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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
Blazewrath Games was a great book to kick off 2021! My actual rating is 3.75/5 but I rounded up to 4.
My friend told me about this book and I just fell in love with the premise. I've always adored dragons (one of my biggest dreams was to have one of those little dragons from The Goblet of Fire that the champions get before the first task) but I haven't found any really good dragon books. Blazeworth Games swooped in and filled that dragon-shaped hole in my bookshelf and I'm very grateful.
What I liked:
Obviously, the dragons. They encapsulate everything I love about dragons already, but also add new elements, like special powers, the bond between a rider and their steed, and the way their birth country influences their traits. I feel like stories don't explore the full potential of dragons; I often see the typical winged, fire-breathing beast and nothing more. While the dragons in Blazewrath share these traits, they are so much more layered than that and I loved learning about their intricacies. The Sol de Noche dragons were especially dope!
The diversity! There's a ton of it in this book and I really appreciated it. YA fantasy is in desperate need of diversity, so Blazewrath was a breath of fresh air in that department.
In general, Blazewrath Games is high-paced and engaging. The action sequences were especially gripping and descriptive. I loved the scenes during the actual competition. Not only did we get to see the dragons' unique skills showcased, we also got banter between the characters as they sparred and a lot of action. I liked seeing Lana's growth as a Runner over the course of the book as well.
Lots of plot elements that tied together in the end in a satisfying and realistic way. There's a lot going on throughout this story, but it didn't feel like too much to keep track of (except for the info dumps at the beginning, which I'll touch on later) and it led to a cohesive ending. Some plot reveals felt a little predictable and convenient, but not to the point where it reduced my enjoyment of the story.
What I didn't like:
There was a lot of info dumping at the beginning of the book. It became less of a problem later on, but it was overwhelming in the first few chapters and it took me awhile to fully process everything that the author was explaining. A lot of the information could have been woven into the story more gradually and in more interesting ways than characters just telling each other things.
This is a similar problem, but I got a little annoyed at the way characters were introduced. For basically every character, there was a description of their physical appearance right off the bat. Maybe I'm just being weird about this because I know it's important to know what characters look like, but it got a little exhausting and repetitive to read each description. It was especially hard when Lana met several characters at once, like the rest of her team. She rattled off a list of their features and it felt unnecessary. I think this is another place where the information could have been expressed in a more subtle manner throughout the book.
Some of the phrasing felt juvenile and a little strange to me, but that might be because it's YA. I love YA, but recently I've been enjoying it less than I used to, so I may be growing out of it. This wasn't that big of an issue, but certain sentences and words made me pause a little bit (the continual references to Takeshi as Lana's "forever favorite" is an example. But maybe that's just a me problem).
I think the world building could be more fleshed out (especially the role of witches and wizards). I'm really curious about how the Regulars reacted to the Reveal. There was a short blurb on it, but I feel like there was missed potential to explore the relationship between Regulars and magic-users. I would assume that there would be more conflict between them. There's definitely a power divide between those who have magic and those who don't and it seems like that would lead to more stark class divides. I know that's not really the story Ortiz was telling--she focused more on the relationship between dragons and humans--but I would have liked a little more clarity on that. This is also very random and not something I expected from the book, but Lana mentioned a hypothetical WWIII at one point, and it raised a question--what did the first two World Wars look like in this universe? At that point, wizards and witches weren't hiding their magic anymore. How did they influence the wars? Or any other historical events? I know it's not important, but I'm just fascinated by how magic history. Maybe we'll get more info on this in the second book!
Despite those flaws, I still loved Blazeworth Games! The dragons and the games were so fun to read about. At the same time, there were real stakes throughout the book and real conflicts. I think Ortiz balanced the fun aspects with the darker/high-stakes aspects so they complemented each other. She also explores several interesting themes, such as what makes a family and what defines one's self worth. I would recommend Blazeworth Games to YA fantasy lovers. I know it's been compared to Harry Potter a lot, but there are a lot of similarities, and I think fans of Harry Potter will find a lot to love in this book. I'd also recommend it for those interested in more diverse stories.
