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Blazewrath Games #1
Blazewrath Games
A fantasy, set in an alternate contemporary world, in which dragons and their riders compete in an international sports tournament
Lana Torres has always preferred dragons to people. In a few weeks, sixteen countries will compete in the Blazewrath World Cup, a tournament where dragons and their riders fight for glory in a dangerous relay. Lana longs to represent her native Puerto Rico in their first ever World Cup appearance, and when Puerto Rico’s Runner—the only player without a dragon steed—is kicked off the team, she’s given the chance.
But when she discovers that a former Blazewrath superstar has teamed up with the Sire—a legendary dragon who’s cursed into human form—the safety of the Cup is jeopardized. The pair are burning down dragon sanctuaries around the world and refuse to stop unless the Cup gets cancelled. All Lana wanted was to represent her country. Now, to do that, she’ll have to navigate an international conspiracy that’s deadlier than her beloved sport.
Lana Torres has always preferred dragons to people. In a few weeks, sixteen countries will compete in the Blazewrath World Cup, a tournament where dragons and their riders fight for glory in a dangerous relay. Lana longs to represent her native Puerto Rico in their first ever World Cup appearance, and when Puerto Rico’s Runner—the only player without a dragon steed—is kicked off the team, she’s given the chance.
But when she discovers that a former Blazewrath superstar has teamed up with the Sire—a legendary dragon who’s cursed into human form—the safety of the Cup is jeopardized. The pair are burning down dragon sanctuaries around the world and refuse to stop unless the Cup gets cancelled. All Lana wanted was to represent her country. Now, to do that, she’ll have to navigate an international conspiracy that’s deadlier than her beloved sport.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published October 6, 2020
About the author
Amparo Ortiz
15 books239 followersAmparo Ortiz was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and currently lives on the island’s northeastern coast. Her short story comic, “What Remains in The Dark,” appears in the Eisner Award-winning anthology Puerto Rico Strong (Lion Forge, 2018), and SAVING CHUPIE, her middle grade graphic novel, comes out with HarperCollins in Winter 2022. She holds an M.A. in English and a B.A. in Psychology from the UPR’s Río Piedras campus. When she’s not teaching ESL to her college students, she’s teaching herself Korean, devouring as much young adult fiction as she can, and writing about Latinx characters in worlds both contemporary and fantastical.
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October 1, 2020I received an earc of this book from the publisher in exchange of an honest review
CW: violence, murder, talk of parental death from cancer, physical altercations, manipulation, mind invasion, threats, passing mention of queerphobia. .
When I went into BLAZEWRATH GAMES, I went in for the dragons (like everybody else, I assume), the magical sports tournament and just all around fun times. Like one does. But what I got out of it what so much more. Don’t get me wrong, all of the above are present in heavy doses, but the book also discusses so many important topics and does so masterfully that I couldn’t help but have an amazing time reading it, cover to cover.
Right off the bat, you’re welcomed with very lively and engaging writing, and personally, the more I read the more that became evident. And not only that but the writing is also very vivid and descriptive (not overly so though) which makes everything happening jump out of the page because of how easy if it to visualize. The way the games are written? Legendary. The attention to detail which simultaneously keeping the sequences fast paced, the way the rules are explained and laid out. SO. GOOD. As such, BLAZEWRATH GAMES reads like movie in the best of ways, and wow, would I give an arm and a leg to see this book be made into a movie.
The plot was simultaneously intricate and easy to follow. There are quite a few subplots and characters that come into play and converge at some point of another. The more you read the more new elements gets introduced that might seem like the stick out at first, but they do eventually fall into place when the right time comes. Now granted, a few parts of the plot here and there felt a bit too convenient to me, but I honestly didn’t pay them much mind because I was having too much fun.
Find my full review on my blog Word Wonders
CW: violence, murder, talk of parental death from cancer, physical altercations, manipulation, mind invasion, threats, passing mention of queerphobia. .
When I went into BLAZEWRATH GAMES, I went in for the dragons (like everybody else, I assume), the magical sports tournament and just all around fun times. Like one does. But what I got out of it what so much more. Don’t get me wrong, all of the above are present in heavy doses, but the book also discusses so many important topics and does so masterfully that I couldn’t help but have an amazing time reading it, cover to cover.
Right off the bat, you’re welcomed with very lively and engaging writing, and personally, the more I read the more that became evident. And not only that but the writing is also very vivid and descriptive (not overly so though) which makes everything happening jump out of the page because of how easy if it to visualize. The way the games are written? Legendary. The attention to detail which simultaneously keeping the sequences fast paced, the way the rules are explained and laid out. SO. GOOD. As such, BLAZEWRATH GAMES reads like movie in the best of ways, and wow, would I give an arm and a leg to see this book be made into a movie.
The plot was simultaneously intricate and easy to follow. There are quite a few subplots and characters that come into play and converge at some point of another. The more you read the more new elements gets introduced that might seem like the stick out at first, but they do eventually fall into place when the right time comes. Now granted, a few parts of the plot here and there felt a bit too convenient to me, but I honestly didn’t pay them much mind because I was having too much fun.
Find my full review on my blog Word Wonders
July 28, 2023
After reading only three chapters, I already felt so invested in this book and it felt like such a fresh, original story. I couldn't predict where it was going at all. And this rings true for the rest of the book as well - it's such a refreshing read in that sense. Because while I love YA fantasy, I feel like it gets predictable and formulaic at times, and this wasn't at all.
Another reason why it was a breath of fresh air is that this book didn't have a main romance. While I love reading romance, it's a shame to see that almost all YA books focus on romance, and it's delightful to read a book that focuses on dragons instead. I feel like, even though the book doesn't have aspec rep, it will appeal to people on the asexual and aromantic spectrums for that reason! As well as just everyone who sometimes isn't in the mood to read about romance.
But let's get into the book itself. Honestly, it was so full of unexpected twists and turns, backed up by amazing world building and a super interesting magic system, that I feel like you should preferably go in without knowing too much about it. It's about a Puerto Rican-American girl who's always been a massive fan of Blazewrath, a dragon sport, and she wants to compete in the world cup. I loved how international this book was and how much diversity it had: there's so many nationalities and ethnicities featured, and there are several LGBTQ+ side characters as well as a disabled character who's in a wheelchair. I don't really want to tell you anymore about the story, because you should really experience it for yourself, but I can't recommend this book enough!
Another reason why it was a breath of fresh air is that this book didn't have a main romance. While I love reading romance, it's a shame to see that almost all YA books focus on romance, and it's delightful to read a book that focuses on dragons instead. I feel like, even though the book doesn't have aspec rep, it will appeal to people on the asexual and aromantic spectrums for that reason! As well as just everyone who sometimes isn't in the mood to read about romance.
