It took a few chapters for me to get on board with this, but then I was fully invested in Zarela's story!

I loved the Spanish-inspired world that this book took place in - all the descriptions of food and use of language really transported me! Zarela was such a strong, feisty MC, and I admired how brave she was throughout the book. Despite all the trauma she'd experienced in the past and her fear of dragons, she fought so hard to save the reputation of her family's arena. Arturo was a really interesting character too, willing to train Zarela to fight in the arena, in spite of it going against his own personal beliefs. The two of them had excellent banter, and I loved how their relationship developed! All the side-characters in this were also super fun (I definitely want to be friends with Lola!)

This was more romance/fantasy and did not have as many dragons as I thought; dragons were kind of an after thought IMO. The premise was so good too and I thought the overall plot would have more of story, especially with dragon. Disappointed.

Thanks to Netgalley, Isabel Ibanez and St Martin's Press Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 5/31/22

Love, love, love! The writing is beautiful in its simplicity, and the world-building is so unique! Matador bull fights, but make it fantasy with dragons? SIGN ME UP! The slow burn romance is so good, and the progression of it hits at all.the.right.moments. Swoon! The stakes are high, and the payoff is so satisfying. I cannot read this book enough.

Oh perfect slow burn enemies to lovers! I loved the relationship between Zarela and Arturo! They are both so proud and it was nice to see that they eventually became supportive of one another and their beliefs.

The best friend Lola is one of the best side character that I have read in a while! She was so witty and fun but also super supportive. I want her to be my friend! 🥰

I felt that it was a little slow to start and the plot twists were a little predictable to me but I enjoyed reading the story and loved the Spanish heritage. It was refreshing to read a fantasy book that aside from a few major things like dragons, was true to the culture.

Read this if you like:
🔥 Enemies to Lovers
🔥 Spain and it’s culture especially bull fighting, the clothing and the food
🔥 A spunky, do anything best friend side character

First of all, can I say I SCREAMED when I found out I got approved for this ARC? I fell in love with Isabel Ibañez’s writing since I read Woven in Moonlight. Her debut novel impressed me so much with her lush descriptions of the environment, the food, the COLORS! Truly I think her prose is some of the best out there in YA right now, and TWB is no exception to that. The world she paints is magical and I want to get lost in it.

Zarela is also a great protagonist. She’s fiery, loyal, hardworking to a fault. We love a heroine who is bold and unapologetic but also full of uncertainty as she tries both to preserve and change the traditions of her heritage. And her chemistry with Arturo 👀 together we burn INDEED

The main reason this is a four and not a five star is because first of all: dragons. The dragons we get are lovely: again, we have gorgeous descriptions and a large range of types. I just wished there had been more of them. I won’t spoil it, I just thought there could have been more dragon moments.

I also thought the first… 40% of the novel was a bit slow. We open with a horrific event at Zarela’s Dragonador ring, and then proceed to have a lot of running around taking care of her father, doing administrative work - it kind of felt like running around in circles until we meet Arturo, and even some after. It starts to pick up a lot after that and is worth it, but I thought that could have picked up some.

Overall, it was a super fun and magical read that I recommend!

Eighteen-year-old Zarela Zalvidar is a talented flamenco dancer and daughter of the most famous Dragonador in Hispalia. Disaster strikes their arena, and now Zarela must become a Dragonador in order to save her family's legacy. She refuses to let the handsome Arturo Díaz de Montserrat turn away, and ensures his hire and help. She refuses to let her entire world burn down.

Hispalia in this novel has wild dragons in the countryside, and the sport of killing dragons in an arena mirrors bullfighting of our world. They speak Spanish and have similar foods and flamenco, but also guilds for mages, dragon hunters, dragonadors, and all the major aspects of industry. Zarela witnessed her mother's death in a dragon fight gone wrong, and another one years later led to her father's severe injury and massive fines as the guild master took out his hate for her father on the family legacy. She refuses to consider losing the arena or the reputation for her family name even as she sells items that her mother had been known for. Her sacrifice keeps the arena afloat, but she knows there is only so much that could be sold.

Seeing Zarela and Arturo bristle at each other from the start of their meet not-cute to how stubborn Zarela is when hiring him, I knew immediately there would be a romance as well as the fight to save the arena and her heritage. She must overcome her fear and loathing of dragons, and his own history with dragons must be engaged with. He has a secret that he fears would come between them, and there is the matter of whoever tried to sabotage the family arena. When the answer comes, Zarela fights it with every fiber of her being, just as she fought against the world trying to take her family's reputation from her. Her father is important to her, as Arturo becomes, and Zarela works to blend both halves of her family legacy.

Inspired by flamenco and Spanish culture, this book is an enemies to lovers romance with a taut ending that I had to race to finish. I simply had to know what happened next, even when I should have shut the book to go to bed. Reading this was worth staying up all night!

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc.

Unfortunately I had a hard time with this one. While finding parts and specific pieces absolutely amazing I just could not focus on anything but the bull fighting/dragon fighting idea particularly at the beginning. There is much to be said for the cultural significance of this story, tho.

