Sadly the slow burn romance was quite slow and dry lacking chemistry and the inspiration for this in Spanish bill fighting felt out of touch and frankly a bit too macabre for me. I Can understand it’s cultural and historical, but it’s still animal cruelty and done so needlessly.

Other elements like the magic and plot felt too simplistic given the length and could have been more inventive and captivating.

In this fiery ya fantasy, we find a concoction of dragon-fighting, flamenco, and the love between two stubborn, courageous souls. Zarela already lost her mother to dragon flame right before her eyes, so when dragons escape the family arena, killing many and gravely injuring her father, she'd do anything to save him and their family legacy. Even track down the one man who could train her to step in the arena herself. Despite her fear. Despite his unwillingness to help. And despite the saboteur who may well strike again at Zarela's family.

The author conjures up a world with Spanish influences, going light on world-building in favor of using a familiar backdrop that leaves our focus on the story. The benefits are clear as the action starts immediately, not letting up as Zarela races against time and struggles against long odds to save the family business in her father's stead. She manages a shoestring budget, trains to fight dragons, and investigates the wrong-doing that led to that catastrophic day at the arena. Meanwhile, she battles her attraction to dragon tamer Arturo as they work side-by-side, even as she knows she can't trust him entirely. He's a man of many secrets and strong ideals-- ones that don't align with Zarela's aims. The romance has a nice momentum with a touch of spice and plenty of sparking tension.

While I enjoyed the characters and thought it was a well-executed ya romance plot, the other elements of the story weren't as strong to me. The villain is meant to be mysterious but is actually overt in their out-of-placeness in the story, making them easy to spot. Since this is one of the major engines of the plot, it loses steam that way. I would also argue that the pacifist/stop-animal-cruelty plot re: the dragons was an obvious one. Zarela's journey isn't without merit, but we all know the inevitable conclusion (don't torture animals), so there isn't a lot of texture or transformation for the reader to experience in her arc. I would describe it more as "well, duh."

Read this one for the ambience and for a strong romantic showing in the ya fantasy category. Thanks to Wednesday Books for my copy to read and review!

Okay, first of all, how dare dragons be harmed in a book? That's like an automatic 1-star. 🙄😤

On a serious note, I did like <i>Together We Burn</i> overall, but it also wasn't my cup of tea in some ways.

- I liked the writing style; it was easy to read and flowed well, with the right amount of seriousness and lightheartedness.
- The food descriptions were absolutely divine, and despite the fact I personally don't enjoy seeing dragons getting killed for sport, the world-building was definitely fleshed out with the different guilds in Hispalia.
- The pacing and romance were not it for me, but Ibañez is good at keeping things just interesting enough that I was invested in knowing how things would play out for the characters. Additionally, the ending felt rushed given the pacing of most of the book.

Together We Burn by Isabel Ibanez is such an amazing book. I really loved how unique this book was. The concept was so much fun. The story was a bit slow to begin with but it quickly picked up. Zarela is the main character and she is trying to save her family’s arena. All she wants is to help her father keep everything he has worked for.

Zarela tracks down help. She needs a dragon trainer and Arturo may be the only person willing to help her. Aurturo turns Zarela away at first because he doesn’t agree with how dragons fighting in the arena. Eventually, after a lot of stubbornness in Zarela’s part; Aurturo ends up agreeing to help. As Zarela tries to save her family’s arena, she also tries to figure out what is going on. Nothing seems like an accident.

I absolutely loved diving into this world. The characters are amazing and I found the plot and story to be quite enjoyable.

Reading this story felt like standing on the sun-drenched, cobblestone streets of Spain. I could almost hear the roar of the crowds at the dragonador arena. The writing was atmospheric, and Ibañez’s strengths really shine, such as her attention to sensory details and vivid similes and metaphors. Overall, this book was well-seasoned work of art. The only criticism that comes to mind was that I found Hector’s betrayal easy to predict, possibly because secondary characters were limited. As a result, the big twist wasn’t much of a surprise. It would have been nice to read about more complexity and intimacy in relationships other than that between the main character and her love interest or immediate family. Despite this, it was still an enjoyable ride. I’m looking forward to future work from this author!

Whenever I hear that a book features dragons I’m always intrigued and want to read more. Zarela is a flamenco dancer in her family’s show and her father is a famous dragonador. When things go wrong during a show, Zarela finds herself in charge of finding a replacement for her injured father. She makes a deal with Arturo but they immediately do not see eye to eye on how things should be done.

This fantasy world was one that I found to be really interesting with Dragonadors, who are similar to bull fighters. The extensive history of Zarela’s family and the traditions of the dragon guild were detailed and well done. Overall, I felt the pacing was pretty good, but there were a few spots in the middle where things felt a bit slow. However, things really picked up in the end and there were a few twists that I didn’t see coming. I liked how the relationship developed between Arturo and Zarela. I also was a fan of Lola and her friendship with Zarela.

