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chanlo1994's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I had a good guess for the twist at the end, and I was STILL wrong. Ikenna, my girl, you're so angsty, and yet it makes you such a powerful character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Genocide, Slavery, and Toxic friendship
Assassination, death of pregnant woman, forced drugginglenorenore's review
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Racism, Sexual violence, Torture, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Slavery, Vomit, Alcohol, and Classism
citymouse's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Grief
Minor: Racial slurs and War
sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
š¬: "Iām a cadet. Iām nowhere close to his rank. Iām also so much more than that and good olā boy Radson decided to fuck with me on the right day. I smile at Radson while motioning him forward. Feeling the severe strain of my cheek muscles, I know I appear a little psycho."
Davenport, N. E.. The Blood Trials (The Blood Gift Duology Book 1) (p. 9). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
šGenres: fantasy, sci-fi, romance, adult,
šPage Count: 453
š§Audiobook Length: 18h 20min
š©š¾āš«My Rating: āļøāļøāļøāļøāļø - 5/5
----
The Blood Trials by N. E. Davenport is a sci fi/fantasy ADULT story about a Black woman
who lives in a racist and misogynistic society who finds out her grandfather was murdered when she previously thought he died of natural causes. Ikenna is spending her last night as a cadet with friends when she privately gets the news, she instantly decides that she wants revenge. Joining The Praetorian Trials means that Ikenna can get close to the people who might have had a hand in her grandfathers death, so that's what she decides to do. She's sure that she cans survive the challenges, because she was trained by the best (her grandfather) and she has a secret blood gift to help her. Will Ikenna be able to survive the challenges while also figuring out who killed her grandfather?
There were plenty of things I really liked about this book. I love how the main character made impulsive decisions, now these decisions weren't always the best ones but I felt as if the character's personality really shined through and it was consistent. I liked how Ikenna often remembered her grandfather and how she would think about what advice he might give her. The action scenes were really well described in this book. And although some of the twists in the story were predictable, the story was written well so it was still interesting when revealed.
There was only one thing that I didn't like. I couldn't understand why the challenges were so hard, there were characters dying left and right and it felt like the Praetorians reasoning for the challenges being so hard didn't make sense. If no one survives your challenge then who actually wins? Literally no one, because the Praetorians wouldn't gain any new soldiers. There were so many people dying that it no longer became a shock when someone died, and it was no longer impactful. It ruined the immersion for me. Thankfully the story was written well so I was able to re-immerse myself back into the story a few chapters later.
There was one spicy scene, it was written well but I'm uninterested in spicy scenes between young adults. I'm giving the spicy scene a one chili š¶ļø out of five chilies.
Overall, this book was really good. There was so much I enjoyed and very little I disliked. The theme of this book is "revenge" and it really reminds me of "Iron Widow" by Xiran Jay Zhao and I gave that book a 5. This book definitely deserves a 5 as well. I'm giving this 5 out of 5 stars.
āļøāļøāļøāļøāļø - 5/5 Stars
I listened to this for free on the library app [HooplaDigital.com]
Davenport, N. E.. The Blood Trials (The Blood Gift Duology Book 1) (p. 9). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
šGenres: fantasy, sci-fi, romance, adult,
šPage Count: 453
š§Audiobook Length: 18h 20min
š©š¾āš«My Rating: āļøāļøāļøāļøāļø - 5/5
----
The Blood Trials by N. E. Davenport is a sci fi/fantasy ADULT story about a Black woman
who lives in a racist and misogynistic society who finds out her grandfather was murdered when she previously thought he died of natural causes. Ikenna is spending her last night as a cadet with friends when she privately gets the news, she instantly decides that she wants revenge. Joining The Praetorian Trials means that Ikenna can get close to the people who might have had a hand in her grandfathers death, so that's what she decides to do. She's sure that she cans survive the challenges, because she was trained by the best (her grandfather) and she has a secret blood gift to help her. Will Ikenna be able to survive the challenges while also figuring out who killed her grandfather?