This one was not for me sadly. When I read about dragons I don't want them to feel like replacements for bulls. I do love taking Ilbanez family's culture brought into a fantasy setting.

I was interested by the words “dragon dance” and the promise of fantasy romance, however ultimately this book didn’t quite pan out for me, and I’ll explain why.

1. I did not realize (and this is on me) that this was inspired by the concept of bull fights. So…this means the dragons are dying for entertainment and the MC and her family are on board with it. That’s kind of hard to get behind. While it is eventually addressed, I didn’t feel like I could really get behind this idea.

2. The pacing in this book felt off. I was never fully drawn into the story, which made it that much harder when one of the MCs had some pretty unsympathetic motivations.

I think this had potential, but I don’t know if it was the story for me ultimately.

Isabel Ibañez flies us to another world in a way only she can. Her immersive world building will have you seeing, hearing, tasting, and feeling every ounce of her Spanish-inspired setting. Combining fantasy with real-world cultural arts like flamenco and matadors makes this fantasy both unique but also accessible. I appreciated going along the growth and personal discovery with her main character, and supported the all important moral lesson that it is ok to change your mind. An excellent, exciting, and inspiring read that had me doing all of the following: cheering, hiding under my covers, swooning in love, and nodding a ferocious “hell yeah girl”.

This was such a beautiful story! I loved the worldbuilding and thought the magic system was very unique. The concept of the dragonadors and the different guilds were so neat. I thought Zarela was a very passionate main character and I thought her relationship with Lola was so sweet. Zarela and Arturo had a very tumultuous relationship, but I'm happy with how everything turned out. They also had great banter! The ending reminded me of the drama in telenovelas 😅 It was a great story overall!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC and Libro FM for the early audio copy of TOGETHER WE BURN by Isabel Ibañez, available from Wednesday Books on May 31.

❤️‍🔥 What a mesmerizing book! Set in a Spanish-inspired fantasy kingdom, Dragonadors (dragon fighters) entertain crowds by facing off against captive dragons in arenas. Zarela is the daughter of one such Dragonador, but after two family tragedies, she finds herself managing the household and in need of more dragons and dragon tamers to uphold her family’s legacy. She recruits Arturo, a surly but handsome dragon tamer with a soft spot for the dragons he hunts, and sparks inevitably fly!

What I loved so much about this sunshine-and-grump-romance book is how feisty Zarela is, and she didn’t have to make herself less for love. Arturo succeeded in being protective without being controlling, which I applaud. And nobody writes mouth-watering food and gorgeous attire quite like Isabel.

For those curious about the steam level, I’d say quantity-wise, it’s about equivalent to Lakesedge, or a little less than Serpent & Dove. There is a lot of great tension and sizzle and build-up between our romantic leads. ❤️‍🔥

I was hooked from the very first line of this book.
The world building completely immersed me in the world and I loved the Spanish culture woven into the world and the plot.
Zarela was exactly the kind of strong female character I love to read about. I rooted for her every step of the way as she found her way in a male-dominated world.
I was completely drawn in by the enemies-to-lovers slow burn romance.
Isabel's writing style had me on the edge of my seat as I tried to connect the dots of the mystery undertone of the story, and she hit all the emotional points I was hoping for.
Overall, I loved this book!

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

There are so many things I really enjoyed about this book, so I’ll get to a couple of them first. Our FMC, Zarela, is strong, responsible, stubborn, and motivated. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers progression with Arturo and that their relationship was truly prickly for longer than a few scenes. The misdirection before the twist was strong even if I could feel the twist coming.

That being said, I have a few gripes, as well. The magic system and societal divisions didn’t feel as fleshed out or pivotal to the story as I’d have expected. I felt the conflict of the climax was wrapped up incredibly quickly - the bow on top was neat, but it was over as soon as it started. I also felt like the way Zarela and Arturo found out that dragons make decent dance partners was pretty contrived. I can think of more organic ways for the two of them to have found themselves in a position to start strumming a guitar in or around a ring.

Overall, I liked the style of writing, the main and side characters personalities, and the story.

Wow. Just wow. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me an ARC copy, and this does not influence my review. This book took place in a rich Spanish culture, with Spanish style bull-fighting with a twist...instead of bulls there are dragons, who are <spoiler> killed at the end of the fight <spoiler>. This world <spoiler> hates and fears dragons (as they are untamed) and this story is How to Tame a Dragon mixed in a Spanish culture. Moving on in the story, it is discovered that the dragons love songs and dancing...yeah I didn't see it coming, but it makes sense in the Spanish culture. The humans and animals are part of the same culture:) Both Arturo and Zarela had a hand in figuring out this<spoiler>.
The world-building was great, with vivid descriptions of the Spanish-style food and culture. Both the romance and plot intrigued me from when I first read the synopsis, and I am glad to say I was not left disappointed. I was thoroughly invested in the romance, and Arturo was *swoon-worthy*. The romantic leads were a grumpy/stubborn trope, with Zarela being highly stubborn and Arturo being super grumpy. Additionally, another trope <spoiler> was "guy falls first" and it could be seen in Arturo's description of Zarela's dancing style when he was watching her (she was unaware). Even though he was mad at her, when he was taming the dragon in the pen, he glanced back to see if she was watching eeeek. He took her coffee cup after she took a sip and drank it. This was all when he seemingly hated her. I love the hate to love trope in this book, and Zarela is very observant. She noticed "...the looks he [gave] her when he [thought] [she] [didn't notice" aaaaahhhhhhhh. And the most embarrassing part of the book was when Zarela's best friend Lola, when introduced to Arturo, made it seem like Zarela was in love with him and talked about him. I died of second-hand embarrassment. Zarela confronted Lola about it when she thought Arturo left, and he was actually nearby...listening... "There's a sardonic curve to his mouth, as if he knew exactly what I'd been about to say, as if he has me all figured out." Like I can't with this man.<spoiler>

