Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz is a magical fantasy of competition including dragons and wizards! A fantastical read that touches upon themes of friendship and belonging with an interesting competition added. Thank you to NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

A HUGE thanks to NetGalley, Amparo Ortiz, and Page Street Publishing for sending me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

I loved this book so freaking much. I rooted so hard for Lana from the beginning and I loved how intelligent and observant she was. Lana was a fantastic MC, I wanted to know how her story wrapped up so badly. Team Puerto Rico had me hooked as soon as they were introduced and I loved the entire premise.

THE DRAGONS. Oh my gosh, it was so cool to see how they all came to their riders and how they bonded. It was awesome to see all the different species and I would honestly love to hear more from this world. 

The world-building was amazing and I loved as it was slowly expanded. The magic users and their wand and power system was also super unique and such a cool addition to this world. I love that magic was in such an abundance. 

I loved this book and can't wait to buy myself a physical copy!

It has been a very long time since I've read a book this good.

I almost don't have words to describe how good this book is but I'll do my best.

You remember Kristoff from Frozen and his song "Reindeer Are Better Than People?" This book is like that song only with dragons and in a book, starring Lana Torres, a Puerto Rican teen who is obsessed with dragons, and Blazewrath Games, a dangerous sport involving a relay with dragons.

Honestly, the less you know about the book's plot, the better, because it will take you on a roller coaster that you aren't prepared for. BUT there are a few things I'd like to gush about: this book should immediately be placed into the canon of fantasy as the hopeful, inclusive masterpiece that it is. This book made me grin like a 9-year old in a candy shop and by the end I was a sobbing mess. This book is also so, so well-written that there were so many instances where I put the book down just to marvel at the prose. I took so long to read this book because I knew (even without knowing the ending) I would be sad when it was over.

Overall, this book was such an escapist dream come true, it is unapologetically Latinx and deeply queer. Every page of it feels like an oversized, warm blanket during a blizzard. Lana Torres and all of the characters just jump off the page as their sarcastic but hopeful selves. I can't say enough good things about this book.

THIS WAS FANTASTIC.

It has:
✨ DRAGONS
✨ glorious character arcs
✨ so many queer characters 🌈😭
✨ so much ACTION and PLOT TWISTS

The author created something so magical—and I'm not only referring to the world-building or the magic system, but also the characters themselves, the arcs, and the overall storyline. I'm so in love with this one, I could cry. I mean, it left me feeling sad and satisfied at the same time! Safe to say, my emotions were all over the place.

Full review on my blog soon!

From the beginning I fell in love with Blazewrath Games. I adored this wizards and witches meets dragons meets magical sports competition. Blazewrath Games delivers non-stop action and adventure from the beginning. To say that I was swept away in the action packed scenes of dragon fire, or the training montages for the games, is an understatement. But what I ended up falling in love with was the ways Blazewrath Games navigates diaspora identity and found family. 

There's nothing Lana wants more than to compete in the Blazewrath Games for Puerto Rico. In a series of events full of accidents, a little too much fire, and secrets Lana gets her wish. But as soon as she joins her teammates, the fact that Lana hasn't seen Puerto Rico in years is brought up. Throughout Blazewrath Games, Lana has to navigate her feelings regarding not only Puerto Rico, but her feelings of being an imposter on her team for having grown up away from her island.

These questions of belonging and identity is closely connected to this struggle is the theme of found family in the story. When the people we love end up disappointing us, where else can we find a sense of community and family? For those who feel excluded from pieces of their identity, how do they reconcile this fractured feeling?

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of Blazewrath Games, so I could share my review with you!

Competing in the Blazewrath World Cup has been Lana Torres’s biggest dream ever since her first encounter with a dragon.  Blazewrath is a high-intensity sport, with teams consisting of six dragon-mounted athletes and one “Runner,” who must rely on physical ability alone to survive the attacks of dragons and bring home the win.  When try-outs are announced for Puerto Rico’s runner, Lana knows that she has to give it a shot.  She’s fast, but more importantly, she understands the games and their importance.  Competing with team Puerto Rico is the only way Lana can see to reconnect with her home island and her distant father.  But, when Lana gets caught up in a terrorist attack targeting a dragon, she learns that there is more to Blazewrath Games than she ever would’ve guessed.

