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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
dnf @ 4%
the premise sounds super cool, but i can't stand the writing style unfortunately
the premise sounds super cool, but i can't stand the writing style unfortunately
3 Stars
The beginning (uptil their visit to Waxbyrne) was really good.
After that, it was just okay. There's just too much going on (nothing wrong with that) and the writer can't handle it which leaves a lot of things including the characters underdeveloped.
Scratch that it leaves everything underdeveloped.
Maybe I'll write a detailed review someday.
The beginning (uptil their visit to Waxbyrne) was really good.
After that, it was just okay. There's just too much going on (nothing wrong with that) and the writer can't handle it which leaves a lot of things including the characters underdeveloped.
Scratch that it leaves everything underdeveloped.
Maybe I'll write a detailed review someday.
It's World Cup but with dragons! Actually it read a lot more like quidditch, but I say that as someone who doesn't know the rules or play styles of pretty much any team sports. It kept me engaged with the sport of Blazewrath despite that, and I think sports teens would appreciate the care taken in outlining the rules and the sport descriptions. The magic system was a little weak for me, but that was almost superfluous to the plot, because the dragons were so cool.
What an imaginative novel, with some action- and DRAGON-packed sports scenes! This novel introduces a multi-layered world, and I would certainly be interested in pursuing a follow-up and getting to know the world and our characters better than this introduction.
Not a review just me keeping track
I'm living and very exited.
At first I was just okay with the book I didnt find anything too great but after the first half it just got better and better.
I couldnt manage to get too close to any character but it was still enjoyable
Now. Takeshi. He does have my heart.
There are certainting that i had a bit of issue with but the book was good enough for me to brush it of.
The way everything unfolded was just exquisit.
Ps. The book to me is heavily influenced by HP & Goblet of Fire.
I'm living and very exited.
At first I was just okay with the book I didnt find anything too great but after the first half it just got better and better.
I couldnt manage to get too close to any character but it was still enjoyable
Now. Takeshi. He does have my heart.
There are certainting that i had a bit of issue with but the book was good enough for me to brush it of.
The way everything unfolded was just exquisit.
Ps. The book to me is heavily influenced by HP & Goblet of Fire.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
You can find my full review on my blog, The Bookwyrm's Den, here.
Many thanks to Page Street Kids and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I’m not sure which part of this doesn’t immediately scream READ ME. Was it the dragons? Or the Quidditch-like sport? Because seriously, I was all over this book as soon as I read the synopsis, and I can’t imagine why someone wouldn’t be!
Blazewrath Games is an action-packed book that’s part sport, part mystery, and 100% heart. Filled with dragons, Boricuan pride, diverse characters, and fun banter, it’s basically a must-read for 2020.
This book was fabulous, as expected. The only real (minor) complaint I have is that some things aren’t explained as well as I’d hoped they might have been, like a bit of an inexplicable deus ex machina towards the end of the book or the actual motives of the antagonist.
My Thoughts:
- The world-building in this book is just *chef’s kiss*. It perfectly blends magic with the real world. It’s basically our world, except we discovered witches a couple hundred years ago and went, “Huh. Wait! Maybe we shouldn’t burn all these people. It seems like magic could be kinda useful.” So there’s a whole market and society built around magic. Which also means … DRAGONS! Different kinds of dragons, too. And when you discover that dragons are real, what’s your natural reaction to the news, hmm? DRAGON SPORTS! … wait. Listen, I know you’re probably here to learn more about what the heck the Blazewrath Games are, so let’s not keep you in suspense and get it out of the way right off the bat. It’s been pitched as “Quidditch with dragons,” and that seems like an apt description. The whole idea is that you’ve got a team that includes dragon riders and a runner. The runner tries to get to the top first without losing their item. There are dragon riders that are scoring and dragon riders that are trying to stop the runner with dragon attacks and physical attacks, attempting to get their trinket and throw it to the bottom of the mountain, thus forcing them to return to the beginning and start their run again. The culture of this sport is so freaking neat, and getting to read about the games and “watch” it played was super fun.
- There’s a whole squad of characters to love (it’s a team, after all, right), and I loved how different they all are in both personality and general diversity. First of all, the Boricuan pride and feel is very strong in this book, which should come as no surprise since the focus is on Team Puerto Rico. This book is so rich in different aspects of Puerto Rican culture. This book is filled with diverse characters, beyond just the focus on Puerto Rican characters, too. For example, there’s a character who only speaks Spanish (though it’s translated in context, for those who can’t read Spanish, so you won’t miss anything). There are several characters who are LGBTQ, openly and proudly so, and there’s even one super freaking cute LGBTQ romance.
