The Blood Trials

 By: N. E. Davenport

Location: FIC DAV

Genre: Fantasy Sci Fi

This is a full on book Lots of violence, blood and death, sexual content, racism, misogyny, loss of loved ones.

BUT....

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

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.