You can get your copy of Blazewrath Games on October 6th from Page Street Publishing!

Blazewarth Games is an extremely exciting and engaging story, set in an alternate world with dragons and magic!  The system of magic was well integrated into the story’s world, giving the story a realistic feel.  I loved the competitive premise and how it interacted with other conflicts in the world.  Additionally, I really appreciated the many forms of representation in Blazewrath Games, including many instances of LGBTQ and disability rep!  This book is an engaging read that kept me rooting for Lana until the last page!

My Recommendation-
This book would be a great read for dragon-lovers and magic-fans alike!  The blend of magic and realistic identity conflicts combine to create a thrilling novel!  If you loved the competitive alternative-sport vibes of the Warcross duology, by Marie Lu, then Blazewrath Games would be a great pick for your next read!

It’s time to get swept away into the modern world with dragons and magic. You’ll be cheering for your favorite Blazewrath team (Puerto Rico!) and hoping for a dragon to bond with you!

When I went into BLAZEWRATH GAMES, I went in for the dragons (like everybody else, I assume), the magical sports tournament and just all around fun times. Like one does. But what I got out of it what so much more. Don’t get me wrong, all of the above are present in heavy doses, but the book also discusses so many important topics and does so masterfully that I couldn’t help but have an amazing time reading it, cover to cover.

Right off the bat, you’re welcomed with very lively and engaging writing, and personally, the more I read the more that became evident. And not only that but the writing is also very vivid and descriptive (not overly so though) which makes everything happening jump out of the page because of how easy if it to visualize. The way the games are written? Legendary. The attention to detail which simultaneously keeping the sequences fast paced, the way the rules are explained and laid out. SO. GOOD. As such, BLAZEWRATH GAMES reads like movie in the best of ways, and wow, would I give an arm and a leg to see this book be made into a movie.

The plot was simultaneously intricate and easy to follow. There are quite a few subplots and characters that come into play and converge at some point of another. The more you read the more new elements gets introduced that might seem like the stick out at first, but they do eventually fall into place when the right time comes. Now granted, a few parts of the plot here and there felt a bit too convenient to me, but I honestly didn’t pay them much mind because I was having too much fun.

Another thing that I really loved about the way it’s written is that we get book excerpt, news articles, interviews, etc… at the start of every chapter that give us more insight into the world and the story.

Speaking of world. The world building in this is absolutely FANTASTIC. It takes very classic tropes and elements, like dragons, old-school wand magic, wizards living amongst humans, magical competitions and many more I can’t reveal without spoilers and does them well where others have attempted and failed or did mediocre at best (you know the one I’m talking about). This story is set in our world, in a parallel present time where wizards live amongst “normal” people fully immersed in society. And the way that was explained and weaved into the story, the amount of depth that was put into it was genuinely impressive to me. There’s so much backstory, context and history given to everything without it ever being boring or info-dumpy.

I also ADORED how we got our same old dragons but each region got its own, every species got its own specificities and even then it was acknowledged that dragons are still cloaked in mystery and we only know about them what they want us to know, because yes, they are sentient. Which makes the whole concept of them choosing a human and bonding with them for life all the more fascinating and intriguing because they keep the process of it all under tight lock. The dragons are just *clutches chest* SO GOOD. I loved the scenes with them so much, not only in their interactions with their humans, or the mysterious cloak around them, but also in the glimpses of carefree moments we got of them spending time *with* each other. I admittedly haven’t read a ton of books with dragons but in the few I’ve read, this is hands down the best depiction.

And you know what makes this book successful at everything it sets out to do? The fact that it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The author is hyper aware of the fact that, this might be a fantasy, but it’s also anchored in the real world, and as such it takes into account topics that pertain to our “regular” lives. Some discussed in a brief manner like queerness, coming out and all that entails, while others were discussed in great detail. And just to site and example, the parallel drawn between the prejudices against dragons and real life racism, eg: them being feared and hated because of the action of a few or retaliating because they feel like they’re in danger, and other nuanced bits and pieces mirroring phrases that get used against POC all the time. While also discussing family and identity with an emphasis on the diaspora experience.

