This was a really fun, yet predictable book. I enjoyed the flipping of bullfighting into dragon fighting and they managed to push back against the tradition of the bullfighting in Spanish culture by giving it a different twist. The hate-to-love romance felt a bit rushed, and not fleshed out quite enough. Pacing was a bit slow for the first third which then made the end feel a bit rushed. Overall, it was cute, but that's about it. Just cute.

I was given this book from Netgalley, but this is an honest review.

I read this in less than 24 hours and it was BRILLIANT!!!!!! My heart was beating so fast and I loved everything about this book.


I love the characters and the setting! The dragon fighting is so cool and the writing is spectacular. Zarela is such a fun character. She is strong and dedicated to her family and I love her! Arturo is such a funny, grumpy guy and I now have a new book boyfriend. The slow burn almost got me, but it was the perfect amount. The setting was very cool. I loved the governmental system and the slight magic along with the amazing dragons. The writing was just magical and was so descriptive of the dresses, animals, and food. I love this book so much and I’m honored I could read it before the release date.

Zarela’s family has been showcasing dragon fights for generations. It is a 3,000 year old tradition. It is a fight to the death between man and dragon and the dragons often win. Someone sabotages a performance, letting dragons free and many are killed. Can she find a way to keep the shows together?

I love a good dragon story and this did not disappoint! The main story builds Zarela’s family empire and the resolve (yay for a strong female!) she has to save it. She is stubborn and determined and admirable. She will do what she needs to continue their legacy, including working with dragons. Since her mother was killed by a dragon, it’s a difficult challenge to overcome.

We meet Arturo who is just as stubborn and determined! I loved their pairing. It built slowly making it more believable and real. Then we meet the dragons. Oh I wish I could’ve had more dragons! They were unique and I feel there could’ve been an entire story about them. I would’ve loved that! But the story focused more on building the relationship than focusing on the dragons. My personal preference would have been the other way around but I still enjoyed it.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the gifted copy!

The book releases May 31, 2022.

❤️‍🔥BOOK REVIEW❤️‍🔥

Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez
Release Date: May 31, 2022

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

“An ancient city plagued by dragons. A flamenco dancer determined to save her ancestral home. A dragon hunter refusing to teach her his ways. They don't want each other, but they need each other, and without him her world will burn.” (Directly quoted off GoodReads. Lol)

Meet 18 year old Zarela Zalvidar, the daughter of the most renowned Draganador in all of Santivilla. During their 500th celebration fight, there is an awful accident that ravages their arena and her father is horribly injured. Realizing that her father’s career may be in jeopardy, Zarela has to do whatever she can to save her ancestral home and keep her family name intact.

She attempts to enlist the help of a feral (yet handsome) dragon tamer to help her in her quest for redemption.

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

WOW WOW WOW THIS BOOK! Please do yourself the favor of pickup this book AS SOON AS it releases this month. It is FANTASTIC. Set in a spain like setting, instead of bull fighters, they are dragon fighters. There is action, slow burn, love, passion, dance, food, culture, twists and turns, mystery, scandal, family, friends, everything. This book is everything. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at first but man oh man, it got me. And it got me on a SJM level. Isabel Ibañez set the scene, set the drama, set the slow burn, set it all in one book, and she did it SO well. I even went ahead and pre-ordered the physical book so I can have it forever. I have FEELINGS about this book and I need my booksta babes to read this so we can talk!

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

✨Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this before it is published!✨

#bookstagram #bookmom #bookstagrammer #bookclub #whatimreading #bookies #bookish #readwithme #ilovebooks #booksbookandmorebooks #bookishlife
#bookishthings #currentlyreading #netgalley #arc #bookrecs #bookreview #icanteven #fantasy #romantacy #dragons #dragonador

Many thanks to St. Martins Press and netgalley for an advance reader copy of Together We Burn.

I wasn't sure what to expect but when I read dragonsand saw that amazing cover, I knew I had to give it a chance.

What I liked:
*Incredible world building
*Strong and a little sassy female MC
*Was never 100% sure I knew who the villain was
*Enemies to lovers

What I didn't like:
*It was an incredibly slow build up
*I also think the plot dragged just a little as we got
closer to the climax

Overall, it was a good read, just a little too slow for me. It's more fantasy than romance but not your traditional fantasy. It reads like an alternate universe more than a traditional fantasy.