There were plenty of things I really liked about this book. I love how the main character made impulsive decisions, now these decisions weren't always the best ones but I felt as if the character's personality really shined through and it was consistent. I liked how Ikenna often remembered her grandfather and how she would think about what advice he might give her. The action scenes were really well described in this book. And although some of the twists in the story were predictable, the story was written well so it was still interesting when revealed.
There was only one thing that I didn't like. I couldn't understand why the challenges were so hard, there were characters dying left and right and it felt like the Praetorians reasoning for the challenges being so hard didn't make sense. If no one survives your challenge then who actually wins? Literally no one, because the Praetorians wouldn't gain any new soldiers. There were so many people dying that it no longer became a shock when someone died, and it was no longer impactful. It ruined the immersion for me. Thankfully the story was written well so I was able to re-immerse myself back into the story a few chapters later.
There was one spicy scene, it was written well but I'm uninterested in spicy scenes between young adults. I'm giving the spicy scene a one chili š¶ļø out of five chilies.
Overall, this book was really good. There was so much I enjoyed and very little I disliked. The theme of this book is "revenge" and it really reminds me of "Iron Widow" by Xiran Jay Zhao and I gave that book a 5. This book definitely deserves a 5 as well. I'm giving this 5 out of 5 stars.
āļøāļøāļøāļøāļø - 5/5 Stars
I listened to this for free on the library app [HooplaDigital.com]
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
sshinesea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Vomit, and Murder
yessicookie's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
A great fantasy scifi book with interesting characters and a relatable main character.
(some parts were a little bit predictable to me, however i did not mind bc there were some plot twists that even i couldn't predict)
(some parts were a little bit predictable to me, however i did not mind bc there were some plot twists that even i couldn't predict)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Xenophobia, and Grief
Minor: Slavery and Vomit
kittykels's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The main issue I had with the audiobook narration was the childish voices for the adult characters. They're young adults, but the voices often sounded more like young teens in early high school or maybe even middle school. It was very hard to hear those voices depicting sex and very graphic violence. If she were narrating a different story, I don't think I'd have as much issue with her narration. And I did not have issue with the adult content except when paired with the voices.
Now with that out of the way, the story itself is really good and interesting, but needed some more refining. The last few hours felt very info-dumpy. The information was important, but it was a boring delivery for the most part.
The two best friends of the main character are a weird choice. I won't say too much to avoid spoilers, but they don't really make sense as a friend group and there's no reason to feel emotionally attached to them.
It's also hard to get behind Ikenna's motivations for her actions because we don't meet her grandfather on the page, we only have her memories. We're just told he's great and that's supposed to be enough to fuel her quest and for us to be interested in that quest.
I wish there was a little more depth to Ikenna. I don't dislike her as a character, but the only emotion we get from her is anger. Sometimes she's contemplative, but that usually just leads her to being angry again. There's nothing wrong with anger and she has very good reasons to be angry, but it's not enough for us to connect with her as a person and what she's going through. We should also have experienced her grief (especially her grief) and her joy and whatever else. Some of the major events were hard to care about from her perspective because we don't really get that emotional connection. I guess it could be argued that perhaps this is an intentional choice, and Ikenna is using anger to suppress her feelings of grief and any other emotion that could distract her from her goal. I could buy this for external purposes, but it's not convincing within her private thoughts.
I do look forward to the next book and really hope to see some improvements to the characters and our emotional attachments to them.
Now with that out of the way, the story itself is really good and interesting, but needed some more refining. The last few hours felt very info-dumpy. The information was important, but it was a boring delivery for the most part.
The two best friends of the main character are a weird choice. I won't say too much to avoid spoilers, but they don't really make sense as a friend group and there's no reason to feel emotionally attached to them.
It's also hard to get behind Ikenna's motivations for her actions because we don't meet her grandfather on the page, we only have her memories. We're just told he's great and that's supposed to be enough to fuel her quest and for us to be interested in that quest.
