I am so excited that be part of THE BLOOD TRIALS tour! Be sure to check out the synopsis below and grab your copy!
Nia "N.E." Davenport is the Science Fiction/Fantasy author of The Blood Trials and its sequel (Harper Voyager). She attended the University of Southern California and studied Biological Sciences and Theatre Arts. She also has an M.A. in Secondary Education. She teaches English and Biology to amazing students. 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 @nia_davenport, or on Instagram @nia.davenport, where she talks about binge-worthy TV, killer movies, and great books. She lives in Texas with her husband and kids.
TITLE: The Blood Trials
AUTHOR: N. E. Davenport
PUBLISHER: Harper Voyager RELEASE DATE: April 5, 2022
GENRE: NA Scifi, NA fantasy
PURCHASE LINKS:
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/25463/
SYNOPSIS:
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.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Reasons to read: a fierce Black protagonist, deadly trials, political intrigue
Real talk: I love books about deadly games, trials, competitions etc, so when I read the synopsis for this title, I knew it was the book for me. There were a lot of good things about this one: a powerful female with secret magic, strong bonds, and bloody trials. I believe it's important for women and girls to see themselves in leading roles in fantasies like this one.
The beginning started a bit slow, but once we got started, it was 0 to 100. Ikenna establishes herself as a worthy heroine that knows exactly what she wants. She wants revenge and will stop at nothing to get it. I love how the author writes in consequences for every choice Ikenna makes throughout the book and how she rises from the racist rhetoric she faces. I loved her relationship with her friends and her distrust of everyone else, to a point.
The only gripe I had was the world-building. There are some tidbits of tech sprinkled in but I had a hard time finding my footing in Ikenna's world. I also wished Ikenna had more of a relationship with the other competitors; most of them seemed to have faded into the background with little no notice despite there being hundreds of them. These are tiny qualms and may not seem like big deals to other readers.
The cover may fool you, but this is not YA. There is a very steamy sex scene and some violence. It's action-packed and gritty and will definitely soothe your fantasy/scifi yearnings.
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