My friend told me about this book and I just fell in love with the premise. I've always adored dragons (one of my biggest dreams was to have one of those little dragons from The Goblet of Fire that the champions get before the first task) but I haven't found any really good dragon books. Blazeworth Games swooped in and filled that dragon-shaped hole in my bookshelf and I'm very grateful.
What I liked:
Obviously, the dragons. They encapsulate everything I love about dragons already, but also add new elements, like special powers, the bond between a rider and their steed, and the way their birth country influences their traits. I feel like stories don't explore the full potential of dragons; I often see the typical winged, fire-breathing beast and nothing more. While the dragons in Blazewrath share these traits, they are so much more layered than that and I loved learning about their intricacies. The Sol de Noche dragons were especially dope!
The diversity! There's a ton of it in this book and I really appreciated it. YA fantasy is in desperate need of diversity, so Blazewrath was a breath of fresh air in that department.
In general, Blazewrath Games is high-paced and engaging. The action sequences were especially gripping and descriptive. I loved the scenes during the actual competition. Not only did we get to see the dragons' unique skills showcased, we also got banter between the characters as they sparred and a lot of action. I liked seeing Lana's growth as a Runner over the course of the book as well.
Lots of plot elements that tied together in the end in a satisfying and realistic way. There's a lot going on throughout this story, but it didn't feel like too much to keep track of (except for the info dumps at the beginning, which I'll touch on later) and it led to a cohesive ending. Some plot reveals felt a little predictable and convenient, but not to the point where it reduced my enjoyment of the story.
What I didn't like:
There was a lot of info dumping at the beginning of the book. It became less of a problem later on, but it was overwhelming in the first few chapters and it took me awhile to fully process everything that the author was explaining. A lot of the information could have been woven into the story more gradually and in more interesting ways than characters just telling each other things.
This is a similar problem, but I got a little annoyed at the way characters were introduced. For basically every character, there was a description of their physical appearance right off the bat. Maybe I'm just being weird about this because I know it's important to know what characters look like, but it got a little exhausting and repetitive to read each description. It was especially hard when Lana met several characters at once, like the rest of her team. She rattled off a list of their features and it felt unnecessary. I think this is another place where the information could have been expressed in a more subtle manner throughout the book.
Some of the phrasing felt juvenile and a little strange to me, but that might be because it's YA. I love YA, but recently I've been enjoying it less than I used to, so I may be growing out of it. This wasn't that big of an issue, but certain sentences and words made me pause a little bit (the continual references to Takeshi as Lana's "forever favorite" is an example. But maybe that's just a me problem).
I think the world building could be more fleshed out (especially the role of witches and wizards). I'm really curious about how the Regulars reacted to the Reveal. There was a short blurb on it, but I feel like there was missed potential to explore the relationship between Regulars and magic-users. I would assume that there would be more conflict between them. There's definitely a power divide between those who have magic and those who don't and it seems like that would lead to more stark class divides. I know that's not really the story Ortiz was telling--she focused more on the relationship between dragons and humans--but I would have liked a little more clarity on that. This is also very random and not something I expected from the book, but Lana mentioned a hypothetical WWIII at one point, and it raised a question--what did the first two World Wars look like in this universe? At that point, wizards and witches weren't hiding their magic anymore. How did they influence the wars? Or any other historical events? I know it's not important, but I'm just fascinated by how magic history. Maybe we'll get more info on this in the second book!
