Blood Debts — Terry J. Benton-Walker

Hello friends!

Welcome to our tour for Blood Debts! We are absolutely chuffed to be sharing this upcoming witchy debut with you all! Please find the schedule of events on our home page and read along below for an excerpt!

Book Info

Blood Debts

by Terry J. Benton-Walker
Release Date: April 4, 2023
Publisher: TorTeen (Macmillan)
Genre: YA Contemporary, magic, LGBTQ+

This title does feature some topics that may be potentially triggering to the reader. This includes, but is not limited to: Death/talks of death, magic use, racism/racial tension, sexual situations, and homophobic comments.

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Synopsis

Thirty years ago, a young woman was murdered, a family was lynched, and New Orleans saw the greatest magical massacre in its history. In the days that followed, a throne was stolen from a queen.

On the anniversary of these brutal events, Clement and Cristina Trudeau—the sixteen-year-old twin heirs to the powerful, magical, dethroned family—are mourning their father and caring for their sick mother. Until, by chance, they discover their mother isn’t sick—she’s cursed. Cursed by someone on the very magic council their family used to rule. Someone who will come for them next.

Cristina, once a talented and dedicated practitioner of Generational magic, has given up magic for good. An ancient spell is what killed their father and she was the one who cast it. For Clement, magic is his lifeline. A distraction from his anger and pain. Even better than the random guys he hooks up with.

Cristina and Clement used to be each other’s most trusted confidant and friend, now they barely speak. But if they have any hope of discovering who is coming after their family, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other and their family’s magic, all while solving the decades-old murder that sparked the still-rising tensions between the city’s magical and non-magical communities. And if they don’t succeed, New Orleans may see another massacre. Or worse.

Excerpt

Cris —
It’s wrong to snoop, but I’m curious.
A loud bang resounds from Benji’s room, and Oz curses.
Nothing wrong with a quick peek.
Quietly, I open the door and kneel in front of the small tray, which holds three candles — purple, red, and pink. The outside of each one feel gritty, like they’ve been coated in something. Sugar? Then my heart nearly stops. Three small items lie at the base of each candle.
I recognize them all at once.
[……]
I pick up the tray with all its contents and set it on the bed at the same time Oz bursts through the door, red-faced and pinching a condom in the air between two fingers.
“I found…oh….f*ck.” His eyes jump from the tray to me, and he drops the condom. “It’s not what it looks like, I swear.”

Blood Debts, uncorrected ARC edition

Terry J. Benton-Walker writes fiction for adults, young adults, and children, which also means he spends a lot of time holed up in coffee shops. Terry is the author of Blood Debts, his magical YA contemporary fantasy debut, coming from Tor Teen in the US on APril 4, 2023 and from Hodder & Stoughton in the UK on April 6, 2023. Blood Debts is also publishing in Poland with Poznaski and We Need YA Books.

Alex Wise vs the End of the World, his apocalyptic MG contemporary fantasy debut, is also coming from Labyrinth Road/PRH in Fall 2023.

Terry grew up in rural GA and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech and a Master’s in Business Administration from Georgia State. He lives in Atlanta with his husband and son. When he’s not writing, he can be found gaming, eating ice cream, or both.

Schedule