CWs: Allusions to domestic abuse, alcoholism, and homophobia; some descriptions of physical violence, murder, and illness

This was so good! If you're looking for an exciting, twisty, action-packed contemporary fantasy, this is it!

I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly this story dives straight into the action. There's a lot of narrative threads being set up in the beginning, things the reader would normally file away for later when the endgame comes into focus, and they all come to a head right away, perfectly setting the stage for the rest of the story.

The worldbuilding in Blazewrath Games is beautifully executed as well. It's so rare to find a contemporary fantasy that's steeped in Puerto Rican culture, pointedly non-Western centric, and effortlessly inclusive. One of my favorite parts of the Blazewrath tournament was getting to see all the different countries involved, and it was especially fascinating to learn about how each respective country has its own unique breed of dragon, and those dragons only Bond with people born of the same country. Besides an extensive cast of color, there's also supporting characters who are queer, trans, and disabled, and they're all able to be play important roles in the mystery unfolding around the tournament.

I was completely invested in Lana's journey from beginning to end. The story perfectly balances action, political intrigue, and intense Blazewrath sequences. I loved getting to see the tournament unfold before my very eyes, and the stakes are stoked higher and higher with each ensuing match.

I don't want to give too much away, but there's also an interesting political influence being exerted over the games, which definitely colors Lana's lifelong dream of playing for Team Puerto Rico. I appreciate the way the story acknowledges that professional sports enable athletes to become public figures with platforms and influence. With that amount of popularity and visibility, there is no such thing as neutrality. Sports are influenced by politics, just like everything else in the world, and Lana and her fellow Blazewrath players have to decide what message their participation in the sport is sending and how they can play the sport they love while still staying true to their beliefs.

There's also a great through-line about not feeling like enough. As a Puerto Rican-American, Lana struggles with feeling ownership over her culture, especially as she's learning to play alongside her fellow countrymen. As Puerto Rico's Runner, she feels like she's at a disadvantage because she doesn't have as much experience as her teammates, and she has a long road ahead to strengthen herself up. As a daughter, she feels like a disappointment to her mom, who becomes vocal about how she will not support Lana if she chooses to go forward with her Blazewrath career. As the story progresses, Lana has to discover how to define and understand herself outside of these ideas, on her own terms, which I loved seeing.

Overall, this was such a wonderful ride! There's found family, friendship, an epic sports tournament, mystery and so much more! Again, if you're looking for a unique and exciting contemporary fantasy (with dragons!!) then look no further.

For Lana Torres, Blazewrath is everything. Although she is a Regular (a non-Witch) and has never had a dragon bond with her, she holds tight to her dream of becoming a Runner--the only player on a Blazewrath team who doesn't have a dragon. She also misses Puerto Rico, her home, where she hasn't been since a small child when her parents divorced. When Lana's two loves--Blazewrath and Puerto Rico--combine with a suddenly open spot on the Puerto Rican team weeks before the Cup, she knows she must try-out. Except... her try-out was very different. After a harrowing afternoon, Lana signs with Team Puerto Rico and is ready to live her dream!

Except, something is not right. It's not her team (not even the frosty Victoria). It's not the silent treatment she's getting from her mother. It's not even the worry that the dragon sanctuary her father works at could be the next target of the criminal Sire. Things... feel off. Why was she chosen? What is happening behind the scenes? What does it have to do with Blazewrath and the Cup? And how is magical law enforcement involved?

The world is watching Lana Torres. Some eyes are watching a little more closely...

A brilliant debut novel from Ortiz, "Blazewrath Games" combines high-stakes contact sports and SOME OF THE COOLEST DRAGONS TO EVER BE IMAGINED to create real magic! Then there's also: Epic Plot Twists! Angsty backstories! An amazing magic system! An incredibly vivid cast of characters that not only do I wish were real people but that I could totally hang out with! And did I mention some of the coolest dragons to ever be imagined???? (Seriously, I would love to just see a real Sol de Noche dragon. Or any dragon.)

Also, it's the first in a duology???? Which I'm really excited about because I'm not ready to say good-bye to this world and cast yet, so yay!