I was provided a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Dancing with Dragons? I'm in! Zarela is a talented flamenco dancer and the daughter of a famous dragonador. After the passing of her mother, Zarela and her father will do anything to keep their dragon-fighting arena open. But once disaster strikes, leaving her father injured, she must take up his role as the lead dragonador to make sure the fate of the arena doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

Together We Burn is an evenly yoked book, in the sense we get adventure with a dash of romance. This book touches on the Hispanic heritage in a beautiful light, and I'm always excited to see new representation. The magic building of this world is very well done, and I haven't seen it in many books I've read recently. The two main characters have great chemistry and are both deliciously stubborn to a fault, causing some interesting situations.

I loved the story and the cover is absolutely stunning! I know some book boxes are already planning to add this book to their subscription, so I can't wait to see the hype behind the release!

Together We Burn was the perfect book to get me back into the mood for fantasy! With an immersive and atmospheric writing style that poetically captured all senses in its descriptions of a rich world, I was hooked and had zero difficulty entering the protagonists head and understanding her perspective.
The thought put into the world building and backstory was very impressive, and the cinematic qualities attributed to the descriptive storytelling of both was incredible. Vivid imagery followed each scene no matter the location and circumstances, making it a delight to explore Zarela’s world alongside her.
The romance presented a classic use of the enemies to lovers trope, and the tension between the two leads was palpable from the start. Banter and dialogue was realistic and entertaining, and Spanish was integrated in such a way that I think even someone who didn’t know the language could understand it, which is something that I greatly appreciated as a multilingual person.
Together We Burn was an addictive and lyrical read that gripped all senses to tell an immersive and profound story about love, family, and finding your identity while honouring your legacy. I loved Zarela’s internal struggle between doing what you— supposedly— should, and what you want. Her story presented a raw and real look at what it’s like to carry the burden of expectation, and the inadequacy felt when your accomplishments are attributed to someone else. It made her a much more relatable and complex character, and I greatly enjoyed reading from her point of view.
And let me just say, the twist had me gagged 👀

Together We Burn is a beautiful story that weaves Latin culture with fantasy. I thought it was a very well developed stand-alone novel that I enjoyed! It caught my attention and kept it mostly throughout and had a strong, fiery heroine that was worth rooting for! A few parts were a bit slow and some was predictable and some of the intimate scenes were a little spicy for YA, but I enjoyed it and would recommend it for anyone looking for an intricate YA Fantasy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for letting me receive an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pretty chill fantasy book. I liked the usage of dragons in the setting but I wish they were utilized more. I liked the romance, but I felt that there wasn’t enough build up between the two love interests. It felt like they went from disliking each other to being in love way too fast and without enough reason as to why they fell in love. I was not expecting how much politics would play a role in the story but I’m glad it was there since that is one of my favorite aspects in fantasy stories. Overall, pretty good read.

3/5

I really enjoyed this book! I found it entertaining, fun, and easy to read. I'm really glad I picked this up on a whim after seeing two beautiful special editions of the book!

In general, I would say my favorite part was the romance. I enjoyed seeing Zarela and Arturo slowly get closer to one another. Sure, they were both being silly by denying their feelings for one another for so long, but I still enjoyed it. I liked seeing them circle closer and closer to one another.

DNF’d at 60%. It was slow moving (I know! Dragons usually mean lots of action, but the kind of action in the book involved dragons putting people on fire/ killing them, not really action in the arena). It wasn’t a strong enough story to keep my interest.

You know, the vast majority of this one worked for me. The world building of Hispalia was rich but at times was a bit too close to an analogue for my taste. A few of the plot points were a tad too predictable and convenient. Some of the characters were less complex than desired. All of these critiques really come down to me just wanting *more* but that’s me leading with the okay parts. What about the good stuff?

Well, the spectacular part was Zarela herself. She was a force! I loved her stubbornness, how it exhausted even herself sometimes, and her determination. It’s hard not to root for a protagonist who works so dang hard to save the family business, even if that business is killing dragons for entertainment in an arena. I adored her and was sad when the book ended that I wouldn’t know how the rest of her life went.

Her enemies-to-lovers romance with Arturo is actual fire, one of the best of that trope I’ve read in YA in ages. The tension is so heavy between them that makes it all the more satisfying in the end. He’s a solid character on his own too and Lola is a great secondary, even seeming to steal the show at some points.

All in all, I really enjoyed Together We Burn. It wasn’t my perfect read but it’s certainly memorable and I’m a huge fan of Ibañez’s so I was pleased as punch to read it. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys in YA fantasy, especially if you enjoy worlds that may look familiar to our own.

Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

I know everyone loved this book, but I just couldn't connect with it. Maybe it wasn't really written for me and that is perfectly fine. The writing was fantastic and I am sure that others will rate it 5 stars for compelling characters and the great plot.

I wanted to love this one but I just couldn't get into it. The story felt predictable and I was expecting more action based on the synopsis. Aside from that, the storytelling is good, the main character is well written, the world building is good and there is a great enemies to lovers romance which it one of my favorite tropes. I needed more dragons though!

