A new series from Tor Teen was just announced at The Hollywood Reporter: Editor Ali Fisher has acquired Terry J. Benton’s new YA fantasy series, pitched as “Dynasty with magic,”which will kick off with the first book Blood Debts.
Benton shared the news on Twitter this morning:
✨Dreams✨ do come true 🥺
I’m soo thrilled that I’m getting the opportunity to share Cris and Clem with the world. I’m also honored to join the Tor Teen family, who’ve all been so incredible. ♥️♥️♥️ Get ready for Black witches, magic, and tons of drama 👀 https://t.co/7Fqtf1MKjX
— Terry J. Benton (@terryjbenton) December 3, 2020
Blood Debts is a contemporary fantasy set in a version of New Orleans where some residents have magic. Here’s the publisher’s summary:
The book follows two Black twins, 16-year-old Clem and Cristina, who must put aside their differences and reunite their fractured family in order to take back the New Orleans magic council their family used to rule—all while solving a decades-old murder that sparked the rising tensions between the city’s magical and non-magical communities, before it leads to an all-out war.
In a press release, Benton’s agent, Patrice Caldwell, enthused about the space this book will fill in the market: “I can’t think of the last YA contemporary fantasy I’ve read written by a gay, Black man, centering a gay, Black boy. I can’t wait for this book to be out in the world!”
Blood Debts was acquired in a six-figure deal, and we’ll have to be patient: the first book in the series will arrive in winter 2023.