Updating my netgalley reviews from over a year ago as I've read most of them!

The Blood Trials was an excellent blend of sci fi and fantasy - some call science fantasy - I felt immediately immersed in the world I was presented with by the author and also immediately rooted for the main character.

Trials are one of my favourite tropes in fiction and N.E. Davenport certainly didn't disappoint - the brutality felt very real, where it definitely could have taken a turn for "cartoonish" or unrealistic, instead the narrative felt gritty and the atmosphere was palpable.

Can't wait to read the sequel!

An enjoyable fast past read with huge potential. There was a little too much repetition for me which made some parts of the story a bit boring but overall I think this is a great read. It was action packed and exciting, and a great crossover for YA readers wanting to get into adult fantasy.

This was such an action packed and intricate story with good characters and a rich world. The book opens with a bang and doesn't slow down throughout, which makes it a really propulsive and enjoyable read. I loved Ikenna as a protagonist. She is brash and powerful, doesn't back down from a fight and can be infuriating, but her actions and motivations are consistent and while she is quick to anger, she can be thoughtful and introspective too. The world is very compelling and I am eager to find out more about the Blood Emperor, which I am sure will come in the concluding book. I thought the friendships built in this book were strong and again, I look forward to see where the next book will bring people. My main criticism is that I found the dialogue a little clunky at times, but it didn't impact my enjoyment of the plot and I will definitely be picking up the sequel.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The way Ikenna raised my blood pressure throughout this book needs to be studied. The amount of times I had to put the book down just to breathe. My heart would be in my chest. I wanted...no I NEEDED her to win so badly.

This was beautifully written. I'm a sucker for a headstrong Black girl and that's exactly what Ikenna was. She was impulsive but loyal. Fierce, strong but soft too. She fought for what she believed in. She never allowed herself to be placed lower than anyone else. You can't help but love her!

Her and Reed gave me whiplash. I guess there's a very thin line between love and hate? I honestly blinked at one point and was like "huh, how did we get here?". Regardless, I soon became invested in their story.

Overall, a very strong debut adult fantasy novel by this author. I can't wait to read about the gang in the next book!

Finally a fantasy that immensely impresses on action sequences; from combat tricks to lethal movements, the fire of a military competition jumps through the pages. The main character's urge to fight and the desperation to avenge is unmissable —it creates an outstanding character and a deadly contest together. As her quest to seek revenge unravels, the manipulative and unjust world unfolds with shock: exposing racism, elitism, betrayal, and corruption. The gender inequalities, hard antagonists, and greed create a central force of pain, leaving the biracial main character to challenge the imbalance while suffering at the hands of this social structure. The trials and the forbidden blood magic raise stakes at every turn, making room for brutal twists.

This was book was really great!! I enjoyed it a lot, loved the characters and the world building. The cover is also so lovely.

Oh this was a super fantasy, I haven’t been in the fantasy/sci fi mood for a very long time but I started this one and instantly was drew into the story, was compelled and what a brilliant book it turned out to be

Ikenna is an outsider amid her peers, but she will persist to find revenge for her grandfather, who had to endure the same racism and spite during his career.😠

This book is filled with action, trials, betrayal, politics, shock,... You name it.😵
It is jam-packed and fast-paced, yet sometimes not fast-paced enough?🤔

I like my books fast and like a whirlwind. When there is a lot of action, I feel as if I can read a book faster.🤩
This book sometimes read like you're watching an action movie.😃
Yet other times there are pages and pages of long paragraphs filled with lore dumps, and those can get quite tedious. They also prevented me from picking up the book more often to read.😔

I did enjoy my time with it, and will certainly be reading the second book as soon as it comes out.😁
That means I also do recommend it to people who like fast-paced combat and trials.💙💙

I fell in love with this book from the very beginning. Such a gripping storyline and brilliant characters. I can't wait for book 2

This book really surprised me-- for some reason I thought it was YA when I started it, the characters are on the cusp of adulthood, so when the main story started to kick in, not shying away from the gruesome brutality of the world, I was taken aback. The author does not shy away from describing the violence that takes place, and the constant racist vitriol the protagonist receives is heartbreakingly exhausting. If you can handle a heavy read, it definitely pays off as the main character Ikenna is so compelling, decisive and headstrong in a way not many female characters are allowed to be, unbelievably resilient through the hardship she faces, but still human, full of love and grief and rage, which will make you root for her the whole way through.

(Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the eARC.)

I thought this was YA until I got to a graphic sex scene and realised it isn't. The characters are teenagers (19, though at times it felt more like 16) hence the surprise. This started out strong and I thought it could even be a 4.5 but it always seemed a bit convoluted and I wasn't sure about the world building. Why do they use the term "fuck boy" when this is an entirely different planet/world to earth? Idk. I liked Ikenna but I felt she and the side characters could do with more fleshing out. I also liked how dark some of the violence got but I never really felt on edge.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book but I absolutely loved it! Right from the beginning we are thrown into this world and it's action packed right from the beginning. It's incredibly fast paced but we get some great world building and character arcs. There is a lot of mystery and intrigue too as we are trying to work out who the MC can trust all the while she also has to deal with racism and sexism.
The ending of this book left me needing the next book immediately and I cannot wait to read the sequel especially after certain revelations and surprises.
Highly recommend everyone reading it!

There are baddies and then, there are BADDIES. The ‘throw fists first, ask questions later' kind of kickass characters are my favourite. Like the ones, you totally would love to be BFFs with in real life but then realise that could probably kick your butt in half a nanosecond before you can even say ‘hello’. Then in that case I think I come to love my new all-time favourite. Enter Ikenna Amari from The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport.

An action-fuelled, fierce and downright bold debut novel about Ikenna's fight for survival to become an elite warrior in a world that will stop her from achieving it. Whilst unravelling the suspicious circumstances of her grandfather's recent death.

The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport doesn’t hold its punches (literally - the first scene of the book is a bar fight). After the death of her grandfather, Ikenna is anything but ok. With so much grief and anger, she’s on the brink of throwing years of training away and forfeiting her chance in becoming ‘Praetorian’, an elite warrior of her homeland Mareen. The goal she and her grandfather worked so hard together for her to achieve despite being constantly berated for her heritage, race and gender.

However, new information comes to light that points to Ikenna’s war-hero grandfather being assassinated. The only way to find the culprit behind his murder is to participate in ‘The Blood Trials’ - a brutal, deadly and vicious military initiation. Aspirants must survive in order to be confirmed and qualify as a Praetorian. But it becomes obvious that there high powers that will stop her from accomplishing this. Within a system actively trying to kill her, Ikenna has to use all her tools at her disposal to make it through the trials including her ‘blood gift’ (think of it as Katara’s blood-bending but 10 times darker - you get the picture, right?) a power feared by the tech-driven Mareen.


Davenport blends sci-fi and fantasy to create a world that truly leaves you intrigued and wanting more by the time you close the backcover of the novel. Now don’t let the cover fool you. This is an adult sci-fi story but it will definitely appeal to those who love YA sci-fi fantasy and now want to dip their toes into adult sci-fi fantasy. The Blood Trials definitely has this essence of youthful but mature enough to stand its ground in the adult sci-fi fantasy sphere.


The story is told through Ikenna’s first-person POV. You as the reader do witness Ikenna’s turbulent journey in overcoming the hurdles put in her way to her achieve goals.

As a young black woman myself, seeing Ikenna grapple with multiple aspects of her identity and how she confronts the society and system(s) that overtly have so much contempt over dimensions of herself she has very little control over was a very compelling narrative to bear witness. Alongside a cast of decent secondary characters, Ikenna’s story is one that leaves a distinctive impression on you. She’s definitely a force to be reckoned with. Seeing a black female character discovering and stepping into her power always gets me so excited

Brutal, Davenport doesn’t shy away from the brutality (both thematically and literally) presented in the novel. There were moments when reading I had to pause and be like: ‘sheesh..did I really read that wow’ (not in a bad way - but rather in a means of reflection). If any book can stop me in my tracks like that I know that has left an impact on me are ones truly love.

With the blend of sci-fi and fantasy, Davenport does an amazing job of constructing an intriguing world. The pace of the book ebbs and flows allowing for slower sections where through Ikenn’s perspective we are allowed to explore the politics or the lore of her world. We learn about the wars and political climate that have left the world in its precarious state.