I wish there was a little more depth to Ikenna. I don't dislike her as a character, but the only emotion we get from her is anger. Sometimes she's contemplative, but that usually just leads her to being angry again. There's nothing wrong with anger and she has very good reasons to be angry, but it's not enough for us to connect with her as a person and what she's going through. We should also have experienced her grief (especially her grief) and her joy and whatever else. Some of the major events were hard to care about from her perspective because we don't really get that emotional connection. I guess it could be argued that perhaps this is an intentional choice, and Ikenna is using anger to suppress her feelings of grief and any other emotion that could distract her from her goal. I could buy this for external purposes, but it's not convincing within her private thoughts.
I do look forward to the next book and really hope to see some improvements to the characters and our emotional attachments to them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Blood, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Vomit, and War
Minor: Murder
cheuksin's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
To be honest this book is the complete opposite of what I usually read action fantasy with a romance subplot. Itās was interesting to step out of my comfort zone. Considering I bought this book months ago and waited until after the sequel came out to read it Iām a bit disappointed. Ikenna is both overpowered and unlikeable the author really shouldāve just picked one. The way she treated Zayne (she was constantly gaslighting him and getting mad him for no reason) and Enoch and his sister (become she officially became a Praetorian) was so bitchy. The plot was also pretty predictable. I wish the best for this author though, I probably wonāt read the sequel unless itās on sale for less than Ā£1.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Torture, and War
Minor: Slavery, Vomit, and Death of parent
shaipanda's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Ok this book is bat shit insaneeee - I absolutely loved it but definitely did not expect exactly how dark it is so keep that I mind if you read this. However despite that, I really loved Kenna and this was a superrr engaging book. Despite it being darker than I tend to prefer Iāll almost definitely read the sequel when it comes out cause omg so well doneee :)
However I will say I personally didnāt give it a 5 star because of how unlikeable pretty much every character is at various parts of the story (including Kenna occasionally lol) and I tend to prefer to at least somewhat like the characters Iām reading about
Oh also reallyyyy look at the trigger warnings fr cause this book is insanely dark and has no issues killing off characters
However I will say I personally didnāt give it a 5 star because of how unlikeable pretty much every character is at various parts of the story (including Kenna occasionally lol) and I tend to prefer to at least somewhat like the characters Iām reading about
Oh also reallyyyy look at the trigger warnings fr cause this book is insanely dark and has no issues killing off characters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Vomit, Cannibalism, and War
Minor: Toxic friendship
kingrosereads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A high sci-fi fantasy new adult novel about a kickass black MC and political drama. Love it!!
I just want to note, that I saw somewhere that this book was labeled as YA, Iām here to tell you it most definitely is not! I learned the hard way as I stomached through the Accursed scenes. Also, check your trigger warnings, thereās a lot of violence and gore, racism, misogyny, bigotry, cannibalism, death, and you know, all the fun stuff my therapist will hear about later.
Can I just say, THANK YOU, Davenport. Thank you so much for writing a sci-fi fantasy that didnāt actively try to hurt my brain. The people have normal dialogue and the world building was explained is a beautiful way that still felt like I was reading about this fantastical world on another planet, without feeling like I wasnāt smart enough to understand and catch on fast enough.
This is likely the first 5 star rating Iāve given to a book where I genuinely donāt care about any shortcomings in the book, thatās how good it was.
The book follows Ikenna Amari, 19 year old recruit for a special warrior group called the Praetorians. The trials to becoming a Praetorian are gruesome and deadly, and Ikenna must overcome racism and misogyny (and attempts on her life) in addition to the shit tasks she and her fellow recruits are given. Ikenna is sort of a legacy Praetorian since her grandfather was one and he was essentially the general for The Republic of Mareen. Her grandfather was a war hero from the war against the Blood Empire (all of the people there are blood-gifted, and having blood-gifts in Mareen is punishable by death) and he eventually rose above the ranks despite the blatant racism and bigotry that was thrown at him for being half-Khanaian (a nation where the population is predominantly black).