Despite those flaws, I still loved Blazeworth Games! The dragons and the games were so fun to read about. At the same time, there were real stakes throughout the book and real conflicts. I think Ortiz balanced the fun aspects with the darker/high-stakes aspects so they complemented each other. She also explores several interesting themes, such as what makes a family and what defines one's self worth. I would recommend Blazeworth Games to YA fantasy lovers. I know it's been compared to Harry Potter a lot, but there are a lot of similarities, and I think fans of Harry Potter will find a lot to love in this book. I'd also recommend it for those interested in more diverse stories.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
didn't really like the mc and it was so predictable
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I liked it but the world building couldve been better. I had trouble understanding all of the names and where and how and what was happening. It shouldve been a longer book or stretched out into a trilogy. At this point I don't see myself reaching for book 2 unfortunately, I was expecting more action and magic but there was a lot of talking. Imagery during the fight scenes were pretty good, like the finale and the actual games but outside of that I was bored and confused.
Cool plot and world, nice side characters. Didn’t like the MC so it was difficult to read at time.
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Things I liked:
- dragons
- loveable cast of characters, including the secondary ones
- the worldbuilding was pretty interesting
- the plotline sure kept me reading and the pacing was pretty consistent
- the way the book was able to make the tense seens actually feel tense
- the Monsta X refs <3
things I didn't like
- the constant reference to IRL brands and things, it kept pulling me out of the story because it happened so often when it really wasn't necessary.
- im like 90% certain the cover is AI so :|
- the middle kinda fell a little flat and kept flopping around with what was going on
- I really wish i got to see more of the dragons
- dragons
- loveable cast of characters, including the secondary ones
- the worldbuilding was pretty interesting
- the plotline sure kept me reading and the pacing was pretty consistent
- the way the book was able to make the tense seens actually feel tense
- the Monsta X refs <3
things I didn't like
- the constant reference to IRL brands and things, it kept pulling me out of the story because it happened so often when it really wasn't necessary.
- im like 90% certain the cover is AI so :|
- the middle kinda fell a little flat and kept flopping around with what was going on
- I really wish i got to see more of the dragons
Man, what a disappointment.
I had such high hopes for this book. Partially this is my fault. I didn't read the description closely enough, so I didn't realize Lana wouldn't get a dragon and the queer rep wasn't in the main characters (at least as far as I saw, but maybe I missed something). Queer protagonists and dragon bonding were two of the draws for me, so I was obviously disappointed by what the book actually is. That part's not Ortiz's fault, though, and I would say it's a fine book for what it's trying to do, except...
It's got flaws. A lot of flaws. My biggest issue is the fact that this is Quidditch with dragons instead of broomsticks, by which I mean quite literally that you could replace the dragons with broomsticks or flying sportscars and almost nothing about how the characters act towards them would change. We are told they are sentient and have psychic bonds with their dragons, and yet no one seems remotely close to their dragon. No one goes to visit them outside of game time--they're essentially parked in the "garage" until they're needed. No one talks about their dragon's personality, their likes, dislikes, opinions. No one thinks to consult them about anything, or to even talk about how their dragons are feeling. And yet we're supposed to believe they have a bond so strong that if one dies, the other will go mad or die from the grief? Takeshi was the only one that acted like he had that sort of relationship with his dragon. Part of this could be because the dragons are quite young and can't speak yet, but, like, people have relationships with preverbal kids. Have you ever seen a parent with a toddler? Every other sentence is about the kid, and they spend all their time with them. That didn't even remotely happen here.
But okay, maybe all that is happening in the background and we don't see it because that's not the focus and Lana doesn't have a dragon. But... Lana is supposedly obsessed with this game and loves dragons--so much that there was a time when she would "rather be with dragons than people." Um, what? She barely gives the dragons a second glance the entire time she's there. She goes to meet with them once and that's it. Listen... any horse girl knows, if you get the chance to be around a beloved animal species, you're going to take it! And she didn't even think about it? She never sought out the dragons or even acknowledged them much when she was around them.
Also, I need to touch back on the fact that these dragons are literal infants. And no one had a problem with throwing them into bloodsport? Even if the humans are oblivious, you'd think the adult dragons on the other teams wouldn't be okay with assaulting infants? Of course, it's also unclear how much assault goes on in a Blazewrath game. Unlike a real sport, there were basically no regulations or safety protocols whatsoever, at least not that was talked about. Lana mentioned "a bloodbath without the blood" so I sort of intuited that there's a rule against using claws or fangs? But slamming into people is fine, as is shooting fireballs at them? A 70 foot dragon cannon-balling at a human is fine? What?