My only sticking point with this aspect of the story is the show vs tell. It does become repetitive when Ikenna continuously points out when something was racist or sexist ect. I feel that readers can tell what a character's action portrays without that added reminder of what it is. But I also think to an extent that was Davenport's intention. Davenport wanted to highlight time and time again that: the misogynoir or any form of discrimination is brutal, it hurts, it's horrible to be on the receiving end of it. If that makes you uncomfortable that's the point - it should. No one takes action against discrimination when they’re comfortable - that in itself is the first step needed to confront it - the ‘uncomfortable conversation’.

But I will leave that point out to the audience to debate.

Overall, The Blood Trials is an undeniably addictive story. Bold and near fearless as its leading girl. It's a stunning debut that will keep you on your toes and wanting more. I can't wait to see what Davenport has to offer as a writer in book 2 and in her future works. A 5 star read hands down.

Thanks to Harper Voyager UK for an e-arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All stated above are my own opinions and thoughts

Please view trigger warnings prior to reading

THE BLOOD TRIALS is going to be a hard book to review because it was a good read, pacy and engaging, but I spent the whole time comparing it to BLOOD SCION. It's been about eight weeks since I read that book, so it's fresh in my mind and it makes it so hard to judge a book on its own merits.

Both are science-fantasy worlds where a girl who suffers prejudiced abuse because of her background also has to hide her magic because it would (also) get her killed, and that magic is linked to blood. She decides to try out for the elite military to track down information on the murder of a family member, but there are officers and higher ups trying to kill her during the trials. And that's just a brief overview of the non-spoilery stuff.

Of course, it's complete fluke that I read these two so close together (and that they were published two weeks apart in the UK, bringing them close on my reading list). However, when that happens, it's natural to compare two very similar books - particularly if they stand out as great reads and so stick in the mind. There was a lot of "deja-vu" as I read this book, down to twists that I pegged from the get go because of the premise similarity. (It was just the final like 100 pages that I didn't have that deja-vu feeling for, and so wasn't able to predict and, my, did that section go where I wasn't expecting.)

It was a fun read, and I do like books that don't shy back from showing the brutality of the world. I also liked that we get a "quick-temper" girl who knows that, and also doesn't always give into that when she knows it's not a great time (though she does sometimes.) It gives her a balance between being allowed to feel a wide range of emotions and also having a maturity and measure of self-awareness that makes this feel more adult than YA.

The ending leaves for an interesting set up that will be interesting to explore further, so the sequel is on the list to read when it's out.

3.5/5
My thoughts are going to be bullet pointed because I have a lot to say!
Here are the parts I thought were good:
• the scifi-fantasy element was blended really well
• I liked the concept of the trials and Praetorian aspect. Giving me Hunger Games sorority vibes
• I liked the general plot arc development too

Now there's a lot of bullet points here - why? I got ultra specific about certain things that niggled at me, however, I wouldn't say they detracted that much from the points above (spoilers incoming).
• the Reed & Ikenna ship - tell me WHY? The progression was SO OFF. I actually had to sit up in bed and be like ???? He pulled out a couple bullets and then sex??? They barely had a proper conversation if it wasn't surrounding her grandfather or loaded animosity from Ikenna which leads me to my next point
• the way Ikenna just blindly hated Reed because what he had a meeting with her grandfather they day he died? That is such a *weak* driver considering she didn't do any investigation about that and just took Brock's word doesn't really show Praetorian level of critical thinking
• Zayne didn't need to die. Even his death was lacklustre because it seemed like a wedge was purposely driven between them to make him easier to kill off
• I'm annoyed that it took over 300 pages before we saw another black person and we had to go all the way the Khanai
• Reed being half Khanaian is TOO convenient. there was NO reference to it whatsoever (so he must not show any clear characteristics) then all of a sudden, he reveals it and Chance (he has absolutely gotta go btw) is out here calling him an akulu??? Ok
• can't lie, I kinda pegged that the Republic of Mereen was sketchy from the jump and I didn't trust Brock and I felt that Ikenna could have worked this out along the way too considering how often she went around in circles questioning her supposed best friend
• this racism element....idk I don't think it was needed tbh. It wouldn't have taken anything away from the story if it was removed because there was still the issues of misogyny and social class
• I don't like how we were told that conversations were happening. Like when the summit was taking place, there was a whole bunch of summarising what people said and then one of the leaders was Lythe was scolding the Tribune about being rude. A large part of the story is about the politics so it doesn't make sense that she wouldn't show the dialogue happening between them, especially since the Free Microstates and Lythe are going to be big in the next book
• the way the author switched between colloquial speech (use of 'convo') and sophisticated English (use of 'deign') was a bit weird

Now this is a Hunger Games sorority book and since the trials have been completed and what the next book is about has been alluded to, I'm interested to see how the author is going to wrap it all up since there still seems to be a lot left unfinished.