Just a simply fantastic novel, and I'm eager to read more from Ortiz! Until then, I'll just continue to be as obsessed with Blazewrath as Lana and her team. (And, again, wishing to be claimed by a dragon as cool as the Sol de Noche dragons...)

17-year-old Lana Torres is juggling a lot: she has a secret audition for an open spot on the Puerto Rican team for the Blazewrath Games. Blazewrath is a complicated game that combines elements of soccer, track & field, and combat, with dragons involved to boot -- and Lana's white mother sees it as a dangerous risk that isn't worth taking, mainly because of the dragons. Lana, however, yearns for it, because of her bond with her Puerto Rican father, a dragon researcher, and her love for Puerto Rico, which she has been unable to visit since her parents split up. However: all of Lana's schemes and ambitions are complicated by an active terrorist trying to disrupt the games, and the complex relationship between dragons and humans as well.

Ortiz's Blazewrath Games has definite Potterverse influences: wizarding schools, wand shops, a complicated invented sport that parallels the popularity of football or soccer -- but don't be too quick to dismiss it as derivative, as it brings far more for readers. Lana has complex relationships with both of her parents, as well as with her identity as Puerto Rican, and all of these are richly rendered on the page. Equally appealing is Lana's relationship with her best friend Samira, a super-smart but sometimes awkward witch.

There are lots of things to love about this debut, which looks to be the start of a new series. My main criticism is that this first volume tries to pack in all the events of perhaps two Harry Potter volumes, if not more. Some things are presented as challenges, only to be unexplored and then resolved too quickly (this is the case with Samira's magical skill). But even acknowledging that weakness, I was still so excited to get this ARC, and am looking forward to seeing the story continue in future books.

This is my first dragon book. To my surprise, this book was so much more!

Amparo Ortiz’s book creates a magical world that’s not destined to be set in the cold and gloomy England or Nordic lands, instead, it chooses Dubai, Brazil, México, and Puerto Rico as it’s setting. As Lana begins her path as a Blazewrath runner, we get to know her family and how she relates to her identity as a Puerto Rican living in the diaspora. Lana is not an islander, she lives in the U.S., and her dream is to represent her island as part of Team Puerto Rico.

What makes it amazing? The book is set in a world in which magic and dragons are part of everyday life. It’s filled with a diverse cast of queer, Caribbean, people of color without falling for the stereotypical representations usually presented in mainstream media. It recognizes a sense of belonging and the struggle that comes from wanting to claim your identity as a Diasporican. It shows the importance of language in creating emotional bonds with a community.

One of the most important aspects of Blazewrath Games is that fantasy and magic are democratized in an effort to showcase the Caribbean, it’s culture, colored Puerto Ricans, and the colonial issue without being overtly political or “in your face” about the subject. Dragons, as magical creatures, were not destined to be in the hands of white or affluent people, bonded by blood through generations, instead, they chose people because of their courage, their charisma, and their drive to overcome hardship, without looking at their skin color, their place of origin, or gender. As Team Puerto Rico keeps building up steam, we get to know the characters and their dragons, almost as their alebrijes or guardian angels, each dragon bonded with their rider in a time of need. We could say so much more about the bond, but what most interested me is that each dragon chose its name, and is almost prophetic. The names represent an aspect of their rider, as well as their potential –Esperanza (hope), Puya (spear), Daga (dagger), Rayo (lightning, a ray of light), Titán (powerful), and Fantasma (ghost, spirituality). The dragons sing, and their song is as enchanting as the coquíes on the island. You just have to read it to fully enjoy every detail.

The story is fast-paced, the characters are completely relatable, and the book leaves you wanting more.

This book is a must for every library!

Blazewrath Games is a contemporary fantasy that I immediately picked up after seeing the word ‘dragons’ in the Goodreads synopsis, because just like the majority of fantasy readers out there, I too am in love with dragon stories. Needless to say, I’d had quite high expectations of this book; however, while I did enjoy the first half of the story, ultimately I’ve got very mixed feelings about the book as a whole.