Unanswered questions were basically the running theme of the book. Here's a list:
1. Dragons can only bond with someone from their country, what defines "from their country"? Do they need to be born there? Do immigrants count? At what point do they become "eligible" for dragon bonding? Why do dragons care about the arbitrary lines humans have drawn?
2. If the team is all under magical contracts and can't leave on pain of death, why was Manny able to kick Brian off the team? The Sire was clearly pissed off about it, so he didn't do it with his permission. Why was he able to break the contract? Why wasn't Brian killed?
3. Why was Lana able to discover the Heir in a 20 minute Google search when the Sire had been searching for years without success and had to turn to a very rare magical artifact to find him?
4. Why was the Sire immortal as a human but not as a dragon? Was it part of the blood curse? Why would Barnes curse him to human immortality instead of trying to kill him?
5. Why was there a throne in the Dark Island? I thought it would come back when they trapped the Sire, but they trapped him in a pit and the throne wasn't mentioned.
6. Why do the dragons agree to be part of the games at all? The ending acts like dragons have been forced to be a part of the games... how? What hold do humans have on them?
7. Why are the non-bonded dragons completely feral and attack humans on sight? Does bonding with humans give them sentience? Are they fundamentally different from the bonded dragons in some way?
8. If dragons have been around for 400 years and we have many people capable of speaking with them, why is so little known about them and the nature of the bond, their behavior, etc.? If we had a single person who could talk to crows, the strides we'd make in corvid research are immeasurable.
9. Can the dragons interbreed? If not, how do they maintain a large enough breeding population to be genetically stable? If so, why are all of the species so vastly different in abilities and appearance?
10. If Andrew was opposed to the games, why didn't he just quit right before the match? His team would be down a player and unable to compete, which would send much more of a message. Why would he hold up a sign that says "NO MORE BLOOD" and then immediately go to participate in the bloodbath? (I know there were magical contracts, but he didn't know about them, and there was no indication of anything else keeping him there.)
And more that I've probably forgotten. It's fine for some of these to be left unanswered, as they'll hopefully be explored in later books, but leaving so much unanswered just leaves the reader unmoored and feeling like very little thought was put into the world-building or plot. The book also constantly broke its own rules. Like, we're told all of these things are unprecedented and have never happened before:
1. A dragon breaking its bond with its rider.
2. A rider cursing his dragon into human form.
3. Dragons being born from the ocean instead of eggs.
4. Dragons being able to teleport.
5. A witch jumping from copper to gold.
6. A witch's wand changing to a new color instead of breaking (this one was particularly egregious because we aren't told this is breaking the rule of a world until immediately after it happens).
There's just way too many unprecedented events. At some point you wonder why the author wrote those rules if they were just going to be broken. It doesn't add tension or make it seem cool once you've done it six times. Honestly, I think the major flaw of this book is there's just too much going on, and too little time or weight is given to any of it. There's so much great potential here--I really liked the plot with the Sire and Randall, both were interesting and would have been great to explore more. The President's curse was also very interesting to me, and I would've liked to see more about that--I wouldn't have minded if the book were from him and his husband's perspectives. Lana's struggles with her cultural identity felt real and poignant, but seemed to pop in and out rather than feeling like a thread throughout the narrative. These elements were all great, and could have been so much better if there wasn't so much else distracting and taking away time from them. As it is, everything felt rushed over and flattened because there were so many competing plot and character threads.
Honestly? The Blazewrath Cup itself felt like a distraction from the main plot. It was really incidental to the Sire's plot, and felt disconnected from the larger story. The matches were very well written, quite vivid and exciting, but felt... meaningless? And the characters acknowledge them as meaningless, and yet we keep spending time on them that could be spent fleshing out other aspects. Which seems sacrilegious to say, because this book is ABOUT the Blazewrath Games! And yet it... didn't feel like it was at all, to the point that I wondered why we were focusing on them so much.
