discovering the truth, Ikenna pledges herself to the Praetorian Trials—a brutal initiation that only a quarter of the aspirants survive. She subjects herself to the racism directed against her half-Khanaian heritage and the misogyny of a society that cherishes progeny over prodigy, all while hiding a power that—if found out—would subject her to execution…or worse. Ikenna is willing to risk it all because she needs to find out who murdered her grandfather…and then she needs to kill them.
Mareen has been at peace for a long time…
Ikenna joining the Praetorians is about to change all that.
Magic and technology converge in the first part of this stunning debut duology, where loyalty to oneself—and one’s blood—is more important than anything.
It’s all about blood.
The blood spilled between the Republic of Mareen and the armies of the Blood Emperor long ago. The blood gifts of Mareen’s deadliest enemies. The blood that runs through the elite War Houses of Mareen, the rulers of the Tribunal dedicated to keeping the republic alive.
The blood of the former Legatus, Verne Amari, murdered.
For his granddaughter, Ikenna, the only thing steady in her life was the man who had saved Mareen. The man who had trained her in secret, not just in martial skills, but in harnessing the blood gift that coursed through her.
Who trained her to keep that a secret.
But now there are too many secrets, and with her grandfather assassinated, Ikenna knows two things: that only someone on the Tribunal could have ordered his death, and that only a Praetorian Guard could have carried out that order.
Bent on revenge as much as discovering the truth, Ikenna pledges herself to the Praetorian Trials—a brutal initiation that only a quarter of the aspirants survive. She subjects herself to the racism directed against her half-Khanaian heritage and the misogyny of a society that cherishes progeny over prodigy, all while hiding a power that—if found out—would subject her to execution…or worse. Ikenna is willing to risk it all because she needs to find out who murdered her grandfather…and then she needs to kill them.
Mareen has been at peace for a long time…
Ikenna joining the Praetorians is about to change all that.
Magic and technology converge in the first part of this stunning debut duology, where loyalty to oneself—and one’s blood—is more important than anything.
464 pages, Paperback
First published April 5, 2022
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58087 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,885 reviews
February 4, 2023
This story starts out feeling very YA, which makes sense because the characters are teenagers. But this is not a YA fantasy despite the young characters and it does eventually find it's footing.
It's their last night out before they set out for military academy and Ikenna is on edge over the recent loss of her grandfather. After learning his death was no accident she decides to head to the academy and avenge his death by finding out who his killers are. At this military academy thousands are competing for a spot on the special ops team in a fight to the death.
I really didn't expect this book to go as dark and detail in the violence as it did especially with the type of cover they chose. It's a matter of survive or die for Ikenna and crew as they face a series of harsh challenges meant to kill the weakest of the lot. Levity comes through the modern dialogue with familiar slang and the moments between Ikenna and her friends where they can talk about relationships and memories and aspirations.
Ikenna has a magical gift bestowed upon her from the gods of their enemies, that she must hide while also using it to keep herself alive as her mixed heritage makes her a target.
She is hot-headed and quick to move without reflecting on the harm her selfish choices will cost others. But instead of ignoring it this book forces her to face the ramifications of her actions each time.
Easy to read and comprehend, this book is a great transition read for readers interested in reading more adult SFF that still has a young feel to it. I thought the world was interesting and I liked how it was expanding as we got closer to the end. There were several twists and turns I didn't see coming at first.
My biggest gripe would be that the author harps on pointing out that everything is either because of racism or misogyny. Readers are able to tell from character actions and don't need the constant reminder. There also could've been a little more nuance in the racism discussions. Chapter one is very lengthy which might deter readers at first but the story finds it's footing once you move past it.
See full review here
https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot....
Video review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWTgX...
It's their last night out before they set out for military academy and Ikenna is on edge over the recent loss of her grandfather. After learning his death was no accident she decides to head to the academy and avenge his death by finding out who his killers are. At this military academy thousands are competing for a spot on the special ops team in a fight to the death.
I really didn't expect this book to go as dark and detail in the violence as it did especially with the type of cover they chose. It's a matter of survive or die for Ikenna and crew as they face a series of harsh challenges meant to kill the weakest of the lot. Levity comes through the modern dialogue with familiar slang and the moments between Ikenna and her friends where they can talk about relationships and memories and aspirations.
Ikenna has a magical gift bestowed upon her from the gods of their enemies, that she must hide while also using it to keep herself alive as her mixed heritage makes her a target.
She is hot-headed and quick to move without reflecting on the harm her selfish choices will cost others. But instead of ignoring it this book forces her to face the ramifications of her actions each time.
Easy to read and comprehend, this book is a great transition read for readers interested in reading more adult SFF that still has a young feel to it. I thought the world was interesting and I liked how it was expanding as we got closer to the end. There were several twists and turns I didn't see coming at first.
My biggest gripe would be that the author harps on pointing out that everything is either because of racism or misogyny. Readers are able to tell from character actions and don't need the constant reminder. There also could've been a little more nuance in the racism discussions. Chapter one is very lengthy which might deter readers at first but the story finds it's footing once you move past it.
See full review here
https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot....
Video review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWTgX...
August 2, 2022
4.5⭐️ One thing is for sure. I will never get used to waiting a long period of time for the next book in a series. It’s the most cruel thing I’ve encountered since I started reading religiously. Not only is the waiting excruciating, especially when it ended like this one ended, but I will literally forget some if not all the details. Anyways about the actual book….
This was really long. Even if it wasn’t, it really felt that way especially with the immense details given during the trials. Davenport could have easily shortened some scenes but it was okay because everything in this book gave us a lot of details to understand the characters.
My favorite was the main character, which is a bit too on the nose but hear me out. She is amazing. She has anger issues that seriously needs to be worked on. Well, I kinda liked how angry she got because I personally translated that to a lot of energy and passion for everything she does. At times though, she was just doing the most. For now, I believe Davenport wrote her this way to reveal how her rashness was the reason for some of her downfalls in this book. I hope she recognizes this more and would really encourage Davenport to write her character with some growth in this issue while mainiting her vivaciousness.
All the characters in this book were written really well, including the “evil” characters. Also, there’s just something about sexual tension in a book that is mainly advertised as fantasty and action. Let’s just say my ass thought this was YA at first. Please please let there be more of that in the next book.
I liked how Davenport incorporated racism and misogyny in this high fantasy thing. Ikenna’s life was literally in danger most of the time because of these prejudices. These elements were a great part of this work since it immediately makes her relatable for a lot of readers.
And of course the best parts of this book was the secrets, twists, and betrayal. Some of them actually got to me. I really can’t wait for the next book. This girl needs answers and more!
I loved being on this journey with Ikenna as she learns more things about herself, others around her, and the world she lives in. I do honestly believe that there is a lot of potential to release a fantastic end to this duology!
This was really long. Even if it wasn’t, it really felt that way especially with the immense details given during the trials. Davenport could have easily shortened some scenes but it was okay because everything in this book gave us a lot of details to understand the characters.
My favorite was the main character, which is a bit too on the nose but hear me out. She is amazing. She has anger issues that seriously needs to be worked on. Well, I kinda liked how angry she got because I personally translated that to a lot of energy and passion for everything she does. At times though, she was just doing the most. For now, I believe Davenport wrote her this way to reveal how her rashness was the reason for some of her downfalls in this book. I hope she recognizes this more and would really encourage Davenport to write her character with some growth in this issue while mainiting her vivaciousness.
All the characters in this book were written really well, including the “evil” characters. Also, there’s just something about sexual tension in a book that is mainly advertised as fantasty and action. Let’s just say my ass thought this was YA at first. Please please let there be more of that in the next book.
I liked how Davenport incorporated racism and misogyny in this high fantasy thing. Ikenna’s life was literally in danger most of the time because of these prejudices. These elements were a great part of this work since it immediately makes her relatable for a lot of readers.
And of course the best parts of this book was the secrets, twists, and betrayal. Some of them actually got to me. I really can’t wait for the next book. This girl needs answers and more!
I loved being on this journey with Ikenna as she learns more things about herself, others around her, and the world she lives in. I do honestly believe that there is a lot of potential to release a fantastic end to this duology!
September 14, 2022
new favorite book!! I AM AN IKENNA STAN!!!
November 12, 2022
DNF @41%. I really was going to trudge my way through this book through the end bc I didn’t wanna DNF a book from a black woman author but…the audiobook is 18hrs long and that is just too much to dedicate to a book you are not enjoying.
I feel like the plot and the characters in this book really needed some work. And by work, I mean chucked out the door and totally replaced.
Let’s start off with the characters.