But let's get into the book itself. Honestly, it was so full of unexpected twists and turns, backed up by amazing world building and a super interesting magic system, that I feel like you should preferably go in without knowing too much about it. It's about a Puerto Rican-American girl who's always been a massive fan of Blazewrath, a dragon sport, and she wants to compete in the world cup. I loved how international this book was and how much diversity it had: there's so many nationalities and ethnicities featured, and there are several LGBTQ+ side characters as well as a disabled character who's in a wheelchair. I don't really want to tell you anymore about the story, because you should really experience it for yourself, but I can't recommend this book enough!
November 1, 2020
Well at least the dragons were amazing!
I enjoyed that the story explored the idea of 'family' and how diverse and inclusive this can be. The concept of 'belonging' was also addressed in a meaningful way. Unfortunately the plot was a bit hectic as the author tried to weave in too many subplots and sub-subplots.
In my opinion all the ingredients were already there:
Dragons. Check.
Magic involving dragons. Check.
Tournament involving magical dragons. Check.
Diverse characters in a tournament involving magical dragons. Check.
And lastly, a sinister person trying to ruin everyone's lives. Check.
All other elements needed to be removed so we would have a tighter, more engaging plot.
Still a lot to enjoy though so a solid 3 stars for me.
I enjoyed that the story explored the idea of 'family' and how diverse and inclusive this can be. The concept of 'belonging' was also addressed in a meaningful way. Unfortunately the plot was a bit hectic as the author tried to weave in too many subplots and sub-subplots.
In my opinion all the ingredients were already there:
Dragons. Check.
Magic involving dragons. Check.
Tournament involving magical dragons. Check.
Diverse characters in a tournament involving magical dragons. Check.
And lastly, a sinister person trying to ruin everyone's lives. Check.
All other elements needed to be removed so we would have a tighter, more engaging plot.
Still a lot to enjoy though so a solid 3 stars for me.
January 19, 2021
This was definitely not what I expected - but I'm going to say that this is the charm of Blazewrath Games. You think it's a story about sports and dragons - which it is, but oh. oh, it is not what you expect and that's what makes this book so exciting.
- Follows Lana, a Puerto Rican teen who, by chance, joins the Puerto Rican Blazewrath team - only to be pulled into a conspiracy that will change everything she has understood about the sport.
- I really enjoyed this! I thought the story was well-paced, had plenty of action to keep you entertained, and memorable characters as well. I don't know if this matters much, but I could feel that Amparo poured her heart into this book, and that's why this story feels so warm and lovely.
- I think the twists and conflicts in this story were engaging and the tension was tangible.
- Though I liked this book and wholly recommend it to dragon fans, I felt a little confused by the sport, its rules, and I felt like the tension was lost during the sport scenes. In addition, though I enjoyed the subplots and how they enriched the story, I felt like the story unravels at times and wasn't as cohesive as I would have liked.
Content warnings: violence, murder, mentions/recollection of anti-gay sentiment
- Follows Lana, a Puerto Rican teen who, by chance, joins the Puerto Rican Blazewrath team - only to be pulled into a conspiracy that will change everything she has understood about the sport.
- I really enjoyed this! I thought the story was well-paced, had plenty of action to keep you entertained, and memorable characters as well. I don't know if this matters much, but I could feel that Amparo poured her heart into this book, and that's why this story feels so warm and lovely.
- I think the twists and conflicts in this story were engaging and the tension was tangible.
- Though I liked this book and wholly recommend it to dragon fans, I felt a little confused by the sport, its rules, and I felt like the tension was lost during the sport scenes. In addition, though I enjoyed the subplots and how they enriched the story, I felt like the story unravels at times and wasn't as cohesive as I would have liked.
Content warnings: violence, murder, mentions/recollection of anti-gay sentiment
June 17, 2021
CWs: violence, murder, past mention of homophobia
Rep: Puerto Rican-American biracial MC, Black character, Afro-Latinx character, Puerto Rican bisexual character, Puerto Rican gay character, Japanese character, Scottish character, mlm side characters, character in a wheelchair
I came here for the dragons and the magical sports and the book delivered on both fronts so, despite some of my caveats, fairly good reading experience on the whole.
What I Liked:
- Dragons! - I think this book did a great job of building a fairly original lore surrounding the dragons in this world and I loved how the dragon species differed according to the country or continent they came from.
- Magical sports tournament - I liked how we weren't given an info-dump on how the games worked but were shown instead, with pieces of information slowly being revealed when necessary. All the action sequences in the games were so much fun to read! Also, I loved how the story explored the involvement of politics in international sports and the kind of pressure players are under when it comes to their public image and the home country that they're representing.
- Lana's character - I appreciated how the author showcased Lana's internal struggles when it came to her identity not just as a biracial person but also as diaspora. The scenes where Lana felt uncomfortable with her white relatives and then with her place in the tournament representing Puerto Rico when she hadn't visited the island in years - they were all so well done.
- The villains - they were honestly more interesting and complex than I was expecting.
Sadly though, I had a few major issues with this novel:
- The plot - while I don't mind that the plot is fairly simple and straightforward, I also think there were WAY too many plot conveniences throughout the story. No spoilers but basically the villain spends the entire novel going to enormous lengths in order to find out a crucial piece of information - and then our teenage MC is able to figure out that info by doing a basic google search.....
- The side characters and character relationships in general were sorely lacking here - I really wish the author had spent a little more effort in giving all the side characters some depth, especially Lana's team members - it would've made their camaraderie feel less superficial. Actually, now that I think about it, even Lana wasn't that great of a character personality-wise. She feels like a very serviceable MC - doing things because the plot needs her to do them and not because that's naturally who she is (this is just how I read it).
- The magic system felt so odd and out of place - the concept of wizards and witches just felt so disconnected from the dragons and their magic to me that I kept wondering why the author felt the need to include it.
- The writing - a little too stilted and simplistic for my tastes but this is the case for most YA debut authors anyways so it wasn't a huge deal for me.
Overall, I think one of the biggest things I struggled with is the fact that this book just didn't feel all that memorable - apart from some scenes with the dragons and the games, there's nothing about the story that sticks out to me. But I will say this novel took risks that I don't see a lot of other YA fantasies taking and I appreciated that.
Rep: Puerto Rican-American biracial MC, Black character, Afro-Latinx character, Puerto Rican bisexual character, Puerto Rican gay character, Japanese character, Scottish character, mlm side characters, character in a wheelchair
I came here for the dragons and the magical sports and the book delivered on both fronts so, despite some of my caveats, fairly good reading experience on the whole.
What I Liked:
- Dragons! - I think this book did a great job of building a fairly original lore surrounding the dragons in this world and I loved how the dragon species differed according to the country or continent they came from.
- Magical sports tournament - I liked how we weren't given an info-dump on how the games worked but were shown instead, with pieces of information slowly being revealed when necessary. All the action sequences in the games were so much fun to read! Also, I loved how the story explored the involvement of politics in international sports and the kind of pressure players are under when it comes to their public image and the home country that they're representing.
