Dragonblood ring

If you have not read Amparo Ortiz’s Blazewrath Games, I am insisting you add it to your Tbr (To be Read) pile right now. This young adult fantasy series takes readers to the Blazewrath Games and Dragonblood ring; and is one of diverse magic users, dragons, and friendship. This series also has a diverse cast of characters and an incredible magic system.

In the first novel, Lana Torres joins the tournament as part of team Puerto Rico, and she loves it. However, a previous competitor cursed his dragon, the Sire, and now that dragon threatens to end the games and take over the world. 

Summary:

Dragonblood Ring resumes after Blazewrath Games, and team Puerto Rico is hiding out in their home country. The Sire lives in a prison world, his followers scattered, and the games are over. Lana’s memories haunt her, and she relives Andrew’s death over and over. In other words Lana is living on a knife’s edge.

Likewise, Victoria’s itching for something now that the games have ended; she feels her passion stifled. Then Victoria overhears one of the bodyguards mention a dragon blood ring, a competition where dragons fight to the death, and she accidentally transports both herself and Lana to the tournament. 

But soon, they discover the ring’s host Cecilia, can withstand dragon fire. Oh, and Cecilia plans to sacrifice Takeshi Endo that very night.

Luckily, Lana, Victoria, and Takeshi escape, but after none of the adults take their concerns about the dragon blood ring seriously, they make their grand escape. And begin scheming and recruiting old friends to take down the blood rings across the world.

Thoughts:

This sequel has a different vibe than the first one; it’s heavier on the character study. And I loved it! As I mentioned, this novel dives deep into Lana’s trauma, and all the characters tiptoe around her. Except Victoria whose temper gets the best of her and shocks Lana into reality. 

On the opposing side, this novel also gives us a glimpse into Victoria’s mind, and she becomes more lovable. In Blazewrath Games, Victoria comes off harsh and cruel, but in this sequel we find out a majority of Victoria’s attitude is a defense mechanism and a result of growing up in an abusive environment. This should have been obvious if one closely read the first novel. Honestly, I had not interrupted that when I reviewed the first novel, and I was not Victoria’s biggest fan. But after reading this sequel, I’ve come around to loving Victoria.

Both Lana and Victoria grow, evolve, and save the world. Lana learns to forgive herself and heals in Puerto Rico. She also gives back to her community at the end of this novel. I really loved that Ortiz circled back to this because Lana struggled to prove her Puerto Rican heritage. Her Spanish is a little “rah ta ta” and she hasn’t visited the island since she was young. But in this sequel, Lana no longer cares. 

Victoria also becomes an even badder b!tch, and discovers her true passion. In the previous novel, Victoria is super passionate about the Blazewrath cup because it’s the reason why she was able to escape poverty and escape her abusive environment. Because of the games, Victoria can financially support her mother, and she regains her power when she bonds with her dragon, Esperanza. So it’s understandable why she’s hesitant to let it go. In Dragonblood Ring, Victoria throws herself entirely into the mystery of the dragon blood ring to distract herself from the cancellation of the games. This backfires a bit because Victoria becomes a bit competitive and impatient. But as her story progresses, she learns that her talents can translate to other areas, such as helping unbonded dragons trust humans.

This novel also expands on previously introduced characters, such as the Puerto Rico players and Samira. I fell in love with Samira in Blazewrath Games, so I was super excited to read the next arc in her story. Samira has grown from a chaotic magic-user to a gold wand user and professional Takeshi x Lana shipper. I loved Samira so much and would read her own book series if I had the chance.

This novel explores more of the romantic relationships between characters. Gabriella of team Puerto Rico falls in love with Takeshi’s bestie, and Takeshi and Lana grow closer. I will confess I was rooting for Takeshi and Lana since their introduction in book one. Lana was definitely crushing on Takeshi and idolized him until he had his villain arc. But then he redeems himself towards the end. I was ecstatic to see Takeshi evolve and grow in this one, and Ortiz delivered.

“I can’t keep denying it. Takeshi Endo isn’t my hero anymore. He’s my freaking crush.”

Amparo Ortiz

Victoria’s evolution in this sequel was my favorite. I recommend this series to young adult readers looking for a magic adventure that features Puerto Rican Protagonists and diverse characters. Dragons too! And the bond between dragons and human is unique and cute. Readers get a small glimpse at the bond between Victoria and her dragon Esperanza, and they communicate in spanish.

Is there another latine/x/o fantasy series you think I should check out? I am always up for adding books to my reading list.

That’s all I have for today book lovers until next time have fun living in libros,

Gaby

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