Our main character is Ikenna and the author made the unfortunate choice to tell the book in entirely 1st person POV. Ikenna lands on the extreme end of angry fanatasy book heroines that I’ve read and I’m quite frankly, sick of this particular trope and narrative. Listen, I get it. People wanna read about badass angry women overthrowing sh*t (I’m assuming, given the prevalence of this trope?) but the way authors continue to massively fail at this just leaves me tired of reading about callous, ill-tempered women incapable of vulnerability.
It is virtually impossible for a reader to form a connection to a character if the character has virtually no vulnerable moments. And that is the case with Ikenna. Sure, her grandfather died, but her grief is never fully explored and is instead replaced by an unrelenting anger and need to find her grandpa’s killer.
Ikenna is essentially always on the defensive, paranoid, and angry. Because of this, it is extremely unenjoyable to read from her perspective. I didn’t find her internal monologues interesting. In fact, I found a lot of the places her thoughts went downright stupid. She would essentially come up with an idea of who and why killed her grandpa and would be irrevocably convinced of this idea without any proof. Mind you, Ikenna is an adult (around 20 years old). She really just read like an angry petulant child most of the time.
The side characters are no help either and this is where it may become evident that this is a debut author bc her side characters read as interesting as a cardboard box. Her female best friend (I forgot her name) is essentially just obsessed with sex. Which is fine, but that was literally her entire personality and it wasn’t interesting to read about. The guy best friend , Zayn, is as interesting as the gum stuck on the bottom of my shoe. The author doesn’t even attempt to give him any personality. I didn’t buy into their friendship trio at all. It felt very contrived and like they were there for the sake of having side characters in a book.
I can’t speak much on the plot or the world building bc well the author does basically no world-building even though their constantly fighting monsters and using all this bizarre technology. The author’s only instrument of world-building, background, or history of this world is by telling us over and over about the achievements of Ikenna’s grandfather who we’re supposed to care about and respect.
This book also features a heinous amount of swearing. I’m not even one to notice or dislike curse words in my books, but the frequency that Ikenna cursed in her internal monologue and dialogue was honestly distasteful.
Anyways, that’s all I got to say. It brings me no joy to harp on about how much I didn’t like this book bc the author is a black woman. But a bad book is a bad book and unfortunately, that is what this was. Have I read worse? Sure. But this isn’t far from those.
I feel like the plot and the characters in this book really needed some work. And by work, I mean chucked out the door and totally replaced.
Let’s start off with the characters.
Our main character is Ikenna and the author made the unfortunate choice to tell the book in entirely 1st person POV. Ikenna lands on the extreme end of angry fanatasy book heroines that I’ve read and I’m quite frankly, sick of this particular trope and narrative. Listen, I get it. People wanna read about badass angry women overthrowing sh*t (I’m assuming, given the prevalence of this trope?) but the way authors continue to massively fail at this just leaves me tired of reading about callous, ill-tempered women incapable of vulnerability.
It is virtually impossible for a reader to form a connection to a character if the character has virtually no vulnerable moments. And that is the case with Ikenna. Sure, her grandfather died, but her grief is never fully explored and is instead replaced by an unrelenting anger and need to find her grandpa’s killer.
Ikenna is essentially always on the defensive, paranoid, and angry. Because of this, it is extremely unenjoyable to read from her perspective. I didn’t find her internal monologues interesting. In fact, I found a lot of the places her thoughts went downright stupid. She would essentially come up with an idea of who and why killed her grandpa and would be irrevocably convinced of this idea without any proof. Mind you, Ikenna is an adult (around 20 years old). She really just read like an angry petulant child most of the time.
The side characters are no help either and this is where it may become evident that this is a debut author bc her side characters read as interesting as a cardboard box. Her female best friend (I forgot her name) is essentially just obsessed with sex. Which is fine, but that was literally her entire personality and it wasn’t interesting to read about. The guy best friend , Zayn, is as interesting as the gum stuck on the bottom of my shoe. The author doesn’t even attempt to give him any personality. I didn’t buy into their friendship trio at all. It felt very contrived and like they were there for the sake of having side characters in a book.
I can’t speak much on the plot or the world building bc well the author does basically no world-building even though their constantly fighting monsters and using all this bizarre technology. The author’s only instrument of world-building, background, or history of this world is by telling us over and over about the achievements of Ikenna’s grandfather who we’re supposed to care about and respect.
This book also features a heinous amount of swearing. I’m not even one to notice or dislike curse words in my books, but the frequency that Ikenna cursed in her internal monologue and dialogue was honestly distasteful.
Anyways, that’s all I got to say. It brings me no joy to harp on about how much I didn’t like this book bc the author is a black woman. But a bad book is a bad book and unfortunately, that is what this was. Have I read worse? Sure. But this isn’t far from those.
April 5, 2022
Review Video: https://youtu.be/MUK0C1CEoWY
Fans of Red Rising take note! The Blood Trials needs to be on your radar. This gritty, action-packed, sci-fantasy debut was everything I was hoping for. (Note that this is ADULT fiction, not YA with high levels of violence)
Ikenna is the granddaughter of the Legatus of the Mareenian Empire. Not only does she face vitriolic racism as a minority, but she is also a hiding a dangerous secret - forbidden blood magic. When her grandfather is assassinated, she enrolls in a brutal military training academy for elite Praetorian warriors. So brutal that only a fraction of her class will survive training. Because she is one of few women and a minority, people want Ikenna dead. But she will do whatever it takes to uncover who assassinated her grandfather, and then wreak vengeance on the perpetrators.
This is an impressive debut and I truly hope it takes off and the right readers find it. Thematically and in terms of action and brutal twists this book has a lot in common with Red Rising, even while being something all its own. Ikenna can be a stubborn hothead, but she is also a survivor and I loved her as a character. She must survive trial after trial, not to mention conducting a secret investigation. The book ends with a major bang and I CANNOT WAIT for book 2!
Note that the racial and gender inequality Ikenna deals with are central to the book. This does a great job of parsing these issues, and even includes a case of "passing" where a biracial character looks enough like the majority race as to gain privilege. There are more spoilery events that also mirror real world issues in interesting ways as well, but I will leave them for you to find out.
If I had and quibbles with this it's that I would like to know a little more about the social structures of the world and the magic system. But honestly I loved this. If this sounds up your alley go preorder it! I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Fans of Red Rising take note! The Blood Trials needs to be on your radar. This gritty, action-packed, sci-fantasy debut was everything I was hoping for. (Note that this is ADULT fiction, not YA with high levels of violence)
Ikenna is the granddaughter of the Legatus of the Mareenian Empire. Not only does she face vitriolic racism as a minority, but she is also a hiding a dangerous secret - forbidden blood magic. When her grandfather is assassinated, she enrolls in a brutal military training academy for elite Praetorian warriors. So brutal that only a fraction of her class will survive training. Because she is one of few women and a minority, people want Ikenna dead. But she will do whatever it takes to uncover who assassinated her grandfather, and then wreak vengeance on the perpetrators.
This is an impressive debut and I truly hope it takes off and the right readers find it. Thematically and in terms of action and brutal twists this book has a lot in common with Red Rising, even while being something all its own. Ikenna can be a stubborn hothead, but she is also a survivor and I loved her as a character. She must survive trial after trial, not to mention conducting a secret investigation. The book ends with a major bang and I CANNOT WAIT for book 2!
Note that the racial and gender inequality Ikenna deals with are central to the book. This does a great job of parsing these issues, and even includes a case of "passing" where a biracial character looks enough like the majority race as to gain privilege. There are more spoilery events that also mirror real world issues in interesting ways as well, but I will leave them for you to find out.
If I had and quibbles with this it's that I would like to know a little more about the social structures of the world and the magic system. But honestly I loved this. If this sounds up your alley go preorder it! I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
July 2, 2022
**Spoilers**
The world-building is wholly inadequate and the magic system is scarcely better. I don’t like our heroine, Ikenna, nor do I care one hoot whether she succeeds in her mission to discover who killed her grandfather.
Lastly, the story has no urgency partly because we see the story through Kenna’s perspective which felt like ascending a multi-floor spiral stairwell. Yes, there was momentum, but it was constrained and not completely fleshed out.
The world-building is wholly inadequate and the magic system is scarcely better. I don’t like our heroine, Ikenna, nor do I care one hoot whether she succeeds in her mission to discover who killed her grandfather.
Lastly, the story has no urgency partly because we see the story through Kenna’s perspective which felt like ascending a multi-floor spiral stairwell. Yes, there was momentum, but it was constrained and not completely fleshed out.