- Lana's character - I appreciated how the author showcased Lana's internal struggles when it came to her identity not just as a biracial person but also as diaspora. The scenes where Lana felt uncomfortable with her white relatives and then with her place in the tournament representing Puerto Rico when she hadn't visited the island in years - they were all so well done.
- The villains - they were honestly more interesting and complex than I was expecting.
Sadly though, I had a few major issues with this novel:
- The plot - while I don't mind that the plot is fairly simple and straightforward, I also think there were WAY too many plot conveniences throughout the story. No spoilers but basically the villain spends the entire novel going to enormous lengths in order to find out a crucial piece of information - and then our teenage MC is able to figure out that info by doing a basic google search.....
- The side characters and character relationships in general were sorely lacking here - I really wish the author had spent a little more effort in giving all the side characters some depth, especially Lana's team members - it would've made their camaraderie feel less superficial. Actually, now that I think about it, even Lana wasn't that great of a character personality-wise. She feels like a very serviceable MC - doing things because the plot needs her to do them and not because that's naturally who she is (this is just how I read it).
- The magic system felt so odd and out of place - the concept of wizards and witches just felt so disconnected from the dragons and their magic to me that I kept wondering why the author felt the need to include it.
- The writing - a little too stilted and simplistic for my tastes but this is the case for most YA debut authors anyways so it wasn't a huge deal for me.
Overall, I think one of the biggest things I struggled with is the fact that this book just didn't feel all that memorable - apart from some scenes with the dragons and the games, there's nothing about the story that sticks out to me. But I will say this novel took risks that I don't see a lot of other YA fantasies taking and I appreciated that.
October 13, 2020
Head on over to my blog to meet the characters in a special post I made!
Blazewrath Games is the debut novel by Amparo Ortíz, filled with magic, competition, and of course, dragons. Right off the bat, Amparo draws us in through the voice of Lana, our protagonist, whose always known what she’s wanted: to represent her country Puerto Rico in the Blazewrath Games.
"Puerto Rico made me who I am, but Blazewrath is the reason I was born."
Lana was born in Puerto Rico and holds fond memories of it. Unfortunately, her white mother moved them to the US once her father went abroad to study dragons. Lana grapples with her identity as a Puerto Rican, sometimes feeling like she isn’t The Right Kind of Boricua, and especially when other people also question her identity. While this is a fantasy setting, we see certain things that will resonate with Puerto Rican readers all across the world, as we all at one time or another have shared Lana’s struggle
The story also involves a huge cast of characters that each have an important role to play, both in the Games as well as for Lana’s journey. While at first it’s a bit overwhelming to meet them all at once, readers will be able to love and appreciate every single one of them and distinguish their voices as we go along.
Speaking of characters, we have to mention of course the antagonist of this series. The Sire, once a dragon, now cursed to become human, wants nothing more than to take down the entire Blazewrath federation. His motivations and antics are chilling and leave you wondering what he may be up to. This book has you on the edge of your seat, thinking of what terrifying things he’ll come up with next, and whether there’s a trap waiting at every corner.
One thing that stands out for me is of course, the world-building in this novel. Amparo created this series with such care and it’s obvious in each page. First of all, each chapter beings with an excerpt from a textbook, article, interview, etc., and they all work to help us construct better what the world is while not overwhelming us with huge informational dumps. What I really loved was the fact that normally in other fantasy novels, smaller countries are almost never mentioned or considered. It’s almost always US-based and maybe a few honorable mentions for the most prominent European countries. Here, Amparo gives us rich history into as many countries as possible, and makes the world-building feel so wonderfully developed.
Of course, what’s a review of Blazewrath Games without mentioning the most important part of all, the ever iconic dragons. As with the world-building, the dragons are also incredibly described, and feel like one of the most important living creatures of all. Each country has a different dragon, with different powers, appearances, and even different styles of combat. Through the Games we see a few of these in action and they’re as majestic as they are terrifying. I cannot wait to see more of them in future books.
All in all, Blazewrath Games was a spectacular debut from a dear friend and author. After I finished reading it I had such a happy feeling in my chest, because I had spent so many months in a terrible reading slump. This was just the right blend of action, adventure, magic, and great thrills all around. I think this is the perfect book for those who are big fans of Warcross but want something involving a little bit of magic as well. Regardless, Blazewrath Games shines and stands out as it’s own as well, and I can honestly say it’s one of my favorite depictions of Dragons in any YA book ever.
I received a review copy through Netgalley and the Publisher for an honest review
March 13, 2021
4.25 stars.
Dragons and Sports ! What more could I have asked.
This was so fun and wholesome and heart-rending <3
Recommend this.
Dragons and Sports ! What more could I have asked.
This was so fun and wholesome and heart-rending <3
Recommend this.
October 5, 2020
THIS WAS FANTASTIC.
It has:
✨ DRAGONS
✨ glorious character arcs
✨ so many queer characters 🌈😭
✨ so much ACTION and PLOT TWISTS
The author created something so magical—and I'm not only referring to the world-building or the magic system, but also the characters themselves, the arcs, and the overall storyline. I'm so in love with this one, I could cry. I mean, it left me feeling sad and satisfied at the same time! Safe to say, my emotions were all over the place.
Also, the author is so cool! (she's an ARMY and we kind of bonded over Jungkook lmao, we love to see it)
Full review on my blog soon!
Find me elsewhere: Instagram | Twitter | Blog
It has:
✨ DRAGONS
✨ glorious character arcs
✨ so many queer characters 🌈😭
✨ so much ACTION and PLOT TWISTS
The author created something so magical—and I'm not only referring to the world-building or the magic system, but also the characters themselves, the arcs, and the overall storyline. I'm so in love with this one, I could cry. I mean, it left me feeling sad and satisfied at the same time! Safe to say, my emotions were all over the place.
Also, the author is so cool! (she's an ARMY and we kind of bonded over Jungkook lmao, we love to see it)
Full review on my blog soon!
Find me elsewhere: Instagram | Twitter | Blog
October 7, 2020
Initial thoughts:
📌 Blazewrath Games made me cry. Yep, the heartwarming friendship between Samira and Lana moved me to literal, honest-to-goodness tears.
📌 This book is a beautifully written love letter for young diaspora readers, especially those with Latinx roots.
📌 Dragons! 🔥 🔥🔥
📌 Morally gray characters, effortless diversity in terms of cast, and found families all around.
📌 My only point of criticism is the plot conveniences scattered around the story, but that’s just my own nitpicking. The fun of the story really outshined everything else.
Recommended!
Disclosure: I received a print ARC of Blazewrath Games from its publisher in exchange for an honest review.
📌 Blazewrath Games made me cry. Yep, the heartwarming friendship between Samira and Lana moved me to literal, honest-to-goodness tears.
📌 This book is a beautifully written love letter for young diaspora readers, especially those with Latinx roots.
