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The Blood Tournaments #1
The Gilded Survivor
When The Prison Healer and The Hunger Games meet… “No matter what, you do not surrender.” Carmen Asbaje only needed two things in her her closest friend and her Flamenco shoes. Shelter was optional, and love was a lie used to inflict pain on others. Born with Blood Magic that she wasn’t supposed to have, Carmen lived with fatal secrets. When the fiercely competitive Blood Tournaments drew near, Carmen was forced to meet with the former Tournament Champion, Antonio Castillas, to save her friend’s life. After that meeting, a spark of passion ignited inside of her. Forbidden infatuation. When her accidental Blood Magic audition was leaked, Carmen received national attention and was entered into the upcoming Blood Tournament. Impersonating an Elite was a crime punishable by death, yet there was no escape. She never should have been elevated to Elite status, but if she refused to compete or her past was uncovered, she would be endangering the life of everyone connected to her. Leading up to the Tournament, Carmen discovered the Elite culture was savage, venomous and relentless. If she didn’t win, the streets would run gold with her blood.
Be captivated by Carmen's story as it intertwines with classic themes of social status and family loyalty, as well as courage under fire in order to survive against all odds.
Be captivated by Carmen's story as it intertwines with classic themes of social status and family loyalty, as well as courage under fire in order to survive against all odds.
414 pages, Hardcover
Published June 2, 2023
About the author
Daniela A. Mera
26 books457 followersDaniela A. Mera was born into a royal Fae family in Scotland. She was a free spirit who loved traveling and cloud watching while laying velvet-soft grass. When she came of age, her mother forced her to travel to Las Vegas in order to kill a dragon and conquer a neighboring kingdom.
The dragon turned out to be a man, whom she fell wildly in love with. The couple ran away to the gentle hills of Mexico where Daniela ate lots of tacos and fruits the size of her head.
Something along those lines, anyway.
She writes whimsical tales full of lore all around the world, full of emotionally available men and women who run the world. She can be found listening to sappy romance ballads while writing scenes meant to emotionally damage her readers.
When not writing, Daniela can be found doing yoga and playing video games. Join her newsletter for freebies at: www.danielaamera.com
The dragon turned out to be a man, whom she fell wildly in love with. The couple ran away to the gentle hills of Mexico where Daniela ate lots of tacos and fruits the size of her head.
Something along those lines, anyway.
She writes whimsical tales full of lore all around the world, full of emotionally available men and women who run the world. She can be found listening to sappy romance ballads while writing scenes meant to emotionally damage her readers.
When not writing, Daniela can be found doing yoga and playing video games. Join her newsletter for freebies at: www.danielaamera.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews
July 10, 2023
Maybe I’m biased. 😅
May 12, 2023
I received an arc of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. I’m hoping the author will appreciate my honesty and a little constructive criticism for improvements in the future. I’m thankful for the opportunity to have an ARC copy. I heard of the book/author from a Facebook group and signed up to receive an arc copy.
The concept/idea of the book is cool, the plot line sounded interesting and I was really excited to discover a new fantasy author and jump into a new world. The world itself did not seem as fleshed out as I am used to with these types of fantasy books. I personally enjoy a lot of world building when I read fantasies.
The main issue I had was the amount of grammatical errors from past/present tense, incorrect forms of verbs, spelling errors, missing words, etc. The overall sentence structure and flow is awkward in general through out. This was extremely distracting and took away from my ability to fully enjoy the story. With a good thorough editing I would love to give this author/book another chance but as it stands I really struggled with it.
Another thing that makes it a little harder to read is various dialogue in Spanish without translations, I actually understand Spanish from taking it in school and working in an environment where I’m exposed to the language frequently. But for someone who doesn’t understand Spanish and the fact that the majority of the book is in English I feel like the author needs to take into account that a lot of people aren’t going to want to have to use Google translate in between reading.
Some direct quotes for an idea of the grammar errors throughout, these are just a couple examples.
“My stomach continue to roiled while I followed her through a doorway that led to the bathing area.”
“When the servant tried pushed in my seat back in, he grunted.”
“I was so hungry that my small bites felt like sprinkling water empty cavern and expecting the droplets to fill an entire oblivion.”
The concept/idea of the book is cool, the plot line sounded interesting and I was really excited to discover a new fantasy author and jump into a new world. The world itself did not seem as fleshed out as I am used to with these types of fantasy books. I personally enjoy a lot of world building when I read fantasies.
The main issue I had was the amount of grammatical errors from past/present tense, incorrect forms of verbs, spelling errors, missing words, etc. The overall sentence structure and flow is awkward in general through out. This was extremely distracting and took away from my ability to fully enjoy the story. With a good thorough editing I would love to give this author/book another chance but as it stands I really struggled with it.
Another thing that makes it a little harder to read is various dialogue in Spanish without translations, I actually understand Spanish from taking it in school and working in an environment where I’m exposed to the language frequently. But for someone who doesn’t understand Spanish and the fact that the majority of the book is in English I feel like the author needs to take into account that a lot of people aren’t going to want to have to use Google translate in between reading.
Some direct quotes for an idea of the grammar errors throughout, these are just a couple examples.
“My stomach continue to roiled while I followed her through a doorway that led to the bathing area.”
“When the servant tried pushed in my seat back in, he grunted.”
“I was so hungry that my small bites felt like sprinkling water empty cavern and expecting the droplets to fill an entire oblivion.”
June 24, 2023
Fans of The Hunger Games will enjoy the first book in this new dystopian fantasy series: The Blood Tournaments! It’s also my first time reading a fantasy with a latinx setting! As a latina myself, I loved the references sprinkled throughout the story… like the flamenco and all the Spanish terms. ❤️
We follow the story of Carmen, an orphan girl who found herself as an “artista” flamenco dancer… everyday is a struggle, as she not only has to witness the poverty and sickness around her, but also hide a dark secret that could very well destroy her and those close to her 👀 the unexpected happens and suddenly she is thrust into the refined world of the Elite class, full of deception and danger💀 prepare yourselves for a world divided into castes, a deadly blood tournament, a insufferable yet handsome mentor and a golden power that might change everything!