Lana Torres has only ever had one dream: to be a part of the Blazewrath Games, a sport played on the backs of dragons. When team Puerto Rico loses their Runner right before their very first appearance in the Blazewrath World Cup, Lana is finally given the opportunity to join the team of her native country. Even though both her parents seem reluctant to let her go, soon Lana gets taken away to Dubai, which is where the World Cup is going to be held this year, to join the rest of her team and train for the games. But when Lana finds out that the Sire, a dragon cursed into human form by his former rider, is plotting to put a stop to the World Cup, she realises this year’s Blazewrath Games are going to be far more lethal than she could ever have imagined.  

What I liked best about Blazewrath Games was the extensive and well-detailed worldbuilding, which Ortiz managed without ever being preachy or info-dumpy. Each chapter has a brief section at the beginning that's either an excerpt from a books or news report telling you more about the history of dragons and Blazewrath, or snippets from interviews done with the characters, which was a very clever way of giving readers insight into the world of Blazewrath Games. The countries participating in the World Cup all have their own exclusive dragon species with unique powers, which made the matches fun to read about.

For the most part, Blazewrath Games is a character-driven story. The book has a delightfully diverse cast that’s comprised of complex and genuinely likeable characters (most of whom also happen to be queer), which made my heart do a happy dance. While Lana, our heroine, is a strong and multi-layered character who drove the story forward, the secondary characters were also wonderfully nuanced and made this book an enjoyable read. Lana’s badass, witchy best friend Samira deserves a special mention, and so does Andrew, the Scottish Runner. Another thing I truly liked about this story was that Ortiz didn’t force Lana into a half-baked romance to make her more ‘interesting’, something a lot of YA books are guilty of.

The only character who didn’t get much development was the primary antagonist- the Sire; he didn’t seem to have much of a personality. And while all the other characters were mostly well-defined- even the minor ones who appear only once or twice- the book did appear a bit overcrowded. There were also too many subplots that, at the end, didn’t really come together very neatly.

In fact, that's where my biggest problem with Blazewrath Games lies. The book started out with a fantastic premise, good characterisations, and in-depth discussions of themes like friendship, bravery, identity, and more that got me intrigued to find out what happens next, and then it failed to follow through. Another thing that I found a bit disappointing: despite the book being titled Blazewrath Games, it doesn’t really put much focus on the actual games. We get to see about two championship matches on screen, and both of them were quite underwhelming since the reader is already told who’s going to win... before the matches even begin. I mean, why?  

What ultimately works for this book is the fast pace that doesn’t let you linger on the weaker bits, and the fact that Ortiz opts for a simple writing style that lets the story sail smoothly and makes it easy to follow.  All my qualms aside, Blazewrath Games is still a very original and unique story, and I do hope the sequel currently in works would satisfactorily tie up all the loose ends in this book. If a strong female character led contemporary fantasy with magic and many, many dragons sounds like something you’d enjoy, I do think you should give this one a chance.

I love this book so much! The worldbuilding is really amazing. It's got an interesting magic system and really cool dragons. I love all the thought that went into the different dragon breeds! I also love all the thought that went into making the dragon sport of Blazewrath. Very excited to learn more about this world and the different types of dragons in book 2!

The story had me gripped and I loved all the characters! The Sire, a dragon cursed into a human form, is a really interesting villain. Lana is a character you root for and I liked seeing her growth. I also appreciate that even the unlikable characters have layers to them and reasons for why they're that way.

I loved it a lot and I need the sequel immediately!

This book has a lot of energy. We get plenty of action in the Blazewrath games as well as other plot related sequences. Lana is a very likeable protagonist and the characters are all very diverse. I must admit, I'm a little confused about how the world works. It seems to be set up as basically our world except magic was discovered over 200 years ago. As a result characters mention things like K pop groups and Law & Order. I guess I'm just having trouble figuring out how much of our reality exists inside the book's reality if that makes sense. Still, it was very cool to see how magic and dragons would fit into a world like ours.

This book started off really strong. The beginning was fun, fast, unique, everything I look for in a book. The cast of characters is super diverse. I was just loving it right off the bat.

But then, about a third of the way through, my interest really started waning. The world building that had started off so great seemed to trickle off some. It was like a house being built, the frame was there, but the walls weren't up yet. I wanted more.

I also lost interest in the main character. I wanted to love her, and initially I did! But again, I got bored. I felt like her story was less interesting than the stories of some of those around her, and it seemed unfair. Her personality and motivations were there, but her story never quite reached the level I was hoping for.

