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A review by cielosiluminado
The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.5
Blood is my gift. And blood is what they’ll get if anyone gets in my godsdamned way.
despite some of the writing being choppy and the world-building not fully fleshed out, i could overlook that because i was still hooked from the start. there was so much heartbreak, rage, betrayal, satisfaction, and then more betrayal and heartbreak. there was hardly any breaks of reprieve for anyone in this story, but it oddly worked and made the story more devastatingly dark, intense, and powerful.
the protagonist, ikenna amari, is someone you should not mess with. her faults are also her strengths. she is not perfect, makes mistakes, is biased, and struggles just as much as anyone else. her character development was interesting because she was all over the place. she’d take one step forward and progress, and then she fumble and fall back so much. her imperfections is why i found her so endearing and rooted for her nonstop.
i am blown away by this phenomenal piece of work, especially the ending. i cannot wait to get to book 2.
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august 2024 buddy read w/ the book nook club on storygraph 💗 — reading this in september so i’m late to the party, oops!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and War
Minor: Slavery, Cannibalism, and Death of parent