The story is a bit slow paced in the beginning, some parts could be reduced, but I feel like this is a great start to the series! It set the stage well for the upcoming sequel, which I’m excited for 🔥 I’m also hoping to see more romance in the sequels since I’m always a sucker for romance 👀
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy for review
We follow the story of Carmen, an orphan girl who found herself as an “artista” flamenco dancer… everyday is a struggle, as she not only has to witness the poverty and sickness around her, but also hide a dark secret that could very well destroy her and those close to her 👀 the unexpected happens and suddenly she is thrust into the refined world of the Elite class, full of deception and danger💀 prepare yourselves for a world divided into castes, a deadly blood tournament, a insufferable yet handsome mentor and a golden power that might change everything!
The story is a bit slow paced in the beginning, some parts could be reduced, but I feel like this is a great start to the series! It set the stage well for the upcoming sequel, which I’m excited for 🔥 I’m also hoping to see more romance in the sequels since I’m always a sucker for romance 👀
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy for review
May 5, 2023
I had the privilege of reading an ARC copy of this book, and I loved it! It completely immersed me in a culture far from my own in so many ways, yet the story felt right at home. I caught myself constantly opening it back up every second I had to read just a couple more pages. I’m big into strong female leads with all the fantasy and a little bit of love- and this fit the bill completely. I absolutely cannot wait until the next one is available so I can see where this goes!
June 19, 2023
That ending though 😭
THIS. BOOK. 😱
Oh my gosh y’all. I cannot get over this book…how unique it was, how much I loved the characters and was invested in their lives, how desperately I need book two…it felt like a cross between The Selection (because of the societal classes dystopian feel and the access to technology) and The Hunger Games (because of the deadly tournament, of course). And I loved every page of it. I also thought the setting was fantastic! Flamenco dancing and Spanish vibes? Everything I never new I needed in a fantasy book. The romantic tension, the enemies to potential lovers vibes, a sort of a love triangle that is executed so heartbreakingly well…you guys need to pick up this book asap. It’s upper YA/NA with some tension and kissing, but I believe the author said the content will progress more solidly into NA as the series continues. The content in book one was perfect and exactly what it needed to be for this book.
THIS. BOOK. 😱
Oh my gosh y’all. I cannot get over this book…how unique it was, how much I loved the characters and was invested in their lives, how desperately I need book two…it felt like a cross between The Selection (because of the societal classes dystopian feel and the access to technology) and The Hunger Games (because of the deadly tournament, of course). And I loved every page of it. I also thought the setting was fantastic! Flamenco dancing and Spanish vibes? Everything I never new I needed in a fantasy book. The romantic tension, the enemies to potential lovers vibes, a sort of a love triangle that is executed so heartbreakingly well…you guys need to pick up this book asap. It’s upper YA/NA with some tension and kissing, but I believe the author said the content will progress more solidly into NA as the series continues. The content in book one was perfect and exactly what it needed to be for this book.
September 30, 2023
Dnf at 40%. It wasn’t bad, it was just boring, and I’ve been reading it for like a week so I’m marking it as “read” sue me lol
June 19, 2023
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice rating: 🌶
I love how this book is written in dual languages, with English and Spanish integrated so beautifully...but don't stress if you're like me and don't know much Spanish beyond a simple hola or gracias, there is a handy translation guide in the front matter of the book (for the words/ phrases that are used regularly), plus another one in the back matter (for those that are used infrequently). And I actually picked up a fair bit of meaning even when I couldn't fully comprehend some words/ sentences.
One of my first thoughts while reading this book was that I loved the grumpy x sunshine friendship between Carmen and Magda, and adored the found family and sisterhood they shared.
This is a book that doesn't shy away from topics such as menstruation, messy emotions, substance abuse, brutality, and major class divides leading to opulent elitism on one side and destitution on the other. But everything is seemlessly interwoven to form an amazing story of a dystopian world in need of major change.
The chapter headings are just perfect, and I enjoyed reading them and trying to figure out their meaning.
There are so many twists and turns in this book- some obvious ones you can see coming, but also others that seem to pounce on you from nowhere, and I loved trying to figure everything out.
I had so many emotions while reading this, and felt so connected to the characters, that I struggled to put this book down!
Then there was that heart-pounding ending, with a cliffhanger right in the middle of everything, and I had to start book 2 immediately!
Highly recommend if you love The Hunger Games & The Prison Healer vibes, fantasy romance, blood magic, ultra slow burn, kissing, enemies to almost lovers, forbidden romance, mentor/ mentee, grumpy x sunshine, and found family.
💢 TW: violence, death, extreme societal class divides, substance abuse
☆I recieved an ARC of this book from the author. All thoughts are my own honest opinions.☆
Spice rating: 🌶
I love how this book is written in dual languages, with English and Spanish integrated so beautifully...but don't stress if you're like me and don't know much Spanish beyond a simple hola or gracias, there is a handy translation guide in the front matter of the book (for the words/ phrases that are used regularly), plus another one in the back matter (for those that are used infrequently). And I actually picked up a fair bit of meaning even when I couldn't fully comprehend some words/ sentences.
One of my first thoughts while reading this book was that I loved the grumpy x sunshine friendship between Carmen and Magda, and adored the found family and sisterhood they shared.
This is a book that doesn't shy away from topics such as menstruation, messy emotions, substance abuse, brutality, and major class divides leading to opulent elitism on one side and destitution on the other. But everything is seemlessly interwoven to form an amazing story of a dystopian world in need of major change.
The chapter headings are just perfect, and I enjoyed reading them and trying to figure out their meaning.
There are so many twists and turns in this book- some obvious ones you can see coming, but also others that seem to pounce on you from nowhere, and I loved trying to figure everything out.
I had so many emotions while reading this, and felt so connected to the characters, that I struggled to put this book down!