Lana, our main character, is Puerto Rican. She’s lived on the island until she was five years old when her (white) mom whisked her away and to the US. She’s never felt more at home than in Puerto Rico. She loves it, yearns for and misses it desperately. It’s the only place she’s called home. But she also deals with the fact that although she considers it her home, she didn’t grow up there and has to grapple with not only her own feelings of being a fraud, of not being enough and not belonging but she also gets that from other people, both Boricua and not, who think they know her identity better than she does and want to decide what makes her Puerto Rican and what doesn’t. Lana as a character was a bit hard to grasp at times, but I really ended up liking her. Her bravery, how that doesn’t stop her from being scared, her loyalty to her loved ones and her sense of justice were a winning combination for me.

I also liked how through her interactions with other characters, a wide range of relationships were shown. First, BLAZEWRATH GAMES shows that mother/daughter relationships can often be fraught with tension, how some misguided albeit well-meaning actions can have long lasting effects and build resentment. We also got to see Lana build different levels of connection with her teammates that go from borderline nemesis statues to close friendships, ad how overall the team is like a family, they might butt heads but they always have each other’s backs.

Overall, I had a blast reading this book. It was a genuinely fun read that kept me interested and on the edge of my seat from start to finish. There is more I could probably have covered in this review, but I will leave it at this and encourage you to pick it up.

Blazewrath Games tells the story of Lana Torres, who has always preferred dragons to people. Her dream and life goal has always been to compete in the Blazewrath World Cup representing Puerto Rico, a tournament where dragons and their riders fight for glory in a dangerous relay. When Puerto Rico’s runner is kicked off the team, now Lana has a chance to be a part of the team.
But a global conspiracy is brewing, the Sire, a legendary dragon who’s cursed into human form and a former Blazewrath superstar have teamed up, they are burning down dragon sanctuaries and will not stop until the Cup is cancelled. Now, Lana has to navigate being a part of her beloved sport with this international threat.
Overall, Blazewrath Games is perfect for fans of fantasy, dragons, and a down-to-earth, regular fan full of determination main character who has so much heart. This is now in my favourite reads of 2020, I can’t wait for the next book and anything else Amparo comes up with.

the blazewrath games is a remarkable novel – one that actually makes me want to read more about sports, so long as dragons and magic are involved. it is chockfull of extremely lovable characters, even if they’re not the best people, even more lovable dragons, culture, and a whole bunch of other things that would take me too long to write about. i would easily recommend this novel to anyone that finds themselves wanting to read more diverse literature, young adult and fantasy novels, or just a good book.

This was always going to be a slam dunk for me. Pitched as 'How to Train Your Dragon' meets Quidditch? Two of my favourite things? There was not much room to go wrong. I breezed through this book. It is fast paced, intriguing and full of wonderful diverse characters that you can't help but fall a little in love with. Lana was a fantastic protagonist to follow. She is smart and determined and I was rooting for her the whole time. The world building surrounding the dragon's part in society, and the further magical aspects of this contemporary world were done fantastically. We were hit with twists and turns throughout the entire story, and I simply couldn't look away! I went in thinking this was a standalone, and am thrilled to now find out it is the first in a duology. I need more!

Blazewrath Games tells the story of Lana who is a Puerto Rican girl living in the United States who loves Blazewrath and would do anything to get a chance to compete in the games. Suddenly her dream can become a reality because there is now an opening on the Puerto Rico team as a runner and luckily this time they will accept applicants from the states. At the last minute, Lana signs onto team Puerto Rico and gets her dream come true but there is something off about her being picked for the team and she isn't going to stop questioning the things around her. 

Thoughts and Themes: The first thing that I thought when I saw this book and read the first few lines was this reminds me so much of How to Train Your Dragon which I love. Once I made that connection I was not able to put this book down even when I had to because sleep is something I need. This book also reminded me of the soccer world cup that comes every 4 years and while I don’t really watch it my family does so I have fond memories of the game.

I really enjoyed the world-building that is not just done through the story but also in the passages that are included in between chapters. I loved getting to see how so many different countries were involved throughout this book and how their dragons were all unique. I thought it was great to see all of their differences and how these dragons would only bond with those that were from that country. All of the dragons included were amazing and you never got the sense that one of these countries was greater than the other, just that they all had their advantages.

