The Blood Trials

The Blood Gift Duology, Book 1

By: N. E. Davenport

Narrated by: Jeanette Illidge

Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2022 N. E. Davenport (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

sooo goood

Loved the characters the twists and turns. The storyline was good and the MC kicked ass. Will definitely read the next!!! 😆😆

Loved it

I like all of the books like this. Afro, fantasy, sci fi, training, strong female lead, soft versions of Octavia butler like stories. It’s worth the read. A little childish in some spots. It has some cursing. It would probably make a good PG-13 movie if you take some parts out. It had some good basic racial justices/culturally competent themes. I’ve preordered the next book in the series. That being said, it wasn’t mind blowing but it will keep your attention.

I NEED THE NEXT BOOK ASAP!!!

Oh my…where to start? I love this book! I did not want it to end! The writing is spectacular and relevant! The characters are so vibrantly displayed that they are imprinted on the brain from the very first introduction. I want more from this author right now! The narrator is equally as awesome. The transitions were so seamless. At times, I forgot there was only one audio performer. You must read, listen to and own this book! It is too phenomenal for you to miss out on.

Can't Waite

I really enjoyed this book. It gave everything love, betrayal, action, post apocalyptic happenstance. the only problem that I found was the ending wrapped things up to fast...I guess that's a me problem. Cant wait for the next book to drop.

This book is not for the weak

...And I may just be weak... This book is a roller coaster that had me in a state of anxiety for most of the ride but I loved it! I can not wait to start the next book

Lots of action, good story

The story is well designed, and while not new, it is very enjoyable. The performance is very good to excellent, but got only four stars because the voice didn’t seem to me to fit the main character. Character development is good, but not great. The ending is very good and forms a satisfactory “end,” while setting up the sequel nicely. A lot of authors in this genre would do well to follow this author’s example of how to end a book in a series.

Amazing!

This was a well written book that will have you locked in. I enjoyed every minute of it and can’t wait to start the next one!

Overall AMAZING!

Be warned there was only 1 voice actor but that didn’t take away from the narration pulling you in and the story being soooo captivating.

It’s worth the read! Can’t wait for the 2nd book

Loved it from the beginning

I am beyond excited for book two!!! I love the characters and the story. I am just happy I don’t have to wait too long to find out what happens next.

Quality plot

Overall, I really did like the story. The plot is intriguing and really action- packed. There’s awesome world building and character development. It also definitely satisfies fantasy, romance, and sci-fi readers.

**SPOILERS**


Two things bothered me that made me choose a 4 instead of 5-star rating, however. One, the MC was extremely, and annoyingly, temperamental who constantly jumped to conclusions with no evidence in the first 3/4 of the book. It took her way too long to figure out who the bad and good people were for her to have trained under her supposed shrewd and strategic grandfather her whole life. Two, there was way too much over-explaining. The author dragged out narration which was quite annoying and took away from the flow of the story. I hate to write negative things about books, but feel it’s only fair to future readers to know this going in.

That being said, I truly did thoroughly enjoy the book. I look forward to the next book and hope that Davenport finds her rhythm for an even better sequel.