Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

Like its predecessor, Dragonblood Ring delivers action and does not let you down. In the wake of Blazewrath Games, Victoria and Lana's entire world has changed, and the world we can perceive it. Amparo Ortiz writes a great story that continues to deliver on representation in fantasy with unique worldbuilding. Definitely recommended.

I feel like this sequel came out of nowhere and was incredibly entertaining just as much as the first book. It's a travesty that there's no more hype around this series and world, and I'm definitely going to be recommending it to anyone looking for a fun, adventure-filled fantasy read.
Full review to come on YouTube

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not affected by the free copy.

Team Puerto Rico did it! The Sire has been defeated, everyone has been freed from his contracts and curses, and they all live happily ever after...right? Not quite. Lana and Victoria each struggle from the effects of that horrific day, but they're doing everything they can to protect their dragons. But when they hear that dragons are being kidnapped, they demand answers from the bureau, and find out nothing. So they follow the director and discover that dragons are being forced to fight.

Unfortunately the ARC was basically illegible; there was a severe formatting issue that eliminated all of the spaces between words. However, I borrowed the copy from the library, so I would still like to provide a review.

I love the dragons in this series so very much. I need all of the fan art, author approved art, everything I can get of them, because they are beautiful creatures that deserve everything. The plot was solid, never really felt like it was dragging, but not rushing too much.

I really, really disliked Lana and Victoria for a vast majority of the novel. This book has alternating POV's, so we finally get a glimpse into Victoria's head; sadly, I didn't really like what we saw. Both girls spent a ton of time complaining about how selfish the other was, while being completely selfish themselves. Lana was extremely insensitive to everything Victoria had gone through and was continuing to go through, while Victoria was completely oblivious to Lana's PTSD. Basically, they were both terrible friends to each other. And of course, they were both "too strong" to need each other, or tell each other the truth.

Due to this, I did have to take away a star, I was too annoyed at them. Otherwise, this would have been a 5 star read. However, I did love the book, and I will almost certainly be buying this series for my personal library. Also, if the author wants to write more books in the series, I'll be here. Semi-patiently waiting.

*3.5 stars

“Dragonblood Ring” is the sequel to “Blazewrath Games,” a sports-centered fantasy novel that was published in 2020. It picks up right where the previous book left off, following the cancelation of Blazewrath as a sport and the Sire’s capture. Now in Puerto Rico, the former Puerto Rican Blazewrath team must come to terms with a world without Blazewrath as well as protect their Sol de Noche dragons from the new evil that lurks in the form of dragon kidnappings for Dragonblood ring fight matches.

While this book, picks up where the first one left off, it does feel like a completely different story since the characters are removed from their sports setting and put into a more spy-like plot. I did think the book was slightly too ambitious since there was a lot going on. I wish the series had more books or the books slightly longer so that there had been more room for world-building and to lead from one plot element to another. As a Puerto Rican, I’m slightly disappointed that Puerto Rico did not play a bigger role in the story. Although the synopsis states that the team returned to Puerto Rico, the characters jump around so much that Puerto Rico, as a setting, almost plays no role in the story. I was looking forward to seeing Puerto Rico actually play a role in a fantasy setting. In this book, there are witches and dragons; how does this actually look on our island? How do people live and interact with these fantastical elements? Is everything the same just with dragons dropped in on the island?

I did love the dragons and many of the discussions and themes present in the book. I feel the author might have been inspired by traditional Puerto Rican cockfights, which have always been a source of controversy on the island, for how Dragonblood ring fights work. I wish these parallels would have been explored more on the novel. I also enjoyed the discussions on PTSD and the depictions of bicultural families. In terms of style, I really enjoyed the short texts, such as excerpts of textbooks, social media comments, news articles, etc., at the end of each chapter that contribute to the plot and the world-building. However, my favorite pages were the last two chapters. At some point during the novel, it is mentioned that the story is taking place in August 2017. Any Puerto Rican will immediately pick up on the fact that this was a mere month away from the destruction caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria as we are still suffering from collective PTSD from this experience. I was wondering whether this would play a part in the book, and I was not disappointed. These two chapters read like a love letter to Puerto Rico and our people’s resilience. I wish I had seen more of the characters interacting with Puerto Rico like this throughout the book.

“Dragonblood Ring” comes out this Tuesday, October 12, 2021. I will be buying a physical copy of this novel when it comes out.

CW: PTSD, trauma, anxiety, domestic abuse, death of a friend, animal abuse, hurricane destruction

This was very different from Blazewrath Games. IDK if this is weird to say, but it felt like it was written during the pandemic, not in any sort of bad way, just with the themes and stuff.

The Blazewrath Games have been officially disbanded, and Lana and her team are trying to figure out what to do with their lives. This book is told from Lana and Victoria's perspectives. It was interesting to read from Victoria's point of view. A new threat emerges that threatens to tear the world, and dragons, apart. Can Lana get it together and save the world?