Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
THIS WAS FANTASTIC.
It has:
✨ DRAGONS
✨ glorious character arcs
✨ so many queer characters
It has:
✨ DRAGONS
✨ glorious character arcs
✨ so many queer characters
(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/review-blazewrath-games-by-amparo-ortiz/
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/review-blazewrath-games-by-amparo-ortiz/
Thoughts and Themes: The first thing that I thought when I saw this book and read the first few lines was this reminds me so much of How to Train Your Dragon which I love. Once I made that connection I was not able to put this book down even when I had to because sleep is something I need. This book also reminded me of the soccer world cup that comes every 4 years and while I don’t really watch it my family does so I have fond memories of the game.
I really enjoyed the world-building that is not just done through the story but also in the passages that are included in between chapters. I loved getting to see how so many different countries were involved throughout this book and how their dragons were all unique. I thought it was great to see all of their differences and how these dragons would only bond with those that were from that country. All of the dragons included were amazing and you never got the sense that one of these countries was greater than the other, just that they all had their advantages.
I was quite shocked by how quickly an important aspect of the story is revealed to us all and was a bit worried that this revelation would make the rest of the story fall flat but I am glad I was wrong. I think this revelation coming early on really sets the stage for the rest of the story and makes it so that everything else that happens is more interesting.
Characters: I loved getting to know all of the characters throughout this book even if they are all shown through Lana’s perspective. I thought it was great that we not only get to meet her teammates but other teammates, and people from her life prior to joining the team. I thought watching her be torn between those two worlds really adds to the story and her background as a character.
Some of the other characters I was glad that were included were all of the political people that we met throughout. I was worried that the political storyline would be too much but I actually really enjoyed that being tied up with everything. I think that it made good commentary about athletics and politics and how everything we do is inherently political.
I also loved that there were so many queer characters in this story and how they were all amazing characters. This really added to my love for this book because I love seeing queer characters just living their lives and in this case being athletes and riding dragons. Seeing queer characters in fantasy books is always a plus for me because then I can see a little bit of me in a different world, one in which I could be among dragons.
Writing Style: This story is told through Lana’s perspective and while I would have liked to see what the other's thoughts were throughout I liked that we didn’t. Us being given only her perspective added to the mystery of what was happening and made me feel worried for her at all times.
I really enjoyed the world-building that is not just done through the story but also in the passages that are included in between chapters. I loved getting to see how so many different countries were involved throughout this book and how their dragons were all unique. I thought it was great to see all of their differences and how these dragons would only bond with those that were from that country. All of the dragons included were amazing and you never got the sense that one of these countries was greater than the other, just that they all had their advantages.
I was quite shocked by how quickly an important aspect of the story is revealed to us all and was a bit worried that this revelation would make the rest of the story fall flat but I am glad I was wrong. I think this revelation coming early on really sets the stage for the rest of the story and makes it so that everything else that happens is more interesting.
Characters: I loved getting to know all of the characters throughout this book even if they are all shown through Lana’s perspective. I thought it was great that we not only get to meet her teammates but other teammates, and people from her life prior to joining the team. I thought watching her be torn between those two worlds really adds to the story and her background as a character.
Some of the other characters I was glad that were included were all of the political people that we met throughout. I was worried that the political storyline would be too much but I actually really enjoyed that being tied up with everything. I think that it made good commentary about athletics and politics and how everything we do is inherently political.
I also loved that there were so many queer characters in this story and how they were all amazing characters. This really added to my love for this book because I love seeing queer characters just living their lives and in this case being athletes and riding dragons. Seeing queer characters in fantasy books is always a plus for me because then I can see a little bit of me in a different world, one in which I could be among dragons.
Writing Style: This story is told through Lana’s perspective and while I would have liked to see what the other's thoughts were throughout I liked that we didn’t. Us being given only her perspective added to the mystery of what was happening and made me feel worried for her at all times.
3.5 stars
If you’re looking for a fantasy novel that seriously delivers when it offers dragons, this is the book to check out. I loved how many different types of dragons there were in this book, and the pivotal role they played in this story. You really would not have this novel if you took away the dragons. It’s perfect. My one complaint about the dragons in this book is that I was sad that our main character, Lana, did not have one! She was not a dragon rider herself, but this kind of helped you further live vicariously through her. Since she’s not a rider, she has as much love for dragons as any good lover of mythical creatures does. She views them with awe and amazement, and, honestly, who wouldn’t? Also. The Puerto Rican dragons, the Sol de Noches, were powerful as hell…and we love to see it. We truly do.