Then there was that heart-pounding ending, with a cliffhanger right in the middle of everything, and I had to start book 2 immediately!
Highly recommend if you love The Hunger Games & The Prison Healer vibes, fantasy romance, blood magic, ultra slow burn, kissing, enemies to almost lovers, forbidden romance, mentor/ mentee, grumpy x sunshine, and found family.
💢 TW: violence, death, extreme societal class divides, substance abuse
☆I recieved an ARC of this book from the author. All thoughts are my own honest opinions.☆
June 12, 2023
3.5/4⭐️ I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! Firstly, thank you to Daniela and her team for sending me a copy. This world interested me from the beginning and I was so excited to dive in. This was such an interesting plot and was reminiscent of the hunger games in some ways which I enjoyed. Some points of the plot were a bit slow for me but the by the end it definitely picked up!!
August 16, 2023
¿Quien no ama "Los Juegos del hambre"? Y cuando te dicen que hay un libro que tiene vibes esa historia llama mucho la atención. "La sanadora de Zalindov" la verdad no la he leído y parece ser muy prometedora. Y al parecer lo es porque este libro se inspiró en ese libro.
Así mismo es inevitable subir las expectativas porque la historia es muy prometedora. Es una distopía en un mundo dominado por clases sociales muy marcadas que después de tener una monarquía que parecía funcionar bien esta es sustituida por una Elite dominante que al puro estilo de Los Juegos del Hambre hace torneos de sangre. Los participantes que hacen una serie de pruebas de talengo al parecer son figuras importantes para este evento.
Carmen Asbaje es un caso particular, esta chica tiene un secreto y es que se vuelve dorada. Tiene magia de sangre que casualmente solo la monarquía extinta tenía y con ello también el don de sanar. Esta chica es huérfana, todo indica que sus padres no eran de la realeza y termina siendo una excelente bailarina de flamenco. Pero por azares del destino termina siendo parte de los torneos de sangre y será entrenada por el atractivo Antonio Castillas un excampeón de estos torneos. Al principio las cosas están muy tensas entre estos dos y ahí comienza el salseo.
La novela en general no es difícil de leer, tiene capítulos cortos y eso hizo que fuera más fácil de mantenerme enganchada. Las primeras 100 páginas fueron las que me engancharon y aquí la autora se toma su tiempo para presentarnos a la protagonista y el universo en el que se desenvuelve. La primera parte me iba gustando mucho, de hecho creía que sería una de mis lecturas favoritas. Con una protagonista talentosa, con secretos y al parecer la interacción con el interés amoroso sería muy prometedor. Me parece interesante destacar la mezcla de culturas ya que al ser una distopía y todo ficticio hay más libertad no se atiene a un solo entorno. Por un momento era algo muy latino y por otro muy español. Los apellidos eran en castellano y me sorprendió.
Pero en la segunda y tercera me perdieron. Al momento en el que la prota empieza a “entrenar” para el torneo y comienza a conocer a la elite me perdí por completo. Nunca supe qué fue lo que hacía para ser la más apoyada de todos los competidores ni tampoco sentí la competencia de estos. Creo que para este tipo de distopías tipo "Los juegos del Hambre" y "Divergente" es necesario saber cómo entrena, cómo se siente a que retos la hacen enfrentarse etc y no solo decir que avanzó y ya. Para sobrevivir Carmen se tiene que convertir en una estratega pero fue ahí donde mi simpatía hacia ella se perdió porque no le creía, con una sola vez que levanto la voz se hizo “muy empoderada”. En menos de 100 páginas la relación fría con Antonio cambia drásticamente porque Carmen hizo algo por él y al siguiente capítulo ya siente un enamoramiento por él. Me hubiera gustado ver más de la interacción de estos dos porque sentí que no conocí a Antonio o porque le gusta Carmen. Y sin lugar a dudas me hubiera encantado ver acción con su magia.
Tuve problemas con la traducción, había una expresión repetitiva que no conocía si era ficticia, real o error de traducción: ¡SAN VOLCÁN! Asimismo la edición en inglés tal parece es bilingüe tiene algo de frases en español. Eso explicaría porque algunas preguntas tienen un solo signo de interrogación al final. Una nota al pie no hubiera estado nada mal, pensé que era un error de impresión pero era de traducción. Hay algunos nombres de los personajes que se presentan con los dos apellidos pero me pareció innecesario si ya me los presentaron anteriormente con su nombre completo.
En fin, creo que es una historia con ideas interesantes que no se logran a mi parecer desarrollar. Me dijo mucho pero a la vez poco y la acción que viene en el segundo libro suena interesante pero no me dejó con las ansias de saber que sucede más adelante.
Así mismo es inevitable subir las expectativas porque la historia es muy prometedora. Es una distopía en un mundo dominado por clases sociales muy marcadas que después de tener una monarquía que parecía funcionar bien esta es sustituida por una Elite dominante que al puro estilo de Los Juegos del Hambre hace torneos de sangre. Los participantes que hacen una serie de pruebas de talengo al parecer son figuras importantes para este evento.
Carmen Asbaje es un caso particular, esta chica tiene un secreto y es que se vuelve dorada. Tiene magia de sangre que casualmente solo la monarquía extinta tenía y con ello también el don de sanar. Esta chica es huérfana, todo indica que sus padres no eran de la realeza y termina siendo una excelente bailarina de flamenco. Pero por azares del destino termina siendo parte de los torneos de sangre y será entrenada por el atractivo Antonio Castillas un excampeón de estos torneos. Al principio las cosas están muy tensas entre estos dos y ahí comienza el salseo.
La novela en general no es difícil de leer, tiene capítulos cortos y eso hizo que fuera más fácil de mantenerme enganchada. Las primeras 100 páginas fueron las que me engancharon y aquí la autora se toma su tiempo para presentarnos a la protagonista y el universo en el que se desenvuelve. La primera parte me iba gustando mucho, de hecho creía que sería una de mis lecturas favoritas. Con una protagonista talentosa, con secretos y al parecer la interacción con el interés amoroso sería muy prometedor. Me parece interesante destacar la mezcla de culturas ya que al ser una distopía y todo ficticio hay más libertad no se atiene a un solo entorno. Por un momento era algo muy latino y por otro muy español. Los apellidos eran en castellano y me sorprendió.
