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The Blood Trials (The Blood Gift Duology, 1)

N. E. Davenport

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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.

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Posts about this title from Celestial

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 23 2025

i’m ready for chaos fantasy fall!!

📚 books mentioned: - The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin - We Are the Origin by C.M. Lockhart - The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport

👗💄: - dress is from @farmrio, rented from @nuuly - eyeshadow is Mixed Media Liquid Eyeshadow (in orchid and purple rain) from @genseebeauty - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Ingram for the gifted copy!

#fantasybooks #fantasybookrecs #fantasybookreviews #chaosfantasy #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram @ingramsparkbooks @writtennmelanin @orbitbooks_us @harpervoyagerus

3 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 18 2025

warrior cats book recs

🐈 i’m out here giving the IMPORTANT sorts of book recs.

📚 books mentioned: - The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei - Open Throat by Henry Hoke - To Shape A Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose - The Blood Trials by N. E. Davenport

#warriorcatsclans #warriorcats #fantasybooks #scifibooks #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @flatiron_books @mcdbooks @delreybooks @harpervoyagerus @harpercollins

4 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 14 2024

one star reviews of books i loved!

which one convinced you the most? 😭 part sixteen of one star goodreads reviews of books i enjoyed!

10 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Feb 18 2024

recommending books i loved … based on their dedications!

do you typically notice dedications?

12 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

Bookish AfroLatina's Library\ \ Gabby\ \ • Oct 22 2025

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\ \ I'm currently reading Blood Slaves by Marcus Redmond and it got me thinking about the numerous books out there with "blood" in the title. So I pulled together 12 BIPOC books with "blood" in their titles that I thought would be fitting reads for spooky season!\ \ Let's get into them:\ \ Blood Slaves by Markus Redmond \ \ For fans of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and readers of Victor LaValle, Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones, and Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, this ingenious reimagining of the vampire origin story set during the early days of American slavery blends alternate history with supernatural horror, as the last surviving member of an ancient African vampire tribe meets a slave desperate for freedom, and together, they lead an army of enslaved people in a cinematically blood-soaked battle for freedom and revenge.\ \ -Penguin Random House\ \ The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le \ \ Nhika is a bloodcarver. A coldhearted, ruthless being who can alter human biology with just a touch.\ \ In the industrial city of Theumas, Nhika is seen not as a healer, but a monster that kills for pleasure. And in the city's criminal underbelly, the rarest of monsters are traded for gold. When Nhika is finally caught by the infamous Butchers, she's forced to heal the last witness to a high-profile murder.\ \ As Nhika delves into the investigation, all signs point to Ven Kochin, an alluring yet entitled physician's aide. Despite his relentless attempts to push her out of his opulent world, something inexplicable draws Nhika to him. But when she discovers Kochin is not who he claims to be, Nhika will be faced with a greater, more terrifying evil lurking in the city's center...\ \ Her only chance to survive lies in a terrible choice—become the dreaded monster the city fears, or risk jeopardizing the future of her kind.\ \ -Macmillan\ \ Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi \ \ They killed my mother.\ \ They took our magic.\ \ They tried to bury us.\ \ Now we rise.\ \ Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.\ \ But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.\ \ Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.\ \ Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.\ \ -Bookshop.org\ \ Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okosun \ \ A brilliant new voice brings us a brilliant new epic fantasy novel: Ehigbor Okosun’s first book in an action-packed, poignant duology inspired by Nigerian mythology—full of magic and emotion and set in a highly atmospheric, complex world in which a young woman fights to survive a tyrannical society, having everything stripped away from her, and seeks vengeance for her mother’s murder and the spilled blood of her people.\ \ -Harper Collins\ \ Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury \ \ A rich, dark urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her family’s magic. The problem is, she’s never been in love—she’ll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him.\ \ -Simon & Schuster\ \ Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams \ \ A teenager on the run from his past finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, Black, and magical. Enroll in the debut of a fresh fantasy series unlike anything you’ve seen before.\ \ -Penguin Random House\ \ The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport \ \ 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.\ \ -Harper Collins\ \ Blood & Brujas: An Elements of Iteria Novel by Mikayla D Hornedo \ \ From the moment Dayanara could wield a blade, she's been used as a weapon for Caldera, a kingdom of fierce brujas. Whenever her mother, the all-powerful Acna, points her in the direction to kill, Dayanara follows.\ \ After centuries of war against the vampire kingdom at their border, her mother offers their king Dayanara's hand in marriage as a truce. Their agreement is bound by magic, and Dayanara must decide if she wants to kill the king, seduce the king, or embrace the union.\ \ On the bright side, the marriage is set to make her the next Acna, granting her all the power that comes with the role. Depending on how much the Goddess Naom gifts her, it could be enough to regain control of her life. Or maybe everything will crumble beyond repair.\ \ -Bookshop.org\ \ Blood Moon by Britney S. Lewis \ \ Legendborn meets The Vampire Diaries, in which an 18-year-old girl is mysteriously accepted into a university in a midwestern town known for its legends about werewolves and vampires...\ \ BLOOD MOON is a dark and thrilling, intensely romantic ride, a fresh take on a werewolf love story for a new generation of paranormal romance readers, and is the first book in a series. It is set against a high-stakes paranormal backdrop—a world ripe with secret identities, rich supernatural lore, and a forbidden romance... that comes with a deadly bite.\ \ https://www.britneyslewis.com/bloodmoon\\ \ \ \ Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn \ \ Book 2 of the Legendborn Cycle\ \ The shadows have risen, and the line is law.\ \ All Bree wanted was to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death. So she infiltrated the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur’s knights—only to discover her own ancestral power. Now, Bree has become someone new:\ \ A Medium. A Bloodcrafter. A Scion.\ \ But the ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak. And Nick, the Legendborn boy Bree fell in love with, has been kidnapped.\ \ Bree wants to fight, but the Regents who rule the Order won’t let her. To them, she is an unknown girl with unheard-of power, and as the living anchor for the spell that preserves the Legendborn cycle, she must be protected.\ \ When the Regents reveal they will do whatever it takes to hide the war, Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick themselves. But enemies are everywhere, Bree’s powers are unpredictable and dangerous, and she can’t escape her growing attraction to Selwyn, the mage sworn to protect Nick until death.\ \ If Bree has any hope of saving herself and the people she loves, she must learn to control her powers from the ancestors who wielded them first—without losing herself in the process.\ \ -Simon & Schuster\ \ Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye \ \ Following one girl’s journey of magic, injustice, power, and revenge, Deborah Falaye’s debut novel, inspired by Yoruba-Nigerian mythology, is a magnetic combination of Children of Blood and Bone and An Ember in the Ashes.\ \ This is what they deserve.\ \ They wanted me to be a monster.\ \ I will be the worst monster they ever created.\ \ Fifteen-year-old Sloane can incinerate an enemy at will—she is a Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods.\ \ Under the Lucis’ brutal rule, her identity means her death if her powers are discovered. But when she is forcibly conscripted into the Lucis army on her fifteenth birthday, Sloane sees a new opportunity: to overcome the bloody challenges of Lucis training, and destroy them from within.\ \ -Harper Collins\ \ Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker \ \ 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.\ \ https://tjbentonwalker.com/blood-debts](https://bookish-afrolatina.binderybooks.com/item/CQj2mSuPhTXp7uyXlZni/)

