Amparo Ortiz Books In Order

Publication Order of Blazewrath Games Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Graphic Novels

Publication Order of Anthologies

Amparo Ortiz is a young adult and children’s fiction author best known for her debut novel “Blazewrath Games.” She was born in San Juan Puerto Rico though she has now moved to the northeastern coast of the island from where she does her writing. Apart from her novels, she is a short fiction author and “What Remains in The Dark” her short story comic was featured in “Puerto Rico Strong” the Eisner Award-winning anthology that was published in 2018. She is also the author of “Saving Chupie” the HarperCollins published graphic novel targeted at middle graders. Ortiz went to the Piedras Campus of UPR Rio from where she got her bachelor’s and masters in Psychology. When she is not teaching English as a second language to students she loves to dabble in Korean and reads as much young adult fiction as she can find. As a Latinx author, she loves reading and writing about fantastical and contemporary Latinx characters in fiction.

Ortiz’s identity as a Latinx author has significantly affected the stories she is interested in telling. She got her start in writing as a seventeen-year-old when she started penning her first story. The lead character as a white boy that goes to a high-end private school. As much as she loved the story, she could not relate to the led character as his story did not feel as true and as deep as the subsequent ones she wrote that had Latinx leads. She has always felt that white boys will always have someone who can write so many books about their lives in fancy private schools. Amparo Ortiz is more interested in showcasing the different complexities and realities of being a member of the Latinx community. She prefers to write about readers who hardly ever see themselves in pages and covers of fiction novels.

The story for “Blazewrath Games” has been in Ortiz’s subconscious since 2014. However, it took her nearly two years to crystalize the idea and finally gather enough courage to write it. It was the most intimidating work she had ever done and she thought she was not good enough of a writer to write such a complicated story. She finally sat down to write in 2016 and the painful and slow process was worsened by the fact that she had to deal with the aftereffects of Hurricane Maria that had swept through the island in 2017. Ortiz’s writing was put on the back burner as she dealt with the lack of water, power, and the desire to accomplish anything to move the story forward. She has asserted that it was one of the most trying periods of her life. Her novels are written for people who believe in realism even though they contain magic and monsters. But most critically, she writes or young readers looking to find their own identities. Just like she was a thoroughly depressed and hopeless teen that was saved by books and reading, she hopes she can do the same for other children. She hopes her words can be the source of solace to someone that may be encouraged by seeing another person who lives and looks like them.

“Blazewrath Games” by Amparo Ortiz is an extraordinary sport as it is played on the back of dragons. It is the story of Florida Lana Torres, a seventeen-year-old who dreams of becoming the representative for the Puerto Rico team at the Blazewrath Games. Runners typically do not play with dragons though they are just as important as the other athletes taking part in the games. Unfortunately, Lana could have her dreams shattered by a former dragon named Sire who had been transformed into a human by his rider given that he was so murderous as a dragon. Two decades later, he is back loosing Un-Bonded dragons across the globe and seeking vengeance. Lana’s cool head and quick thinking during an attack in a wand shop is the break she needs to get her on the way to achieving glory at the Blazewrath games. But she is still inexplicably linked to Sire and he is not going to let her achieve her dreams when she had thwarted his plans. She now has to face unexpected conspiracy and violence from the Blazewrath Federation, Takeshi Endo her beloved Blazewrath legend, and the International Bureau of Magical Matters. The world-building is great and the dragons have fascinating abilities and powers with each having their unique personalities. It feels like a naturally inclusive world with numerous culturally, ethnically, and queer characters. Throughout the story, Lana who is the daughter of a Puerto Rican father and a white mother struggles with self-identity before she accepts herself at the end of it.