Before Ikenna graduates from cadet school and can be recruited for the trials, her Grandfather dies suddenly. For three months, she grieves by drinking and getting into fight, and almost not graduating. That is until her grandfatherās friend and Tribunal member, Brock, tells her that her grandfather was murdered, and it was likely an ordered assassination by one of the other Tribunal members. She enters the trials to get close to the murder suspects so she can exact her revenge. Sheās does this, while combating adversity, and also hiding the fact that she is blood-gifted. No one knows who Ikennaās father is (her mother never told anyone his identity), but itās clear heās from the Blood Empire. Thereās a lot of action, a bunch of weird creatures and old, vengeful gods, lots of disturbing events, some mystery, a little bit of heat, and a healthy dose of twists and betrayals.
Thereās a good chunk of the book thatās just info dumping, but itās spaced out between action scenes or dramatic ones in a way that youāre not totally bored or overwhelmed. Itās still a lot to take in, but itās good shit and it is (mostly) relevant. I like that Ikenna is unapologetically herself and sheās not going to reel in her anger for the sake of decorum or ārising above itā. There were a few things that were just repeated too much (like the āI want my knife backā¦My knivesā like the realization of two knives was mentioned too many times). But, itās whatever in the end.
Ikenna struggles with her identity as Mareenian and the fact the country outright hates her for the color of her skin. I think the book does well in diving into the issue of fighting for a country that doesnāt respect or fight for you. And a country that does a lot of messed up shit. As well as what itās like to be biracial and be white passing. Then thereās the experience of being a woman and being a black woman thatās shown in this book. Where Ikennaās friend, Selene, is expected to be a wife and give heirs to her House, Ikennaās experience is much more violent. Especially since Selene has the added protection of being basically royalty to keep her from actually dying in the trials. I think the range of Ikennaās experience as a black woman in this mostly white nation of bigots, from microagressions to full-on attempts on her life, was written well and didnāt hold anything back. Itās difficult not seeing the parallels between Mareen and the US. The fact that Mareenians are outright racist and are visibly disgusted by Ikenna, her grandfather, and all Khanaians, while also adopting Khanaian fighting styles, aircraft, and technology was justā¦I donāt know how to describe the feelingā¦but the irony of it in this book and it being a thing in real lifeā¦
And Iām sorry, but this is a debut? A DEBUT?! Davenport, I hope you fix some things and make some tweaks, but you did it. This is such a great book! Bless you for making it a duology. My heart and brain can only take so many 5+ book series.
This is also probably the first time a 5-star book has taken me a week to complete. Because I needed to put this book down. Some scenes were too much (again, the Accursed scenes really disturbed me) and some had me so heated I needed a minute to cool down and just do something else or read a lighter book. Ikenna is 19 and sheās just had her entire world turned on its head, so she doesnāt make the best decisions, and she shouldnāt be expected to be perfect and avoid mistakes, sheās a human being and sheās NINETEEN!
I was suspicious of everyone and like Ikenna, I was ready to kill these characters on the spot, she showed so much restraint, I donāt know if I could in her shoes.
And can I just say, the friggin sexual tension in this book not only kind of came out of no where (in hindsight, it was like a sneaky, slow build), but it was friggin amazing. I loved it. Reed, my expectations for you were low and I had zero faith in you in the end scene, but you surprised me, and I love you. If Ikenna wonāt have your babies, I will.
So yeah, go read the book. Learn some things and be entertained. Let me know when itās April.
I just want to note, that I saw somewhere that this book was labeled as YA, Iām here to tell you it most definitely is not! I learned the hard way as I stomached through the Accursed scenes. Also, check your trigger warnings, thereās a lot of violence and gore, racism, misogyny, bigotry, cannibalism, death, and you know, all the fun stuff my therapist will hear about later.
Can I just say, THANK YOU, Davenport. Thank you so much for writing a sci-fi fantasy that didnāt actively try to hurt my brain. The people have normal dialogue and the world building was explained is a beautiful way that still felt like I was reading about this fantastical world on another planet, without feeling like I wasnāt smart enough to understand and catch on fast enough.
This is likely the first 5 star rating Iāve given to a book where I genuinely donāt care about any shortcomings in the book, thatās how good it was.