Books by the Blood: BIPOC Books for Spooky Season

12 books

Children of Diaspora\ \ Rae the Reviewer\ \ • Oct 13 2025

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Hey y'all! \ \ I'll be hosting a reading sprint tonight at 7:30 PM EST in the Discord. Feel free to join with anything you're reading. I'll be trying to finish The Blood Trials by N. E. Davenport BUT if you haven't started our October book club pick The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia yet, then tonight is a perfect time to start. \ \ Discord link for anyone who needs it: https://discord.gg/HXRPwWmmpF\ \ XoXo - Rae\ \ Join for free or login

Reading Sprint TONIGHT at 7:30 PM EST on Discord!

2 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 23 2025

i’m ready for chaos fantasy fall!!

📚 books mentioned: - The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin - We Are the Origin by C.M. Lockhart - The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport

thank you to Ingram for the gifted copy!

3 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • May 31 2025

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GIVEAWAY: Signed copies of The Blood Gift duology with golden edges

2 books

Fantasy & Frens\ \ Zoranne\ \ • May 22 2025

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if you love revenge stories, these books are for you ◡̈

if you love revenge stories, these books are for you ◡̈ books mentioned: - crueler mercies by maren chase - the blood trials by n. e. davenport - the poppy war by r. f. kuang #fantasybooktok #fantasybookrecs #revengebooks #femaleragebooks

3 books

Discotopia | Diverse Books\ \ Disco (he/they)\ \ • Mar 11 2025

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Black Sci-Fi Book Recommendations

Books listed: The Upper World by Femi Fadugba The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden The City We Became by NK Jemisin Binti by Nnedi Okorafor The Bl00d Trials by NE Davenport The Distance Between by Blair Cousins #booktok #scifi #scifibooks #blackbooktok #blackauthors

5 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Feb 17 2025

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Black Authors Who I Think History Will Remember

I started this post as a Bluesky thread a few days ago, but I realized I needed more space than a social media post would allow. So here are some of my favorite Black authors! Enjoy!!!

27 books

Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Feb 9 2025

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WEEKLY ROUNDUP: February 9, 2025

Happy Sunday and happy Game Day to everyone enjoying the Superbowl today! Let me know what commercials I should be youtubing after the game.

4 books

Fantasy & Frens\ \ Zoranne\ \ • Jan 23 2025

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Fantasy Books To Read After or Instead of Fourth Wing!

fantasy books i think you should read after or instead of fourth wing 🥰 all of these books can be found under my “recent reads and recommendations” tab on my beacons page! books mentioned: - the blood trials by n. e. davenport - to shape a dragon’s breath by moniquill blackgoose - the priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon - an ember in the ashes by sabaa tahir - the hurricane wars by thea guanzon #fantasybookrecs #fantasybooktok #dragonbookrecs #fourthwing

5 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 18 2025

warrior cats book recs

🐈 i’m out here giving the IMPORTANT sorts of book recs.