February 7, 2024
Blog | Instagram
Rating: 4.5 stars
Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The gorgeous illustrations and colours make this a stunning design, which I loved staring at. This design also gives a subtle glimpse of the action-packed story it represents and nicely conveys the fantasy and science fiction genre.
Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Despite some information dumps, I was utterly impressed by the detailed world that is established and infused with a creative mix of sci-fi and magic. Besides this, the casual writing style was easy to follow and filled with sufficient details and descriptions to bring the characters and story to life.
"You can’t control what you don’t understand"
Storyline: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
My attention was immediately grabbed by an opening burst of action, even as the characters and world were introduced. The brutal storyline that emerged remained gripping, with high-stakes trials, mystery and complex themes (racism and sexism) heavily explored. Only the politics-heavy moments towards the end of the story caused my attention to wane slightly, but the final twists and reveals made up for this.
Main character(s): 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Ikenna Amari is a realistic and complex character who seemed caring and loyal, yet also (frustratingly!) headstrong. I was honestly surprised by how much I liked her character in spite of her stubbornness, violent tendencies and excessive swearing. It was likely the well-detailed emotions and internal conflicts that her character experiences which made it easy for me to connect with and root for her.
"Blood is my gift. And blood is what they’ll get if anyone gets in my godsdamned way."
Secondary characters: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
A dynamic group of supporting characters brilliantly shape Ikenna’s journey in this story. However, though these characters were memorable because of their roles, they had little depth beyond a few personality traits.
Romance: 🌟🌟🌟
The friction between Ikenna and another character did little to make their connection any less predictable when it eventually surfaced. Sadly, this aspect of the story was given very little focus, which meant the transition from “enemies” to something else seemed weak despite a few cute moments between the characters.
““You really have an aversion to the words ‘thank you.’” “I do. But I adore the words ‘fuck you,’ ‘kiss my ass,’ and ‘go to hell.’””
Narration & Audio: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The narration by Jeanette Illidge is perfect for this story! She skillfully uses distinct voices for the various characters and works hard to infuse the words with personality and emotions.
In brief, ‘The Blood Trials’ is a high-stakes, action-packed story with a fierce protagonist and creative world. Even though my attention waned slightly towards the end, things are nicely set up for the sequel and I cannot wait to see what happens! Those who enjoyed would also love The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna and Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The gorgeous illustrations and colours make this a stunning design, which I loved staring at. This design also gives a subtle glimpse of the action-packed story it represents and nicely conveys the fantasy and science fiction genre.
Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Despite some information dumps, I was utterly impressed by the detailed world that is established and infused with a creative mix of sci-fi and magic. Besides this, the casual writing style was easy to follow and filled with sufficient details and descriptions to bring the characters and story to life.
"You can’t control what you don’t understand"
Storyline: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
My attention was immediately grabbed by an opening burst of action, even as the characters and world were introduced. The brutal storyline that emerged remained gripping, with high-stakes trials, mystery and complex themes (racism and sexism) heavily explored. Only the politics-heavy moments towards the end of the story caused my attention to wane slightly, but the final twists and reveals made up for this.
Main character(s): 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Ikenna Amari is a realistic and complex character who seemed caring and loyal, yet also (frustratingly!) headstrong. I was honestly surprised by how much I liked her character in spite of her stubbornness, violent tendencies and excessive swearing. It was likely the well-detailed emotions and internal conflicts that her character experiences which made it easy for me to connect with and root for her.
"Blood is my gift. And blood is what they’ll get if anyone gets in my godsdamned way."
Secondary characters: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
A dynamic group of supporting characters brilliantly shape Ikenna’s journey in this story. However, though these characters were memorable because of their roles, they had little depth beyond a few personality traits.
Romance: 🌟🌟🌟
The friction between Ikenna and another character did little to make their connection any less predictable when it eventually surfaced. Sadly, this aspect of the story was given very little focus, which meant the transition from “enemies” to something else seemed weak despite a few cute moments between the characters.
““You really have an aversion to the words ‘thank you.’” “I do. But I adore the words ‘fuck you,’ ‘kiss my ass,’ and ‘go to hell.’””
Narration & Audio: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The narration by Jeanette Illidge is perfect for this story! She skillfully uses distinct voices for the various characters and works hard to infuse the words with personality and emotions.
In brief, ‘The Blood Trials’ is a high-stakes, action-packed story with a fierce protagonist and creative world. Even though my attention waned slightly towards the end, things are nicely set up for the sequel and I cannot wait to see what happens! Those who enjoyed would also love The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna and Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.
August 17, 2022
If you love Red Rising and Rage of Dragons then I think you'll have a good time with this one.
Had the potential to be a 5 star had I not felt that the story was a little rushed
Had the potential to be a 5 star had I not felt that the story was a little rushed
March 8, 2023
4.5 ooh, stunning stars
This is.… an amazing debut. I will be shouting from the rooftops about The Blood Trials for quite some time. Ikenna has my HEART and her science fiction world mixed with old magic has set my expectations for the genre that much higher.
Worldbuilding: ★★★★
Plot/Pacing: ★★★★★
Character development: ★★★★
Enjoyment: ★★★★★
We meet Ikenna Amari in a bar. She's getting rip-roaring drunk with her two friends the night before their graduation from the academy—and it's not working. She's trying to forget, she's trying to stop time... and she's spoiling for a fight.
Ikenna's life is over, you see. Her grandfather is dead.
The Amari family consisted of just two people: Ikenna and her grandfather, Verne Amari. Verne was one of the highest ranking Commanders from the Gamma Unit in the Republic of Mareen, the savior of Mareen's people from the evil Blood Emperor, and the shining star of Ikenna's entire existence. It was the Amaris vs. the world in more ways than one—as two of the only dark-skinned people in Mareen, and the only two in sea of pale-skinned war houses leading the military-based government, Verne was a symbol of equality as much as he was Ikenna's personal inspiration. He was the first in the Amari line, and Ikenna was all set to become a Praetorian soldier to continue their budding Amari war house dynasty.
But now the dream is dead, and Ikenna's debating not pledging into the dangerous Praetorian trials to rise up into the academy. What's the point, without her family?
However, everything changes when Ikenna—bruised from the bar fight that she got after all—returns home the night before graduation to find her grandfather's best friend and advisor, Brock, there with some shocking revelations. Her grandfather was potentially murdered—by one of his own men in the Praetorian.
The stakes have changed. Filled with rage and retribution, Ikenna decides to join the Praetorian trials after all. Two thirds of every class doesn't make it out alive, and the Praetorian is filled with snakes.
Watch out, little soldiers. Ikenna's ready for war on a deadly scale.
And the cards she has in her hand are older and steeped in the blood of the gods. It's not a fair fight, Ikenna won't even pretend—her arsenal is loaded for bigger beasts.
Let the games begin...
Ohhhhhhhh let's talk about this absolute banger of a debut. If the above pitch didn't sell you—I don't know how you're NOT yet intrigued, but alright—let me say that this is the grown up, kickass older sibling to what Divergent tried to be. (I love Divergent, but this needs to be said to show you what kind of scale The Blood Trials is operating at.)
This is a takedown. A high-stakes competition. A series of challenges leading to a spot in a deadly faction. A physical and mental showdown across multiple spectacles. A personal Everest of reconciling grief with action. An intimate and global discussion of racism and corrupt systems. A series of shocking betrayals and twists with some truly jaw-dropping reactions. A setup for more, and a promise for epicness.
The Blood Trials has it all—action, a deadly competition with REAL stakes, an accurately paced romantic arc, a relatable and incredibly flawed main character, discussions of racism and systemic oppression, and the perfect blend of worldbuilding vs. plot for my reading tastes.
Do yourself a favor and pick it up. Especially if you're interested in genre blending in the science fiction/fantasy space and are a reader of both young adult and adult work. This is a gem.
Blog | Instagram | Libro.fm Audiobooks
This is.… an amazing debut. I will be shouting from the rooftops about The Blood Trials for quite some time. Ikenna has my HEART and her science fiction world mixed with old magic has set my expectations for the genre that much higher.
Worldbuilding: ★★★★
Plot/Pacing: ★★★★★
Character development: ★★★★
Enjoyment: ★★★★★
We meet Ikenna Amari in a bar. She's getting rip-roaring drunk with her two friends the night before their graduation from the academy—and it's not working. She's trying to forget, she's trying to stop time... and she's spoiling for a fight.
Ikenna's life is over, you see. Her grandfather is dead.