- Lana makes for a great protagonist, as she struggles with her own identity but also genuinely wants to do the right thing. I’m gonna just come out and say it: Lana faces quite a bit of racism in this book, especially in the beginning, and even from her family. There were far too many scenes that absolutely boiled my blood. I sadly found her struggle as a biracial character all too relatable: not fitting into either world, needing to choose to belong to one or the other, and never quite “enough” for either. At her very core, though, Lana stands out because she’s painfully normal in a world full of extraordinary characters, which makes her extremely relatable. The only way she truly stands out is in the way she fights for what she believes in. I mean, think about it. There are witches in this world. People with magic. There are secret government officials and bureaucracy. There’s dragon riders who bond with their dragons. Then there’s Lana … who is a runner with no special powers, no special ability, nothing that really sets her apart. Except that she’s willing to speak up when she sees something she thinks is wrong. I loved that about her!
- This book has so many twists and turns and action that it never got boring and always kept me guessing. Did I guess a couple of the big twists? Sure. But some of them caught me off-guard, in such a delightful way! The mystery in this is definitely engaging, and I found myself frantically turning pages because I wanted to solve the puzzle and find out what really was going on. Opposite the action, though, is a lot of really emotional, touching scenes and soul-searching that I absolutely loved! These characters have such relatable struggles that even though I was mad they had to suffer such things, I enjoyed seeing them grow and come to terms with everything.
Sticking Points:
- Even though this is a duology and I expected there to be things left unanswered, there felt like a few too many whys left open-ended. I assume (hopefully) there’ll be more answers in the second book, of course. There are some things that I’m totally cool with waiting for, but one thing that really irked me is I wanted more about the villain! I’m sure more answers will come in the second book, but since the villain was the villain in this book, I was hoping for something a little less cryptic. Even just some sort of motive! This is probably just a me thing, but I love to both love and hate villains, but in order to do that, I need to know what drives them or what they want to accomplish, and I just didn’t feel that. The villain was more of this vague, threatening shadow.
Many thanks to Page Street Kids and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I’m not sure which part of this doesn’t immediately scream READ ME. Was it the dragons? Or the Quidditch-like sport? Because seriously, I was all over this book as soon as I read the synopsis, and I can’t imagine why someone wouldn’t be!
Blazewrath Games is an action-packed book that’s part sport, part mystery, and 100% heart. Filled with dragons, Boricuan pride, diverse characters, and fun banter, it’s basically a must-read for 2020.
This book was fabulous, as expected. The only real (minor) complaint I have is that some things aren’t explained as well as I’d hoped they might have been, like a bit of an inexplicable deus ex machina towards the end of the book or the actual motives of the antagonist.
My Thoughts:
- The world-building in this book is just *chef’s kiss*. It perfectly blends magic with the real world. It’s basically our world, except we discovered witches a couple hundred years ago and went, “Huh. Wait! Maybe we shouldn’t burn all these people. It seems like magic could be kinda useful.” So there’s a whole market and society built around magic. Which also means … DRAGONS! Different kinds of dragons, too. And when you discover that dragons are real, what’s your natural reaction to the news, hmm? DRAGON SPORTS! … wait. Listen, I know you’re probably here to learn more about what the heck the Blazewrath Games are, so let’s not keep you in suspense and get it out of the way right off the bat. It’s been pitched as “Quidditch with dragons,” and that seems like an apt description. The whole idea is that you’ve got a team that includes dragon riders and a runner. The runner tries to get to the top first without losing their item. There are dragon riders that are scoring and dragon riders that are trying to stop the runner with dragon attacks and physical attacks, attempting to get their trinket and throw it to the bottom of the mountain, thus forcing them to return to the beginning and start their run again. The culture of this sport is so freaking neat, and getting to read about the games and “watch” it played was super fun.
- There’s a whole squad of characters to love (it’s a team, after all, right), and I loved how different they all are in both personality and general diversity. First of all, the Boricuan pride and feel is very strong in this book, which should come as no surprise since the focus is on Team Puerto Rico. This book is so rich in different aspects of Puerto Rican culture. This book is filled with diverse characters, beyond just the focus on Puerto Rican characters, too. For example, there’s a character who only speaks Spanish (though it’s translated in context, for those who can’t read Spanish, so you won’t miss anything). There are several characters who are LGBTQ, openly and proudly so, and there’s even one super freaking cute LGBTQ romance.
