Before you go further, please be aware that this book is a sequel of the novel Blood Debts. If you would like to read my review of the first, click here Blood Debts – Book Review – Sounds News. Akin to the first book, this book also has some triggering content. This book contains or discusses:
Racism, murder, violence, death, toxic friendships, bullying, grief, blood, detailed injuries, sexism, hate crimes, homophobia.
If any of these topics are uncomfortable, then please be warned that this book may not be the best book for you to read at this time.
Written by Terry J. Benton-Walker, Blood Justice is the sequel to Blood debts which follows the stories of Clement and Cristina Trudeau. In this sequel, Cris relishes in the power that being heir has given her, while Clem fights to find a way to revive his love, Yves, from his zombie-like existence. Along the way Cris gets herself into deeper and deeper trouble as she commits several murders in the name of justice. Cris and Clem get sucked into an investigation following a magical crime spree in New Orleans, all signs seemingly pointing to an old god, who might not be as benevolent as he seems. This story also follows Valentina Savant, the surviving granddaughter of Leonora Savant, who once ruled New Orleans’s Magical Community. Valentina gather’s allies to take back what she feels she’s owed—the Crown.
There’s a lot of good overlap with the first book and second book, and I was right about a prediction I made when reading the first book: Cris’s reaction to nearly murdering Oz was just the tip of the iceberg regarding her descent into ruthlessness. I was also super conflicted about Cris’s actions throughout the book, flip flopping between cheering her on and questioning if she went too far. At the end of the book her actions are explained, and it made so much sense! Benton-Walker really wrote her morally gray actions well, so commendations there.
I also couldn’t help but feel so sorry for Clem throughout this entire story. He’s always suffocating under his numerous responsibilities and trying to get two-steps ahead to not drown under his conflicting lies and masks. The ending with Yves’ older sister, Fabiana, hurt my soul. Clem kept vital information about Yves from Fabiana, and she understandably reacted badly. The parallels struck between Clem and the Boy King from the War of the Moons were fantastic and I loved every second of it.
I also loved that we’re delving into the other magic systems introduced in the first book! In the story we meet Vamp, a practitioner of Shadow Magic. Shadow Magic wasn’t mentioned much in the previous book –and is still a peripheral feature in this one as well– but it was still nice to learn more about this magical-modern world. I hope that Shadow Magic becomes a bigger thing in the next book, whenever that comes out.
However, there were some parts I didn’t quite like. The writing style is a bit too young and casual for me. Which makes sense, these are teens after all, and this is a YA book. I didn’t take as much issue with the swearing compared to the last book; I think that within the context of what was happening within the story, it made more sense for the characters to swear. Another thing I also found a little odd was Cris’s reaction to Yves’s precarious state of living. She felt very nonchalant about it, which I found a little odd. I’d assume you’d be a little more shocked if you learned your brother half-revived his boyfriend and hid it from you for months.
The ending was fantastic. I couldn’t put my book down. The theme of revenge not equaling justice was beautiful to see throughout the entire book. Cris throughout the book is enacting violence and revenge under the guidance of an old god named Oberun. She’s understandably fed up with the legal systems that treat her and her community unfairly, but with every act there’s a lingering question of ‘is it worth it?’
Early in Clem’s story he learns about Caspar Moses, a severely traumatized 11-year-old necromancer general who fought in a magical civil war and who was used by the gods to end the war. Clem himself has been juggling his lies, lives, trying to save Yves, and trying to help his sister get the justice she’s seeking. It culminates in one of my favorite quotes of the book when Clem in the ending says, “I’m so tired sis. Don’t you want me to be free too?” It’s a dam-breaking moment for Clem and Cris, and an absolutely gob smacking moment for the reader. I cannot wait to see how these threads continue into a third book, of which has not yet been announced.
In my reading, the theme was fairly clear—justice and revenge. Cris’s story is about revenge. Getting justice for a ruined magical festival, for her mother’s imprisonment, and for all the injustice’s thrust onto her community by violence. Overall, I rated Blood Justice 5 stars on Goodreads and 4.75 stars on StoryGraph. I sincerely enjoyed this book, and I would absolutely recommend Blood Debts and Blood Justice. It was a sequel I hadn’t expected to enjoy so much. Oftentimes sequels fall into a liminal space; entirely transitory without much to say on their own. Blood Justice isn’t that, and I can’t recommend it enough.
Also, us SPSCC students are in luck! Blood Debts and Blood Justice are available in the Olympia campus library in Building 22 and the little library in Building 27!