Together We Burn comes out on May 31 and is available for pre-order now

This was a wonderful story. The romance, the dancing, the dragons, it was absolutely beautiful. There was emotion and lovely descriptions through the book. I enjoyed it immensely. The characters were developed very well, and the ending was magnificent. It was a fast read for me, since I could hardly put it down. Highly recommend!

2.5 Stars

I really struggled with this book. Both the subject (and its link to bullfighting) and the pacing were just not for me. I declined to review formally, as a result. I know Isabel is a relatively new author and I don't want to go too negative in a public forum like Goodreads or social media or blog.

This book exceeded ALL of my expectations.

Like her mother, Zarela is a flamenco dancer. With her family’s dragon arena and legacy at stake due to a terrible accident, Zarela must step up to save her family’s business. Forced to come up with a unique solution, she begins training to become a dragonador and must rely on Arturo, a grumpy and mysterious trainer.

This concept is so unique! The worldbuilding was magnificent and skillfully weaved in Spanish culture and history. Ibãnez’ writing style immediately drew me in. There’s the perfect balance of intrigue, adventure, and romance.

I loved Zarela as a character and can only imagine how much my younger self would have loved her too. Not only is she incredibly loyal, but she is ambitious and determined.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Together We Burn has something for every reader -- dragons, duels, romance, intrigue, and a feisty heroine that just won't quit. Ibañez seamlessly weaves together fantasy, family, and heritage to create an immersive story that equally delights and keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Filled with magic and spice, this coming-of-age story is sure to be a treat!

When the unthinkable happens to her family's dragon-fighting arena, Zarela must step out of the shadow of her parents to save her family, home and heritage -- but, she can't do it alone. Enlisting the help of her best friend and a reluctant dragon-hunter, Zarela must transform from Flamenco dancer to Dragonador in order to prove her family is worthy of the title and to unravel the mystery of what happened on that fateful day.

i liked the pacing but the character development missed some opportunities! the plot twist was also discovered way before the reveal

Together We Burn is an immersive and colorful experience full of dragons, Spanish culture, food and last but not least…romance!

I was highly anticipating this book after reading the synopsis. It’s a really fun take on Spanish bull fighting but with dragons and flamenco dancing!

It starts off with a bang and I really enjoyed the the overall pacing of the book. After Zerelda witnesses a shocking death at the hand of dragons… her life is forever changed. She must abandon her dancing to take up fighting in the ring to protect her families legacy and prevent financial ruin.

I thought all of the cultural elements were by far the best parts of this book. I inhaled all the sights of the city and the smells of the food right off the pages. I also always love a stubborn love interest who refuses to show all his cards right up front and their romance definitely is a slow burn. The parts where Zerelda is being trained as a dragon fighter were some of my favorite.

The only thing I will say is that the ending did not come as a surprise to me and the villain came off a little manic. BUT that all being said I don’t think it overall impacted too much of my overall enjoyment and I would still really recommend this book to anyone who loves a Upper YA/NA fantasy stand-alone! I’d love a spin off story and to be immersed in this world all over again!

This was such a fun, unique read. I was intrigued from the start with the mention of dragons and wasn't too sure where the book was going to take us. It's a great story of family, standing up for yourself, and following her heart. Full of dragons, drama, and danger I was intrigued from start to finish. The little dash of romance was great and made the book all that more enjoyable. I can see this being a great hit among YA readers. The world-building is simple but beautiful and the cultural vibes based on medieval Spain were incredible.

An ancient city under constant threat of a dragon attack is the home to eighteen-year-old Zarela. She is a talented dancer and daughter of a famous dragon fighter that draws hundreds of people to their family-owned dragon fighting arena. But when disaster strikes, Zarela's life is changed in more ways than one. Now, dragons aren't her only threat. She must also fight to save her family and her family's legacy. To do that, she must become a Dragonador, like her father, so she seeks out the most talented dragon hunter, Arturo, who is less than willing to help. Zarela refuses to give up, if she doesn't fight her world will be left to burn.

Thank you to Wednesday books for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was originally very excited to have gotten my hands on this book because of the premise, the author, and the cover! My problem with this story was that it was veeery slow. I kept putting it down and reading other books. Also, the villain was easily predicted from early on and the romance just wasn't there for me. The concept was just so interesting to begin with and may have led to higher expectations than it warranted. I'll still be picking up the next book from the author since I have liked the previous books.