The ending was good, and surprising in some ways, which is something I always appreciate. But the whole middle section just really didn't do it for me this time. I would definitely recommend this book for teens though, because it is a fun story overall, it's very diverse, and dragons are always a plus. It just wasn't for me.

In this alternate world, magic is real. Regulars (known as Muggles in the Potterverse) discovered that there really are witches and wizards and even dragons in the world. Dragons usually bond with a regular, but not all dragons bond. There are many questions about how this all works. One of the researchers of dragons and bonding is (Carlos Perez). Carlos currently lives in Buenos Aires at a dragon sanctuary, while Lana (his daughter) lives in the US with her mom. And even though Lana was born in Puerto Rico (where her dad is from) and considers herself Puerto Rican, not everyone feels that way. Lana's dream is to be a part of the Puerto Rican Blazewrath team. Blazewrath is a game played with dragons, their bonded riders, and runners. The Puerto Rican team has been invited for the first time to the Blazewrath Games and their runner has just been fired, so this is Lana's chance to get on the team. She has an appointment to try out and a plan to get there (without her mom's knowledge), but when things go awry, Lana feels her dream slip away.

This was a fun read and different than usual fantasy. I like that there a lot of diverse characters represented (nationalities, sexualities) and it doesn't feel forced.

All Lana wants to do is represent her home country of Puerto Rico in the Blazewrath games as a runner. When the wand shop she is visiting with her cousin, mother, and best friend is attacked, the head of the games offers her the position. Meanwhile, the Sire, a crazy dragon cursed into the form of a man is attacking sanctuaries with Lana's favorite former Blazewrath player Takeshi Endo, and the games are his next target, or are they? What is the Sire's true goal? How far will he go to get it, and what part will Lana play in all of this?

This was such a fun, fast-paced book with intrigue and great characters that really made the story come to life. Everything about it was just amazing.

After reading only three chapters, I already felt so invested in this book and it felt like such a fresh, original story. I couldn't predict where it was going at all. And this rings true for the rest of the book as well - it's such a refreshing read in that sense. Because while I love YA fantasy, I feel like it gets predictable and formulaic at times, and this wasn't at all.

Another reason why it was a breath of fresh air is that this book didn't have a main romance. While I love reading romance, it's a shame to see that almost all YA books focus on romance, and it's delightful to read a book that focuses on dragons instead. I feel like, even though the book doesn't have aspec rep, it will appeal to people on the asexual and aromantic spectrums for that reason! As well as just everyone who sometimes isn't in the mood to read about romance.

But let's get into the book itself. Honestly, it was so full of unexpected twists and turns, backed up by amazing world building and a super interesting magic system, that I feel like you should preferably go in without knowing too much about it. It's about a Puerto Rican-American girl who's always been a massive fan of Blazewrath, a dragon sport, and she wants to compete in the world cup. I loved how international this book was and how much diversity it had: there's so many nationalities and ethnicities featured, and there are several LGBTQ+ side characters as well as a disabled character who's in a wheelchair. I don't really want to tell you anymore about the story, because you should really experience it for yourself, but I can't recommend this book enough!

Lana Torres dreams of nothing more than competing in the Blazewrath World Cup as a Runner for her native country, Puerto Rico. So when the opportunity presents itself, she is incredibly eager to sign her name on the dotted line, but both her parents seem skeptical of the circumstances. Nevertheless, Lana is whisked away to Dubai to train so that she can bring home the trophy for her teammates, herself, and her country. But while she’s there, Lana is roped into a game far more dangerous to play, and she begins to think there is more at stake to lose than just gold.

All I needed to know before going into this book was that it involved dragons, and it did not disappoint. Each represented country has its own species, equipped with their own capabilities to give them an edge in the games, and there are plenty more species that are un-bonded and kept in sanctuaries under the watchful eyes of people like Lana’s father. Before each chapter there are snippets from history books or interviews with characters to give more insight into the world, which added a lot to the story, in my opinion. I thought the concept of the game of Blazewrath was unique and interesting, and definitely wish we could’ve been better acquainted with all the positions (but since Lana’s perspective moved the story forward, it made logical sense to focus mainly on the Runner). Each player and coach (and even the Sol de Noche dragons) had their own unique personality and quirks that made their actions and responses believable, and it was great to see players who did not see eye to eye rise above their differences and reach an understanding towards the end of the novel. I appreciated how a romantic relationship did not develop between Lana and Andrew, as I thought their friendship made the climatic action even more heartbreaking. The twists revealed in the latter portion of the novel also took me by surprise (in a good way), and during a second read-through I was able to pick up on a few clues I had previously missed.