Pero en la segunda y tercera me perdieron. Al momento en el que la prota empieza a “entrenar” para el torneo y comienza a conocer a la elite me perdí por completo. Nunca supe qué fue lo que hacía para ser la más apoyada de todos los competidores ni tampoco sentí la competencia de estos. Creo que para este tipo de distopías tipo "Los juegos del Hambre" y "Divergente" es necesario saber cómo entrena, cómo se siente a que retos la hacen enfrentarse etc y no solo decir que avanzó y ya. Para sobrevivir Carmen se tiene que convertir en una estratega pero fue ahí donde mi simpatía hacia ella se perdió porque no le creía, con una sola vez que levanto la voz se hizo “muy empoderada”. En menos de 100 páginas la relación fría con Antonio cambia drásticamente porque Carmen hizo algo por él y al siguiente capítulo ya siente un enamoramiento por él. Me hubiera gustado ver más de la interacción de estos dos porque sentí que no conocí a Antonio o porque le gusta Carmen. Y sin lugar a dudas me hubiera encantado ver acción con su magia.
Tuve problemas con la traducción, había una expresión repetitiva que no conocía si era ficticia, real o error de traducción: ¡SAN VOLCÁN! Asimismo la edición en inglés tal parece es bilingüe tiene algo de frases en español. Eso explicaría porque algunas preguntas tienen un solo signo de interrogación al final. Una nota al pie no hubiera estado nada mal, pensé que era un error de impresión pero era de traducción. Hay algunos nombres de los personajes que se presentan con los dos apellidos pero me pareció innecesario si ya me los presentaron anteriormente con su nombre completo.
En fin, creo que es una historia con ideas interesantes que no se logran a mi parecer desarrollar. Me dijo mucho pero a la vez poco y la acción que viene en el segundo libro suena interesante pero no me dejó con las ansias de saber que sucede más adelante.
May 5, 2023
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'll be honest, as someone who didn't even take Spanish in high school, I was a little worried about how I could keep up with the story. However, the author goes to great lengths to make this an easy read. She even has a glossary in the back with Spanish phrases found throughout the book!
This is a perfect mix of fantasy and a very slow-burn romance.
Carmen is a headstrong, stubborn MC who is also not traditionally beautiful. She's sarcastic, not at all trusting, and hard because she has to be.
This story is fast-paced, and it ended wayyyy too quickly. Lots of world building, character development, drama, a little romance.
I found myself laughing at Carmen's inner thoughts, gasping at the AUDACITY of some people, and brought almost to tears at some of the tender moments that happened.
Mera has created a new world for us. A beautiful fantasy world with an unjust caste system, a slow burn romance, and a story of a woman who doesn't belong anywhere she goes.
And we're not going to discuss that cliffhanger except to say, REALLY?
I need this along with the next books released like tomorrow.
My advice? Don't walk, RUN to the bookstore, and buy this. You won't be disappointed.
I'll be honest, as someone who didn't even take Spanish in high school, I was a little worried about how I could keep up with the story. However, the author goes to great lengths to make this an easy read. She even has a glossary in the back with Spanish phrases found throughout the book!
This is a perfect mix of fantasy and a very slow-burn romance.
Carmen is a headstrong, stubborn MC who is also not traditionally beautiful. She's sarcastic, not at all trusting, and hard because she has to be.
This story is fast-paced, and it ended wayyyy too quickly. Lots of world building, character development, drama, a little romance.
I found myself laughing at Carmen's inner thoughts, gasping at the AUDACITY of some people, and brought almost to tears at some of the tender moments that happened.
Mera has created a new world for us. A beautiful fantasy world with an unjust caste system, a slow burn romance, and a story of a woman who doesn't belong anywhere she goes.
And we're not going to discuss that cliffhanger except to say, REALLY?
I need this along with the next books released like tomorrow.
My advice? Don't walk, RUN to the bookstore, and buy this. You won't be disappointed.
June 5, 2023
"The Gilded Survivor" was better than I expected, and I expected quite a lot to start with given the promise of being similar to the Hunger Games.
This was my first dive into Daniela A. Mera's work, and she has me hooked! It is an intense, extremely character driven story. Following Carmen Asbaje, a flamenco dancer, we learn about the dystopian society that she lives in. If you are not part of the elites, you are controlled or killed. She is considered privileged within the lower dregs of society because of her dancing talents. Even this is a cutthroat business as if she screws up, there is someone just as hungry to take her place. The depths of her fears living the way she has and how much she can lose if even the most minor things goes wrong becomes very clear, very quickly.
Her world is turned even more upside down when an visiting elite, Antonio Castillas, discovers her secret: she has blood magic. Not only that, it's worthy of the past royals who are all supposed to be dead! She ends up being thrown into the Blood Tournament for this reason alone. Welcome Carmen, to the political games. Ready or not, fight you must.
The way this book is written, Carmen is very easy to understand. Her narrative is very detailed. She was an instant hit with me, and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Due to the deep narrative, the plot is slower, but it pays off. All the intricate lines placed out by the author come together epically in the end, with a promise for more. Even with a cliffhanger I enjoyed the experience and already want the second!
This was my first dive into Daniela A. Mera's work, and she has me hooked! It is an intense, extremely character driven story. Following Carmen Asbaje, a flamenco dancer, we learn about the dystopian society that she lives in. If you are not part of the elites, you are controlled or killed. She is considered privileged within the lower dregs of society because of her dancing talents. Even this is a cutthroat business as if she screws up, there is someone just as hungry to take her place. The depths of her fears living the way she has and how much she can lose if even the most minor things goes wrong becomes very clear, very quickly.