📌 Dragons! 🔥 🔥🔥
📌 Morally gray characters, effortless diversity in terms of cast, and found families all around.
📌 My only point of criticism is the plot conveniences scattered around the story, but that’s just my own nitpicking. The fun of the story really outshined everything else.
Recommended!
Disclosure: I received a print ARC of Blazewrath Games from its publisher in exchange for an honest review.
December 4, 2020
This was a lovely diverse novel about what (to me as someone who has no idea about sports) was basically dragon football.
Read this review and more on the blog!
Content warnings include: murder, violence (both in sports and non-sports context), threats to animals, unsupportive parent; mentions of parental death, cancer, abuse, homophobia.
Blazewrath Games immediately engaged me both with the dragons and magic setting, as well as the excellent latinx rep, specifically Puerto-Rican(-American).
The cast overall was diverse and delightful. I particularly liked how the countries that got the most attention at the world-championship of this fictional sport weren't the same few white Western countries as in a lot of other such settings.
The plot was very conflict-driven. Tension was present almost from page 1 onwards and came from a variety of sources: family, teammates, sports, the big evil in the background, personal relationships...
I enjoyed some of those plots more than others, naturally. Some of them came as a surprise in how central they became, while others almost shocked me in their severeness.
The writing was fine, but I found it almost too elaborate at times. Some things were shown, told, and then repeated another time. These overly detailed descriptions occasionally distracted from the narrative. On the flip-side, I do think that both plot and writing will make the book suitable for younger readers.
While I did enjoy the worldbuilding in concept, some of the finer details were not clear to me. Particularly the sports parts went completely over my head - not so much the rules but the why and how it works in practice?? The detailed scenes following Lana and her teammates as they played didn't help at all. In fact, a lot of the descriptions with the dragons only confused me more.
Still, this was a very shortwhile read. It's fast-paced and has a little of everything in it. The cast was a delight, though I admittedly struggled following who was who and all the names (I read it in audio, and I can only really remember names if I can see them written down... and it didn't help that a lot of names sounded very similar and there were a lot of important players).
The mystery element was well done, the sports, villain and overall threats were well executed and kept tension high without being overwhelming.
Overall Blazewrath Games is a cool, fast-paced and and well-balanced read that isn't as much about sports as it originally sounded like.
Read this review and more on the blog!
Content warnings include: murder, violence (both in sports and non-sports context), threats to animals, unsupportive parent; mentions of parental death, cancer, abuse, homophobia.
Blazewrath Games immediately engaged me both with the dragons and magic setting, as well as the excellent latinx rep, specifically Puerto-Rican(-American).
The cast overall was diverse and delightful. I particularly liked how the countries that got the most attention at the world-championship of this fictional sport weren't the same few white Western countries as in a lot of other such settings.
The plot was very conflict-driven. Tension was present almost from page 1 onwards and came from a variety of sources: family, teammates, sports, the big evil in the background, personal relationships...
I enjoyed some of those plots more than others, naturally. Some of them came as a surprise in how central they became, while others almost shocked me in their severeness.
The writing was fine, but I found it almost too elaborate at times. Some things were shown, told, and then repeated another time. These overly detailed descriptions occasionally distracted from the narrative. On the flip-side, I do think that both plot and writing will make the book suitable for younger readers.
While I did enjoy the worldbuilding in concept, some of the finer details were not clear to me. Particularly the sports parts went completely over my head - not so much the rules but the why and how it works in practice?? The detailed scenes following Lana and her teammates as they played didn't help at all. In fact, a lot of the descriptions with the dragons only confused me more.
Still, this was a very shortwhile read. It's fast-paced and has a little of everything in it. The cast was a delight, though I admittedly struggled following who was who and all the names (I read it in audio, and I can only really remember names if I can see them written down... and it didn't help that a lot of names sounded very similar and there were a lot of important players).
The mystery element was well done, the sports, villain and overall threats were well executed and kept tension high without being overwhelming.
Overall Blazewrath Games is a cool, fast-paced and and well-balanced read that isn't as much about sports as it originally sounded like.
January 1, 2022
So many dragons. I love to see it.
Y'all I'm still so amazed by this book. I loved everything about this from the cast to the plot. The ending was super satisfying too. I'm really curious to see what will happen in the sequel since events were wrapped up very nicely in this one.
Lana Torres has always loved Blazewrath. Ever since she can remember it's been part of her relationship with her father. When her home, Puerto Rico, finds its own dragons and enters the tournament, Lana has only dreamed of becoming the runner for Team Puerto Rico. Even though Lana hasn't been back to the island in 12 years, the island is in her blood.
The game of Blazewrath is exhilarating and dangerous. I loved learning more about it and seeing all the various training islands everyone goes through. When Lana becomes the new runner for Team PR she must train harder than she ever has in order to match up with the other teams. But something else is also stirring. The Sire, a dragon cursed into human form, is causing havoc and burning down dragon sanctuaries unless the Blazewrath World Cup is cancelled.
There is so much happening in this book. Like truly I am amazed every time I think of this ultimate masterpiece. I loved the cast of characters, everyone was dynamic and felt like a full character. I loved how easily diverse this book was too. And there were so many queer characters for a book that doesn't have a main romance pairing either!
Really I can't recommend this enough!
Rep: Biracial white and Puerto Rican female MC, Black female side character, white British achillean male side character in a MLM relationship, trans female side character, Puerto Rican male side character who uses a wheelchair, several Puerto Rican side characters, Japanese male side character, Scottish male side character, Muslim female side character, various other teams from China, Zimbabwe, Russia, Scotland, Japan and more.
CWs: Blood, bullying (specifically saying someone doesn't belong/isn't Puerto Rican enough because they haven't lived on the island recently), death, fire/fire injury, grief, injury/injury detail, murder, racism/colorism, violence. Moderate: alcoholism of side character, past mentions of child & domestic abuse, past mentions of parent's death, child death, homophobia/homomisia, kidnapping, torture. Brief: past mention/depiction of pregnancy.
Y'all I'm still so amazed by this book. I loved everything about this from the cast to the plot. The ending was super satisfying too. I'm really curious to see what will happen in the sequel since events were wrapped up very nicely in this one.
Lana Torres has always loved Blazewrath. Ever since she can remember it's been part of her relationship with her father. When her home, Puerto Rico, finds its own dragons and enters the tournament, Lana has only dreamed of becoming the runner for Team Puerto Rico. Even though Lana hasn't been back to the island in 12 years, the island is in her blood.
The game of Blazewrath is exhilarating and dangerous. I loved learning more about it and seeing all the various training islands everyone goes through. When Lana becomes the new runner for Team PR she must train harder than she ever has in order to match up with the other teams. But something else is also stirring. The Sire, a dragon cursed into human form, is causing havoc and burning down dragon sanctuaries unless the Blazewrath World Cup is cancelled.