I tried to read Woven in Moonlight, but didn't get far. Thinking this story sounded more to my taste, I downloaded it when it was available as a Read Now arc. Unfortunately, I just can't get past the dragonfighting=bullfighting. That's a ridiculous idea. WHY and HOW would anyone, in any fantasy world, fight or kill a fire-breathing dragon this way? I also can't give much credit to an author who just changes Hispania to Hispalia (seriously, one letter difference?), keeps the Spanish culture but adds dragons and spells, and calls it fantasy. After the first few chapters, it just became too big of an ask for me to suspend my belief so heavily.

Rating does not reflect a full opinion.

Este libro es muy muy bien. Me gusta mucho. Yo recomiendo para todos personas porque este libro tiene todo.
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Okay y’all I loved this book. Together We Burn is a standalone YA romance/fantasy/mystery combo. It takes place in Hispalia focusing on Santivilla and the dragon slaying houses there. We follow the Zalvidar family, one of the most famous and well respected dragon slaying families. The families put on a whole show starting with the women doing flamenco followed by the dragon slayer going into a bull fight-esque performance before slaying the dragon. Until one night at the Zalvidar’s ring things go very wrong and the matriarch is killed by dragon fire. From there things start spiraling out for the Zalvidar family and it’s up to Zarela to figure out what’s happening and save her family from ruin.
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While there were maybe one too many similes for me I absolutely fell in love with this book. I loved the fact that there was Spanish throughout and that all the chapter headings were in Spanish. I loved the story so much. I felt it was so unique and I loved that it had a little bit of everything. I loved that there was so much pride of tradition in it, it was that, that was the fire under Zarela.
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I really, really enjoyed the writing. The descriptions of the dancing, the dragons, the villas, the food was all so well done. I loved that everything leapt off the page. And honestly I still can’t stop thinking about it. Isabel Ibañez did such an amazing job of bringing everything to life I feel like I can still feel the heat of the dragon fire, smell the fresh baked bread.
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While the enemies to lovers romance wasn’t my favorite thing it never felt overwhelming. Nor did it take away from the fierceness or determination of our main character. Which can sometimes happen so I’m glad it didn’t here. I loved this book, it was adventurous and fantasy and dragons and flamenco dancing and all the good things! It was so well done and a great standalone. I was so impressed with how complete it felt with enough world building to understand it and yet still so rich in the main story!
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I loved it and highly recommend it!

Beautifully immersed cultural fantasy you will not want to put down. From flamenco dancing to fighting dragons to the death, this story is never boring. Something goes wrong at Zarela’s families show day and dragons become loose and wreak havoc. This causes severe consequences and now with her father injured she finds herself facing many challenges and not knowing who to trust and who is seeking to destroy her family and business. I loved every moment and can not wait for more!

The idea of a flamenco dancing, dragon-fighting female character, and an enemies to lovers, slow-burn romance had me ensnared. Plus, the cover is gorgeous.

However, once I started it, I wasn't pulled as strongly into the world of Hispalia as I'd hoped. The plot was slow to take off, with no significant developments until the second half, and even those were predictable. The romance was a very slow build, but the burn was there when things finally picked up. I wanted more of Zarela's inner monologue as she developed and realized her feelings for Arturo. Arturo's character was so well developed and layered that Zarela's felt a little lacking in comparison.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the book. The author's vibrant descriptions transported me to the streets of Santivilla and La Giralda arena, and I felt as if I was fighting dragons alongside the characters. I loved the dragons and how Zarela's perception of them changed throughout the book. The alternative to dragon fighting was a beautiful resolution. Overall, this was a pretty good stand-alone fantasy read.

When I read the description of this one I was captivated by the unique story, but I found myself having to push through it. I think a large part of it is that the book is focused on the main character Zarela is determined to save her family’s legacy which is capturing dragons and then killing them slowing for entertainment. Sure they are a menace to the villages but it doesn’t reach excusing killing them, and despite the twist at the end I had a very hard sympathizing with her or wanting her to succeed. Zarela’s mother was a dancer like she is - entertainment before the dragon fights. Her father is a famous dragonador and when her mother is tragically killed by a dragon Zarela steps into her role wearing her dresses and dancing her dances. A tragic accident leaves her family legacy in question and she will do anything to save their name. I will say I did like the cultural pieces and that it felt like How to Train Your Dragon in Spain and I did like the comparison to the bull fighting.