I don't know. I appreciated the diversity of the cast--lots of PoC of varying backgrounds, queer characters with many different identities, a disabled character*. The glimpses of personality I got were fun and interesting, though I feel like there wasn't enough time to develop or appreciate them. There's lots of great concepts here, and the basic plot is solid. There's enough to like here that I'm giving it three stars, but I really had to debate because it falls down so often. It had such great potential, and I occasionally saw that shining through, but man. Just so many fumbles. But if you go in not expecting much dragon content, and commit to not thinking about the world-building at all, it might be a fun time? I just wanted more dragons and I thought too much about the world.
*I do have some questions here, too. Waxbyrne's has a button for the "regular" entrance and another for the "disabled" entrance... why would you not just have one accessible entrance? Like, this isn't "we built a ramp in the back because we can't out front," they're in the exact same place, it's just one door opens onto stairs and the other (I presume, since we weren't shown) a ramp or elevator? Why not just make the entrance a ramp or elevator? Also, how was Joaquin getting around in the desert? Were there smooth paths for him to get between buildings and to the cars? Because using a wheelchair in the sand is not gonna be a fun time.
P.S. Just remembered the bit where Lana sees a dragon incinerate a bunch of henchman and she's just like "not that I feel bad for these guys." Hello? That's murder? Listen, I roll my eyes but accept it when a gritty action hero type acts like this, but it isn't like Lana is used to seeing people get killed. She's just an athlete. She's not even a little bothered by this? And then later is like, "We can't kill the Sire, there's been too much bloodshed." I guess they should've killed one less henchman and then they'd have room in their murder quota for the Sire? I know this is a common trope, but it felt extra weird here because she was so explicitly dismissive of people getting killed earlier.
I had such high hopes for this book. Partially this is my fault. I didn't read the description closely enough, so I didn't realize Lana wouldn't get a dragon and the queer rep wasn't in the main characters (at least as far as I saw, but maybe I missed something). Queer protagonists and dragon bonding were two of the draws for me, so I was obviously disappointed by what the book actually is. That part's not Ortiz's fault, though, and I would say it's a fine book for what it's trying to do, except...
It's got flaws. A lot of flaws. My biggest issue is the fact that this is Quidditch with dragons instead of broomsticks, by which I mean quite literally that you could replace the dragons with broomsticks or flying sportscars and almost nothing about how the characters act towards them would change. We are told they are sentient and have psychic bonds with their dragons, and yet no one seems remotely close to their dragon. No one goes to visit them outside of game time--they're essentially parked in the "garage" until they're needed. No one talks about their dragon's personality, their likes, dislikes, opinions. No one thinks to consult them about anything, or to even talk about how their dragons are feeling. And yet we're supposed to believe they have a bond so strong that if one dies, the other will go mad or die from the grief? Takeshi was the only one that acted like he had that sort of relationship with his dragon. Part of this could be because the dragons are quite young and can't speak yet, but, like, people have relationships with preverbal kids. Have you ever seen a parent with a toddler? Every other sentence is about the kid, and they spend all their time with them. That didn't even remotely happen here.
But okay, maybe all that is happening in the background and we don't see it because that's not the focus and Lana doesn't have a dragon. But... Lana is supposedly obsessed with this game and loves dragons--so much that there was a time when she would "rather be with dragons than people." Um, what? She barely gives the dragons a second glance the entire time she's there. She goes to meet with them once and that's it. Listen... any horse girl knows, if you get the chance to be around a beloved animal species, you're going to take it! And she didn't even think about it? She never sought out the dragons or even acknowledged them much when she was around them.
Also, I need to touch back on the fact that these dragons are literal infants. And no one had a problem with throwing them into bloodsport? Even if the humans are oblivious, you'd think the adult dragons on the other teams wouldn't be okay with assaulting infants? Of course, it's also unclear how much assault goes on in a Blazewrath game. Unlike a real sport, there were basically no regulations or safety protocols whatsoever, at least not that was talked about. Lana mentioned "a bloodbath without the blood" so I sort of intuited that there's a rule against using claws or fangs? But slamming into people is fine, as is shooting fireballs at them? A 70 foot dragon cannon-balling at a human is fine? What?
