The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport: Review
Welcome to my review of The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport! I’ve had the ARC of this book since YALLFest 2021, and I can’t believe it took me this long to get to it. This book was also on my Black Romance Book Fest TBR.
Title: The Blood Trials (The Blood Gift Duology #1)
Author: N.E. Davenport
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Pub Date: 04/05/22
Description
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.
Review
I’ve started The Blood Trials twice over the years and never got past the second chapter, but I’m happy I tried again because this ended up being an enjoyable read. I don’t think I was as invested as I wanted to be in the characters, so certain deaths didn’t affect me, but the way the plot came together at the end sold me.
And lemme just say, this book was a lot more brutal and gruesome than I expected. It did not shy away from the harsh realities of training warriors and eliminating the weak. There was a lot of deceit, racism, and betrayal throughout the story, and I enjoyed seeing the farther Ikenna got in the Trials, the more she uncovered. The worldbuilding was also interesting, and I liked seeing Ikenna contend with hiding her secret in a deadly environment. I definitely would have preferred to see a little bit more information about her origins and the magic though, so I’m hoping the lore will expand in the next book.
The only aspect of the book that didn’t really work for me was the romance. For an enemies to lovers story, the sex happened too early for me and felt contrary to Ikenna’s character. I understood how her unstable powers influenced it, but it was a miss for me. And I actually like the love interest, so it wasn’t about who was involved either.
Overall, the combination of the fast-paced plot and the Trials themselves really kept me turning the pages. I’d recommend this for those trying to read more Black fantasy if they don’t mind discrimination being central to the plot.
Author
N.E. Davenport is the science fiction/fantasy author of The Blood Trials and its sequel, The Blood Gift. She attended the University of Southern California and studied biological sciences and theatre arts. She also has an M.A. in secondary education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys vacationing with her family, skiing, and being a huge foodie. She’s an advocate for diverse perspectives and protagonists in literature. You can find her on Twitter or on Instagram, where she talks about bingeworthy TV, killer movies, and great books.
Where to Buy
Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Amazon
