Genre: Fantasy
Age Range: Adult
Star Rating: 4 stars
Series: second book in duology
*SPOILER ALERT: contains SPOILERS for THE BLOOD TRIALS*
Blurb:
WAR HAS ERRUPTED. ALLIANCES ARE FRACTURING.…
Ikenna is now a fugitive with a colossal bounty on her head. Yet, somehow that’s the least for her worries. Her grandfather’s long time allies refuse to help, and the Blood Emperor’s Warlord is tracking her. She’s also struggling to control the enormous power she was granted by the Goddess of Blood Rites … and come to terms with the promises she made to get such power.
Amidst all of this, the Blood Emperor leaves decimated cities, war crimes, and untold death in his wake. As the horrors increase, Ikenna and her team realize they must assassinate the Blood Emperor and quickly end the war. His killing may have planet-shattering consequences. But to do nothing means annihilation.
LOYALTIES. REVENGE, POWER. WITH THE WORLD AFLAME, ONLY ONE THING IS BLOOD WILL BE SPILLED.
Blurb taken from Goodreads. Add to your shelves here.
Review:
THE BLOOD GIFT explores the magical side of THE BLOOD TRIALS in this sequel.
This book can be summed up as “Ikenna fights everyone she comes across”. If you thought she fought a lot of people in THE BLOOD TRIALS, this one makes that look like a pleasant stroll. She decides to go up against: an emperor, the tribunal, a fair few gods, and every other person who crosses her path.
However, unlike the betrayals and close losses of the previous book, this time Ikenna is not fighting on her own. She has a strong team around her (though Enzo completely drops off the face of the planet – I would have liked him to have more than a one line reference given his importance in the last book.) I enjoyed seeing her having people she can rely on, compared to the uncertainty and animosity of the previous book.
Where THE BLOOD TRIALS felt more like it fit into the science-fantasy space with a lot of technology and a little magic, THE BLOOD GIFT felt more firmly in the fantasy space. The magic takes the centre, tangled up with the various, vicious gods of the world getting involved in the conflict with their own agendas. It is quite a different tone to the previous books.
The book ends with the series’ primary goals achieved. However, it doesn’t feel like a series finale, but rather like it’s trying to set up more books in the series by promising a new threat for Ikenna and her crew to take down. If there are more books to come, then I think this will end up feeling more satisfying, but if not it feels like a big promise that won’t be fulfilled.
Read my reviews of other books by N. E. Davenport:
The Blood Gift (this series):
- THE BLOOD TRIALS (#1)
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 