- Lana makes for a great protagonist, as she struggles with her own identity but also genuinely wants to do the right thing. I’m gonna just come out and say it: Lana faces quite a bit of racism in this book, especially in the beginning, and even from her family. There were far too many scenes that absolutely boiled my blood. I sadly found her struggle as a biracial character all too relatable: not fitting into either world, needing to choose to belong to one or the other, and never quite “enough” for either. At her very core, though, Lana stands out because she’s painfully normal in a world full of extraordinary characters, which makes her extremely relatable. The only way she truly stands out is in the way she fights for what she believes in. I mean, think about it. There are witches in this world. People with magic. There are secret government officials and bureaucracy. There’s dragon riders who bond with their dragons. Then there’s Lana … who is a runner with no special powers, no special ability, nothing that really sets her apart. Except that she’s willing to speak up when she sees something she thinks is wrong. I loved that about her!
- This book has so many twists and turns and action that it never got boring and always kept me guessing. Did I guess a couple of the big twists? Sure. But some of them caught me off-guard, in such a delightful way! The mystery in this is definitely engaging, and I found myself frantically turning pages because I wanted to solve the puzzle and find out what really was going on. Opposite the action, though, is a lot of really emotional, touching scenes and soul-searching that I absolutely loved! These characters have such relatable struggles that even though I was mad they had to suffer such things, I enjoyed seeing them grow and come to terms with everything.
Sticking Points:
- Even though this is a duology and I expected there to be things left unanswered, there felt like a few too many whys left open-ended. I assume (hopefully) there’ll be more answers in the second book, of course. There are some things that I’m totally cool with waiting for, but one thing that really irked me is I wanted more about the villain! I’m sure more answers will come in the second book, but since the villain was the villain in this book, I was hoping for something a little less cryptic. Even just some sort of motive! This is probably just a me thing, but I love to both love and hate villains, but in order to do that, I need to know what drives them or what they want to accomplish, and I just didn’t feel that. The villain was more of this vague, threatening shadow.
This one took some time to get through. I kept comparing it to Harry Potter. It was an interesting mix of the modern world and dragons and witches. It’ll be interesting to see if there’s a sequel.
I just got more interested in another book, I’ll pick this one up again at some point.
5/5 stars
Recommended for anyone who like: dragons, magic, urban/low fantasy, competitions, Big Bads, characters of color, LGBTQ+ characters
I (obviously) enjoyed this book a lot. There are definitely not enough dragon books out there, in my opinion, and I absolutely loved getting to know all the different dragons in this book and their different powers and homes. I thought the little snippets about the dragons, the Bond, or relevant characters at the beginning of each chapter was helpful and served as a pretty uninstrusive way to introduce lore so we're not learning everything through Lana. I also liked that Ortiz included some real-world dragons from the regions the belong to, such as the hydra and the zmey gorynych, on top of having some dragons specific to this world. The most time is spent with the Sol de Noche dragons, who are awesome badasses at times and then at other times are like puppies. I liked that Ortiz made it so that not every dragon has a Bond, and I thought the mystery around how and why the Bond was formed added realism to the world, since in reality a lot of things in our world really are still big question marks. I also liked that there was the contrast between people who were find with the Bond and people who thought that the Bond was wrong and that all dragons should be Un-Bonded.
Blazewrath also seemed like a pretty cool game too, a bit of a mix between Quidditch with only one ball and roller derby. It seems very intense, and I know the players have magical uniforms, but I definitely feel like this has to be a game where people get injured a lot. I have trouble picturing what the arena looks like, but the descriptions of the dragons playing and the running/fighting scenes were cool and I enjoyed those.
The cast is pretty diverse, with all of Team Puerto Rico being Puerto Rican (duh), with some of them being mixed Hispanic and Black. Two team members are queer, with Gabriela being bi and Edwin being gay. Samira, Lana's best friend, and her entire family are all Black Americans, there are also Black characters from Zimbabwe, and the team's stylist is also a Black woman. There are also several Middle Eastern characters, some of whom are hijabis. It's mentioned that all of Team Russia is queer as well, with at least one of them in a relationship. The IBF president is also gay and married, and both him and his husband are pretty prevalent throughout the book. There's also a trans woman character in the book, Agent Horowitz, who's in it a bit the beginning and then is seen more frequently at the end.
Lana was a character I enjoyed having as a narrator. She's clearly caught between what she wants to do and what some of the other characters (read: mom, Victoria, and even the Sire) want her to do. She sticks to her guns, even if she lets some of that stuff get her down, and is able to succeed when she puts her mind to it. She could be a bit annoying at times, such as when she's fangirling for people to their faces, but overall I liked her character. I'm glad that she got to ride a dragon at least once, and that the Puerto Rican team (human and dragon) bonded with and supported her fairly quickly. She's also a pretty smart character and is able to put some stuff together about the Sire without much additional help.