3.5 stars. The premise for this book was very interesting - bull fighting and toreadors, except with dragons. It has a driving conflict - after her mother dies and her dragon fighting arena is disastrously sabotaged, 18-year-old Zarela must find a way to reclaim her family's honor and keep her home.

What I liked:
☑️ A strong female MC who is determined and dedicated, who is open to breaking down barriers to save her family and her home.
☑️ The general concept. A bit of How to Train Your Dragon with a sprinkle of mystery, a heavy romance undertone, and a healthy helping of Latinx culture.

What could have been improved:
🆗 Bringing the entire last third of the book up sooner. Without revealing too much, it was challenging to understand why the love interest character was supporting Zarela when her entire intention was to kill a dragon, which he categorically opposes. Some of the information that takes place at the eleventh hour would have made for a richer story.
🆗 A little bit less of a children's story ending. This book couldn't seem to decide if it was YA, NA, or Adult. Most of it seemed fairly NA although the MC is only 18, but there is a scene with fairly explicit spice, and then the ending feels extremely convenient in a very magic wand, happily ever after way.

In all, I did enjoy the book, but I think it suffered from a bit of an identity crisis, and it could have benefited from some restructuring and reprioritizing.

This book grabbed me and transported me to the land of Hispalia. This land has dragons that are captured and fought in rings by Dragonadors (like matadors in a bullfight) where they fight to the death. Zarela Zalvidar is a flamenco dancer at her family's 500 year old ring. Her mother had been a flamenco dancer and had taught Zaarela well before she was killed by a dragon's flames. A tragedy occurred at the ring that brought major problems to Zarela and her family. She is determined to make things right and carry on her family's tradition and good name.

This read somewhat like a fairy tale with beautiful descriptions of the the surroundings, the clothing, the dragons etc. There is a strong female protagonist and a handsome dragon tamer. There's also good versus evil and a mystery to be solved. I loved it! Zarela's strength and determination were admirable. The Spanish language sprinkled through the book was easily understandable and appropriate to the story.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on May 31, 2022.

I’d give this book 3.5 stars if I could. It was an enjoyable read and I love the storyline of it. There were some faults but overall a pleasant experience.

The story takes place in Hispalia which is similar to our Spain, in a world that uses dragons instead of bulls in a fighting arena. We follow Zarela, the daughter of a prominent dragon fighting family. Zarela has to deal with many hardships and trials to protect her family name and solve the mystery of who is sabotaging her career.

The story is filled with adventure, enemies to lovers, mystery and bi-lingual goodness.

There were a few issues I did have with this book which I hope don’t take away from the story. Firstly, there is a lot of repetition in the book. I don’t know if it was used to fill pages or what, but it made it difficult to get through. Also, this book is labeled as fast-paced, but since there was so much repetition, it didn’t pick up for me until halfway through the book. I put this book down so many times and thought I wouldn’t finish until I got to the halfway mark when things picked up. Lastly, this is an ARC, so I’m hoping they catch the spelling and grammatical errors before publishing, but I did catch quite a few while reading.

I’d still highly recommend this book. It’s a new read with a really inventive storyline which I think people will enjoy. Thank you to Net Galley for giving me an ARC.

TOGETHER WE BURN was the perfect blend of romance, adventure, and DRAGONS. One of my favorite things about Isabel Ibanez's writing is that it is the type of writing that engages all of your senses, including tickling your imagination with descriptions that engage taste and smell specifically (i.e., she talks about food). I love it when authors are able to do that. I can understand how the main character, Zarela, can rub people the wrong way, as she isn't a classically likeable female character, but it her imperfections and her sharpness that really endeared me to her. She makes choices out of a love for her family name and the memory of her mother, and again, I found that really compelling. I loved the slow burn, "I hate you but I actually love you" dynamic between her and Arturo. The chemistry there, I thought, was done so well and was off the charts. And the dragons! I was so relieved that, just as we see different sides of our MCs, we see a side of dragons other than the monstrous ways they are viewed by Zarela's homeland. Other relationships Zarela has in her life--with her father, Hector, and Lola, were also well-developed and take some interesting turns throughout the novel. The world-building was lush and vibrant, and I really savored reading every bit of this novel. I will say that the pacing could have been like, a twinge better in the beginning but honestly I didn't think it was that much of an issue.