The Amari family consisted of just two people: Ikenna and her grandfather, Verne Amari. Verne was one of the highest ranking Commanders from the Gamma Unit in the Republic of Mareen, the savior of Mareen's people from the evil Blood Emperor, and the shining star of Ikenna's entire existence. It was the Amaris vs. the world in more ways than one—as two of the only dark-skinned people in Mareen, and the only two in sea of pale-skinned war houses leading the military-based government, Verne was a symbol of equality as much as he was Ikenna's personal inspiration. He was the first in the Amari line, and Ikenna was all set to become a Praetorian soldier to continue their budding Amari war house dynasty.
But now the dream is dead, and Ikenna's debating not pledging into the dangerous Praetorian trials to rise up into the academy. What's the point, without her family?
However, everything changes when Ikenna—bruised from the bar fight that she got after all—returns home the night before graduation to find her grandfather's best friend and advisor, Brock, there with some shocking revelations. Her grandfather was potentially murdered—by one of his own men in the Praetorian.
The stakes have changed. Filled with rage and retribution, Ikenna decides to join the Praetorian trials after all. Two thirds of every class doesn't make it out alive, and the Praetorian is filled with snakes.
Watch out, little soldiers. Ikenna's ready for war on a deadly scale.
And the cards she has in her hand are older and steeped in the blood of the gods. It's not a fair fight, Ikenna won't even pretend—her arsenal is loaded for bigger beasts.
Let the games begin...
Ohhhhhhhh let's talk about this absolute banger of a debut. If the above pitch didn't sell you—I don't know how you're NOT yet intrigued, but alright—let me say that this is the grown up, kickass older sibling to what Divergent tried to be. (I love Divergent, but this needs to be said to show you what kind of scale The Blood Trials is operating at.)
This is a takedown. A high-stakes competition. A series of challenges leading to a spot in a deadly faction. A physical and mental showdown across multiple spectacles. A personal Everest of reconciling grief with action. An intimate and global discussion of racism and corrupt systems. A series of shocking betrayals and twists with some truly jaw-dropping reactions. A setup for more, and a promise for epicness.
The Blood Trials has it all—action, a deadly competition with REAL stakes, an accurately paced romantic arc, a relatable and incredibly flawed main character, discussions of racism and systemic oppression, and the perfect blend of worldbuilding vs. plot for my reading tastes.
Do yourself a favor and pick it up. Especially if you're interested in genre blending in the science fiction/fantasy space and are a reader of both young adult and adult work. This is a gem.
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March 7, 2024
Ikenna is the world’s worst detective.
She fucked one of her suspects.
Send help.
World building who is she?
Once again a murder school kills perfectly good soldiers for no reason.
The world building was extremely clunky and led to a very poor depiction of any serious topic this book tried to discuss.
She fucked one of her suspects.
Send help.
World building who is she?
Once again a murder school kills perfectly good soldiers for no reason.
The world building was extremely clunky and led to a very poor depiction of any serious topic this book tried to discuss.
April 22, 2022
This is exactly why I don't like reading book 1 when book 2 doesn't exist yet! 2023 is a long way off.
I will be honest and say that at several points during the first half I contemplated quitting but I am thrilled that I held on. I found the author to be a bit heavy handed in establishing this world as having nasty levels of racial hatred and misogyny. The actions were clear enough without having it then pointed out to us that those people were just being racist or sexist. It is a super long audiobook. Eighteen hours! It was incredibly well read which helped the time fly by. Interestingly, it had a lot of peaks throughout. You'd be all caught up in the tense action and it would feel worthy of a book ending climax only to find that there are still 15 hours of the book left. Rinse and repeat. There was a lot going on in this book in terms of the different factions, peoples and the world itself and I need a few things clarified. The second half of the novel was gripping with an ending that was satisfying but definitely left me excited for book 2. Thoroughly enjoyable.
CW: Lots of violence, blood and death, sexual content, racism, misogyny, loss of loved ones.
I will be honest and say that at several points during the first half I contemplated quitting but I am thrilled that I held on. I found the author to be a bit heavy handed in establishing this world as having nasty levels of racial hatred and misogyny. The actions were clear enough without having it then pointed out to us that those people were just being racist or sexist. It is a super long audiobook. Eighteen hours! It was incredibly well read which helped the time fly by. Interestingly, it had a lot of peaks throughout. You'd be all caught up in the tense action and it would feel worthy of a book ending climax only to find that there are still 15 hours of the book left. Rinse and repeat. There was a lot going on in this book in terms of the different factions, peoples and the world itself and I need a few things clarified. The second half of the novel was gripping with an ending that was satisfying but definitely left me excited for book 2. Thoroughly enjoyable.
CW: Lots of violence, blood and death, sexual content, racism, misogyny, loss of loved ones.
Read
June 22, 2025DNF @ 28%
May 29, 2022
3.0 Stars
This is a gritty ownvoices sci fantasy that addresses issues surrounding race and prejudice. While this takes place in a futuristic setting, the story also involves magic, which makes this an interesting genre crossover.
This debut novel is marketed as adult fiction, yet it read more like young adult. I've seen other readers balk at that comparison. Yes, the content is dark in nature. Yes, the characters drop f-bombs. However, none of that changes the fact that the tone and characters make this feel like YA. Inappropriate YA, but still YA. Being appropriate for a younger audience and being written in a YA style are two different things in my books.
If you enjoy both adult and young adult science fiction, then you will likely enjoy this one. If you, like myself, have a strong preference for adult fiction, then it may not work for you.
This is a gritty ownvoices sci fantasy that addresses issues surrounding race and prejudice. While this takes place in a futuristic setting, the story also involves magic, which makes this an interesting genre crossover.
This debut novel is marketed as adult fiction, yet it read more like young adult. I've seen other readers balk at that comparison. Yes, the content is dark in nature. Yes, the characters drop f-bombs. However, none of that changes the fact that the tone and characters make this feel like YA. Inappropriate YA, but still YA. Being appropriate for a younger audience and being written in a YA style are two different things in my books.
If you enjoy both adult and young adult science fiction, then you will likely enjoy this one. If you, like myself, have a strong preference for adult fiction, then it may not work for you.
April 13, 2023
this book is so fucking good oh my god
Read
October 31, 2022Honestly kind of refuse to rate this one...
I've read some raggedy books in my day, and while this is a little better than raggedy it still leaves a lot to be desired.
It's hard for me to really talk about this book. Partially because there are a lot of very mediocre books out there written by people that continue to get book deals and I do feel bad getting on the internet and talking about how a book by a black woman was just kinda meh to me. So I've settled on just not giving this book a star rating and talking my way through what didn't work... who knows if that's really a middle ground.
The short of it really boils down to the world didn't work for me. My brain likes to think that there is a version of me that would enjoy a blend of science and magic, and maybe there is... I can't believe I've been around the sun as many times as I have and not enjoyed that at some point. As it was executed here though? It simply didn't work. Not because the magic didn't have any hard and fast rules, something I blame Brandy Sandy for getting the generous populous to crave when magic is involved, but more that what we did know it didn't make any sense that no one in Ikenna's life was able to piece together that sis was blood-gifted and that she was going through the events of the narrative being able to keep that underwraps.
Much has been said about the violent nature of the books... and maybe I'm just a horrible person that has been desensitized... nothing here felt particularly worse than something I read a decade ago in The Hunger Games or experienced while on my Criminal Minds rewatch.... but that's going to be a reader by reader basis. I'd say that while the book feels very juvenile and filled with a lot of half baked ideas, it does mostly read as a book for the adults it's marketed toward. I also think it's one of the rare books with characters in the grey space age of early adulthood that doesn't feel like it's trying to split the difference and appeal to two age categories, despite the nature of the writing.
A lot of the book could have been forgiven if not for the last hundred or so pages... The book extends past the actual trials in the book so the reader can get some kind of explanation to the actual plot of the book; the investigation into the death of Ikenna's grandfather.... It's really there that the book goes off the rails. While the first two-thirds of the book weren't spectacular and they did feel like we were doing fantasy by numbers, it was a mostly stable debut novel trying to do a little too much while getting the reader acclimated to the story. The last hundred or so pages though is a complete tonal shift from where we had been to be able to get the answers, and suddenly the geopolitical elements that felt half baked because they were mostly in the background are suddenly front and center with a host of characters that only exist to give this part of the narrative space to exist... and it just didn't work. It really felt like we should have gotten a cliff hanger and let the last part of the book be the beginning of book two. It might have felt abrupt, but I'll take that over the complete shake up the book does in the version that was shipped out.
Overall, the book is decent. It's an average read, especially when compared to other adult fantasy debuts. There's probably some promise buried in there, something the story will achieve after the second book is published. I just don't think that I'm invested enough in the characters or the world to see it through. Writing a war fantasy takes a lot of skill and maybe writing a sci-fantasy war takes even more...