There were some aspects I would have liked to see more of, one in particular being the relationship between Lana and her mother, Leslie. At the beginning of the story, it’s understood that Leslie is not a fan of dragons, and Lana is convinced that she would not support her decision to tryout for the Runner position (which is confirmed when she eventually finds out about Lana’s plan). After she signs Lana’s contract, she asks to be transported away, and Lana does not see her mother or have a legitimate conversation with her until after the climatic action, when we see she’s had a change of heart. I wish we could have seen some of that growth on the page. I also didn’t fully understand the purpose of Todd as a character, and particularly his interview at the end of the book. He’s on a talk show, essentially calling for the highest wizard class (Gold Wands) to eradicate all dragons, bonded or otherwise, saying that people need to wake up and realize the truth. I mean, unless there’s going to be a sequel in which Todd becomes the villain (which I would read in a heartbeat, honestly), that scene really confused me.

Overall, I thought the messages in Blazewrath Games were great – it touches on realizing your worth is more than just the weight of your accomplishments, what it feels like to have family members who may not support what you do, and what it means to be proud of your heritage. This contemporary fantasy, in all its dragon glory, stole a little piece of my heart, and I can’t wait to see what other people think when it’s released in October. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher, Page Street Kids, for the copy, all thoughts and feelings are my own.

Love the worldbuilding, the diverse characters, the wizards, and of course the dragons. This is a very entertaining read that would appeal to younger teens.

Blazewrath is aptly named! The title of this book hints at the fiery dragons within and these awesome creatures are given pride of place in the story. The dragons hail from different regions and Bond with their riders for life. The protagonist Lana Torres, who hails from Puerto Rico, unexpectedly gains the honour of competing in the Blazewrath World Cup. Lana is full of heart and determination, which, together with her smarts, makes her an unstoppable force. Formidable antagonists add suspense and surprise. The plot did at times feel a bit convoluted, and the pall that hung over the tournament in the latter part of the book took a little away from my enjoyment of it. However, these were minor quibbles. With friendships, magic, plenty of world building and tons of dragons, Blazewrath is both an entertaining and absorbing read, one that should especially appeal to younger teens.

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read Ortiz's Blazewrath Games, which I give a solid 4/5 stars. I knew I had to read this one as soon as I heard it combined dragons and wizards. Given the popularity of both, it surprises me I can't think of another YA fantasy where both elements have played equally integral parts of the story.

I did find the beginning of Blazewrath a little on the slow side, but with a book this original and inventive, it makes sense that a fair bit of worldbuilding has to be laid down first before things can kick into high gear. But kick into high gear it does, once Lana becomes both the Runner for Team Puerto Rico as well as a target of the diabolical dragon-in-human-form Sire.

In the end, this was an entertaining read and I look forward to seeing where Lana's adventures take her. One request though, even more dragons next time, please!

Dragons, dragons, we got DRAGONS HERE. Oh, not only do we have dragons, we have Latinx protagonists and a contest and a betrayal and holy eff, I am winded. This book was filled to the brim with epic st that I actually went to bed early every night just so I could power on my kindle and continue.

Do you want to hear more?

Thank you Netgalley and Page Street for the e-arc.

Lana Torres has dreamed of competing in the Blazewrath World Cup since before she could speak. When her chance to interview for the Puerto-Rican team comes, a surprise accident rocks her world. But that doesn't mean her dreams have come to an end. Chance has it, she's invited to join the team and starts training for the epic games. She soon finds herself involved in a diabolical plan by the Sire, a dragon cursed into human form who broke its bond to its rider and plans to end the games by attacking dragon sanctuaries around the world.