Together We Burn by Isabel Ibanez is a standalone fantasy novel. Zarela Zalvidar, our heroine, is only 18 years old, who is a popular flamenco dancer; her mother was the best flamenco dancer, until she was tragically killed by a dragon years ago. Zarela works closely with her father, considered the best Dragonador, who fights and kills dragons. When disaster strikes, her father is badly injured, as someone opened the doors allowing dragons to escape; she is determined to find out who sabotaged them. Zarela is a wonderful heroine, who will do anything to try and save the family business, as well as their reputation. She has to face many obstacles to try and get the association to help, but she is turned down at every turn.

Arturo, our hero, was a former Dragonador, and now a Tamer of Dragons, comes across as tough and brooding; he hunts dragons and tries to train them. Arturo, does not believe in killing the dragons for entertainment. When Zarela tries to hire him to help train her, and be a tamer, they both get off on the wrong foot. This is certainly a wonderful enemy to lover’s story line, that will take some time for them to team up together. I really loved their complicated relationship, with Arturo being cold and nasty early on; but he is also fighting off his new found feelings for the lovely Zarela; with the chemistry between them escalating. The banter between them was fun, as we watch how Arturo slowly changes as he grows closer to Zarela; and her passion for him grows.

What follows is an amazing and very different kind of fantasy, that was unique, magical, intriguing, betrayals, and romance; with a wonderful couple we rooted hard for, despite all the complications. I really loved Zarela and Arturo together; and some of the secondary characters were great, especially Lola. There was also a surprising villain, who turned out to be very evil.
Together We Burn was a wonderful and exciting story, with a bit of everything; dragons, dance with dragons, dangerous situations, politicians threatening to destroy the family, as well as a number of twists. Together We Burn was so very well written by Isabel Ibanez. If you are a fantasy fan, I suggest to read this book.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"'Why are you always putting yourself in danger?'
'What do you mean why? My home is under attack. What would you do?'
He has no answer for that because he knows I'm right. There are some things that are worth your life."

"Together We Burn" is basically How to Train Your Dragon but with Spainairds instead of Vikings and more mature examinations of the themes, and I MEAN THAT AS NOTHING BUT A COMPLIMENT.

While not perfect, this is the best YA fantasy novel I've read since "The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea" back in January, and it pulled me out of a pretty massive reading slump. So - if you couldn't tell - I highly recommend it.

Let's get into some specifics. The summary does a good job outlining the concept of the novel, so I won't rehash that here. What really makes "Together We Burn" shine are 1) the characters, 2) the romance, and 3) the worldbuilding.

Let's start with the characters. Zarela is my queen and I love her immensely. She is stubborn and determined and often wrong but rarely in a way that made me roll my eyes and wonder why she was so stupid. It's just...human beings are wrong sometimes and she is a human. I also appreciated the way the author gave Zarela strong family and friend relationships. Our MC has her ups and downs with her loved ones but never questions that she is loved, and there's obvious trust and respect between her and her loved ones. This is actually kind of rare in YA novels and I found it very refreshing. Zarela's friendship with Lola was - in particular - realistic AF.

Okay, so the romance. "Together We Burn" has one of the best enemies to lovers relationships that I've read in a long time, and I'm not even limiting that comment to YA. Zarela and Arturo definitely start off on opposing sides of basically every issue, but neither one of them ever crosses a line into unnecessary cruelty, something I think we see a lot in EtL romances. The development of their relationship is super realistic as well since Ibanez takes the time to show them behaving admirably in front of one another, so it makes total sense how they'd slowly begin to respect each other, then like each other, then love each other. I also appreciated that neither character completely changed who they were because of their romance - it added to who they were instead of rewriting who they were. Plus the banter between them is just super fun to read.

Importantly, the romantic subplot supports the main storyline without pulling focus. This definitely did not feel like your standard YA fantasy, where the whole novel just becomes a romance once the love interest is introduced. We don't even meet Arturo until chapter 8, about 20% of the way in.

*Spicy content call-out* - Zarela and Arturo are on the older side for YA (18 and 20 respectively) and there are two scenes that were a little spicier than I was expecting in a YA novel. It's not particularly graphic but goes beyond just kissing, so do with that what you will.