Unanswered questions were basically the running theme of the book. Here's a list:
1. Dragons can only bond with someone from their country, what defines "from their country"? Do they need to be born there? Do immigrants count? At what point do they become "eligible" for dragon bonding? Why do dragons care about the arbitrary lines humans have drawn?
2. If the team is all under magical contracts and can't leave on pain of death, why was Manny able to kick Brian off the team? The Sire was clearly pissed off about it, so he didn't do it with his permission. Why was he able to break the contract? Why wasn't Brian killed?
3. Why was Lana able to discover the Heir in a 20 minute Google search when the Sire had been searching for years without success and had to turn to a very rare magical artifact to find him?
4. Why was the Sire immortal as a human but not as a dragon? Was it part of the blood curse? Why would Barnes curse him to human immortality instead of trying to kill him?
5. Why was there a throne in the Dark Island? I thought it would come back when they trapped the Sire, but they trapped him in a pit and the throne wasn't mentioned.
6. Why do the dragons agree to be part of the games at all? The ending acts like dragons have been forced to be a part of the games... how? What hold do humans have on them?
7. Why are the non-bonded dragons completely feral and attack humans on sight? Does bonding with humans give them sentience? Are they fundamentally different from the bonded dragons in some way?
8. If dragons have been around for 400 years and we have many people capable of speaking with them, why is so little known about them and the nature of the bond, their behavior, etc.? If we had a single person who could talk to crows, the strides we'd make in corvid research are immeasurable.
9. Can the dragons interbreed? If not, how do they maintain a large enough breeding population to be genetically stable? If so, why are all of the species so vastly different in abilities and appearance?
10. If Andrew was opposed to the games, why didn't he just quit right before the match? His team would be down a player and unable to compete, which would send much more of a message. Why would he hold up a sign that says "NO MORE BLOOD" and then immediately go to participate in the bloodbath? (I know there were magical contracts, but he didn't know about them, and there was no indication of anything else keeping him there.)
And more that I've probably forgotten. It's fine for some of these to be left unanswered, as they'll hopefully be explored in later books, but leaving so much unanswered just leaves the reader unmoored and feeling like very little thought was put into the world-building or plot. The book also constantly broke its own rules. Like, we're told all of these things are unprecedented and have never happened before:
1. A dragon breaking its bond with its rider.
2. A rider cursing his dragon into human form.
3. Dragons being born from the ocean instead of eggs.
4. Dragons being able to teleport.
5. A witch jumping from copper to gold.
6. A witch's wand changing to a new color instead of breaking (this one was particularly egregious because we aren't told this is breaking the rule of a world until immediately after it happens).
There's just way too many unprecedented events. At some point you wonder why the author wrote those rules if they were just going to be broken. It doesn't add tension or make it seem cool once you've done it six times. Honestly, I think the major flaw of this book is there's just too much going on, and too little time or weight is given to any of it. There's so much great potential here--I really liked the plot with the Sire and Randall, both were interesting and would have been great to explore more. The President's curse was also very interesting to me, and I would've liked to see more about that--I wouldn't have minded if the book were from him and his husband's perspectives. Lana's struggles with her cultural identity felt real and poignant, but seemed to pop in and out rather than feeling like a thread throughout the narrative. These elements were all great, and could have been so much better if there wasn't so much else distracting and taking away time from them. As it is, everything felt rushed over and flattened because there were so many competing plot and character threads.
Honestly? The Blazewrath Cup itself felt like a distraction from the main plot. It was really incidental to the Sire's plot, and felt disconnected from the larger story. The matches were very well written, quite vivid and exciting, but felt... meaningless? And the characters acknowledge them as meaningless, and yet we keep spending time on them that could be spent fleshing out other aspects. Which seems sacrilegious to say, because this book is ABOUT the Blazewrath Games! And yet it... didn't feel like it was at all, to the point that I wondered why we were focusing on them so much.