Her world is turned even more upside down when an visiting elite, Antonio Castillas, discovers her secret: she has blood magic. Not only that, it's worthy of the past royals who are all supposed to be dead! She ends up being thrown into the Blood Tournament for this reason alone. Welcome Carmen, to the political games. Ready or not, fight you must.
The way this book is written, Carmen is very easy to understand. Her narrative is very detailed. She was an instant hit with me, and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Due to the deep narrative, the plot is slower, but it pays off. All the intricate lines placed out by the author come together epically in the end, with a promise for more. Even with a cliffhanger I enjoyed the experience and already want the second!
July 22, 2023
"𝗡𝗼 𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘀. 𝗡𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗽."
When The Prison Healer meets The Hunger Games you get a dystopian fantasy that will have you glued to the pages. Imagine opening this book and being pulled in by a wormhole and landing in the halls of a dancing studio where flamenco dancers are practising. Carmen has a deadly secret, but upon trying to save her friend, her secret landed her in an audition for the Blood Tournaments.
The pacing of this story is perfect, the characters are well-written and the hidden identity was done well. What makes this book different from other dystopian fantasies? Spanish phrases are included in the story and this allows the reader to understand Carmen's culture and her character better. A glossary of Spanish translations is included at the end of the book. I loved learning the different Spanish phrases, it made the book richer in so many ways. Carmen is a great example of perseverance and persistence! I loved her.
I highly recommend this book. The magic, hidden identity and deadly competition were brilliant. I can't stop thinking about this book.
Thank you MTMC Tours and the author for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When The Prison Healer meets The Hunger Games you get a dystopian fantasy that will have you glued to the pages. Imagine opening this book and being pulled in by a wormhole and landing in the halls of a dancing studio where flamenco dancers are practising. Carmen has a deadly secret, but upon trying to save her friend, her secret landed her in an audition for the Blood Tournaments.
The pacing of this story is perfect, the characters are well-written and the hidden identity was done well. What makes this book different from other dystopian fantasies? Spanish phrases are included in the story and this allows the reader to understand Carmen's culture and her character better. A glossary of Spanish translations is included at the end of the book. I loved learning the different Spanish phrases, it made the book richer in so many ways. Carmen is a great example of perseverance and persistence! I loved her.
I highly recommend this book. The magic, hidden identity and deadly competition were brilliant. I can't stop thinking about this book.
Thank you MTMC Tours and the author for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 3, 2023
Thank you so much to the author for sharing an ARC copy of this book with me !!!!
“When I bled, I healed. And that was a problem, because it meant Blood Magic. But it wasn’t like any kind of Blood Magic I’d ever seen, because I turned gold.
Gold as the chancellor’s circlet, or the crowns of royalty long passed. Gold as a Blood Tournament trophy.”
The world is unkind to women, mija. But that means they always underestimate us.”
Wonderful start for a series whose promises are so great you won’t be able to stop thinking about it !!!
Carmen’s story was perfect for fans of The Hunger Games but with more magic and that romance that will have you feel goosebumps every other chapter !!! The Élites are the one with the golden blood, the ones who participated in the Blood Tournament. Antonio Castillas Morales is one of them. Carmen has had a crush on him since she was a little orphan girl who was dreaming of being saved. A flamenco dancer with a gold blood … she is an abomination … but she is still selected to be a champion for the tournament … and he is her mentor !!!! Tension, complications, hard time trusting each other but sharing some terrible experiences in their past. And a love triangle that you don’t wanna miss !!! Our Chica Dorada will have to face some trials by fire that will have her question her own origins and the people she can trust. All throughout we have an MMC who is constantly hot and cold but so good it was hard not to fall for him !!!! The writing style is absolutely amazing and I love how the book is written exactly like a book from a bilingual book should be written !!!! Spanish and English were one in this story and I loved every reference to the culture !!! And the ending … Such a crazy cliffhanger !!!!!! Why do I keep doing this to myself ???? I loved this book and I can’t wait for it to be out !!!!!
“No es lo mismo interpretar un papel que convertirse en el personaje.”
“Since when were you ever afraid of telling me exactly what you thought?”
“Don’t get mad, get revenge.”
“When I bled, I healed. And that was a problem, because it meant Blood Magic. But it wasn’t like any kind of Blood Magic I’d ever seen, because I turned gold.
Gold as the chancellor’s circlet, or the crowns of royalty long passed. Gold as a Blood Tournament trophy.”
The world is unkind to women, mija. But that means they always underestimate us.”
Wonderful start for a series whose promises are so great you won’t be able to stop thinking about it !!!
Carmen’s story was perfect for fans of The Hunger Games but with more magic and that romance that will have you feel goosebumps every other chapter !!! The Élites are the one with the golden blood, the ones who participated in the Blood Tournament. Antonio Castillas Morales is one of them. Carmen has had a crush on him since she was a little orphan girl who was dreaming of being saved. A flamenco dancer with a gold blood … she is an abomination … but she is still selected to be a champion for the tournament … and he is her mentor !!!! Tension, complications, hard time trusting each other but sharing some terrible experiences in their past. And a love triangle that you don’t wanna miss !!! Our Chica Dorada will have to face some trials by fire that will have her question her own origins and the people she can trust. All throughout we have an MMC who is constantly hot and cold but so good it was hard not to fall for him !!!! The writing style is absolutely amazing and I love how the book is written exactly like a book from a bilingual book should be written !!!! Spanish and English were one in this story and I loved every reference to the culture !!! And the ending … Such a crazy cliffhanger !!!!!! Why do I keep doing this to myself ???? I loved this book and I can’t wait for it to be out !!!!!
“No es lo mismo interpretar un papel que convertirse en el personaje.”
“Since when were you ever afraid of telling me exactly what you thought?”
“Don’t get mad, get revenge.”
June 1, 2023
The Gilded Survivor, the first book of The Blood Tournaments trilogy is an action-packed page turner with politics, magic and more all packed into a glorious read.
