Now there is peace in the Republic – but there is also a strict class system, misogyny, and racism. Her world is not perfect, but Ikenna survived in it. Until now. 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. Book Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, High Fantasy, New Adult, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Young Adult, Young Adult Fantasy 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. 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.

This is most definitely adult fantasy. It is very, very adult, and not in the sexy way (though there is a pretty good sexy scene in here). Nope, it’s adult more like in the gory, stomach-turning way (though these scenes are spread out). So be prepared for that. But this was a very promising debut! Not everything worked perfectly for me, but I was very compelled by the story, and read this not-small book in about two days flat. 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'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. Overall, this is an undeniably addictive and plot-twisty book that will definitely appeal to fans of The Gilded Ones and Blood Scion or anyone new to the adult sci-fi fantasy genre. After how things wrapped up (in explosive plot twisty fashion) I’m now desperately eager to get my hands on the sequel!I also believe she got the voice of an impetuous 19 year old young woman down perfectly. It was so good that the character actually got on my nerves the way that my daughter does in reality.

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 b 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. 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. 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.I am recommending it to my daughters and everyone who enjoys action and social commentary. It’s a fun read.

For the scientists and clinicians working to develop this treatment, the responsibility of designing and testing new treatments in patients is both exciting and daunting. At the heart of this film is the complex relationship between scientists developing these treatments, the clinical team testing them and the patients receiving the experimental therapies.

Sign In

Speaking of Reed, I really liked the development of his character and thought his dynamics with Ikenna were tension-filled and thoroughly enjoyable, I can’t wait to see how things develop in the sequel. 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. 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.