*I received a physical copy from the author. All views are my own*
This week, I decided to check out what was circulating among the independent author's circuit and came across an intriguing debut book by Amilea Perez called The Tournament of Heirs. From the blurb, it boasts a Mexican/Aztec version of The Hunger Games with a little bit of romance and the promise of savagery. I am still looking for a good ancient Mayan horror/survival-themed book, so I was excited when my good ole company, Hear Our Voices, picked this up to tour for the week. However, despite the promising premise, I was deeply disappointed with this book. Let's delve into the reasons for my disappointment.
"Bloodshed is coming
It's simple.
Six Houses
Twelve Heirs
Only Two Blood Bound tributes can win and bring home victory.
Acalan has a duty to the empire he will inherit, and his sister Metztli has to make sure she keeps Acalan alive long enough to see his rule come to fruition. Together, both siblings must compete in the Tournament and win, but nothing in the empire is quite as it seems, and destiny has plans of its own.
Only one thing is certain for the two heirs of the House of Life.
Sacrifices must be made."
There's this random saying about Atlanta restaurants: If the goal is vibes and ambiance with the establishment, then the food is trash. I want to equate this with Perez's debut novel. The packaging, the promotion, the cover, and everything else about the exterior of this book were indeed beautiful. The world-building, the character designs, and the thematic elements were all top-notch. I thought I found the one-themed ancestral book that would satisfy my appetite. But the quality of the story was not it. I should have DNFed. I have had patience with books and their content before, but this one needs all kinds of awards sent out to the people who stuck through it.
My biggest problem was the pacing. I have never read a dystopian that read so slowly. Talk about a sloooooooooowburn! It should not have taken 60% of the book to finally step into the arena to duke it out with the other heirs in the tournament. And, AND we don't even see bloodshed until another hour in the story! I don't think you hear me: It should not have taken up to page 319 out of 532 to get in the arena finally. Katniss Everdeen would never.
I'll credit Perez for building up the anticipation of the tournament by throwing in words of prophecies, familial love and support, and forbidden romance. But after beating the shit out of the bush three times over, I've abandoned the anticipation to annoyance for prolonging what we wanted to see: BLOOD! Perez focused too much on showing the support of a tight-knit family and the fleeting crushes between heirs rather than talking more about this hushed prophecy and, of course, action. I stuck it out because I had five chapters left before the book was finished. Might as well.
Overall, I rated this book 1.5 stars, my first-ever lowest rating in the history of reviewing. I wanted to love this book. I really did. But the wait is not worth it. And to think, this is a trilogy! It would have been better if there was an audio option. 500+ pages is a lot to get through, even for the most seasoned reader. Because of this book, I realize my disdain for slow-burn novels. I once again learned something new about my reading habits. To be fair, I was interested in the story that the author was trying to tell. We could've cut out a lot of the fluff and made it more secretive if that page count was going to be that long because, MY GOD! I sacrificed myself as a tribute to the folks in my DMs who still wanted to know the story's outcome. I made it out! The book demanded significant time and patience, and I persevered to provide this review. It was a good try, but I won't be returning to the series.
The Tournament of Heirs is available now!
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