Do you want to know what I loved most about this story? I loved that Lana is not one of the ones bonded to a dragon. She doesn't spend the book with a dragon by her side, she's not a special snowflake. She's just a regular girl who wants to be a Runner in the games. And she works darn hard for it. She's honest, flawed yet strong. Shes; cautious in her relationships and emotional when the time arises. She's a spectacular heroine if I ever saw one. The supporting characters were also really good. They were not flat and they stood out on their own, especially Lana's witch friend, Samira.

The plot is paced at lightning speed with enough plot twists to keep any reader engaged. The games themselves stood out like some old gameshow on Nickolodeon, which I loved and yes, I'm old and I remember when kids' television was good. You can't tell me you didn't like it when those kids tried to scale the Aggro Crag in GUTS. That part of the show was awesome.

I digress, it was so nice to be in a magical world like this. I haven't felt so engrossed in a world since Harry Potter and this book does give it a slight nod. That's okay. A nod toward one of my favorite series all you want and I will buy your books. JS.

Anyhow, I did wish there were more moments with the dragons. I liked that Lana was not a rider, but I did yearn for some tender moments since she does love dragons as a species. I'm thinking we might get a deeper glimpse into that if there's a book two.

In closing, this was the most fun I've had reading a book this year. Give it a go if you love dragons and magical stuff because this book has it.

Fin.

An absolutely incredible story! Fast-paced with detailed and amazing world-building, Ortiz presents a book that is perfect for YA readers looking for a story that doesn’t center on romance but still accurately portrays the struggles and emotions of the Target age. This title will also appeal to fans of other books which feature magical sports. Highly recommended!

Lana Torres has long loved the Blazewrath Games, an international tournament that involves, essentially, quidditch with dragons which is followed up by someone doing their best on the Global Guts Aggro Crag. So, when she saves a store from a rogue Fire Drake and is recruited for the Puerto Rico team, she's ecstatic. But she soon realizes that she's just a pawn for Sire, a human that was formerly a dragon who is not afraid to kill-torture-maim to get what he wants.

When I read that this book featured loads of representation and a tournament involving dragons, I was like SIGN ME UP! And you know, those aspects were great. The different types of dragons and their respective powers were quite creative. The game, though it needed about 99% more dragon action - there is waaaaaaaaaaaay too much focus on this one random human running a toy up to the top of a mountain (hence the previous Aggro Crag comparison) - was pretty cool. The representation was fantastic. The tournament is international, so there are characters from all over the world, and there are many queer characters. Unfortunately, the characters were very one-dimensional, the plot was saggy in the middle and extremely predictable, and the writing left something to be desired. Ultimately, it wasn't my favorite.

As it has some cool elements but is burdened by occasionally clunky writing and a predictable plot, this would be a better read for younger teens who just can't get enough of dragons, tournaments or both. It wasn't for me, but I'll definitely recommend it to burgeoning YA fantasy readers. 2 stars - it was ok.

Thanks to Page Street Kids and Netgalley for the eARC, which I received in exchange for an unbiased review. Blazewrath Games will be available on 06 October.

Hello Gemmies! I have an exciting book review to share with you today. Please note: I received a digital ARC of this book (via NetGalley) from its publisher in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Blazewrath Games is a new contemporary YA fantasy by Amparo Ortiz. This story is so creative and new, it felt like a breath of fresh air. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Let me start with the dragons because they are incredible! I never knew I needed a Puerto Rican Dragon in my life, but now I want nothing more than my very own Sol de Noche. Amparo Ortiz has created a complex magical system complete with a vast array of witches and Dragons that have their own powers and magical abilities. But wait, there's more! This is also an extremely well written character driven story with a diverse cast of characters that I found to be complex, dynamic, and completely relatable. The world building is so vivid you find yourself immediately becoming immersed in the story. There are themes of friendship, betrayal, patriotism, sisterhood, competition, bravery, sacrifice, and the courage to live your truth.

If you are a fan of magic and mayhem, fierce dragons, conspiracies, witchy BFF's, and a kick ass heroine then go read this book! This gem published by Page Street Kids is set to release on October 6, 2020 and is available for pre-order from all major booksellers. I give Blazewrath Games 4 out of 5 gems. I cannot wait for this story to be out in the world for all to read and hope to see more books set in this universe. Happy Reading!