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crookedly 's review for:
The Tournament of Heirs
by Amilea Perez
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
The elevator pitch of the book is that it's a The Hunger Games × Aztec Mythology mash-up that follows two siblings who have been raised to compete in a fight-to-the-death tournament.
The book delivers really well on establishing the bond between the two siblings, Metztli and Acalan. It's clear that they are incredibly close and would do anything for each other and their family - including a willingness to sacrifice themselves for the other. Acalan is the golden retriever brother to Metztli's black cat sister, and their dynamic is just so good.
The Tournament itself is unfortunately not as prominent a part of the narrative as I would have liked to see. It was quite some time before we actually get to see the siblings and the other heirs in "action" in the tournament, and then it was over comparatively quick. I personally would have really enjoyed getting to the tournament earlier in the story, and then drawing it out with more conflicts and interactions between the Heirs.
The world-building was what comprised the bulk of the narrative, and that's what contributed to the slower pace in the first half of the book. Some of the elements felt repetitive and made it feel at times like the plot wasn't progressing much. The Aztec Mythology and cultural elements that were included were great, and I just wish there had been more. But it does seem promising that the gods will feature more in future books!
The romance is very much the sprinkling the author describes it as. It just makes the book more of a fantasy than a romantasy. The two romances are definitely subplots and not the main focus, and one is a rivals-to-lovers while the other is an insta-love/love at first sight romance.
Overall, The Tournament of Heirs is a promising debut (that ends with a big twist and cliffhanger, by the way!), and I'm excited to see how the author continues the story and grows in her storytelling.
The book delivers really well on establishing the bond between the two siblings, Metztli and Acalan. It's clear that they are incredibly close and would do anything for each other and their family - including a willingness to sacrifice themselves for the other. Acalan is the golden retriever brother to Metztli's black cat sister, and their dynamic is just so good.
The Tournament itself is unfortunately not as prominent a part of the narrative as I would have liked to see. It was quite some time before we actually get to see the siblings and the other heirs in "action" in the tournament, and then it was over comparatively quick. I personally would have really enjoyed getting to the tournament earlier in the story, and then drawing it out with more conflicts and interactions between the Heirs.
The world-building was what comprised the bulk of the narrative, and that's what contributed to the slower pace in the first half of the book. Some of the elements felt repetitive and made it feel at times like the plot wasn't progressing much. The Aztec Mythology and cultural elements that were included were great, and I just wish there had been more. But it does seem promising that the gods will feature more in future books!
The romance is very much the sprinkling the author describes it as. It just makes the book more of a fantasy than a romantasy. The two romances are definitely subplots and not the main focus, and one is a rivals-to-lovers while the other is an insta-love/love at first sight romance.
Overall, The Tournament of Heirs is a promising debut (that ends with a big twist and cliffhanger, by the way!), and I'm excited to see how the author continues the story and grows in her storytelling.