If you loved this, good for you. If you haven't already picked it up I see no reason to rush out and rectify that.
I've read some raggedy books in my day, and while this is a little better than raggedy it still leaves a lot to be desired.
It's hard for me to really talk about this book. Partially because there are a lot of very mediocre books out there written by people that continue to get book deals and I do feel bad getting on the internet and talking about how a book by a black woman was just kinda meh to me. So I've settled on just not giving this book a star rating and talking my way through what didn't work... who knows if that's really a middle ground.
The short of it really boils down to the world didn't work for me. My brain likes to think that there is a version of me that would enjoy a blend of science and magic, and maybe there is... I can't believe I've been around the sun as many times as I have and not enjoyed that at some point. As it was executed here though? It simply didn't work. Not because the magic didn't have any hard and fast rules, something I blame Brandy Sandy for getting the generous populous to crave when magic is involved, but more that what we did know it didn't make any sense that no one in Ikenna's life was able to piece together that sis was blood-gifted and that she was going through the events of the narrative being able to keep that underwraps.
Much has been said about the violent nature of the books... and maybe I'm just a horrible person that has been desensitized... nothing here felt particularly worse than something I read a decade ago in The Hunger Games or experienced while on my Criminal Minds rewatch.... but that's going to be a reader by reader basis. I'd say that while the book feels very juvenile and filled with a lot of half baked ideas, it does mostly read as a book for the adults it's marketed toward. I also think it's one of the rare books with characters in the grey space age of early adulthood that doesn't feel like it's trying to split the difference and appeal to two age categories, despite the nature of the writing.
A lot of the book could have been forgiven if not for the last hundred or so pages... The book extends past the actual trials in the book so the reader can get some kind of explanation to the actual plot of the book; the investigation into the death of Ikenna's grandfather.... It's really there that the book goes off the rails. While the first two-thirds of the book weren't spectacular and they did feel like we were doing fantasy by numbers, it was a mostly stable debut novel trying to do a little too much while getting the reader acclimated to the story. The last hundred or so pages though is a complete tonal shift from where we had been to be able to get the answers, and suddenly the geopolitical elements that felt half baked because they were mostly in the background are suddenly front and center with a host of characters that only exist to give this part of the narrative space to exist... and it just didn't work. It really felt like we should have gotten a cliff hanger and let the last part of the book be the beginning of book two. It might have felt abrupt, but I'll take that over the complete shake up the book does in the version that was shipped out.
Overall, the book is decent. It's an average read, especially when compared to other adult fantasy debuts. There's probably some promise buried in there, something the story will achieve after the second book is published. I just don't think that I'm invested enough in the characters or the world to see it through. Writing a war fantasy takes a lot of skill and maybe writing a sci-fantasy war takes even more...
If you loved this, good for you. If you haven't already picked it up I see no reason to rush out and rectify that.
February 3, 2023
Highly recommend not reading this until April when the sequel is released, because I don’t know how to handle being separated from Ikenna and all of my new friends until then, ESPECIALLY with an ending like THAT.
My favorite read of 2023 (so far)
My favorite read of 2023 (so far)
May 1, 2022
I was really looking forward to this book which is why I am so frustrated in my reading experience. There were things I liked about The Blood Trials in regards to plot and the world Davenport created however the execution in the storytelling really hindered my enjoyment.
I wish Davenport had trusted her readers more with being able to identify themes, motivations, schemes without having to explain them in vivid detail(and often repetitively). There was a large amount of info dumping and narrative hand holding in this book, which may be a good thing for younger readers but I was under the guise this is an adult fantasy. Normally I can overlook some info dumping but the way it was done was either through Ikenna’s internal dialogue or awkwardly long conversations where things are overly explained. Frequently these conversations or internal dialogues are happening in the middle of an important event which I found unnatural. I wish The Blood Trials would have done more showing and less telling and trusted us as readers to infer the rest.
My final rating is 3⭐️’s as I did like the plot that unfolded in this book and I’m curious enough to want to see how it all ends. I hope Davenport continues to improve and perfect her craft as I believe there is definitely potential here.
#bookreview #bookstagram #blacksff #thebloodtrials
I wish Davenport had trusted her readers more with being able to identify themes, motivations, schemes without having to explain them in vivid detail(and often repetitively). There was a large amount of info dumping and narrative hand holding in this book, which may be a good thing for younger readers but I was under the guise this is an adult fantasy. Normally I can overlook some info dumping but the way it was done was either through Ikenna’s internal dialogue or awkwardly long conversations where things are overly explained. Frequently these conversations or internal dialogues are happening in the middle of an important event which I found unnatural. I wish The Blood Trials would have done more showing and less telling and trusted us as readers to infer the rest.
My final rating is 3⭐️’s as I did like the plot that unfolded in this book and I’m curious enough to want to see how it all ends. I hope Davenport continues to improve and perfect her craft as I believe there is definitely potential here.
#bookreview #bookstagram #blacksff #thebloodtrials
September 17, 2021
C/W:
Thank you to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The copy of The Blood Trials I received for review was an un-edited ARC, which feels particularly worth emphasizing. The overall summary of my feelings about The Blood Trials can be distilled into the following -- the premise is super cool but the book itself felt like a work-in-progress.
The Blood Trials is part murder mystery, political intrigue, and violent tournament. The story follows Ikenna who signs up to endure the contest to become a Praetorian, the most elite soldiers, as a means of investigating the murder of her grandfather. The prominence of the various elements of The Blood Trials ebbs and flows over the course of the story. There would be periods where I would wonder if Ikenna forget about her search for answers as there hadn't been so much of a mention of the mystery for huge chunks of the story.
Ikenna is a tough-as-nails, loyal protagonist. Watching her grow through her interpersonal relationships with her friends and Praetorian competitors was really satisfying. She is a protagonist who makes mistakes but isn’t afraid to grapple with them in an attempt to do better next time. Ikenna endures a lot of racism and sexism over the course of the story but never wavers in her conviction that she deserves to be a Praetorian. Through her character development, we see how predominantly white institutions impact people of color, which added a powerful emotional component to Ikenna's quest for belonging and answers about her grandfather.
That said, Ikenna felt all over the place as the narrative voice of this story. Her internal dialogue often swung from logical to filled with rage in ways that could be hard to follow. These mood swings were conveyed through telling, rather than showing, which made them seem almost performative on Ikenna's part in a way that didn't make sense. There’s also a lot of internal narrating, which often popped up in the middle of a scene that otherwise had a lot of action going on. Ikenna’s musings usually restated information that the reader had already been told numerous times while completely ignoring obvious questions or further areas of investigation.
The Blood Trials felt like 2 books smushed together rather than one cohesive whole. The first portion of The Blood Trials focused heavily on Ikenna’s time competing for a place among the Praetorians and a bit of her investigation into the murder of her grandfather.
I found the world-building really frustrating. The world of Iludu sounds beyond intriguing. Some people have gifts that are legacies of special talents bestowed by the gods before the gods were banished. This is a world with a long history of war that it seemed like the reader was supposed to be familiar with but was never explained in a comprehensive way. The first portion of the book swung from huge passages filled with info-dumping to situations where explanation would’ve been helpful but was notably absent. The synopsis of The Blood Trials explains the situation in Mareen better than the book itself, which about sums up my frustration with how world-building is handled in the book.
The Blood Trials has an interesting concept and a lot of potential. I think some of my issues with the book are probably due to the fact that this ARC seemed more on the un-edited side.
Thank you to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The copy of The Blood Trials I received for review was an un-edited ARC, which feels particularly worth emphasizing. The overall summary of my feelings about The Blood Trials can be distilled into the following -- the premise is super cool but the book itself felt like a work-in-progress.
The Blood Trials is part murder mystery, political intrigue, and violent tournament. The story follows Ikenna who signs up to endure the contest to become a Praetorian, the most elite soldiers, as a means of investigating the murder of her grandfather. The prominence of the various elements of The Blood Trials ebbs and flows over the course of the story. There would be periods where I would wonder if Ikenna forget about her search for answers as there hadn't been so much of a mention of the mystery for huge chunks of the story.
Ikenna is a tough-as-nails, loyal protagonist. Watching her grow through her interpersonal relationships with her friends and Praetorian competitors was really satisfying. She is a protagonist who makes mistakes but isn’t afraid to grapple with them in an attempt to do better next time. Ikenna endures a lot of racism and sexism over the course of the story but never wavers in her conviction that she deserves to be a Praetorian. Through her character development, we see how predominantly white institutions impact people of color, which added a powerful emotional component to Ikenna's quest for belonging and answers about her grandfather.