Speaking of dragons and their role in the story, I really enjoyed the world-building in this novel. Each chapter starts off with a section of either a textbook or article about dragons and with interviews or excerpts of writing by people who are either invested in dragons and understanding them or are characters who are central to the story somehow. I’m not usually a big fan of this kind of world-building, but I thought it worked in this case because it did not feel info-dumpy to me. I thought it provided a fun look into extra details about dragons or characters that were not necessary to understand the story but helped add detail to the world. At times some of the in-chapter world-building was a bit heavy handed, but eventually it mellowed out once the story really got going.
When it comes to the characters, something I enjoyed was the relationship Lana had with her parents. Although the parents are not an overwhelming part of the story, I liked the different dynamics she had with them. Lana clearly loved both her parents, but they showed their love very differently. If I have to be honest, my favorite relationship was between Lana and her mother because of their fraught relationship. Pretty early on in the story, Lana’s mother completely cuts herself off from her daughter’s life, and it is something that just haunts Lana as she joins the Blazewrath Games. It was great. If anything, I wish there had been even more of an exploration of their relationship!
My biggest complaint about this novel is about the side characters, but especially one character in particular: Victoria. That girl got on my nerves. She was always going against whatever Lana said, and it just drove me insane! She’s the kind of pain in the ass character I don’t like because it’s too reminiscent of the snob/popular girl that hates other girls. I could not deal. Victoria wasn’t exactly that, but she reminded me of it. Ugh. As for the rest of the characters, the book deals with such a large cast of characters that it was just hard to become invested in them. I’m a character driven reader, and books with a lot of characters tend to spread my attention so thin that I end up not super invested in the characters. That was the case with this book. Although I found many characters cute or a nice part of the story (like Kirill, Andrew, and Edwin), I just would have liked to have gotten to know them better.
As a debut novel, I would definitely recommend picking it up. I had a lot of fun reading it, and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more novels by this author. I saw so much potential in the writing of this book, and I can’t wait to see how the author grows as she continues to publish novels.
P.S. There is no romance in this book! If you’re looking for a YA fantasy novel without romance, this is one you’ll want to try out.
If you’re looking for a fantasy novel that seriously delivers when it offers dragons, this is the book to check out. I loved how many different types of dragons there were in this book, and the pivotal role they played in this story. You really would not have this novel if you took away the dragons. It’s perfect. My one complaint about the dragons in this book is that I was sad that our main character, Lana, did not have one! She was not a dragon rider herself, but this kind of helped you further live vicariously through her. Since she’s not a rider, she has as much love for dragons as any good lover of mythical creatures does. She views them with awe and amazement, and, honestly, who wouldn’t? Also. The Puerto Rican dragons, the Sol de Noches, were powerful as hell…and we love to see it. We truly do.
Speaking of dragons and their role in the story, I really enjoyed the world-building in this novel. Each chapter starts off with a section of either a textbook or article about dragons and with interviews or excerpts of writing by people who are either invested in dragons and understanding them or are characters who are central to the story somehow. I’m not usually a big fan of this kind of world-building, but I thought it worked in this case because it did not feel info-dumpy to me. I thought it provided a fun look into extra details about dragons or characters that were not necessary to understand the story but helped add detail to the world. At times some of the in-chapter world-building was a bit heavy handed, but eventually it mellowed out once the story really got going.
When it comes to the characters, something I enjoyed was the relationship Lana had with her parents. Although the parents are not an overwhelming part of the story, I liked the different dynamics she had with them. Lana clearly loved both her parents, but they showed their love very differently. If I have to be honest, my favorite relationship was between Lana and her mother because of their fraught relationship. Pretty early on in the story, Lana’s mother completely cuts herself off from her daughter’s life, and it is something that just haunts Lana as she joins the Blazewrath Games. It was great. If anything, I wish there had been even more of an exploration of their relationship!
