PB £8.99│EB £5.49│EA £12.99
Blending fantasy and science fiction, N.E. Davenport’s fast-paced, action-packed debut kicks off a duology on 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.
Blood spilled long ago between the Republic of Mareen and the armies of the Blood Emperor, ending all blood magic.
Now there is peace in the Republic – but there is also a strict class system, misogyny, and racism. Her world is not perfect, but Ikenna survived in it.
Until now.
With the murder of her grandfather, Ikenna spirals out of control. Though she is an initiate for the Republic’s deadly elite military force, Ikenna has a secret only her grandfather knew: she possesses the blood magic of the Republic’s enemies.
Ikenna throws herself into the gladiatorial war games at the heart of her martial world: trials that will lead her closer to his killers. Under the spotlight, she subjects herself to abuse from a society that does not value her, that cherishes lineage over talent – all while hiding gifts that, if revealed, would lead to execution or worse. Ikenna is willing to risk it all to find out who killed her grandfather…
So she can end them.
My Review
Thanks to Anne of Random Things Tours for organising the tour, and to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book.
AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
It is perfection. Need book two NOW Ms Davenport. Pretty please!
Excuse me while I calm down. I’ve just spent the last 7 hours with Ikenna and it was marvellous fun. Some of it was wild (wink wink).
Ikenna is a blast; she is loyal, hard-working and determined. She is angry and wants revenge. She wants justice. And her blue knife back. To get justice she has to survive the Trials, become a Praetorian, investigate the most powerful people in Mareen, and get them tried and convicted of her Grandfather’s murder. Betrayal and murder attempts dog her every step while grief roils in her soul. And a goddess demands her due. There’s magic and technology, war and not-war, friends become possibly enemies and enemies become not exactly friends but decent enough allies. The foundations of Iluda will be shaken. EEEEEKKKKKK
400 pages in 7 hours. I practically raced through this book. I loved the characters, the world building, the anticipation and deceit. The ending left me gagging for more. I don’t want to spoiler the ending, but it is a bloody brilliant set up for the next book.
If only I had half Nia Davenport’s talent!
Can you tell I’m in the over-excited, I just finished reading the most excellent book stage? Sorry, I should probably write something sensible.
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