That said, Ikenna felt all over the place as the narrative voice of this story. Her internal dialogue often swung from logical to filled with rage in ways that could be hard to follow. These mood swings were conveyed through telling, rather than showing, which made them seem almost performative on Ikenna's part in a way that didn't make sense. There’s also a lot of internal narrating, which often popped up in the middle of a scene that otherwise had a lot of action going on. Ikenna’s musings usually restated information that the reader had already been told numerous times while completely ignoring obvious questions or further areas of investigation.
The Blood Trials felt like 2 books smushed together rather than one cohesive whole. The first portion of The Blood Trials focused heavily on Ikenna’s time competing for a place among the Praetorians and a bit of her investigation into the murder of her grandfather.
I found the world-building really frustrating. The world of Iludu sounds beyond intriguing. Some people have gifts that are legacies of special talents bestowed by the gods before the gods were banished. This is a world with a long history of war that it seemed like the reader was supposed to be familiar with but was never explained in a comprehensive way. The first portion of the book swung from huge passages filled with info-dumping to situations where explanation would’ve been helpful but was notably absent. The synopsis of The Blood Trials explains the situation in Mareen better than the book itself, which about sums up my frustration with how world-building is handled in the book.
The Blood Trials has an interesting concept and a lot of potential. I think some of my issues with the book are probably due to the fact that this ARC seemed more on the un-edited side.
November 24, 2023
This is going to be a tricky one to review. It had so much potential yet had many, many flaws
Off the cuff star rating: 2.75⭐️
Off the cuff star rating: 2.75⭐️
May 22, 2022
I had such a great time with The Blood Trials! Unflinchingly gruesome and yet so full of heart, it grips you from the start and never lets go—I did wish Ikenna, the mc, wouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions, especially in the first half, BUT at the same time it's part of who she is as a character and given the cards she's been dealt and the gross bigotry and racism she's had to face since childhood? It's entirely understandable, and I loved her. Now after that ending? I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!
Want to read
July 28, 2021CAN I MARRY THIS COVER OMG LOOK AT IT I'M IN LOVE
April 25, 2023
On my blog.
Rep: Black mc, biracial character
CWs: violence, gore, torture
Galley provided by publisher
The Blood Trials is an apt name for this book. Brutal and bloody in the best way, this one doesn’t hold its punches. Think Red Rising and you might have an idea of how that goes.
The book opens with a bar fight and that gives you a sense of how it’ll continue. We follow Ikenna Amari as she joins the Praetorians for a chance to investigate and avenge her grandfather’s murder. Ikenna is headstrong and impulsive and, even as you wince over some of her decisions, a character you can’t help but root for.
This is a book that throws you straight into the action. It doesn’t dwell on worldbuilding as much so, at times, it does feel a bit light touch on that, but if, like me, you’re a fan of action-packed novels over ponderous infodumps, this is the book for you. In part, the lack of focus on the outside world is perhaps indicative of Ikenna’s—for want of a better word—self-centeredness. Ikenna is entirely focused on getting revenge and on herself (as illustrated by a particular scene during the training) and, as you’re in her POV, it makes sense to have less information about everything else. As much as I may have wanted a little more…
What The Blood Trials pulled off well, though, was making you root for a character who, as I said, is pretty selfish. Because why wouldn’t she only care about herself when there are people in her training class who are actively trying to kill her? When she lives in a society that hates her? So it was a kind of self-preservation induced selfishness. As I said, though, there are scenes that make it clear that she’s not always allowed to get away with it. Which was where the good balance came in.
If there were any issues I had, however, it’s that Ikenna seems overpowered in relation to the world she’s in. There are, I think, two specific points here: first, that she has some very useful healing powers. This alone wouldn’t be a problem, but given how brutal this book is and how much rests on that brutality, it kind of lessens the impact it has. Ikenna is, really, never in that much danger, because she’ll always heal pretty much overnight. The second is that she has this power to compel people, and then make them forget she ever did a thing, which seems like it could have resolved a few things quicker than they get resolved. (I mean, if she can compel people and then make them forget it, what’s stopping her from taking over the country? She can make people forget anything she wants, she doesn’t need to hide her power so hard, surely.) It would have made more sense to me if she was struggling to control it, or struggling to strengthen it throughout, so that the ending involves her coming into her power. Instead, she had all of this training and practice with her grandfather, even before the book started. What was stopping Ikenna in her quest for justice was only her prejudices and assumptions, which I suppose is a point you could make. But given the situation at the end of the book, I think she needed more checks on her power throughout than she had (although she did have some).
However, despite this perhaps kind of big sticking point, I had fun reading this book. It was 460+ pages, and yet it flew by. In the end, it’s definitely a book, and an author, to watch out for.
Rep: Black mc, biracial character
CWs: violence, gore, torture
Galley provided by publisher
The Blood Trials is an apt name for this book. Brutal and bloody in the best way, this one doesn’t hold its punches. Think Red Rising and you might have an idea of how that goes.
The book opens with a bar fight and that gives you a sense of how it’ll continue. We follow Ikenna Amari as she joins the Praetorians for a chance to investigate and avenge her grandfather’s murder. Ikenna is headstrong and impulsive and, even as you wince over some of her decisions, a character you can’t help but root for.
This is a book that throws you straight into the action. It doesn’t dwell on worldbuilding as much so, at times, it does feel a bit light touch on that, but if, like me, you’re a fan of action-packed novels over ponderous infodumps, this is the book for you. In part, the lack of focus on the outside world is perhaps indicative of Ikenna’s—for want of a better word—self-centeredness. Ikenna is entirely focused on getting revenge and on herself (as illustrated by a particular scene during the training) and, as you’re in her POV, it makes sense to have less information about everything else. As much as I may have wanted a little more…
What The Blood Trials pulled off well, though, was making you root for a character who, as I said, is pretty selfish. Because why wouldn’t she only care about herself when there are people in her training class who are actively trying to kill her? When she lives in a society that hates her? So it was a kind of self-preservation induced selfishness. As I said, though, there are scenes that make it clear that she’s not always allowed to get away with it. Which was where the good balance came in.
If there were any issues I had, however, it’s that Ikenna seems overpowered in relation to the world she’s in. There are, I think, two specific points here: first, that she has some very useful healing powers. This alone wouldn’t be a problem, but given how brutal this book is and how much rests on that brutality, it kind of lessens the impact it has. Ikenna is, really, never in that much danger, because she’ll always heal pretty much overnight. The second is that she has this power to compel people, and then make them forget she ever did a thing, which seems like it could have resolved a few things quicker than they get resolved. (I mean, if she can compel people and then make them forget it, what’s stopping her from taking over the country? She can make people forget anything she wants, she doesn’t need to hide her power so hard, surely.) It would have made more sense to me if she was struggling to control it, or struggling to strengthen it throughout, so that the ending involves her coming into her power. Instead, she had all of this training and practice with her grandfather, even before the book started. What was stopping Ikenna in her quest for justice was only her prejudices and assumptions, which I suppose is a point you could make. But given the situation at the end of the book, I think she needed more checks on her power throughout than she had (although she did have some).
However, despite this perhaps kind of big sticking point, I had fun reading this book. It was 460+ pages, and yet it flew by. In the end, it’s definitely a book, and an author, to watch out for.
June 1, 2022
That was freaking phenomenal
March 7, 2022
DNF at 84%.
I had been very excited to read The Blood Trials for quite some time, ever since I first saw the amazing cover a few months ago, and I was very lucky and ecstatic to receive an early copy of it, which I immediately jumped into. Unfortunately, however, this book had so much language and violence in it that I almost DNFed it in chapter 3 for that reason alone. I persevered, though, because I really wanted to read this book and enjoy it, but the vulgarity and violence only got worse.
The story here is surrounding Ikenna, a strong female protagonist who is hot-headed and quick to start a fight, in the aftermath of her grandfather’s murder. Her grandfather was the former Legatus Commander, a high-ranking official who trained her to keep her Blood gift a secret. Determined to discover who killed her grandfather and avenge his death, Ikenna pledges in the Praetorian Trials, a grueling set of physical tests that mean death for most who try. But Ikenna has an advantage with her Blood gift, a power that no one knows she has and that the government of Mareen tried to wipe out years ago. If she is found out, she will be killed. If she fails the trials, she will be killed. She might just be killed anyway because of her mixed heritage and dark skin color. But she will die fighting if that’s what it takes.
