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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The premise was soooo fun. I wish I had felt closer to the characters, and to some degree that the motivation had been more personal?
4.5
what a book!!! truly superior, the only magical world i accept. with Lobozina’s, of course. the future of contemporary fantasy is Latinx and we love to see it!!!
what a book!!! truly superior, the only magical world i accept. with Lobozina’s, of course. the future of contemporary fantasy is Latinx and we love to see it!!!
adventurous
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So this is kind of like Quidditch plus that Nickelodeon show where the kids had to try to run up the mountain and there were avalanches and stuff? I'm forgetting the name. This is a world like our own, only there are dragons, and they bond with humans. Many dragons are involved in a sport called Blazewrath (which I kept calling Blazewraith, ooops) where some people try to get a rock through a hoop while others block and if they do that, this runner without a dragon can try to run up a mountain while avoiding dragon fire and fighting blockers.
One thing that threw me (and honestly, this shows my white privilege/racism) is that Puerto Rico is a country in this book (yes, in the fantasy book about dragons my brain was arguing that Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States. I have a lot to unlearn.) There are parts where the protagonist, Lana, doesn't feel as much of a Boricua as she could be. There's also a mystery with a terrorist, and it gets really creepy at parts, especially the end. The mom seems emotionally abusive at the beginning, but comes around by the end. I could see this appealing to fans of fast-paced reads.
I can't recall there being any romance, which is sometimes hard to find in a YA book.
One thing that threw me (and honestly, this shows my white privilege/racism) is that Puerto Rico is a country in this book (yes, in the fantasy book about dragons my brain was arguing that Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States. I have a lot to unlearn.) There are parts where the protagonist, Lana, doesn't feel as much of a Boricua as she could be. There's also a mystery with a terrorist, and it gets really creepy at parts, especially the end. The mom seems emotionally abusive at the beginning, but comes around by the end. I could see this appealing to fans of fast-paced reads.
I can't recall there being any romance, which is sometimes hard to find in a YA book.
DNF at about 30%. It's not this book, it's me - I was listening to it on audio during a period where I didn't have much time for audiobooks and more pressing reading to get done - also, my Hoopla loan ended, twice. I'm finally calling it.
4.5/5 stars rounded up
Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am the last person to possibly get invested in a sport, but Blazewrath Games had me captivated from the get-go. Reading Amparo Ortiz’s debut was exactly what I imagine some people experience when they’re at a football stadium – I was cheering, and screaming, and crying and gasping, and just rooting for Lana and her teammates so hard their victories started to feel like my own. Blazewrath Games is a book for the ages.
Blazewrath Games truly has something for everyone. Magical jock competitions somehow seem to be my kryptonite this year, despite my aversion to sports of any kind, but the cast of characters really made the book shine. Lana herself is indomitable and full of fire, and her teammates are no less impressive. In a world where magic is real and dragon history is a part of mainstream textbooks, Ortiz still manages to root Blazewrath Games in a contemporary world with contemporary characters. These teenage athletes train with their dragons, then scroll through Twitter and binge watch Law & Order in their free time. They all commit themselves to Blazewrath in order to represent their homes and make them proud, these very real countries who show up and cheer them on, and produce heroes, whether the characters themselves realize it or not.
You can read my full review here: https://loveyoshelf.com/2020/09/29/blog-tour-and-review-blazewrath-games-by-amparo-ortiz/
Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am the last person to possibly get invested in a sport, but Blazewrath Games had me captivated from the get-go. Reading Amparo Ortiz’s debut was exactly what I imagine some people experience when they’re at a football stadium – I was cheering, and screaming, and crying and gasping, and just rooting for Lana and her teammates so hard their victories started to feel like my own. Blazewrath Games is a book for the ages.
Blazewrath Games truly has something for everyone. Magical jock competitions somehow seem to be my kryptonite this year, despite my aversion to sports of any kind, but the cast of characters really made the book shine. Lana herself is indomitable and full of fire, and her teammates are no less impressive. In a world where magic is real and dragon history is a part of mainstream textbooks, Ortiz still manages to root Blazewrath Games in a contemporary world with contemporary characters. These teenage athletes train with their dragons, then scroll through Twitter and binge watch Law & Order in their free time. They all commit themselves to Blazewrath in order to represent their homes and make them proud, these very real countries who show up and cheer them on, and produce heroes, whether the characters themselves realize it or not.