There is so much happening in this book. Like truly I am amazed every time I think of this ultimate masterpiece. I loved the cast of characters, everyone was dynamic and felt like a full character. I loved how easily diverse this book was too. And there were so many queer characters for a book that doesn't have a main romance pairing either!
Really I can't recommend this enough!
Rep: Biracial white and Puerto Rican female MC, Black female side character, white British achillean male side character in a MLM relationship, trans female side character, Puerto Rican male side character who uses a wheelchair, several Puerto Rican side characters, Japanese male side character, Scottish male side character, Muslim female side character, various other teams from China, Zimbabwe, Russia, Scotland, Japan and more.
CWs: Blood, bullying (specifically saying someone doesn't belong/isn't Puerto Rican enough because they haven't lived on the island recently), death, fire/fire injury, grief, injury/injury detail, murder, racism/colorism, violence. Moderate: alcoholism of side character, past mentions of child & domestic abuse, past mentions of parent's death, child death, homophobia/homomisia, kidnapping, torture. Brief: past mention/depiction of pregnancy.
January 25, 2021
It's been two or three days since I finished this book and I'm still awe of it. I'm in awe of how good and addictive it was. I'm in awe of how queer it is in an effortless way. I'm in awe of just how well done it truly is. I wish I had a longer review where I list all the reasons why this is amazing but I'm still processing my love for it. I'm not a fantasy lover especially YA fantasy but this is a new all time fave. Everything about this book is perfection and I can't wait for what's to come.
February 18, 2023
reread 2023: 4.5 stars
originally read 2020: I literally have no words to describe this book. This book made me happy, it made me upset, it made me sad to the point where I cried. This book is amazing, its full of diversity and inclusivity. Did I mention the dragons?? I relate so much to Lanas character and her struggles with sometimes not feeling Puerto Rican enough and her struggle to speak Spanish sometimes. I admire her bravery and her strength and the way that she takes nothing from nobody unless it’s on her terms. I love every single character on team Puerto Rico, the way that they interact and bond with each other is just so amazing written and they way that they actually talk and act like teenagers. I cannot put into words everything that I want to say about this book so please just pick it up for yourself and experience this amazing book for yourself. ✨🇵🇷
originally read 2020: I literally have no words to describe this book. This book made me happy, it made me upset, it made me sad to the point where I cried. This book is amazing, its full of diversity and inclusivity. Did I mention the dragons?? I relate so much to Lanas character and her struggles with sometimes not feeling Puerto Rican enough and her struggle to speak Spanish sometimes. I admire her bravery and her strength and the way that she takes nothing from nobody unless it’s on her terms. I love every single character on team Puerto Rico, the way that they interact and bond with each other is just so amazing written and they way that they actually talk and act like teenagers. I cannot put into words everything that I want to say about this book so please just pick it up for yourself and experience this amazing book for yourself. ✨🇵🇷
Read
August 15, 2020Not only is this one of my favourite reads of 2020 but it's probably one of my favourite contemporary fantasies of all time. It really has everything: a protagonist that is hard to not root for, a plot that had me on the edge of my seat, an amazingly diverse cast, brilliant writing, and of course, dragons!
I cannot recommend this highly enough!
I cannot recommend this highly enough!
October 20, 2020
Star Rating: —> 4.5 Stars
THIS WAS UH-MAY-ZING OMGGG
RTC
THIS WAS UH-MAY-ZING OMGGG
RTC
May 29, 2020
I'll be honest. I didn't have high hopes for this book, and it's nothing against this book itself but against the YA genre itself. I once again have hope that YA isn't completely dull.
Lana is probably the best protagonist I've read in a while. She's not a chosen one because of mystical abilities or superb skills. It's not even a matter of "whoops this just happened" without making any sense. Lana's character arc throughout this story is believable and real--as real as can be in a story with dragons. I loved her from the beginning, and felt her to be a down-to-earth, relatable character. She's also incredibly smart and spends a lot of time thinking and pondering over the actions of the villain and other characters. She doesn't blindly rush into situations without planning ahead and figuring things out.
Samira is the best friend anyone could ever have, and even though she's more of a secondary character (kinda? She takes a big role later in the book, but this is definitely Lana's story), she's got lots of spunk and sass and is a great asset to Lana's journey. But even then she has her own journey and grows in this. She's basically the best, OK. I love her.
I really don't dislike a single character in this. Everyone was well-written with unique voices and personalities. I loved how the author interwove their culture into this story, so it's not just "another" fantasy. It's a Puerto Rican-centric fantasy, something I've never seen before. It takes place in our world, but the culture, language, and majority of the characters are Puerto Rican, and it's super refreshing to see something new in this genre. I've rarely seen Latinex books, so this gives me hope we will see more in the future.
The plot is fastpaced and easy to follow. I wouldn't say it's the most mysterious of books, but it's definitely got some great plot twists, and the story is solid enough that it doesn't need a shock-and-awe factor. The sport of Blazewrath is super fleshed out, as is the world as a whole, and it makes sooooo much sense. I would very happily watch a TV series based on this book and the sport simply because it's that fascinating.
This book doesn't shy away from tough plot points, and has some great gut wrenching moments.
Also, just the icing on the cake, again this is a POC Own Voices novel with ample LGBT+ rep, so there ya go.
Lana is probably the best protagonist I've read in a while. She's not a chosen one because of mystical abilities or superb skills. It's not even a matter of "whoops this just happened" without making any sense. Lana's character arc throughout this story is believable and real--as real as can be in a story with dragons. I loved her from the beginning, and felt her to be a down-to-earth, relatable character. She's also incredibly smart and spends a lot of time thinking and pondering over the actions of the villain and other characters. She doesn't blindly rush into situations without planning ahead and figuring things out.
Samira is the best friend anyone could ever have, and even though she's more of a secondary character (kinda? She takes a big role later in the book, but this is definitely Lana's story), she's got lots of spunk and sass and is a great asset to Lana's journey. But even then she has her own journey and grows in this. She's basically the best, OK. I love her.
I really don't dislike a single character in this. Everyone was well-written with unique voices and personalities. I loved how the author interwove their culture into this story, so it's not just "another" fantasy. It's a Puerto Rican-centric fantasy, something I've never seen before. It takes place in our world, but the culture, language, and majority of the characters are Puerto Rican, and it's super refreshing to see something new in this genre. I've rarely seen Latinex books, so this gives me hope we will see more in the future.
The plot is fastpaced and easy to follow. I wouldn't say it's the most mysterious of books, but it's definitely got some great plot twists, and the story is solid enough that it doesn't need a shock-and-awe factor. The sport of Blazewrath is super fleshed out, as is the world as a whole, and it makes sooooo much sense. I would very happily watch a TV series based on this book and the sport simply because it's that fascinating.
This book doesn't shy away from tough plot points, and has some great gut wrenching moments.