One of the very first things I noticed about this book, which continued throughout the whole story, is that the writing is very choppy. There are lots of short sentences right after each other instead of being combined with commas and contractions. Stopping at so many periods so frequently was jarring and made for a reading experience that wasn’t too enjoyable for me. There also was not a lot of worldbuilding at all—just a little bit about the government of Mareen and the Pantheon of gods they may or may not believe in, but not much else. The writing style really makes this book feel like a debut novel to me. I kept being pulled out of the story because of how something was explained or the word choices made, and it made it clear that this story has a really cool concept but with poor execution.
The trials started with over a thousand people, then there were 600, then 300 people left, yet the same five people are the only ones who ever get mentioned. It feels like no one important dies and no one else is even present because the lack of talk about them. Why do the training officers pick on the same handful of people in every chapter when literally hundreds of more options are out there? I know Ikenna isn’t going to interact with every single person in the trials with her, but how few people were actually mentioned made it feel rather unrealistic and like there was only a small group of people present the whole time.
I could not connect to or care about any of the characters besides Ikenna. A lot of minor characters I got mixed up because they would be referenced once or twice in the beginning and then not at all in the middle and then again at the end, or there would be a ton of side characters introduced at once with no distinguishing traits between them and I was expected to remember them all. Just not very good character work in this book, in my opinion.
This definitely feels like just a dystopian with a little bit of futuristic technology, instead of the science-fiction / fantasy crossover that I thought this was and that the cover and synopsis alluded to. I absolutely love the cover for this book, but I think it’s the wrong cover for the story within. The appearance of multiple planets and spired buildings are not indicative of the type of story this is; the vibrant colors on the cover make it seem more lighthearted, action-packed but fun, instead of the dark aggressive story focused on murder, racism, and bigotry that it is.
The Blood Trials is very dark and gritty and violent, most of the book focusing on what Ikenna has to go through to survive the brutal trials. This honestly looks like a young adult book cover, but this is very much an adult book with adult content, and that’s to this book’s disadvantage because it is likely that the type of audience that will be drawn to the cover is not the type to be prepared for the directions the story takes (like me).
I wanted to love this book, but I spent most of the story just waiting for it to end because I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I wanted to. I think this will be an amazing book for the right audience, and I thought that was me before I started it, but now after having read it, I know I’m not the right audience anymore.
Because Ikenna is Black and suffers unnecessary racism in her world because of her mixed heritage, I think Black women looking for a strong female protagonist that they can see come out on top of all the suppressors would really enjoy this story. The author is Black and the main character is Black, and this just feels like a story written for the strong Black women out there who feel like they don’t belong but are powerful, determined fighters. This is a book for them, and that’s great because we need more books like that. But that’s not me.
Even though this is a book I would describe as “good,” I didn’t particularly enjoy it. Ikenna faces so much hatred and injustices that it constantly made me just so mad. I read books to feel happy, so I didn’t want to keep returning to this story that I knew was going to keep making me angry with every passing page.
I quit reading at 84% and skimmed to the end, reading dialogue here and there and then reading the last page. I just couldn’t do it anymore. I had been suffering through this book for over two weeks, reading during every spare second I had, and it still would not end. I brought the book on vacation with me and read and read and read it, and I still was not done. From about 50% onward is when I switched from being engaged in the story to just wanting it to be done simply because I was not enjoying it anymore, but I pushed forward until I eventually decided to stop at 84%. The trials end at the 70% mark and the last 30% is just politics that set up the story that will take place during the sequel, which I already know I won’t be reading. Plus, even though I normally like political intrigue, I did not care about a single thing the characters were talking about or doing. I didn’t know who they were talking about or what the nations and alliances were, and I certainly didn’t care about the future of any one character or country.
Overall, I am very disappointed with The Blood Trials. I wanted both more fantastical elements and more science-fiction elements, and I wanted less graphic on-page violence and less vulgarity. I also wanted more character development and world-building. I expected this book to be a new favorite, but I struggled to push myself through it and found myself not caring what happened in the end. Even though this book didn’t work out for me, I think this will be a great book for the right audience, so I encourage you to check if out if you’re interested. Just know ahead of time the content gets very dark.
My Book Blog: Storeys of Stories
I had been very excited to read The Blood Trials for quite some time, ever since I first saw the amazing cover a few months ago, and I was very lucky and ecstatic to receive an early copy of it, which I immediately jumped into. Unfortunately, however, this book had so much language and violence in it that I almost DNFed it in chapter 3 for that reason alone. I persevered, though, because I really wanted to read this book and enjoy it, but the vulgarity and violence only got worse.
The story here is surrounding Ikenna, a strong female protagonist who is hot-headed and quick to start a fight, in the aftermath of her grandfather’s murder. Her grandfather was the former Legatus Commander, a high-ranking official who trained her to keep her Blood gift a secret. Determined to discover who killed her grandfather and avenge his death, Ikenna pledges in the Praetorian Trials, a grueling set of physical tests that mean death for most who try. But Ikenna has an advantage with her Blood gift, a power that no one knows she has and that the government of Mareen tried to wipe out years ago. If she is found out, she will be killed. If she fails the trials, she will be killed. She might just be killed anyway because of her mixed heritage and dark skin color. But she will die fighting if that’s what it takes.
One of the very first things I noticed about this book, which continued throughout the whole story, is that the writing is very choppy. There are lots of short sentences right after each other instead of being combined with commas and contractions. Stopping at so many periods so frequently was jarring and made for a reading experience that wasn’t too enjoyable for me. There also was not a lot of worldbuilding at all—just a little bit about the government of Mareen and the Pantheon of gods they may or may not believe in, but not much else. The writing style really makes this book feel like a debut novel to me. I kept being pulled out of the story because of how something was explained or the word choices made, and it made it clear that this story has a really cool concept but with poor execution.
The trials started with over a thousand people, then there were 600, then 300 people left, yet the same five people are the only ones who ever get mentioned. It feels like no one important dies and no one else is even present because the lack of talk about them. Why do the training officers pick on the same handful of people in every chapter when literally hundreds of more options are out there? I know Ikenna isn’t going to interact with every single person in the trials with her, but how few people were actually mentioned made it feel rather unrealistic and like there was only a small group of people present the whole time.
I could not connect to or care about any of the characters besides Ikenna. A lot of minor characters I got mixed up because they would be referenced once or twice in the beginning and then not at all in the middle and then again at the end, or there would be a ton of side characters introduced at once with no distinguishing traits between them and I was expected to remember them all. Just not very good character work in this book, in my opinion.
This definitely feels like just a dystopian with a little bit of futuristic technology, instead of the science-fiction / fantasy crossover that I thought this was and that the cover and synopsis alluded to. I absolutely love the cover for this book, but I think it’s the wrong cover for the story within. The appearance of multiple planets and spired buildings are not indicative of the type of story this is; the vibrant colors on the cover make it seem more lighthearted, action-packed but fun, instead of the dark aggressive story focused on murder, racism, and bigotry that it is.
The Blood Trials is very dark and gritty and violent, most of the book focusing on what Ikenna has to go through to survive the brutal trials. This honestly looks like a young adult book cover, but this is very much an adult book with adult content, and that’s to this book’s disadvantage because it is likely that the type of audience that will be drawn to the cover is not the type to be prepared for the directions the story takes (like me).
I wanted to love this book, but I spent most of the story just waiting for it to end because I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I wanted to. I think this will be an amazing book for the right audience, and I thought that was me before I started it, but now after having read it, I know I’m not the right audience anymore.
Because Ikenna is Black and suffers unnecessary racism in her world because of her mixed heritage, I think Black women looking for a strong female protagonist that they can see come out on top of all the suppressors would really enjoy this story. The author is Black and the main character is Black, and this just feels like a story written for the strong Black women out there who feel like they don’t belong but are powerful, determined fighters. This is a book for them, and that’s great because we need more books like that. But that’s not me.
Even though this is a book I would describe as “good,” I didn’t particularly enjoy it. Ikenna faces so much hatred and injustices that it constantly made me just so mad. I read books to feel happy, so I didn’t want to keep returning to this story that I knew was going to keep making me angry with every passing page.
I quit reading at 84% and skimmed to the end, reading dialogue here and there and then reading the last page. I just couldn’t do it anymore. I had been suffering through this book for over two weeks, reading during every spare second I had, and it still would not end. I brought the book on vacation with me and read and read and read it, and I still was not done. From about 50% onward is when I switched from being engaged in the story to just wanting it to be done simply because I was not enjoying it anymore, but I pushed forward until I eventually decided to stop at 84%. The trials end at the 70% mark and the last 30% is just politics that set up the story that will take place during the sequel, which I already know I won’t be reading. Plus, even though I normally like political intrigue, I did not care about a single thing the characters were talking about or doing. I didn’t know who they were talking about or what the nations and alliances were, and I certainly didn’t care about the future of any one character or country.