I don't know. I appreciated the diversity of the cast--lots of PoC of varying backgrounds, queer characters with many different identities, a disabled character*. The glimpses of personality I got were fun and interesting, though I feel like there wasn't enough time to develop or appreciate them. There's lots of great concepts here, and the basic plot is solid. There's enough to like here that I'm giving it three stars, but I really had to debate because it falls down so often. It had such great potential, and I occasionally saw that shining through, but man. Just so many fumbles. But if you go in not expecting much dragon content, and commit to not thinking about the world-building at all, it might be a fun time? I just wanted more dragons and I thought too much about the world.
*I do have some questions here, too. Waxbyrne's has a button for the "regular" entrance and another for the "disabled" entrance... why would you not just have one accessible entrance? Like, this isn't "we built a ramp in the back because we can't out front," they're in the exact same place, it's just one door opens onto stairs and the other (I presume, since we weren't shown) a ramp or elevator? Why not just make the entrance a ramp or elevator? Also, how was Joaquin getting around in the desert? Were there smooth paths for him to get between buildings and to the cars? Because using a wheelchair in the sand is not gonna be a fun time.
P.S. Just remembered the bit where Lana sees a dragon incinerate a bunch of henchman and she's just like "not that I feel bad for these guys." Hello? That's murder? Listen, I roll my eyes but accept it when a gritty action hero type acts like this, but it isn't like Lana is used to seeing people get killed. She's just an athlete. She's not even a little bothered by this? And then later is like, "We can't kill the Sire, there's been too much bloodshed." I guess they should've killed one less henchman and then they'd have room in their murder quota for the Sire? I know this is a common trope, but it felt extra weird here because she was so explicitly dismissive of people getting killed earlier.
3.5 stars
A great book for teen Puerto Rican representation. With dragons!
Definite Harry Potter vibes what with wands, magic users, Ministry of Magic (tm),, a Quidditch-like sport where a person is kinda like the Snitch.
And then a smattering of Hunger Games vibes, but definitely more like Quidditch.
I didn't really understand Victoria's intensely angry bitch attitude toward Lana the whole time. She explains it eventually but it honestly wasn't a good enough reason for me. If I had been Lana I'd have been like, "Girl, that doesn't give you the excuse to be an absolute and unsupportive bitch to me this whole time."
Anyway, a fun read. I'm sure fans of Harry Potter and Hunger Games would find this a nice little read-alike. And any fans of dragons books.
A great book for teen Puerto Rican representation. With dragons!
Definite Harry Potter vibes what with wands, magic users, Ministry of Magic (tm),
Spoiler
Voldemort is a dragon trying to regain his true formAnd then a smattering of Hunger Games vibes, but definitely more like Quidditch.
I didn't really understand Victoria's intensely angry bitch attitude toward Lana the whole time. She explains it eventually but it honestly wasn't a good enough reason for me. If I had been Lana I'd have been like, "Girl, that doesn't give you the excuse to be an absolute and unsupportive bitch to me this whole time."
Anyway, a fun read. I'm sure fans of Harry Potter and Hunger Games would find this a nice little read-alike. And any fans of dragons books.
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 ;)
I really had fun reading this book.
Literally is like Jurassic Park + Harry Potter + America (as the continent of course). I loved to see how the dragons are the main topic, to know their names, places of origin,.
Another point that I liked is the queer representation that has, I loved the beggining of Edwin and Kirill relationship, I mean, my heart MELT with their interactions.
Literally is like Jurassic Park + Harry Potter + America (as the continent of course). I loved to see how the dragons are the main topic, to know their names, places of origin,
Spoiler
to know that they carry magic as humans does!Another point that I liked is the queer representation that has, I loved the beggining of Edwin and Kirill relationship, I mean, my heart MELT with their interactions.