Also, just the icing on the cake, again this is a POC Own Voices novel with ample LGBT+ rep, so there ya go.
November 18, 2020
It's always tough when a new release you'd been really looking forward to isn't as good as you hoped it would be. I've let Blazewrath Games sit for a bit as I tried to figure out what specifically didn't work for me here and I think I've finally figured it out. There are a ton of things going on in this book -- magical bureaucracy, sports, found family, a nefarious villain, subterfuge, and lots of smaller mysteries -- that don't quite come together into a cohesive story. This book can't quite seem to decide what its main theme is, which makes for a reading experience that felt all over the place and often quite confusing. There were a lot of times when I had to stop reading to try to remember who someone was, how they fit into the larger story, and why I was supposed to care about them. On top of that, the decisions that the main character Lana makes often didn't make sense within the context of earlier things she had said and done. It seemed as though her actions were for the sake of the plot, rather than true to her character. She flip-flopped sides frequently throughout the story to the point that I was surprised other characters didn't call her out on it more frequently.
Some of the individual elements of Blazewrath Games were well done. I really enjoyed the action scenes about Blazewrath. They put me right in the thick of the action and made me wish that this was a real sport I could watch on TV. I also thought that Lana's journey to figure out her identity was moving. This made for a compelling emotional arc that I would've loved to see a bit more of in the story. I also really liked the way the book tackled the issue of activism and sports. It was handled with care while also raising a lot of important questions about how we view athletes and the power they have.
This wasn't a bad book -- it just seemed like it needed a little more editing to make it a cohesive story and to flesh out character motivations a bit more.
C/W:
Some of the individual elements of Blazewrath Games were well done. I really enjoyed the action scenes about Blazewrath. They put me right in the thick of the action and made me wish that this was a real sport I could watch on TV. I also thought that Lana's journey to figure out her identity was moving. This made for a compelling emotional arc that I would've loved to see a bit more of in the story. I also really liked the way the book tackled the issue of activism and sports. It was handled with care while also raising a lot of important questions about how we view athletes and the power they have.
This wasn't a bad book -- it just seemed like it needed a little more editing to make it a cohesive story and to flesh out character motivations a bit more.
C/W:
December 13, 2020
yet another book that could have been amazing in theory. I was so disappointed in having to put this down, but they're just wasn't anything for the reader to grasp. Characters meant nothing to me ad the plot was just "there". Failed to keep me entertained or interested.
I would ONLY recommend this if you like dragons.
I would ONLY recommend this if you like dragons.
June 30, 2024
06/30/24: definitely didnt love this as much as i did the 1st time around; i struggled to connect w the characters but it still remains a masterclass in worldbuilding, just greatly crafted. excited to finally jump into the sequel after so long!
Read
December 4, 2020Behold: the only YA book I've ever read with no romance! <3 Also: DRAGONS
Want to read
September 21, 2021I am getting back into dragons again LOL
October 8, 2020
"The thing about people is they tend to love us their way, not the way we'd want them to love us. We can tell them loads of times. We can draw them a bloody map. Sometimes their way is the only way that makes sense to them. Our voices are just white noise."
*ARC provided by Page Street Kids*
A beautiful debut about struggling to find your voice and saving what matters most.
SUMMARY
Lana Torres grew up loving dragons and watching the Blazewrath World Cup with her father in Puerto Rico. Since moving to Florida with her mother, she has had to keep her adoration muted. When a spot opens on the Puerto Rican team as the Runner - the one player without a dragon counterpart - she jumps at the chance.
Lana's dreams are spoiled when the Sire, a dragon cursed into human form, begins burning down dragon sanctuaries and threatening the Cup. It doesn't help that he is joined by a former Blazewrath superstar, and Lana's role model, that went missing years ago.
Now Lana has to solved a global conspiracy in order to save the people, and dragons, she loves.
REVIEW
I have read some pretty mediocre dragon books in the past. This was not one of them.
Lana was a wonderful MC to follow. She was believable, made mistakes, and felt hopeless at times. Her familial relationships are a mess, and she has to pick between following her heart and keeping them happy.
I really appreciated the internal struggle Lana had with her identity. She is Peurto Rrican but hasn't stepped foot on the island in 12-years. She begins to doubt whether she has the right to be on the PR team - if she is Peurto Rican enough.
I adored how this book ended and was surprised at the punches Ortiz pulled. It is impressive for a YA debut. There are a handful of subplots that you have to keep track of, but they all weave together seamlessly by the end. It was fun to unravel this large conspiracy that seemed to engulf every character you met.
ALSO - this book does not focus on any romances. There are side-characters that make-out with one another, but this novel centers on Lana's journey. Our cast is very queer, and there are talks about being openly gay when you are in the public eye and from a culture that may not accept it. I believe Ortiz dealt with every topic in a delicate nature.
This was a great book, but it fell shy of a 5-star rating. There were a couple of moments in the middle that felt slow, and some parts of the world lacked depth (ex. the witches). I would love to see companion novels set in this alternate contemporary world because there is a lot of potential to be explored.
(I think that Lana's BFF, Samira, deserves her own book because she was so much fun.)
Side Note: I still cannot, for the life of me, figure out which dragon the blue one is on the cover.
I will 100% be looking out for more from Amparo Ortiz in the future.
*ARC provided by Page Street Kids*
A beautiful debut about struggling to find your voice and saving what matters most.
SUMMARY
Lana Torres grew up loving dragons and watching the Blazewrath World Cup with her father in Puerto Rico. Since moving to Florida with her mother, she has had to keep her adoration muted. When a spot opens on the Puerto Rican team as the Runner - the one player without a dragon counterpart - she jumps at the chance.
Lana's dreams are spoiled when the Sire, a dragon cursed into human form, begins burning down dragon sanctuaries and threatening the Cup. It doesn't help that he is joined by a former Blazewrath superstar, and Lana's role model, that went missing years ago.
Now Lana has to solved a global conspiracy in order to save the people, and dragons, she loves.
REVIEW
I have read some pretty mediocre dragon books in the past. This was not one of them.
Lana was a wonderful MC to follow. She was believable, made mistakes, and felt hopeless at times. Her familial relationships are a mess, and she has to pick between following her heart and keeping them happy.
I really appreciated the internal struggle Lana had with her identity. She is Peurto Rrican but hasn't stepped foot on the island in 12-years. She begins to doubt whether she has the right to be on the PR team - if she is Peurto Rican enough.
I adored how this book ended and was surprised at the punches Ortiz pulled. It is impressive for a YA debut. There are a handful of subplots that you have to keep track of, but they all weave together seamlessly by the end. It was fun to unravel this large conspiracy that seemed to engulf every character you met.
ALSO - this book does not focus on any romances. There are side-characters that make-out with one another, but this novel centers on Lana's journey. Our cast is very queer, and there are talks about being openly gay when you are in the public eye and from a culture that may not accept it. I believe Ortiz dealt with every topic in a delicate nature.