Overall, I am very disappointed with The Blood Trials. I wanted both more fantastical elements and more science-fiction elements, and I wanted less graphic on-page violence and less vulgarity. I also wanted more character development and world-building. I expected this book to be a new favorite, but I struggled to push myself through it and found myself not caring what happened in the end. Even though this book didn’t work out for me, I think this will be a great book for the right audience, so I encourage you to check if out if you’re interested. Just know ahead of time the content gets very dark.
My Book Blog: Storeys of Stories
March 25, 2023
I wanted so badly for this to be good. It is not.
The author has a good story that is completely ruined by rushed writing and poor worldbuilding. She explains almost nothing and expects us to believe it, and very little context is given for the background. I do admire her for her trying to be an over achiever and include every single sub-plot she possibly could, but because there were so many that none of them were flushed out the way they should have been. There was so much potential, but I was so so so disappointed.
The main character has an abrasive personality and there is almost no character growth the entire book. I can't even say she has a personality, she's just angry. She spends so much time hating on everyone, I now hate her. Her interpersonal connects are jarring and strange. I do not believe people act like that in the real world. The sex scene came out of nowhere (I mean literally no where, wtf) and was practically never mentioned again. And frankly, it was terrible too. She ripped his shirt off and the two halves fell down his arms??? Excuse me???
The second half of the book tried to wrap up the first half of the book, but some how it made it worse and more confusing. She wrapped up some loose ends by creating more loose ends and killed a bunch of people in the process. I understand what she was going for, and she was almost there but.... ugh.
Overall, I don't recommend this book and almost didn't finish it myself. It has a good premise, but the writing killed it for me. It should have been made into multiple books with real world building.
EDIT: I originally gave this 2 stars but I dropped it to one because 5 months later and I still hate this book.
The author has a good story that is completely ruined by rushed writing and poor worldbuilding. She explains almost nothing and expects us to believe it, and very little context is given for the background. I do admire her for her trying to be an over achiever and include every single sub-plot she possibly could, but because there were so many that none of them were flushed out the way they should have been. There was so much potential, but I was so so so disappointed.
The main character has an abrasive personality and there is almost no character growth the entire book. I can't even say she has a personality, she's just angry. She spends so much time hating on everyone, I now hate her. Her interpersonal connects are jarring and strange. I do not believe people act like that in the real world. The sex scene came out of nowhere (I mean literally no where, wtf) and was practically never mentioned again. And frankly, it was terrible too. She ripped his shirt off and the two halves fell down his arms??? Excuse me???
The second half of the book tried to wrap up the first half of the book, but some how it made it worse and more confusing. She wrapped up some loose ends by creating more loose ends and killed a bunch of people in the process. I understand what she was going for, and she was almost there but.... ugh.
Overall, I don't recommend this book and almost didn't finish it myself. It has a good premise, but the writing killed it for me. It should have been made into multiple books with real world building.
EDIT: I originally gave this 2 stars but I dropped it to one because 5 months later and I still hate this book.
April 15, 2022
This was one of my anticipated 2022 reads and it definitely lived up to the hype. From page one we follow Ikenna on her journey of grief and vengeance. Ikenna's grandfather has died and we later on discover that it's believed that he actually was murdered. After she is told this and the possibility of who is thought to be behind his assassination, Ikenna decides to join the Praetorian Trials to discover who played a hand in his assassination and avenge him.
As we follow Ikenna's journey we also learn that she is also dealing with a secret of her own. She has a forbidden gift of blood magic. I really enjoyed the fast paced storyline, fighting and how the story deals with consequences. I think this is the perfect "crossover" book for YA readers who want to start reading Adult SFF.
So many of my favorite parts of this book are spoilers and I enjoyed the unpredictable twists.
This book does also deals with a heavy amount of graphic violence, racism, prejudice, class (privilege) and misogyny.
The story ended on the perfect note and left me wanting more. I am ready for the sequel!
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with this ARC. All opinions are my own.
As we follow Ikenna's journey we also learn that she is also dealing with a secret of her own. She has a forbidden gift of blood magic. I really enjoyed the fast paced storyline, fighting and how the story deals with consequences. I think this is the perfect "crossover" book for YA readers who want to start reading Adult SFF.
So many of my favorite parts of this book are spoilers and I enjoyed the unpredictable twists.
This book does also deals with a heavy amount of graphic violence, racism, prejudice, class (privilege) and misogyny.
The story ended on the perfect note and left me wanting more. I am ready for the sequel!
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with this ARC. All opinions are my own.
October 21, 2022
My feelings towards this book are very subjective and in no way really reflect how good this book is in general, just how the experience was for me. I am someone who reads stories to connect with, observe, love, and root for characters. They don't have to be likeable but I have to like spending my time following them and that was just not the case for me and this work. I found our main character very frustrating but not because she wasn't well crafted, but because her impulsive personality started to be a hinderance to my enjoyment 30% of the way in. Pair that with the fact that this is a mystery driven sci-fantasy and I was never going to really have a fantastic reading experience, especially since I knew our main character was making dumb connections, but that was frustratingly in character for her. So all and all I think this is a well crafter revenge murder mystery sci-fantasy but I was really frustrated by the main person I was suppose to follow and the further away I get from it the less likely I think I will be to read the sequel, just cause I don't really see her growing out of the traits that I find annoying.
July 16, 2022
I need time and hot chocolate to process all the emotions and messy feelings this book made me feel.
August 25, 2023
Initial Thoughts
This was great! I thought that Ikenna was a great character and I really wanted to see her succeed in not only making it through the Praetorian Trials but in finding out what really happened to her grandfather. The story was very exciting and often brutal. I loved that the story was able to keep me guessing right up until the end. I listened to the audiobook and thought that the narrator only added to my enjoyment of the story.
Review copy provided by the publisher. Full review to be posted soon.
This was great! I thought that Ikenna was a great character and I really wanted to see her succeed in not only making it through the Praetorian Trials but in finding out what really happened to her grandfather. The story was very exciting and often brutal. I loved that the story was able to keep me guessing right up until the end. I listened to the audiobook and thought that the narrator only added to my enjoyment of the story.
Review copy provided by the publisher. Full review to be posted soon.
April 4, 2024
Thank you Harper Collins publishing for an advance copy of this book I am choosing to leave this review
Magic and technology converge in the first part of this stunning debut duology, where loyalty to oneself—and one’s blood—is more important than anything.
Okay problem number one is the first book isn't even out yet and I am already hyped for the next one.
The blood trials is fast paced and full of action. I never felt bored or confused why a scene was happening it all made sense for the story line to move along. The magic system was well described and allows for enough mystery for you to connect the dots together to figure out some of the major plot points.
Ikenna is a strong willed protagonist that you are constantly routing for. She is a character that is constantly making bad choices and you get to see not only the gain from these actions, but also the consequences of those actions. Ikenna has an incredible group of friends that you can't help but also love! Davenport introduces you to many characters along the way that you can't help but route for. One big thing to clarify is that this book is NA/Adult and should be checked for TW there are some gruesome moments that are fully described (its honestly amazing).
The world building is strong and vibrant! You felt like you are genuinely apart of the world and it was interesting to see the different aspects of our society reflected back into the book. I think it is important to point out that although the book reflects some of the heavy topics that our world faces today, Davenport does not make you feel like you are reading a book on todays present world. Each conflict mentioned is a valid way to drive the plot. Some of the real world reflections are: politics, racism, and sexism.
Magic and technology converge in the first part of this stunning debut duology, where loyalty to oneself—and one’s blood—is more important than anything.
Okay problem number one is the first book isn't even out yet and I am already hyped for the next one.
The blood trials is fast paced and full of action. I never felt bored or confused why a scene was happening it all made sense for the story line to move along. The magic system was well described and allows for enough mystery for you to connect the dots together to figure out some of the major plot points.
Ikenna is a strong willed protagonist that you are constantly routing for. She is a character that is constantly making bad choices and you get to see not only the gain from these actions, but also the consequences of those actions. Ikenna has an incredible group of friends that you can't help but also love! Davenport introduces you to many characters along the way that you can't help but route for. One big thing to clarify is that this book is NA/Adult and should be checked for TW there are some gruesome moments that are fully described (its honestly amazing).
The world building is strong and vibrant! You felt like you are genuinely apart of the world and it was interesting to see the different aspects of our society reflected back into the book. I think it is important to point out that although the book reflects some of the heavy topics that our world faces today, Davenport does not make you feel like you are reading a book on todays present world. Each conflict mentioned is a valid way to drive the plot. Some of the real world reflections are: politics, racism, and sexism.
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