My biggest complaint about this novel is about the side characters, but especially one character in particular: Victoria. That girl got on my nerves. She was always going against whatever Lana said, and it just drove me insane! She’s the kind of pain in the ass character I don’t like because it’s too reminiscent of the snob/popular girl that hates other girls. I could not deal. Victoria wasn’t exactly that, but she reminded me of it. Ugh. As for the rest of the characters, the book deals with such a large cast of characters that it was just hard to become invested in them. I’m a character driven reader, and books with a lot of characters tend to spread my attention so thin that I end up not super invested in the characters. That was the case with this book. Although I found many characters cute or a nice part of the story (like Kirill, Andrew, and Edwin), I just would have liked to have gotten to know them better.
As a debut novel, I would definitely recommend picking it up. I had a lot of fun reading it, and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more novels by this author. I saw so much potential in the writing of this book, and I can’t wait to see how the author grows as she continues to publish novels.
P.S. There is no romance in this book! If you’re looking for a YA fantasy novel without romance, this is one you’ll want to try out.
What this book has going for it:
-Dragons. Need I say more?
-Cast of very diverse characters. One of the teams has all queer characters on it. Such great representation throughout this book.
-No main romance plot! How often can you say that in YA fantasy?
-Magical tournaments and just magic in general. This was a unique spin on that, and I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of the book.
All of those things combined make this a great read! However, at times, the plot had too much going on, I felt. There were things I wished were saved for a second book that could have cleared up the plot a bit. For me, it felt like the plot lost its way halfway through the book, and then came back in the end.
An overall enjoyable read that I would recommend to any dragon fans! A good readalike to Fireborne if you enjoyed that book!
-Dragons. Need I say more?
-Cast of very diverse characters. One of the teams has all queer characters on it. Such great representation throughout this book.
-No main romance plot! How often can you say that in YA fantasy?
-Magical tournaments and just magic in general. This was a unique spin on that, and I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of the book.
All of those things combined make this a great read! However, at times, the plot had too much going on, I felt. There were things I wished were saved for a second book that could have cleared up the plot a bit. For me, it felt like the plot lost its way halfway through the book, and then came back in the end.
An overall enjoyable read that I would recommend to any dragon fans! A good readalike to Fireborne if you enjoyed that book!
There were a lot of things in this book I enjoyed: the magic integrated in our world, that's always something I like, mixed with phones and the internet, we also have witches and dragons! How amazing! Loved also the diversity, we had a MC who was Puerto Rican, well an entire team actually, we also had queer characters, and in general we could see that the author wanted to represent different people in her books.
And then, the dragons. I mean, I haven't read a book with dragons I didn't like. It's impossible not to love dragons, and here was no exception!
Now, some things really prevented me from loving this book: first one, sometimes it felt too close to a very popular wizardy book series. Like when we talk of the Other Place, but mostly, the blazewrath games themselves. In their structure, their goals, how they worked and how the players were called... it just was TOO closed from a famous broomstick sport. Inspired is ok, but here, it was too much.
The other thing was the plausibility of the story : the way the MC is cast into the Puerto Rican team (though that is questioned), the way the mom react to the news, among other things. There was also the fact that though the characters are around 16-18, I sometimes felt like I was reading middle grade.
So, overall, there was some good, there was some more meh thing, and I have a mixed opinion on this book! But I invite you to make your own ;)
And then, the dragons. I mean, I haven't read a book with dragons I didn't like. It's impossible not to love dragons, and here was no exception!
Now, some things really prevented me from loving this book: first one, sometimes it felt too close to a very popular wizardy book series. Like when we talk of the Other Place, but mostly, the blazewrath games themselves. In their structure, their goals, how they worked and how the players were called... it just was TOO closed from a famous broomstick sport. Inspired is ok, but here, it was too much.
The other thing was the plausibility of the story : the way the MC is cast into the Puerto Rican team (though that is questioned), the way the mom react to the news, among other things. There was also the fact that though the characters are around 16-18, I sometimes felt like I was reading middle grade.
So, overall, there was some good, there was some more meh thing, and I have a mixed opinion on this book! But I invite you to make your own ;)
Such a cool modern world with magic and dragons. Lana was a smart and kind lead to follow. Her love for her island, her culture and their dragons. I had to wrap my mind around the sport but that's on me I'm not a sports person. But come on a world cup with dragons is so cool. The mystery and the villain were a intriguing. I understand why he did why he but that's no no bueno. I really hope people give this a try.
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes