The Bleeding Throne The Blood Tournaments #3

Daniela A. Mera — 2023

When The Prison Healer and The Hunger Games meet… "The worst part is that I had expected this to end like some ludicrous fairytale. Fairytales were wishful nightmares incarnate." With half of the Blood Tournament competitors dead, the stakes for marriage were higher than ever, and Carmen was barely holding on. What she had seen in the volcano carved deep scars inside of her. In a world where blood was everything, the Chancellor forced Carmen to marry in order to preserve her legendary magic. Fractured trust soured the match, alongside the instruction to produce an heir to her new estate within a year. When the next year's tournament arrived, and Carmen was still childless, she was ready for hell to pay. However, the punishment was worse than she could have anticipated. A new round of bombings and raids swept across Arrebol. With the threat of civil war looming, Carmen woke up. She was no longer the emaciated, shell-shocked young woman who had faded into society. She was a warrior, willing to fight to the death for a better world.

Reviews

Ariel Johnson@ariel790

Aug 23, 2023

Book 2 of The Blood Tournaments, The Deadliest Game (The Blood Tournaments #2):, left us with a wyvern erupting out of a volcano in a monumental way. The bombastic destruction of Mt. La Dama and the dragon's escape causing aftermath of sorrow and annihilation. Not only that, we discovered that the Wyvern was a secondary form for the Queen of Air and Shadow. Book 3, starts with the Queen's reveal and the following conversation she had declaring war on Carmen.

So, not only is Carmen feeling guilt for the death and maiming of so many competitors in the Blood Tournaments, she's injured and traumatized, on top of being blamed for the obliteration of so many young souls. All while scrambling to figure out this new nemesis' motivations.

This is mainly what The Bleeding Throne focuses on. How Carmen feels following Book 2's events and how she slowly learns to cope. Daniela A. Mera does an exceptional job of breaking down Carmen's emotions and reactions, mainly anger and hurt. Carmen's trauma feels believable. How she reacts about her leg, her situation and how she lashes out often at Antonio when she has no other outlet of managing her pain. Antonio's point of view is even given, showing that he's only human too and unsure on how to help her without running away. The plot is very character driven for these reasons.

Everything else comes secondary. This is why I feel The Bleeding Throne could have been made longer or split into several books of its own and couldn't give it a complete 5 stars. Encounters with the Queen are quick, easy to miss the more subtle factors in conversations she has. After her epic arrival, I felt she deserved more. She needs a book of her own, honestly. The Chanciller became more of an annoying inconvenience, rather than the evil bastard he was set up to be. Antonio sort of also feels like he is pushed to the side unrightfully so after fighting so hard for Carmen before. There is even a whole cult that worships Carmen's bloodline that is glanced over. All these needed more time and development.

Where I will give the story credit is it does tie Carmen's story together. She has to learn that she can't solve everything. Life is constantly changing and she has to learn to adapt or be swallowed up whole.

The world that Daniela A. Mera is setting up with this series is sublime, her writing layered and fascinating. Even though this one isn't my favorite, I still enjoyed it and look do forward to her future works.