You can read my full review here: https://loveyoshelf.com/2020/09/29/blog-tour-and-review-blazewrath-games-by-amparo-ortiz/
Blazewrath Games is the debut YA fantasy novel from Amparo Ortiz. I would describe it as Quidditich meeting the Hunger Games with a generous dose of dragons.
When Lana Torres has the opportunity to participate in the dangerous, but internationally popular, Blazewrath Games, she knows she should feel as though it is a dream come true. She's always wanted to play for her home country of Puerto Rico. However, when the Sire - a dragon cursed into human form - starts attacking dragon sanctuaries, the tournament is in jeopardy.
Blazewrath Games is engaging right from the beginning. Lana is an easy protagonist to like, and I found all of the character arcs in this novel to be believable. It's rare for me to find a YA novel I enjoy that doesn't have a romance as part of the central story, but the characters are interesting enough and the sport of Blazewrath is fascinating enough, that the plot can focus on Lana's journey.
The ending is satisfying but also hints at what will continue in the second part of the duology.
I love how the author weaves her own culture into the story so you truly feel that it is a Puerto Rican fantasy, which I have never read before. A POC #ownvoices novel with plenty of LGBTQ+ rep....more like this please!
When Lana Torres has the opportunity to participate in the dangerous, but internationally popular, Blazewrath Games, she knows she should feel as though it is a dream come true. She's always wanted to play for her home country of Puerto Rico. However, when the Sire - a dragon cursed into human form - starts attacking dragon sanctuaries, the tournament is in jeopardy.
Blazewrath Games is engaging right from the beginning. Lana is an easy protagonist to like, and I found all of the character arcs in this novel to be believable. It's rare for me to find a YA novel I enjoy that doesn't have a romance as part of the central story, but the characters are interesting enough and the sport of Blazewrath is fascinating enough, that the plot can focus on Lana's journey.
The ending is satisfying but also hints at what will continue in the second part of the duology.
I love how the author weaves her own culture into the story so you truly feel that it is a Puerto Rican fantasy, which I have never read before. A POC #ownvoices novel with plenty of LGBTQ+ rep....more like this please!
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thanks to Page Street Kids for providing me an eARC in exchange of my honest review. And thanks to Hear Our Voices Book Tours for having me in the blog tour.
This is the debut novel of Amparo Ortiz and I just can't wait for more. Seeing a Puerto Rican main character in a book made my whole year! Blazewrath Games is one of my favorite books; and I'm talking about top 3, ok? I was really excited to read this book because of the boricua Lana Torres, but also because of the dragons. Who doesn't love dragons? This book is pure magic and I love it! Wait until you meet the Sol de Noche Dragons... and the rest of the dragons as well! You are probably going to fall in love with all of them. And the Sire? Wow, such a great character development. I love hating him, you know? One of my favorite things, besides the dragons, was the relationship between Lana and Samira. It made me think of my relationship with my friend; we are always joking around! So yeah, the fun relationship between them was so relatable. I think I haven't read a YA fantasy novel with such a perfect world building as Blazewrath Games. I was able to see and imagine everything on my mind! Actually, can we get a Blazewrath Games movie, please? I admire Amparo Ortiz because her writing style is so SO good. The details in every page were gracefully crafted. You can read my full review at wereadblog.com!
This is the debut novel of Amparo Ortiz and I just can't wait for more. Seeing a Puerto Rican main character in a book made my whole year! Blazewrath Games is one of my favorite books; and I'm talking about top 3, ok? I was really excited to read this book because of the boricua Lana Torres, but also because of the dragons. Who doesn't love dragons? This book is pure magic and I love it! Wait until you meet the Sol de Noche Dragons... and the rest of the dragons as well! You are probably going to fall in love with all of them. And the Sire? Wow, such a great character development. I love hating him, you know? One of my favorite things, besides the dragons, was the relationship between Lana and Samira. It made me think of my relationship with my friend; we are always joking around! So yeah, the fun relationship between them was so relatable. I think I haven't read a YA fantasy novel with such a perfect world building as Blazewrath Games. I was able to see and imagine everything on my mind! Actually, can we get a Blazewrath Games movie, please? I admire Amparo Ortiz because her writing style is so SO good. The details in every page were gracefully crafted. You can read my full review at wereadblog.com!
Behold: the only YA book I've ever read with no romance! <3 Also: DRAGONS