Ask a Bookseller: 'Blood Debts' combines family secrets, political intrigue and magic

Shelby Devitt of BookPeople in Austin, Texas recommends a contemporary fantasy YA novel, “Blood Debts” by Terry J. Benton-Walker. “It’s a doorstopper of a YA,” says Devitt of the debut. She loves the way the author weaves familial and political intrigue together in this engaging tale. It’s a wide-ranging story that navigates layers of tensions — racial, religious and magical vs. non-magical. Add to that a system of generational magic and a dash of romance, and Devitt was hooked.Sixteen-year-old twins Clement and Cristina Trudeau come from a powerful magical family in New Orleans. But with that power come a complicated history: 30 years ago, their grandparents were lynched for a crime they may or may not have committed. Now other members of their family are the targets of powerful magical hexes. Someone, it seems, is trying to finish their family off. The twins must work together to investigate decades-olds secrets before far more deaths occur that will affect not only their lives, but the city of New Orleans.