The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I finished The Blood Trials a few days ago and while I usually like to give my raw instant reaction, I needed a few days to digest and put my thoughts in order. One of my most highly anticipated reads of 2022, it didn't disappoint. Thank you, Harper Voyager for sending me a copy for review.

Ikenna lives in the Republic of Mareen where a potential war is brewing between Mareen and the Accacian Empire. She has trained her whole life to serve Mareen however things change when her grandfather is murdered. Her grandfather held one of the highest ranked positions as Legatus Commander but that still didn't earn him respect in a world that hated him for his half Khanaian heritage. Convinced it's the only way to uncover the truth and avenge his death, Ikenna joins the Praetorian Trials. Ikenna and her friends knew it would be brutal going in but they had no idea how brutal until they find themselves fighting in a literal battle of life or death inflicted upon them by their training officers. Ikenna must find the strength to stay alive as a target for death by her peers while also hiding a special gift and hunting down her grandfather's killer. 

This was a fast-paced military sci-fi fantasy with a little mystery blended in. The world of Mareen is like Earth but not. Familiar phrases don the pages rather than purple prose making it an easy read. There is futuristic feeling tech and I liked the contrast of how Mareen is vs Khanai not just in terms of what the people look like but their values, traditions, and foods they eat.

N.E. Davenport has a way of depicting violence that many fantasy writers struggle with. Sometimes I'll read about violent actions happening in a story but don't actually feel the full effect. Here it doesn't feel like things are just happening. You can actually picture every gruesome detail. I found myself squirming while reading some parts and there's images I won't get out of my head any time soon. And I'm not even a very visual reader! 

I thought I would hate the romance and was prepared to but I found myself rooting for their complicated dynamic. Another thing N.E. Davenport does well is writing unpredictable characters. Just when I thought I had a character figured out they would switch and I realized I didn't know them at all. Ikenna herself is morally gray and utterly selfish. There were so many times I wanted to shake some sense into her as she lets her grief effect her discernment as lives are on the line including her own. I liked that she did end up having to face the consequences of her actions head on. 

I also liked how the very white environment was addressed. Because Ikenna put herself into this position where she's almost killed multiple times over the color of her skin. I liked that we get a scene with her family friends pulling her aside and asking her why she ignored their messages reaching out to offer support. They also tried to make her see that she didn't need to put herself through the trials to get revenge for her grandfather. She convinced herself that there was only one path but if she would've been less impulsive she would've realized sooner she could've rallied support among her grandfather's allies. These are the types of conversations and reflections I need to see more of.

My biggest critique would have to be the very lengthy first chapter that took some time to get into. And the way the first few of chapters read very teenish and on the nose. Adult readers really don't need to be told over that so and so was misogynist or racist. It's easy to tell by their actions. Also the second half had a stronger sense of the world than the first half.

I think this book will be a good read for readers who like YA SFF but are looking to transition into more Adult SFF reads. These are characters who are heading out into the adult world and are cussing, drinking, and making irrational decisions under less guidance. Things get messy! I also think people who want a fast-paced less dense SFF read will appreciate this one also. It also had a very episodic feel to it and there were nights where my heart was racing and I couldn't put it down. I'm looking forward to Book 2.