This was a great book, but it fell shy of a 5-star rating. There were a couple of moments in the middle that felt slow, and some parts of the world lacked depth (ex. the witches). I would love to see companion novels set in this alternate contemporary world because there is a lot of potential to be explored.
(I think that Lana's BFF, Samira, deserves her own book because she was so much fun.)
Side Note: I still cannot, for the life of me, figure out which dragon the blue one is on the cover.
I will 100% be looking out for more from Amparo Ortiz in the future.
October 19, 2020
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
When I first heard Amparo Ortiz talk about this book I was beyond excited. Like the main character in this book, I am half Puerto Rican and growing up I never read about characters in books that were like me. Even though I'm not the target audience for this book, it means a lot to see that representation now. I think so many young people are going to feel seen in this book. The author not only gave amazing Boricua rep, but had characters of all different races, cultures, and sexual orientations. This book celebrates the beauty and differences in us all.
The dragons in the book were so cool! Especially the Sol de Noche dragons. If you are thinking of reading this, I do think it's important to mention that it reads on the younger side of YA, which is the intended audience. I think the plot, pacing, and characters will work well for the age group the book is intended for. That's not to say adult readers won't enjoy this book as well. If you like dragons, magic, and sports you should definitely give this book a try.
When I first heard Amparo Ortiz talk about this book I was beyond excited. Like the main character in this book, I am half Puerto Rican and growing up I never read about characters in books that were like me. Even though I'm not the target audience for this book, it means a lot to see that representation now. I think so many young people are going to feel seen in this book. The author not only gave amazing Boricua rep, but had characters of all different races, cultures, and sexual orientations. This book celebrates the beauty and differences in us all.
The dragons in the book were so cool! Especially the Sol de Noche dragons. If you are thinking of reading this, I do think it's important to mention that it reads on the younger side of YA, which is the intended audience. I think the plot, pacing, and characters will work well for the age group the book is intended for. That's not to say adult readers won't enjoy this book as well. If you like dragons, magic, and sports you should definitely give this book a try.
November 20, 2020
Quidditch using dragons instead of a broomstick? Yeah baby. Too bad the rest of the plot could not keep up. Lana lives in the U.S., and her dream is to participate in the Blazewrath Games for her native Puerto Rico. She lives with her mother, who is adamantly opposed to dragons while her father works in another country in a dragon sanctuary. Displaying bravery in saving her cousin from a dragon, Lana gets to join the team. Meanwhile, there is a rogue villain and an ex-Blazewrath champion with an unknown agenda, staging protests and killing agents of the Magic Bureau. Sadly, there were too many things going on and the plot was not coherent. I think that Ortiz's (and Lana's) Puerto Rican pride was the other highlight of the book. 2.5 stars, rounded up.
April 10, 2021
Dragons, magical sports and Puerto Ricans? You'd think this book was made for me. It's a great premise, but unfortunately fell down hard on execution. I don't think I've struggled this much to finish a book in years, especially a YA novel.
First off, the characterization came off very shallow. We spend the entire book in Lana's head but I don't feel I got much out of her other than "I love Blazewrath," with everything else in her head revolving around that. Even her "am I Puerto Rican enough" problems felt kind of... shallow. The opposition to her being on the team felt more like typical "this person is an outsider to our close-knit circle" than it was about her being raised on the mainland. (Like Lana, I am half-Puerto Rican and raised on the mainland, so maybe I was expecting something a little more meaty in this regard, especially since it seemed to be a selling point of the book.)
The characterization was almost non-existent when it came to the other characters, who really read off like points on a personality checklist: snobby cousin (the Dudley of the book), the wacky best friend (with the supportive family, a la the Weasleys), the bitchy "mean girl" of the team, the super cool government agent. What do we know about them besides the traits I just listed? Not much. The bitchy mean girl has a tragic backstory, which... of course she does. And then there's a huge cast of diverse characters whose entire existence seems to be name + job + queer. The book is "diverse," but they don't actually add anything to the plot. The super cool government agent is trans, but her super cool government agent happenings are largely off-screen, and she didn't substantially affect the story in any way. It really just felt like she, and the other queer characters, are also just there to check off a list. It's telling that, outside of President Turner, all of the main characters appear to be cishet. (I believe Lana says she's bisexual, but it never comes up after the initial mention.)
(I think Andrew and Takeshi are a rather refreshing pair as close platonic male relationships like theirs are still a rarity in a lot of YA fiction, but it's still only a surface look since this is Lana's story.)
The overstuffed cast and ensuing lack of characterization wouldn't have bothered me as much if the plot was better. The initial setup is intriguing, but ultimately falls down hard because every plot reveal is extremely obvious or a complete deus ex machina. Nothing is carefully woven through the book, and the big reveals are often unrewarding because you saw them coming a mile away. This book is a long laundry list of clichés that will ensure its page on TV Tropes will be a long one. (I won't discuss particular points because of spoilers, but there was at least once where I said OUT LOUD "because of course she is.")
This book is definitely an "obviously inspired by Harry Potter" book, which in itself isn't a problem, but, like Rowling, some of the worldbuilding does leave you scratching your head, namely Blazewrath itself. Why do magical sports always have to be so needlessly complicated? Just adding the ability to fly or in this case, freaking dragons, would have been enough to make a known sport like basketball or football/soccer exciting. Instead writers always feel like they have to come up with convoluted rules that make less sense than baseball.
I don't really think of this as a one-star book, since there's plenty that's competent, but I really, really, really didn't enjoy it.
First off, the characterization came off very shallow. We spend the entire book in Lana's head but I don't feel I got much out of her other than "I love Blazewrath," with everything else in her head revolving around that. Even her "am I Puerto Rican enough" problems felt kind of... shallow. The opposition to her being on the team felt more like typical "this person is an outsider to our close-knit circle" than it was about her being raised on the mainland. (Like Lana, I am half-Puerto Rican and raised on the mainland, so maybe I was expecting something a little more meaty in this regard, especially since it seemed to be a selling point of the book.)
The characterization was almost non-existent when it came to the other characters, who really read off like points on a personality checklist: snobby cousin (the Dudley of the book), the wacky best friend (with the supportive family, a la the Weasleys), the bitchy "mean girl" of the team, the super cool government agent. What do we know about them besides the traits I just listed? Not much. The bitchy mean girl has a tragic backstory, which... of course she does. And then there's a huge cast of diverse characters whose entire existence seems to be name + job + queer. The book is "diverse," but they don't actually add anything to the plot. The super cool government agent is trans, but her super cool government agent happenings are largely off-screen, and she didn't substantially affect the story in any way. It really just felt like she, and the other queer characters, are also just there to check off a list. It's telling that, outside of President Turner, all of the main characters appear to be cishet. (I believe Lana says she's bisexual, but it never comes up after the initial mention.)
