The Blood Gift (The Blood Gift Duology Book 2)

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I re-read The Blood Trials before I jumped into this just to be refreshed and immersed in this world and ready for one of my most anticipated reads of 2023. And I have to say it was not a 5-star read and at the conclusion, I have unresolved feelings. This does not mean I did not enjoy the book, I did, immensely! But I was a tad disappointed because I had hyped myself up so high for this as Blood Trials was one of my top 5 reads of 2022. I do understand that she wanted this to be a trilogy, the publisher wanted a duology so she had to combine her ideas for books 2 and 3 into one book. Honestly some of those ideas that were originally for book 3 could've been dropped in favor of fleshing out some other plots. I still had questions that didn't get answered because they were breezed past for other plots. More people needed to die! The deaths we had I feel like we didn't really get to know those characters well/weren't following Ikenna around them long enough for them to have big impact.

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. This is an impressive debut and I truly hope it takes off and the right readers find it. Thematically and in terms of action and brutal twists this book has a lot in common with Red Rising, even while being something all its own. Ikenna can be a stubborn hothead, but she is also a survivor and I loved her as a character. She must survive trial after trial, not to mention conducting a secret investigation. The book ends with a major bang and I CANNOT WAIT for book 2! Ikenna is an interesting if frustrating character to follow, because she never met a conclusion she couldn’t jump to without the slightest bit of evidence, and she doesn’t hesitate to act on those conclusions. She has a lot of maturing to do. She’s incredibly good at fighting and tactics, but she has a temper and is impatient. But you can’t help rooting for her, not only to figure out who killed her grandfather, but also to make it through the beyond brutal trials to become a Praetorian—trials in which washing out doesn’t involve just leaving, but death (there’s one scene where a recruit is blown up because he couldn’t hold a plank, so that’s the level of intensity we’re working with here). The expanded magic system and brushes against the pantheon made the battles and conflicts much more epic. It was interesting to see that the gods were just as fallible as the humans in this story, which added more complexity to the overall story. The stakes in this story kept escalating from bad situations to worse ones almost continuously with rapid, satisfying action and we get a deep insight into the politics and history of the world. The political undertones of the book are deeply embedded in the story, and Ikenna's fury at the system and the numerous enemies in her path make her a character to root for.

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). 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. 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.

With a high-octane sci-fi setting, a twisty murder mystery, and a badass heroine, THE BLOOD TRIALS is a damn good time’ Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf

The stakes have changed. Filled with rage and retribution, Ikenna decides to join the Praetorian trials after all. Two thirds of every class doesn't make it out alive, and the Praetorian is filled with snakes. 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. This is exactly why I don't like reading book 1 when book 2 doesn't exist yet! 2023 is a long way off. Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books/Harper Voyager for this eARC so that I could leave an honest review. The Blood Gift by N. E. Davenport is a satisfying conclusion to the sci-fi fantasy duology, but readers should be aware that it continues to be just as - if not more - violent as the first. This is a story about war, blood magic, and revolution. Ikenna is gunning for her enemies and you're along for the ride. I argued in the first that there was a very 'Young Adult' voice in the first clearly adult novel. That tone has decreased significantly and this feels far more like the adult novel it is.

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. I really enjoyed The Blood Trials when it came out last year. It filled that Hunger Games and Red Rising hole in my heart with a clever twist on the “dystopian death games” genre. One way it did this was just my taking the genre and making it more adult (similar to Red Rising), which allowed Davenport to not only amp up the violence, language, and sex, but also to explore deep-seeded themes of racism, sexism, and the monstrosity of both empires and corrupt democracies.The Blood Trials has it all— action, a deadly competition with REAL stakes, an accurately paced romantic arc, a relatable and incredibly flawed main character, discussions of racism and systemic oppression, and the perfect blend of worldbuilding vs. plot for my reading tastes.

Bah. I was disappointed after such a strong first book. The first book was a journey; this was just Super Ikenna going from place to place communicating in silent glances with everyone around her. But despite some frustrations I had with this book hovering in YA territory more than book 1, Ikenna is still an engaging character and while some parts were a little messy it was entertaining mess.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. Ikenna's trials and tribulations: awesome. The ridiculously violent training that leads to hundreds of young people being murdered: awesome. Ridiculous, but awesome. The awful interlude where you have to sit through her watching cannibals roast and eat a fellow student: violent, disgusting, and a great indicator of where this book firmly sits. The events of this book really could have been broken down into two books but my assumption is that this was a publishing choice. That being said, I think she did a good job of making it all work together. While there was plot, I felt more connected to the characters and their desires. I enjoyed getting to see more of Dannica and Caiman and the playful banter the formerly known "Gamma" squad he with one another. The icing on the cake was the love shared between Reed and Ikenna. I was reminded early on that this is an adult sci-fi book and appreciated the spicy scene we were given! My vengene for revenge was nearly as strong as Ikenna and wanted to paint Illudu red with Selene's blood. 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.