Samira is Lana's best friend and a Copper Wand witch. She's got a very bubbly personality and remains pretty cheerful throughout the book. Samira also seems to be a pretty good detective, and is both eager and good at figuring out some stuff about the Sire and his plans. I'm hoping she shows up in the next book as well and we get more time with her and Lana and some more interactions between Samira and Team Puerto Rico.
Team Puerto Rico were mostly likeable, and by 'mostly' I mean 'everyone but Victoria.' They all support Lana in the beginning and are willing to go to bat for her later on. Victoria is...not as willing, but she does warm up and become less of a bitch toward the end and she's likeable in the last 50 or so pages. Manny also isn't that supportive, but he also warms up later in the book, and he was more standoffish than bitchy. Gabriela is definitely the most outgoing of the team members, and she and Luis are pretty close. Luis is, I think, the funny one of the group, even if they all have their moments. Héctor is a bit more serious than Luis, and he definitely gives off 'team captain' vibes. Génesis, like Gabriela, is a fairly upbeat character, and is passionate about rescue animals, and even runs her own shelter when not competing. Edwin is a bit more quiet and soft than the other characters, but he's also willing to do risky things. Joaquín is Manny's adult son, but is world's different from his father (at least until Manny starts warming up more). He obviously really cares about the team and is continually encouraging and supporting them throughout the book.
Lana's dad was in the book for a brief period and obviously shares his daughter's love of dragons and is just as stubborn as her. Despite being worried for her safety, he does care about her and supports her decisions, even if he tries to convince her otherwise sometimes. Lana's mom is also in it for only a brief period, but she lets her dislike of dragons and Blazewrath get in the way of supporting Lana, which obviously greatly impacts the latter. Todd, Lana's cousin, is also in it and is just uck. He's definitely got a superiority complex and is the kind of person who gets sucked into some bad ideas very easily simply because the people spouting them pander to his ego and are able to validate his supposed superiority. I'm definitely not looking forward to seeing him in the next book. Samira's family also pops up briefly, and they seem pretty cool.
The plot with the Sire was interesting, and I enjoyed figuring things out with Lana and Samira. It definitely wasn't predictable and Ortiz did an excellent job of working in plot twists and reveals. There were so many different layers to the Sire plotline, which intersected with the Blazewrath plotline and the protestors there. I will say that I did think one plot point/revelation was a bit predictable (unrelated to the Sire). As soon as the 'issue' is mentioned at the beginning of the book I knew where it was going to lead. I also enjoyed how the fanaticism of the Sire got played off of the fanaticism of the other side, which wants dragons gone. The ideas and words of both sides are very similar to one another, which I think is realistic, when you consider rea-world fanaticism, and I definitely enjoyed that mirror at the end.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book, particularly all the dragons. It wrapped up nicely, so there doesn't really need to be a sequel. There are definitely some hints as to what might be coming next, since the book wrapped up nicely, but not everything got a neat bow, so there are still some loose ends and ideas that could be followed up on. Regardless, I am so looking forward to it and can't wait to see what's up next for Lana, Team Puerto Rico, and Samira.
Recommended for anyone who like: dragons, magic, urban/low fantasy, competitions, Big Bads, characters of color, LGBTQ+ characters
I (obviously) enjoyed this book a lot. There are definitely not enough dragon books out there, in my opinion, and I absolutely loved getting to know all the different dragons in this book and their different powers and homes. I thought the little snippets about the dragons, the Bond, or relevant characters at the beginning of each chapter was helpful and served as a pretty uninstrusive way to introduce lore so we're not learning everything through Lana. I also liked that Ortiz included some real-world dragons from the regions the belong to, such as the hydra and the zmey gorynych, on top of having some dragons specific to this world. The most time is spent with the Sol de Noche dragons, who are awesome badasses at times and then at other times are like puppies. I liked that Ortiz made it so that not every dragon has a Bond, and I thought the mystery around how and why the Bond was formed added realism to the world, since in reality a lot of things in our world really are still big question marks. I also liked that there was the contrast between people who were find with the Bond and people who thought that the Bond was wrong and that all dragons should be Un-Bonded.
