Blood justice

The Trudeau twins return with a vengeance to protect themselves and their loved ones as a conflict as old as the gods stirs in this second series entry. Nine months ago, Cris and Clem balanced the scales of justice with the help of Papa Eshu, restoring their family's place in their community and their mother's rightful position as Queen of the Gen Council. Not everyone who wronged Cris or her family got the punishment they deserved, however. With the blessing of a god older than Papa Eshu, Cris takes justice into her own hands. Meanwhile, Clem sinks beneath the weight of a secret: His resurrection ritual shattered the soul of Yves Bordeaux, his boyfriend, who's trapped between life and death. Jean-Louise Petit, the necromancer who promised to help, abandons Clem when they learn that the Moon King, a terrifying and dangerous god, used them to escape into the natural realm. The violent murder of the mayor thrusts Cris and Clem back together as the cycle of history repeats itself, and their mother takes the blame for a crime she didn't commit. Cris' and Clem's frustrations boil into rage at the social systems around them, designed to perpetuate injustice. As with Blood Debts (2023), this story grounds mystery and magic in relevant real-world issues, demonstrating how the past continues to shape the present. The cast of characters is primarily Black. A supernatural force of satisfying fury. (author's note, magic chart, family trees) (Fantasy. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.