4 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Nov 30 2024

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The Secret Power of Literature... and spoiler alert, it's not escapism.

Escapism is lovely, but that is not what reading does for me. So I thought I would share a little bit about one of the biggest things I get out of reading.

***Trigger warnings: grief, slavery, trauma, parentlessness, broken family, racism***

20 books

Scribe Tribe\ \ Jahid\ \ • Nov 21 2024

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Author Chat with Nia Davenport

Tune in for this conversation with the lovely Nia Davenport!! She was absolutely wonderful and dropped a ton of dope gems during our chat. I hope you enjoy :)))

3 books

Tattooed Bibliophiles\ \ Zee\ \ • Nov 14 2024

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These books are better than their overly hyped counterparts written by palm colored people. In fact, I come to issue a challenge. Tell me your favorite book written by a white author and I'll find you a better one written by a black or brown author. I said what I said.

BIPOC books to piss off the racists

8 books

Tattooed Bibliophiles\ \ Zee\ \ • Nov 14 2024

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I’m mad that this book isn’t absolutely huge. It’s just as good as The Hunger Games or Fourth Wing, but it hasn’t been promoted by the publisher nearly enough. It’s absolutely amazing! And they cut it from a trilogy, which would have made more sense, to a duology. Yet another case of Big Publishing slighting a black author and a work that absolutely deserved better. This is one of my favorite science fiction series, and it did not get the hype it deserves.\ \ Beware, don’t get too attached to anyone. Nobody can be trusted.

The Blood Gift Duology by N.E. Davenport

2 books

Scribe Tribe\ \ Jahid\ \ • Nov 1 2024

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October Reads

Update, I did finish Poppy War and phewww Imma have to dedicate a whole video to that book by itself

6 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 14 2024

one star reviews of books i loved!

which one convinced you the most? 😭 part sixteen of one star goodreads reviews of books i enjoyed!

10 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Jun 24 2024

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When you think about the best fantasy/sci-fi you have ever read, I can almost guarantee you that one of the things they all have in common is that they introduced you to characters who refused to compromise their voice. And that doesn't just go for feel-good stories or books that work to highlight systemic issues. It's also true for the stories that introduced you to your favorite villains!\ \ Think about characters like Almira (Queen and Conquerer), Rin (Poppy War Trilogy), Anequs (To Shape A Dragon's Breath) or Kiera (The Halfling Saga). One of the most endearing things about those stories is that they gave us main characters who are so firmly rooted in their own will that we almost lose sight of the fact that there is an author pulling their strings. And that is not to say that a character must have a fully fleshed out sense of self in order to hold this kind of impact. Nova (The Name Bearer) spends the first two books of this Quala having to wrestle with the fact that she has been denied any sense of identity. But that doesn't stop her from holding the kind of determination and resolve that leave us, the readers, wondering if Natalia Hernandez had any say in who Nova became.\ \ When I am reading a book, and preparing to talk about it publically, I always ask myself how consistently the character's speak for themselves. Do they make their own decisions or are they constantly compromising for the sake of the story arc? Do they stick to their guns, even when the readers will struggle with their choices (Such as the iconic moment where Ikenna kills...ok fine, i won't spoil it. But go read Blood Gifts Duology!!!)? Do their mistakes and victories make sense for who they have shown themselves to be? Do they push back when people challenge them?\ \ I don't need characters to be fully fleshed out from the beginning, but I do need them to always be consistent with however much of their identity they have come to terms with at any point in the story.\ \ Let me know some stories that do this for you!!!\ \ \ \ \ \ Upgrade for $5 or login

Writing Tip: Never Betray Your Character's Voice

Writers, as a reviewer, I can tell you. that nothing draws me into a story faster than a main character who has owned their own voice. Read more about that down below!

11 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Feb 25 2024

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Y'all know I love an unapologetically Black book. Some of the books I have been most vocal about orginally stole my heart because of the way they prioritized Blackness at the core of the story. And Ladarrion Williams _**Blood at the Root **_certainly fits that bill.\ \ Within a few sentences I knew this was a book that was written for Black people. It employs language, imagery, and community that is so central to the Black experience. And I'm in love. I am only a few chapters in, but I cannot wait to finish it. It remembers me of stories like _**Wings of Ebony _and _ The Blood Gift **_duologies.\ \ Keep your eyes peeled, because I'm sure you'll be hearing more from me about this book as I read!

Blood at the Root: Unapologetically BLACK!

I just started reading Blood at the Root by Ladarrion Williams and here is my initial reaction!

5 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Feb 18 2024

recommending books i loved … based on their dedications!

do you typically notice dedications?

12 books

Violetear Books\ \ Kevin\ \ • Jan 16 2024