I think some readers might be surprised that I'm including the worldbuilding as something I loved about this novel because it's not particularly in-depth. I think that's why I liked it though; the reader gets exactly enough worldbuilding to support the story without diving into anything unnecessary. I think this sort of ruthless worldbuilding is pivotal to keeping a consistent pace in a fantasy standalone, and the author did a great job with it. This is also a soft magic system in that the rules aren't clearly defined and none of the main characters are magic users, but magic is definitely present. There are spells that are bought and sold, a secondary character is a magic user, and I mean, the whole plot revolves around dragons... The Spanish-inspired atmosphere was really engaging as well and sent me down a rabbit hole of Spanish-inspired fantasy which I am currently enjoying.

Last but not least, some assorted thoughts (including a couple of the negatives that kept this from being a 5-star for me).

- There's a handy dandy guide to the various guilds and dragons referenced throughout the text in the beginning. I would've really loved a map as well, but there isn't one and I didn't see a placeholder for one to be inserted before its release.
- This book has a powerful first sentence and I was drawn in right away.
- Some of the metaphors are odd. Like, "I remember it was near an orange grove that tartly scented the air like a thick lemon wedge flavoring tea." Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand why you'd use lemons as a simile for oranges...Later on, there's one that says "The smell tastes like ashes in my mouth." Maybe it's just personal preference, but the figurative language game for this book was not quite on point.
- The prologue and first two chapters, while engaging and action-packed, are kind of repetitive. That does drop off in chapter three. Or "Tres," since all the chapter headings are in Spanish.
- There were some noticeable grammar and formatting issues, but I assume those will be corrected in the final release and I didn't factor them into my rating.
- There were some sections that were info-dump-adjacent, but I never found them pulling me out of the story.
- I appreciated that a good amount of Spanish was used throughout the text, but in a way that feels very accessible to non-Spanish speakers. Where I live in central Texas, most people speak some Spanglish, if not full-blown Spanish, and I was able to understand basically all the Spanish text included. If someone is less familiar with the language, you can typically understand what was said from the context or the response.
- Zarela's call to action - deciding to fight in the arena - makes sense. I feel like, in a lot of YA fantasy, the MC just decides to do something crazy when there are seemingly a lot of alternatives. It did not feel this way for Zarela.
- It was really interesting to see the "fall from grace" of a popular family after a tragedy occurs. "Before the massacre, he might have extended courtesy and respect. Now, he sees someone he can look down at." It definitely adds some emotional weight to the text and makes Zarela's determination to restore her family legacy that much more understandable.
- The "big reveal" towards the end was pretty predictable. I won't get into this more because of spoilers but yeah. I saw it coming pretty early on.
- So many novels today are about tearing down institutions and legacies that it was really interesting to read one where tradition and legacy are incredibly important to the MC. There is growth and Zarela's ideas on this topic do evolve, but they don't change completely as the legacy of her culture and family is an integral part of who she is. "What other artist faces death while performing? We take on the risk to prove victory is possible against monsters."
- The resolution was maybe a bit anti-climactic, but I thought it worked for the text and I felt satisfied when I closed the book. Well, closed the file on my Kindle, but you know what I mean.

Thank you for reading my dissertation - sorry this was so long.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a requested advance copy for review. All opinions are my own.

This was....underwhelming. Maybe my expectations were too high because some friends had loved it, but this left me feeling disappointed and unsatisfied. The premise sounds so cool: bullfighting, but dragons! How to Train Your Dragon, but make it Spanish! But it just didn't execute well. It was a super easy read, but also the plot progression was slow, with little real action until the last 20%. The world-building left a lot to be desired; I wanted to know way more about the magic and the dragons, and some more backstory. I had suspected the baddie from the beginning, so that reveal wasn't very surprising. There was also another reveal that I'm sure was supposed to be shocking and emotional, but left me feeling completely cold. How Zarela didn't already know that information was super hard to believe, plus the conflict was pretty much immediately resolved. The shift from enemies to lovers for Zarela and Arturro didn't feel well-earned. Also, Lola tells Zarela how charming she is and how she can charm anyone and I just never saw it.
Ugh, I'm sorry for how negative this all sounds, but I just think this could have been so much better.