Blood debts by Terry J. Benton-walker
Magic, mystery, justice and death; that’s the life of twins Clement and Christina Trudeau. Cristina and Clement discover secrets and bring a broken family together again all with a little magic mixed in. However, magic doesn’t make their hard lives any easier.
30 years ago, the queen of the gen magic community was dethroned, and after vanishing she left behind her daughter, and the body of her husband, and a mob on her doorstep. In the present day, her grandchildren Clement (Clem) and Christina (Cris) set out to find who cursed their mother, which put her on her death bed. After the death of their father, their once close-knit bond cracked; in this experience that is unique to the two of them, they develop not only their bond but also piece together the rest of their shattered family.
Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-walker is hands down my new favorite book. This book hits so many touchy subject such as racism, homophobia, lynching, slavery and drug usage. These topics aren’t danced around or sugar coated. The fact that these real-life issues are addressed head on makes me enjoy the book so much more. The mystery aspect of this book kept the book intriguing and the end of every page made me want to continue reading. The magic in the book was fun and exciting because the moment you think you’ve got it figured out, you find out you don’t.
The book shows character growth from start to finish in multiple moments. “I’ve learned that magic can consume you if you allow yourself to become lost in it. But I’m seizing every bit of my power back. I am the granddaughter of a legendary Queen. Magic exists in me, but it is not me. I’ve reset the balance, relit my spark,” is the moment when we see Cristina accept magic back into her life. This is a very important moment in the story because Cris spent the rest of the book scared of what her magic could do. If she had never used magic again, it’s safe to assume that the Savant family would still control the throne (which, in short, would be bad). There would also still be the wedge between her and her family, especially her and her brother because a huge issue they had was Cris quitting magic even though it was a huge part of her life. It’s clear that at the end of the book Cristina isn’t the same person at the beginning of the book.
Cris isn’t the only person who experiences character development, Clement gets just as many scenes as his sister. “I do miss my sister. I want to tell her the truth about why I’m spending so much time here, but I can’t. For now, this will have to be my secret. Mine and Jean-Louise’s. I sit on the old couch in the living room, which has begun to contour the shape of my butt. A copy of Invisible Man sits on one side of me, but I haven’t been in the mood to read for a while now. I haven’t been in the mood to do much of anything lately. I’ve cried myself to sleep so much that my body has come to expect that release in order to shut off at night,” is Clem's clearest moment of character development. He starts the book as an open person who wasn't scared to say what was on his mind or how he felt, but in the end of the book he has more secrets than I thought his character would be able to keep. This is important because it shows negative “growth” in a character is possible. This was the first time I had seen this type of character development: his growth started positive, but after a situation with his boyfriend all positive growth he made disappeared.
With or without magic, life is hard for Clement and Cristina. The two face many more trials and tribulations than the average person, but that’s what makes their family special. The only question left to ask is what will book two bring? I can’t wait to find out.