Blazewrath also seemed like a pretty cool game too, a bit of a mix between Quidditch with only one ball and roller derby. It seems very intense, and I know the players have magical uniforms, but I definitely feel like this has to be a game where people get injured a lot. I have trouble picturing what the arena looks like, but the descriptions of the dragons playing and the running/fighting scenes were cool and I enjoyed those.
The cast is pretty diverse, with all of Team Puerto Rico being Puerto Rican (duh), with some of them being mixed Hispanic and Black. Two team members are queer, with Gabriela being bi and Edwin being gay. Samira, Lana's best friend, and her entire family are all Black Americans, there are also Black characters from Zimbabwe, and the team's stylist is also a Black woman. There are also several Middle Eastern characters, some of whom are hijabis. It's mentioned that all of Team Russia is queer as well, with at least one of them in a relationship. The IBF president is also gay and married, and both him and his husband are pretty prevalent throughout the book. There's also a trans woman character in the book, Agent Horowitz, who's in it a bit the beginning and then is seen more frequently at the end.
Lana was a character I enjoyed having as a narrator. She's clearly caught between what she wants to do and what some of the other characters (read: mom, Victoria, and even the Sire) want her to do. She sticks to her guns, even if she lets some of that stuff get her down, and is able to succeed when she puts her mind to it. She could be a bit annoying at times, such as when she's fangirling for people to their faces, but overall I liked her character. I'm glad that she got to ride a dragon at least once, and that the Puerto Rican team (human and dragon) bonded with and supported her fairly quickly. She's also a pretty smart character and is able to put some stuff together about the Sire without much additional help.
Samira is Lana's best friend and a Copper Wand witch. She's got a very bubbly personality and remains pretty cheerful throughout the book. Samira also seems to be a pretty good detective, and is both eager and good at figuring out some stuff about the Sire and his plans. I'm hoping she shows up in the next book as well and we get more time with her and Lana and some more interactions between Samira and Team Puerto Rico.
Team Puerto Rico were mostly likeable, and by 'mostly' I mean 'everyone but Victoria.' They all support Lana in the beginning and are willing to go to bat for her later on. Victoria is...not as willing, but she does warm up and become less of a bitch toward the end and she's likeable in the last 50 or so pages. Manny also isn't that supportive, but he also warms up later in the book, and he was more standoffish than bitchy. Gabriela is definitely the most outgoing of the team members, and she and Luis are pretty close. Luis is, I think, the funny one of the group, even if they all have their moments. Héctor is a bit more serious than Luis, and he definitely gives off 'team captain' vibes. Génesis, like Gabriela, is a fairly upbeat character, and is passionate about rescue animals, and even runs her own shelter when not competing. Edwin is a bit more quiet and soft than the other characters, but he's also willing to do risky things. Joaquín is Manny's adult son, but is world's different from his father (at least until Manny starts warming up more). He obviously really cares about the team and is continually encouraging and supporting them throughout the book.
Lana's dad was in the book for a brief period and obviously shares his daughter's love of dragons and is just as stubborn as her. Despite being worried for her safety, he does care about her and supports her decisions, even if he tries to convince her otherwise sometimes. Lana's mom is also in it for only a brief period, but she lets her dislike of dragons and Blazewrath get in the way of supporting Lana, which obviously greatly impacts the latter. Todd, Lana's cousin, is also in it and is just uck. He's definitely got a superiority complex and is the kind of person who gets sucked into some bad ideas very easily simply because the people spouting them pander to his ego and are able to validate his supposed superiority. I'm definitely not looking forward to seeing him in the next book. Samira's family also pops up briefly, and they seem pretty cool.
The plot with the Sire was interesting, and I enjoyed figuring things out with Lana and Samira. It definitely wasn't predictable and Ortiz did an excellent job of working in plot twists and reveals. There were so many different layers to the Sire plotline, which intersected with the Blazewrath plotline and the protestors there. I will say that I did think one plot point/revelation was a bit predictable (unrelated to the Sire). As soon as the 'issue' is mentioned at the beginning of the book I knew where it was going to lead. I also enjoyed how the fanaticism of the Sire got played off of the fanaticism of the other side, which wants dragons gone. The ideas and words of both sides are very similar to one another, which I think is realistic, when you consider rea-world fanaticism, and I definitely enjoyed that mirror at the end.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book, particularly all the dragons. It wrapped up nicely, so there doesn't really need to be a sequel. There are definitely some hints as to what might be coming next, since the book wrapped up nicely, but not everything got a neat bow, so there are still some loose ends and ideas that could be followed up on. Regardless, I am so looking forward to it and can't wait to see what's up next for Lana, Team Puerto Rico, and Samira.