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A review by aliciasrealm
The Tournament of Heirs by Amilea Perez
slow-paced
3.5
An ambitious debut, The Tournament of Heirs delivers on its theme of an unbreakable sibling bond and its promise that sacrifices must be made.
CHARACTERS:
I loved the dual POV narration, which showed strong characterization of the two protagonists, Metzli and Acalan. Their character voices and personalities were well differentiated, showing Metztli's fierce and protective nature while Acalan is more bookish and sensitive. Their strong sibling bond and their sense of duty to each other was very apparent.
WORLD BUILDING:
The history and traditions of the Mexica people are organically shared through the narrative without overwhelming the reader. The story is slow paced at the start, thoroughly demonstrating the Metzli and Acalan's relationship, and sets up expectations for the tournament while introducing the heirs from the other houses.
THE TOURNAMENT:
Since the first half of the story focuses on set up and character development, the tournament doesn't begin until about 60% into the book. Once it starts, the pace picks up and we get the promised bloodshed and sacrifice.
ROMANCE:
I would classify this novel as fantasy rather than romantasy. The author describes this book as having "a sprinkle of romance" and that feels accurate, especially since the romantic interests are not introduced immediately. There is one closed door sex scene and one more explicit scene. So if you prefer fantasy with light romance, this will be perfect for you!
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
This is a self published novel. The author provides content warnings at the beginning of the book. I received an advance review copy of this novel from the author.
CHARACTERS:
I loved the dual POV narration, which showed strong characterization of the two protagonists, Metzli and Acalan. Their character voices and personalities were well differentiated, showing Metztli's fierce and protective nature while Acalan is more bookish and sensitive. Their strong sibling bond and their sense of duty to each other was very apparent.
WORLD BUILDING:
The history and traditions of the Mexica people are organically shared through the narrative without overwhelming the reader. The story is slow paced at the start, thoroughly demonstrating the Metzli and Acalan's relationship, and sets up expectations for the tournament while introducing the heirs from the other houses.
THE TOURNAMENT:
Since the first half of the story focuses on set up and character development, the tournament doesn't begin until about 60% into the book. Once it starts, the pace picks up and we get the promised bloodshed and sacrifice.
ROMANCE:
I would classify this novel as fantasy rather than romantasy. The author describes this book as having "a sprinkle of romance" and that feels accurate, especially since the romantic interests are not introduced immediately. There is one closed door sex scene and one more explicit scene. So if you prefer fantasy with light romance, this will be perfect for you!
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
This is a self published novel. The author provides content warnings at the beginning of the book. I received an advance review copy of this novel from the author.