The book follows Ikenna Amari, 19 year old recruit for a special warrior group called the Praetorians. The trials to becoming a Praetorian are gruesome and deadly, and Ikenna must overcome racism and misogyny (and attempts on her life) in addition to the shit tasks she and her fellow recruits are given. Ikenna is sort of a legacy Praetorian since her grandfather was one and he was essentially the general for The Republic of Mareen. Her grandfather was a war hero from the war against the Blood Empire (all of the people there are blood-gifted, and having blood-gifts in Mareen is punishable by death) and he eventually rose above the ranks despite the blatant racism and bigotry that was thrown at him for being half-Khanaian (a nation where the population is predominantly black).
Before Ikenna graduates from cadet school and can be recruited for the trials, her Grandfather dies suddenly. For three months, she grieves by drinking and getting into fight, and almost not graduating. That is until her grandfatherās friend and Tribunal member, Brock, tells her that her grandfather was murdered, and it was likely an ordered assassination by one of the other Tribunal members. She enters the trials to get close to the murder suspects so she can exact her revenge. Sheās does this, while combating adversity, and also hiding the fact that she is blood-gifted. No one knows who Ikennaās father is (her mother never told anyone his identity), but itās clear heās from the Blood Empire. Thereās a lot of action, a bunch of weird creatures and old, vengeful gods, lots of disturbing events, some mystery, a little bit of heat, and a healthy dose of twists and betrayals.
Thereās a good chunk of the book thatās just info dumping, but itās spaced out between action scenes or dramatic ones in a way that youāre not totally bored or overwhelmed. Itās still a lot to take in, but itās good shit and it is (mostly) relevant. I like that Ikenna is unapologetically herself and sheās not going to reel in her anger for the sake of decorum or ārising above itā. There were a few things that were just repeated too much (like the āI want my knife backā¦My knivesā like the realization of two knives was mentioned too many times). But, itās whatever in the end.
Ikenna struggles with her identity as Mareenian and the fact the country outright hates her for the color of her skin. I think the book does well in diving into the issue of fighting for a country that doesnāt respect or fight for you. And a country that does a lot of messed up shit. As well as what itās like to be biracial and be white passing. Then thereās the experience of being a woman and being a black woman thatās shown in this book. Where Ikennaās friend, Selene, is expected to be a wife and give heirs to her House, Ikennaās experience is much more violent. Especially since Selene has the added protection of being basically royalty to keep her from actually dying in the trials. I think the range of Ikennaās experience as a black woman in this mostly white nation of bigots, from microagressions to full-on attempts on her life, was written well and didnāt hold anything back. Itās difficult not seeing the parallels between Mareen and the US. The fact that Mareenians are outright racist and are visibly disgusted by Ikenna, her grandfather, and all Khanaians, while also adopting Khanaian fighting styles, aircraft, and technology was justā¦I donāt know how to describe the feelingā¦but the irony of it in this book and it being a thing in real lifeā¦
And Iām sorry, but this is a debut? A DEBUT?! Davenport, I hope you fix some things and make some tweaks, but you did it. This is such a great book! Bless you for making it a duology. My heart and brain can only take so many 5+ book series.
This is also probably the first time a 5-star book has taken me a week to complete. Because I needed to put this book down. Some scenes were too much (again, the Accursed scenes really disturbed me) and some had me so heated I needed a minute to cool down and just do something else or read a lighter book. Ikenna is 19 and sheās just had her entire world turned on its head, so she doesnāt make the best decisions, and she shouldnāt be expected to be perfect and avoid mistakes, sheās a human being and sheās NINETEEN!
I was suspicious of everyone and like Ikenna, I was ready to kill these characters on the spot, she showed so much restraint, I donāt know if I could in her shoes.
And can I just say, the friggin sexual tension in this book not only kind of came out of no where (in hindsight, it was like a sneaky, slow build), but it was friggin amazing. I loved it. Reed, my expectations for you were low and I had zero faith in you in the end scene, but you surprised me, and I love you. If Ikenna wonāt have your babies, I will.
So yeah, go read the book. Learn some things and be entertained. Let me know when itās April.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Minor: Genocide, Slavery, Vomit, and War