This was INTENSE. And I do mean that as a compliment. I was fully committed to the heart-pounding, violent, sometimes-nauseating ride. 

 

The Blood Trials is not YA. I’m not sure why that category keeps popping up - IT IS NOT YOUNG ADULT. The content is often graphic in nature. The characters (while young) are not children. 

 

We follow Ikenna, a young woman on the verge of giving up the fight. Her grandfather’s death shook her to her core (he was her caretaker and her biggest mentor), and she’s no longer sure of her future path as an elite warrior (Praetorian).

 

But when she discovers his death was no accident, she takes on the deadly trials in order to join their ranks and uncover the truth. Ikenna is smart and capable (and pretty hot-tempered), but she hides a secret about her identity - a secret so dangerous it could cause her execution.

 

Ikenna has to survive the trials & find out who deserves her loyalty, all as her nation creeps closer to war. 

 

The subject matter is dark and the trials quickly become horrific. There are lighter moments of friendship and a bit of romance, but this is a harsh book and a harsh world. 

 

Ikenna is the granddaughter of a leader & hero, but she suffers extreme & violent racism and sexism at every turn. It is baked into the characters and the world and it can be difficult to read. She is dealing with immense grief, hate from others, and a growing desire for vengeance.

 

The last segment of the book (post-trials) felt like a confusing end of this arc for me - it was vastly different in tone and pacing, with a whole lot of new characters and political structures to input. I didn’t dislike the content, but it felt like this book should have ended sooner and this final segment should have been the opening to the next book.

 

But overall … I was wowed by this journey! It got me excited and engaged in a fresh way. I’m looking forward to the second part of the duology. 

 

CW: murder, death, cannibalism, sexism, misogyny, racism, torture, sexual content, war, blood, gore, gun violence, body horror, genocide, gaslighting, medical trauma, confinement, classism, xenophobia