This was an impressive world and the author has done an incredible job bringing it to life. The class divide between people and the problems it brought into the story were beautifully portrayed. The world created was mesmerising and the difference in living for the common folk and the Elite made it inspiring.
All Carmen wanted was her best friend and dancing in her life. She did not want to get entangled with the Elites who had no sympathy for her kind. And she definitely did not want anyone figuring out she has magic. But circumstances led her to the situation she dreaded to end up in all her life-participating in the Blood Tournaments.
Carmen crossing the line and entering the world of the Elite was exciting to watch. The addition of magic made it more interesting. The author took the time to lay the groundwork for the characters to flourish in their roles. Carmen was an interesting character who made the story emotional and close to heart. The way she’s different from the Elites around her made it better.
Antonio started as a mysterious character and did not change till the end. I’m interested in learning more about him and his past. There are many questions and mysteries surrounding Carmen and the Tournaments that I’m excited to discover. The magic system was vaguely described and needed more context which I’m hoping to get in the sequel!
The nail-biting tension did not ease up till the end and the cliffhanger has me wishing to read the sequel immediately! Thank you to the author and BOMM for sending me the ARC to this exciting read!
This was an impressive world and the author has done an incredible job bringing it to life. The class divide between people and the problems it brought into the story were beautifully portrayed. The world created was mesmerising and the difference in living for the common folk and the Elite made it inspiring.
All Carmen wanted was her best friend and dancing in her life. She did not want to get entangled with the Elites who had no sympathy for her kind. And she definitely did not want anyone figuring out she has magic. But circumstances led her to the situation she dreaded to end up in all her life-participating in the Blood Tournaments.
Carmen crossing the line and entering the world of the Elite was exciting to watch. The addition of magic made it more interesting. The author took the time to lay the groundwork for the characters to flourish in their roles. Carmen was an interesting character who made the story emotional and close to heart. The way she’s different from the Elites around her made it better.
Antonio started as a mysterious character and did not change till the end. I’m interested in learning more about him and his past. There are many questions and mysteries surrounding Carmen and the Tournaments that I’m excited to discover. The magic system was vaguely described and needed more context which I’m hoping to get in the sequel!
The nail-biting tension did not ease up till the end and the cliffhanger has me wishing to read the sequel immediately! Thank you to the author and BOMM for sending me the ARC to this exciting read!
May 18, 2023
I received an ARC copy of this book in return for an honest review. I like the idea of the plot, and I think she did a good job of executing it, for the most part. There are quite a few grammatical errors that need to be fixed, but she did warn us in the very beginning of the book that going back and forth from English to Spanish is hard and understandably so.
That being said, I believe the author did a great job explaining the different social classes and showing how they're interconnected yet not comfortable with each other. It's almost maddening how accurate it is to real life and to see the way that the artistas and troubadoures are treated by the Elites.
It would be nice to have more back story on the Familia Real and Carmen's existence. Carmen's story was almost there, but it was still not quite enough. That could be an opportunity for the next book, though. I just have so many unanswered questions, and I feel like a lot of detail could have been added in the entire book as it was mostly build-up until the last few chapters.
The twist at the end had me nearly hollering. I just could NOT believe what happened, and that cliffhanger has me a little stressed. I need to know more. I need to know what happens as the fallout. I need to know what Antonio thinks of this new information... or if he knew already and just didn't tell her. I need him to actually act on his feelings. So I will be reading further as those last few chapters got me hooked.
That being said, I believe the author did a great job explaining the different social classes and showing how they're interconnected yet not comfortable with each other. It's almost maddening how accurate it is to real life and to see the way that the artistas and troubadoures are treated by the Elites.
It would be nice to have more back story on the Familia Real and Carmen's existence. Carmen's story was almost there, but it was still not quite enough. That could be an opportunity for the next book, though. I just have so many unanswered questions, and I feel like a lot of detail could have been added in the entire book as it was mostly build-up until the last few chapters.
The twist at the end had me nearly hollering. I just could NOT believe what happened, and that cliffhanger has me a little stressed. I need to know more. I need to know what happens as the fallout. I need to know what Antonio thinks of this new information... or if he knew already and just didn't tell her. I need him to actually act on his feelings. So I will be reading further as those last few chapters got me hooked.
June 20, 2023
Thank you to the author for providing me with an Arc.
Admitedly, I never read the Hunger Games, but I've been told this book gives off that vibes. After reading this, I found myself really enjoying the genre. I'm a big fan of YA, but Dystopian is hit or miss with me. Thanks to teenage Tati who read every single dystopian book ever and burnt myself out on it.
I loved the world building and the characters. And appreciated that Latinx representation. The ending had my throwing my book, lol
Can't wait to read more.
Admitedly, I never read the Hunger Games, but I've been told this book gives off that vibes. After reading this, I found myself really enjoying the genre. I'm a big fan of YA, but Dystopian is hit or miss with me. Thanks to teenage Tati who read every single dystopian book ever and burnt myself out on it.
I loved the world building and the characters. And appreciated that Latinx representation. The ending had my throwing my book, lol
Can't wait to read more.
June 22, 2023
“Don’t get mad, get revenge.”
✨️ Dystopian Fantasy Romance
✨️ Love Triangle
✨️ Forbidden Love
✨️ Forced Proximity
✨️ Secret Identity
✨️ Blood Magic
✨️ Class systems
✨️ Plot Twists
✨️ FMC 1st person POV
✨️ Cliffhanger
This was such a great read! I loved the atmosphere and characters. I couldn't put it down. I read the whole book in a day!
I would definitely recommend this book to others! ✨️
Thank you to the author and Equality Book Tours for ebook copy. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.
✨️ Dystopian Fantasy Romance
✨️ Love Triangle
✨️ Forbidden Love
✨️ Forced Proximity
✨️ Secret Identity
✨️ Blood Magic
✨️ Class systems
✨️ Plot Twists
✨️ FMC 1st person POV
✨️ Cliffhanger
This was such a great read! I loved the atmosphere and characters. I couldn't put it down. I read the whole book in a day!