Let me just start by saying this is the authors debut and if I could give more than 5 stars I really would, if you picked this up without knowing this, there is no way you would think it’s the first published book by the author, it’s so well written and such a stunning piece of fantasy, I really do think this is going to be held up as a future classic.

This is an incredible fantasy, the world building is so good you feel a sense of familiarity and welcoming in the story, the magic system is easily understood and not overly complex, you aren’t just thrown in and the writing which is so engaging and the pacing is perfect, you just won’t want to put the book down (which at times I was reading until silly o‘clock and had to force myself to bed)

This is book however is at times violent and quite brutal , it’s not for the faint hearted, this is definitely not YA Fantasy. However it is necessary, it’s part of the society and military structure and it’s essential to the plot, especially when you add this to prejudice in this society (much like ours) the emphasis on misogyny, racism and class that our main character experiences, it wouldn’t be realistic to me without this. The characters are so interesting, full fleshed and developed, no one dimensional side characters or villains to be found at all.

I fully recommend this simply because I loved it so much I e already gone to illuminate to order their special edition debut box for this book and I can’t wait for the next book. If you love fantasy, enjoy the likes of Red Rising , Ember in the Ashes then like me you will love this.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

*4.5 rounded up*

Buzzwords: Betrayals, murder mystery, stabby MC, Black MC and biracial characters, political fantasy, trials

This starts off very YA but quickly turns adult. The trials are BRUTAL and Davenport does not shy away from graphic scenes. This only enhances the sheer danger of competing in the trials.

I liked the addition of a quiz trial on the republics history (no this was not a fun quiz where the winner gets £10!). It allowed us to gain a good aspect of worldbuilding without info dumping. We also get to see some very interesting creatures within a forest. The descriptions of them were so vivid and made me absolutely terrified!

The racism definitely mirrors the attitudes towards Black people historically and sadly in todays society. Ikenna is shunned by practically anyone due to her heritage. She’s never taken seriously and is treated a lot worse by her peers for her skin colour. She isn’t however, portrayed as weak. She’s a seasoned fighter with a secret magical gift, and she does not let anyone get away with disrespecting her or her family and friends. I absolutely loved her feisty personality and the way she grows mentally and emotionally throughout.

If you like a brutal world with a stabby MC, you’ll love this one!

Massive thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

TW: death, gore, blood, torture, violence, fighting, guns, bombs, racism, murder, injections, stabbing, injuries, imprisonment

Something I've always struggled with in books is when the MC is on an arc for justice or vengeance...anything where I'm seeing through the eyes of someone who has a singular goal built on anger regardless of whether it's justified. The Blood Trials is one such book and my feelings are mixed.

I liked the story that N. E. Davenport told. I understood the way she'd built her world, but I didn't like the writing style and so I spent a lot of time wondering whether I was actually enjoying myself.

I was.

I want the second one. If it magically appeared right now on my phone, I'd be very happy. I also know that I'd need time to get over style for the sake of story.

THIS BOOK

I started this on 16.4.22

Today is 18.4.22

LET ME TELL YOU this book to me ( a very slow reader) 2 DAYS to read

Just yes yes yes YES

10/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I can not express how much this book reminds me WHY i read!!!!

If your in a reading slump READ THIS BOOK!!


I will be buying the physical copy ASAPPPP!!!!!!


PLEASE READ!!!!!!!!!!! I beg of you!!

I devoured this book in a day and will be purchasing a physical copy for my shelf.

It has all the ingredients from the 2010's YA dystopian era, written for new adults. I enjoyed the writing style, adored the flawed characters and the plot kept me on my toes, whilst articulately tackling issues of race and gender as an integral plot point.

I appreciate the decision to make it into a duology, rather than a filler-book trilogy. The storyline surpassed what I though would be it's conclusion, making me feel as if I've already picked up the next installment without the long wait.

That said, I've already set a reminder to purchase the second, and final, book next year and can't wait to read what the next jnstallment has in store for Kenna and her friends.