I was quite shocked by how quickly an important aspect of the story is revealed to us all and was a bit worried that this revelation would make the rest of the story fall flat but I am glad I was wrong. I think this revelation coming early on really sets the stage for the rest of the story and makes it so that everything else that happens is more interesting.

Characters: I loved getting to know all of the characters throughout this book even if they are all shown through Lana’s perspective. I thought it was great that we not only get to meet her teammates but other teammates, and people from her life prior to joining the team. I thought watching her be torn between those two worlds really adds to the story and her background as a character.

Some of the other characters I was glad that were included were all of the political people that we met throughout. I was worried that the political storyline would be too much but I actually really enjoyed that being tied up with everything. I think that it made good commentary about athletics and politics and how everything we do is inherently political.

I also loved that there were so many queer characters in this story and how they were all amazing characters. This really added to my love for this book because I love seeing queer characters just living their lives and in this case being athletes and riding dragons. Seeing queer characters in fantasy books is always a plus for me because then I can see a little bit of me in a different world, one in which I could be among dragons.

Writing Style: This story is told through Lana’s perspective and while I would have liked to see what the other's thoughts were throughout I liked that we didn’t. Us being given only her perspective added to the mystery of what was happening and made me feel worried for her at all times.

Lana Torres, a Puerto Rican living in the United States, is the memorable, engaging, and energetic narrator of this fast-faced YA fantasy novel, a perfect read for anyone who wished the Harry Potter books had spent more time on Quidditch. I hate to bring up Harry Potter in a review of a totally different series, but they cast a long shadow, and the similarities are striking. First off, there's the sport of Blazewrath itself, which is Ortiz's invention and where much of this novel takes place. Like Rowling's Quidditch, a Blazewrath team comprises seven players who play their sport largely in the air (although on dragons instead of broomsticks). There's a goalie, called a Keeper, and six other teammates whose jobs include scoring and protection. Much like a Quidditch game ends when the Seeker completes his mysterious and largely independent task of catching the Snitch, a Blazewrath game ends when the Runner manages to make it up a mountain and slap a tile onto an altar, all the while dodging fireballs and physical attacks. Blazewrath is INTENSE - between the fireballs, the claws and the hand-to-hand combat I'm left wondering how any player ever survives to their second game. 

In Ortiz's world, Blazewrath has its own bureaucratic governing body, the International Blazewrath Federation, and a global tournament. The teenage players are highly-paid worldwide superstars who score glory for their countries through the medium of sport.

Growing up, Lana dreams of playing in a Blazewrath games, and she finally gets her chance when the Puerto Rican team qualifies for the tournament for the first time. She's offered an audition to be the team's Runner. Through a series of events I won't spoil here, Lana achieves her dream, only to find herself swiftly descending into a nightmare. Events quickly expand and spin out of control, as a serial killing dragon and his entourage threaten the Blazewrath Cup, Lana's life and family, and the world as she knows it.

Ortiz has a talent for drawing teenage characters: Lana's desire to bring glory to her family and her home - and to understand her own heritage - make for compelling coming-of-age fodder. Her posse makes for a perfect supporting cast: her emotionally distant mother, her physically distant but loving dad, her devoted best friend Samira, and eventually her Blazewrath teammates. 

Despite the intriguing setting, I found the novel's plot advanced unevenly, and a little too often through Lana's surprisingly acute guesses (in one of these astonishing intuitive leaps, she figures out the identity of a key character long ahead of law enforcement and just about everyone else involved, including the character himself, thanks to a few late-night clicks on social media). Events lead up to a climactic scene that regular fantasy readers may find just a little too predictable, partly because the story features some classic fantasy cliches. Lana, who survives a vicious dragon attack as a child, has a touch of the Girl Who Lived to her. Found Family, Unlikely Heroes, Saving the World, The Handy Best Friends, the Secretly Good Bad Guy, etc. Even Lana's Blazewrath nemesis - the win-at-all-costs Victoria Peralta, who questions Lana's skills as a teammate from the start - plays to type as the possibly redeemable Mean Girl. None of this makes the storytelling bad, but there are moments when it can feel just a little color-by-number.

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.