I would definitely recommend this book to others! ✨️
Thank you to the author and Equality Book Tours for ebook copy. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.
June 9, 2023
I had the privilege to read an arc of this book. I will say that this book didn’t disappoint. I definitely got some hunger game vibes from it but also it was unique in its own way. I love that the main character is stronger than she thinks and a bit stubborn. She is one of the lower class citizens and due to an incident gets involved with the higher class.
I love the friendships and romance that starts to bloom in it! I honestly can’t wait to read it again when it comes out!
I love the friendships and romance that starts to bloom in it! I honestly can’t wait to read it again when it comes out!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2023
I waited and waited for something to actually happen in this book, and then at 90 percent through weird stuff goes down and then it ends on a cliff hangar...I understand ypu need to spend a certain amount of time building a world in fantasy books...but it feels like that's all thos book was. Plus, I missed entire lines of dialogue because I don't speak Spanish...didn't realize there was a glossary at the end ..but still...this one wasn't for me.
May 2, 2023
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Fast-paced book, easy to understand world-building, with a few unexpected twists. Loved the main character and reading about her relationships with her friends, very believable and realistic.
Cannot wait to read the next one!
Cannot wait to read the next one!
June 16, 2023
"Expectations were dangerous things. They were liars---viperous thoughts slithering through your mind and embedding themselves into your skull"
After an incident which exposed Carmen's blood magic audition, and also revealed her power, she is thrusts into the world of the Elite and has to participate in the Blood Tournaments. Carmen has no choice but to obey the rules or else her dirty secret will be discovered and she'll put the lives of her loved ones in danger.
I find the concept of the blood magic intriguing, and The Gilded Survivor reminds me of Red Queen, Hunger Games and Prison Healer.
It's interesting to see the back and forth switch between English and Spanish, as someone who learned Spanish before (I'm talking about beginner level), it's easy for me to understand everything perfectly (plus the author added a glossary at the end)
To my dissapointment, this read didn't really grow on me until the last 30%.
It started with a very slow pacing while the ending was a bit too rushed, we don't have a clear explanation of the magic system and there's a lack of depth in the plot.
I'm looking forward to the sequel as I hope to see more character development.
After an incident which exposed Carmen's blood magic audition, and also revealed her power, she is thrusts into the world of the Elite and has to participate in the Blood Tournaments. Carmen has no choice but to obey the rules or else her dirty secret will be discovered and she'll put the lives of her loved ones in danger.
I find the concept of the blood magic intriguing, and The Gilded Survivor reminds me of Red Queen, Hunger Games and Prison Healer.
It's interesting to see the back and forth switch between English and Spanish, as someone who learned Spanish before (I'm talking about beginner level), it's easy for me to understand everything perfectly (plus the author added a glossary at the end)
To my dissapointment, this read didn't really grow on me until the last 30%.
It started with a very slow pacing while the ending was a bit too rushed, we don't have a clear explanation of the magic system and there's a lack of depth in the plot.
I'm looking forward to the sequel as I hope to see more character development.
June 20, 2023
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️💫 I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a review. I really liked the adventure and drama involved. The multiple languages was a really cool concept as well. I will for sure check out the next one. Thank you Daniela and team for my copy!
July 4, 2023
I can’t explain why I loved this, but i loved it.
August 21, 2023
just felt a little slow for me until the last 50 or so pages
May 13, 2023
Wow! Loved this book! A Spanish set Hunger games with political intrigue, class castes, slow burn romance (very slow), found family, and great world building.
I loved Carmen, the FMC who is also a POC. Carmen is a flamenco dancer. She is not perfect, nor beautiful, but she is strong and determined. I love that she wasn’t a perfect Mary Sue like you read in all other books. I also loved that she was a person of color. There are not enough strong female characters who are POC.
This story is intriguing, entertaining, and ends on a cliff hanger. How could you, Señorita Mera? I cannot wait to read book 2 and find out what happens to Carmen. If you love YA fantasy, great world building and slow burn romance, this is the book for you!
I loved Carmen, the FMC who is also a POC. Carmen is a flamenco dancer. She is not perfect, nor beautiful, but she is strong and determined. I love that she wasn’t a perfect Mary Sue like you read in all other books. I also loved that she was a person of color. There are not enough strong female characters who are POC.
This story is intriguing, entertaining, and ends on a cliff hanger. How could you, Señorita Mera? I cannot wait to read book 2 and find out what happens to Carmen. If you love YA fantasy, great world building and slow burn romance, this is the book for you!
May 21, 2023
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review upon completing my read through.
As someone who has only a basic understanding of Spanish from high school, I had my worries about the use of both languages within the book as I’ve had difficulties with other books. However, Mera did a great job of using it to elevate the dialogue and provided context clues without giving us a direct translation. I felt this was an artistic choice that worked to the advantage of the story without distracting from it.
I found the FMC to be enjoyable. Often in this realm of books the FMC is too much of an underdog, too beautiful, too perfect. Carmen is instead not beautiful, strong but not perfect, and is instead more human like us readers. Her flaws are presented to us, but not in a way of being “perfectly imperfect”. Overall, she felt more real that FMC of similar books in this genre.
Overall, I felt the characters exuded a depth to them that is hard to find in fiction these days and the story was set up in a clean and bold fashion. As a lover of fantasy, I enjoyed this new take on a dystopian reality with blood magic and dysfunctional caste system. I look forward to the next book and finding out what happens next!
As someone who has only a basic understanding of Spanish from high school, I had my worries about the use of both languages within the book as I’ve had difficulties with other books. However, Mera did a great job of using it to elevate the dialogue and provided context clues without giving us a direct translation. I felt this was an artistic choice that worked to the advantage of the story without distracting from it.
I found the FMC to be enjoyable. Often in this realm of books the FMC is too much of an underdog, too beautiful, too perfect. Carmen is instead not beautiful, strong but not perfect, and is instead more human like us readers. Her flaws are presented to us, but not in a way of being “perfectly imperfect”. Overall, she felt more real that FMC of similar books in this genre.