(I think Andrew and Takeshi are a rather refreshing pair as close platonic male relationships like theirs are still a rarity in a lot of YA fiction, but it's still only a surface look since this is Lana's story.)
The overstuffed cast and ensuing lack of characterization wouldn't have bothered me as much if the plot was better. The initial setup is intriguing, but ultimately falls down hard because every plot reveal is extremely obvious or a complete deus ex machina. Nothing is carefully woven through the book, and the big reveals are often unrewarding because you saw them coming a mile away. This book is a long laundry list of clichés that will ensure its page on TV Tropes will be a long one. (I won't discuss particular points because of spoilers, but there was at least once where I said OUT LOUD "because of course she is.")
This book is definitely an "obviously inspired by Harry Potter" book, which in itself isn't a problem, but, like Rowling, some of the worldbuilding does leave you scratching your head, namely Blazewrath itself. Why do magical sports always have to be so needlessly complicated? Just adding the ability to fly or in this case, freaking dragons, would have been enough to make a known sport like basketball or football/soccer exciting. Instead writers always feel like they have to come up with convoluted rules that make less sense than baseball.
I don't really think of this as a one-star book, since there's plenty that's competent, but I really, really, really didn't enjoy it.
November 21, 2020
I picked this book up for Believathon because I was absolutely positive that it was middle-grade. A number of things contributed to that including: 1) The blurb comparing it to How to Train Your Dragon meets Quidditch, 2) The cover, 3) People telling me it was middle-grade.
It is very much young adult and I'm not sure if I would have picked it up had I known that. For some reason I have this magical-game fatigue in young adult fantasy but I absolutely love it in middle-grade. It probably has a lot to do with me enjoying the themes in middle-grade a lot more and these themes coupled with magical-games are much more my taste (right now) than what tends to occur in young adult. I think this book actually would have been more engaging for me had it been a middle-grade adventure. The set-up and concept for the Blazewrath Games were fantastic, but I think that it would have been more fun to read about if there had been more whimsy.
I did think this book was very entertaining and it kept my interest right up to the end. I really loved the diverse representation as well as the focus on found family but I didn't feel overly attached to these characters at any point. And while it was enjoyable, I also think it will be one of those books that fades from my memory quite quickly.
It is very much young adult and I'm not sure if I would have picked it up had I known that. For some reason I have this magical-game fatigue in young adult fantasy but I absolutely love it in middle-grade. It probably has a lot to do with me enjoying the themes in middle-grade a lot more and these themes coupled with magical-games are much more my taste (right now) than what tends to occur in young adult. I think this book actually would have been more engaging for me had it been a middle-grade adventure. The set-up and concept for the Blazewrath Games were fantastic, but I think that it would have been more fun to read about if there had been more whimsy.
I did think this book was very entertaining and it kept my interest right up to the end. I really loved the diverse representation as well as the focus on found family but I didn't feel overly attached to these characters at any point. And while it was enjoyable, I also think it will be one of those books that fades from my memory quite quickly.
October 7, 2020
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
From the beginning I fell in love with Blazewrath Games. I adored this wizards and witches meets dragons meets magical sports competition. Blazewrath Games delivers non-stop action and adventure from the beginning. To say that I was swept away in the action packed scenes of dragon fire, or the training montages for the games, is an understatement. But what I ended up falling in love with was the ways Blazewrath Games navigates diaspora identity and found family.
There's nothing Lana wants more than to compete in the Blazewrath Games for Puerto Rico. In a series of events full of accidents, a little too much fire, and secrets Lana gets her wish. But as soon as she joins her teammates, the fact that Lana hasn't seen Puerto Rico in years is brought up. Throughout Blazewrath Games, Lana has to navigate her feelings regarding not only Puerto Rico, but her feelings of being an imposter on her team for having grown up away from her island. These questions of belonging and identity is closely connected to this struggle is the theme of found family in the story. When the people we love end up disappointing us, where else can we find a sense of community and family? For those who feel excluded from pieces of their identity, how do they reconcile this fractured feeling?
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...
From the beginning I fell in love with Blazewrath Games. I adored this wizards and witches meets dragons meets magical sports competition. Blazewrath Games delivers non-stop action and adventure from the beginning. To say that I was swept away in the action packed scenes of dragon fire, or the training montages for the games, is an understatement. But what I ended up falling in love with was the ways Blazewrath Games navigates diaspora identity and found family.
There's nothing Lana wants more than to compete in the Blazewrath Games for Puerto Rico. In a series of events full of accidents, a little too much fire, and secrets Lana gets her wish. But as soon as she joins her teammates, the fact that Lana hasn't seen Puerto Rico in years is brought up. Throughout Blazewrath Games, Lana has to navigate her feelings regarding not only Puerto Rico, but her feelings of being an imposter on her team for having grown up away from her island. These questions of belonging and identity is closely connected to this struggle is the theme of found family in the story. When the people we love end up disappointing us, where else can we find a sense of community and family? For those who feel excluded from pieces of their identity, how do they reconcile this fractured feeling?
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...
August 8, 2021
I loved several elements of the story, most notably the world building, dragons and magic. I struggled a little with the plot towards the middle and end, but overall I am definitely looking forward to reading the next one to see where this goes. Even if that final battle was devastating. 😂
I’ve seen people comment on the likeness of HP and refer to it as a “rip off”. I feel if someone wants to take a crack at a magical world with similarities to HP but make it queer and inclusive— by all means. Give people something else to read and take the wand from JKR’s death grip. I *want* more books like this. I just want more books like this that execute it a little bit smoother. This is a debut author who is still honing her skill, and I’m ready to see what else she can do with a bit more time and practice.
I will have A reading vlog up on my channel with first thoughts and a liveshow at the end of the month with final thoughts (it’s the Draconathon group book).
My vlog:
https://youtu.be/nj69AnlUigI
I’ve seen people comment on the likeness of HP and refer to it as a “rip off”. I feel if someone wants to take a crack at a magical world with similarities to HP but make it queer and inclusive— by all means. Give people something else to read and take the wand from JKR’s death grip. I *want* more books like this. I just want more books like this that execute it a little bit smoother. This is a debut author who is still honing her skill, and I’m ready to see what else she can do with a bit more time and practice.
I will have A reading vlog up on my channel with first thoughts and a liveshow at the end of the month with final thoughts (it’s the Draconathon group book).
My vlog:
https://youtu.be/nj69AnlUigI
April 28, 2021
This is a must-read for anyone who loves dragons! Blazewrath Games features a dragon sports tournament, a dark conspiracy, and a wonderful, diverse cast. Come for the dragons stay for the drama.
CW: violence, death
If you enjoy diverse sci-fi and fantasy you should check out my Blog! You could also follow me on Twitter or Instagram.
CW: violence, death
If you enjoy diverse sci-fi and fantasy you should check out my Blog! You could also follow me on Twitter or Instagram.
January 19, 2022
so so good!!
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