Overall, I felt the characters exuded a depth to them that is hard to find in fiction these days and the story was set up in a clean and bold fashion. As a lover of fantasy, I enjoyed this new take on a dystopian reality with blood magic and dysfunctional caste system. I look forward to the next book and finding out what happens next!
July 4, 2023
I received an ARC copy of this novel from a post in a Facebook group. There were grammatical errors (to be expected in an ARC).
I found it to be a bit slow at first, mostly because the world needed to be built up. I wish that could have better pacing, I didn’t truly get into it until about halfway through and it was worth it! It did not go the normal way I was expecting (ie Hunger Games, other tournament based dystopian novels), which was nice. I do like the character of Carmen/Renata very much. I enjoyed the mix of using the Spanish language and how the culture was implemented in this world.
Also the novel ends on a cliff hanger, so I am looking forward to the second novel.
Slow at first, but a very good novel I enjoyed and I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this novel!
I found it to be a bit slow at first, mostly because the world needed to be built up. I wish that could have better pacing, I didn’t truly get into it until about halfway through and it was worth it! It did not go the normal way I was expecting (ie Hunger Games, other tournament based dystopian novels), which was nice. I do like the character of Carmen/Renata very much. I enjoyed the mix of using the Spanish language and how the culture was implemented in this world.
Also the novel ends on a cliff hanger, so I am looking forward to the second novel.
Slow at first, but a very good novel I enjoyed and I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this novel!
May 3, 2023
I received an ARC of the book and I feel so lucky to have gotten to dive into this world early. I am a lover of all things fantasy and The Gilded Survivor does not disappoint. Arrebol is a place where only the Élites have magic and each class has its role to play. Stepping outside your role can get you killed. Every year selected Élite compete in the Blood Tournament to prove they are worthy to rule. Carmen is a talented Flamenco dancer, part of the artista class, but she has a secret, she too has magic in her veins. When her secret is exposed, she gets pulled into the world of the Élite and their tournament; a world she realizes she knows very little about. Can she play the part and keep herself and those she cares for safe? What to make of her mentor for these games, is he just another entitled elite or is there more to him?
This book is fast paced and I loved these characters. This takes place in a Spanish speaking world and there are untranslated Spanish phrases peppered throughout the book. Have no fear if you don’t know Spanish. Many of the phrases are easily discerned from context clues or quickly explained in English in the next few lines so it never disrupts the flow of the read. Also, there is a handy Spanish glossary included if you need it. I LOVED the inclusion of Spanish in this book it made the characters seem more authentic and really drew me more into this world. I cannot wait for book 2!
This book is fast paced and I loved these characters. This takes place in a Spanish speaking world and there are untranslated Spanish phrases peppered throughout the book. Have no fear if you don’t know Spanish. Many of the phrases are easily discerned from context clues or quickly explained in English in the next few lines so it never disrupts the flow of the read. Also, there is a handy Spanish glossary included if you need it. I LOVED the inclusion of Spanish in this book it made the characters seem more authentic and really drew me more into this world. I cannot wait for book 2!
May 21, 2023
I received this book as an ARC read in exchange for an honest review, which I will give. I hope my opinion is taken as a way to improve and make into a great read.
I liked this book, but was disappointed in the lack of detail. The storyline I 100% get behind and want to love from this book.
With that being said, there was huge gaps in storyline that I kept waiting to be revealed. I felt the Blood Tournament was never fully explained-the process from candidates to being chosen, the WHY on the tournament, what winning means. The whithering and what it does, where it comes from. The ending was a cliffhanger, which is fine, but it was incredibly rushed. The chancellor was made into a villain at the end, but there was zero build up to his evil. Issac and her relationship was muddy at best and there felt no clear foundation. That relationship felt all over the place, when it was bad there was no reason or full explanation.
I like this storyline. I like her writing, I want to see another version with more details in the right spots. Overall, I just felt there was a lot of unanswered basic foundation questions.
I liked this book, but was disappointed in the lack of detail. The storyline I 100% get behind and want to love from this book.
With that being said, there was huge gaps in storyline that I kept waiting to be revealed. I felt the Blood Tournament was never fully explained-the process from candidates to being chosen, the WHY on the tournament, what winning means. The whithering and what it does, where it comes from. The ending was a cliffhanger, which is fine, but it was incredibly rushed. The chancellor was made into a villain at the end, but there was zero build up to his evil. Issac and her relationship was muddy at best and there felt no clear foundation. That relationship felt all over the place, when it was bad there was no reason or full explanation.
I like this storyline. I like her writing, I want to see another version with more details in the right spots. Overall, I just felt there was a lot of unanswered basic foundation questions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2023
I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. There’s just something about bilingual writers who include that aspect in their books that I truly adore. I love reading Spanglish or a combination of both languages in the book. As I can relate.
I loved the authors note at the beginning, Much love for this book
I did have a few problems with the book. If you read other reviews you would see grammatical errors is a common theme. It does take you out of the book and the world a bit.
Another problem was that it was very slow and as a book compared to the hunger games there’s not much action going on. There’s barely any training scenes so I hard to understand her capability to win the Blood Tournament.
Another problem which was probably a grammatical mistake but could’ve been a huge shift in plot, when Isaac told Carmen that the gift was from him and they kissed, he called her Carmen. Had me stuck on that one.
Overall it was a good book. But it’s just too slow for me taste
I loved the authors note at the beginning, Much love for this book
I did have a few problems with the book. If you read other reviews you would see grammatical errors is a common theme. It does take you out of the book and the world a bit.
Another problem was that it was very slow and as a book compared to the hunger games there’s not much action going on. There’s barely any training scenes so I hard to understand her capability to win the Blood Tournament.
Another problem which was probably a grammatical mistake but could’ve been a huge shift in plot, when Isaac told Carmen that the gift was from him and they kissed, he called her Carmen. Had me stuck on that one.
Overall it was a good book. But it’s just too slow for me taste
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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