I'll admit, I might be biased here because I love all things Spanish, and this is definitely set in an alternative world Spain, complete with Spanish food and flamenco dancing. But instead of bull fighting, we have dragons! I really enjoyed reading this, even when there was more romance and secret keeping than I care for, so I'm rounding my 4.5 stars up to 5. I'll read more from this author!

I had been hearing a lot of hype around the blogoverse about Together We Burn before I got the invite to review it. With everything I had been hearing, I was very interested in reading it. So curious that I went and put it in my To Read pile. So when the publisher sent me the invite, I jumped on it. I am glad I did. This book was a great read!!

Together We Burn had an exciting plotline. Zarela is a flamenco dancer who lost her mother, a famous flamenco dancer when the dragon her father was fighting went rogue and burned everyone in the arena. Disaster strikes again when, during the 500th-anniversary show, another dragon broke free of his bonds and rained carnage on the arena. One of the dragon’s victims was Zarela’s father. He wasn’t killed but was severely injured. That left Zarela to deal with the backlash. Convinced it was sabotage, Zarela starts an investigation. She is also determined to return her family’s arena to its former glory. Her investigation into that day and her quest to bring the arena back are merged when she realizes that the attack was not random. Failing to convince the Dragon Guild that there was foul play behind the attack, Zarela is left with no choice but to fight the dragons herself. But, she only has days to learn. Can Zarela find out who is behind the attacks? Can she save her family’s arena? And more importantly, can Zarela learn to fight dragons and not get killed?

The plotline in Together We Burn moved slowly during the book’s first half. On the one hand, I liked it because it let me learn about Zarela’s background, the background of dragon fighting, and the tragedy of her mother’s death/the arena carnage. But on the other hand, the book started dragging by 40% of the book. But, after Zarela hires Arturo, the book picks up speed. By the end of the book, the plotline was super fast.

What I loved about this book was that the author included a glossary of the different types of dragons and other guilds in Hispalia. I can’t tell you how many times I used that glossary, and I wish every author would do something like that. I found it helpful while reading.

I liked Zarela. Even though she was devastated by what happened to her parents (and remember, it was two different occasions), she rose to the occasion. She was willing to do whatever it took to keep the arena afloat. That included learning how to fight dragons so she could keep her family’s arena. And that meant hiring a dragon hunter/ex-dragon fighter to teach how to survive in the arena. While doing that, she was also investigating what happened at the arena. I found her to be a very well-rounded character who surprised me.

Arturo didn’t become a central character until the middle of the book. He wanted nothing to do with Zarela at first. But, her stubbornness and resolve won him over. He was hard on her, which didn’t surprise me. He needed to teach her the basics of dragon fighting before the event that could save the arena. He also reluctantly became involved with her investigation into the events at the arena. He was instrumental in several key scenes towards the end of the book. The author wiped away doubts about him before the arena scenes at the end of the book.

Several memorable secondary characters breathed life into the book. They added additional depth to the storyline. I will not go into each one, but I enjoyed the flair they each added.

I loved how the author portrayed the dragons. She went from seeing them as ferocious creatures who lived to kill and maim to creatures who were misunderstood and wanted to be left alone. I loved it!!

The storyline with Zarela and the investigation was well written. I didn’t figure out who was behind everything until the author revealed that person. I was completely surprised by who it was and the reasons behind it.

The storyline with Zarela, Arturo, and learning how to fight dragons was interesting. I liked how Zarela convinced Arturo to work with her (the girl is stubborn). But, I also liked how Arturo showed Zarela a different side to dragons. The lessons made me wince, and Arturo was rough on Zarela. But considering she could die, he wasn’t harsh enough. And the twist to that plotline (what Zarela and Arturo figured out and used) was amazing!!

There was a romance angle in Together We Burn, but I was kind of meh about it. I liked that Zarela and Arturo got together but did the author need to discuss it? In my opinion, no.

The fantasy angle in Together We Burn was well written. I liked how the author chose to portray magic (both good and bad) along with dragons. That alone made me want to see more books written in this universe.

The end of Together We Burn was good. There were no twists (other than the dragon fight), and everyone did have their HEAs.

I would recommend Together We Burn to anyone over 16. There are sex and sexual situations (not graphic) and violence.

Dragons. Fire. Love.

This book was a fun fantasy read that brought a world of dragons to life, which I am 100% here for! The story takes you on an adventure to clear Zarela Zalvidar’s family name after a dragon attacks her city, killing her mother, injuring her father, and destroying their stadium. She’s forced to work with an infuriatingly handsome dragon hunter, Arturo Díaz de Montserrat, which is challenging because they despise each other, but as we know, there’s a fine line between love and hate. Time is of the esecnce, since there is someone out there trying to ruin the Zalvidar family name, and she will do whatever it takes, even if it costs Zarela her life.

Have been unable to review due to illness. Review coming soon! This novel looks fantastic and I highly recommend this author to everyone!

Wow. There's something about this book that really made me excited to read it.

The world building was absolutely amazing. I was easily able to picture everything in beautiful detail and I loved it. There was just something about a Spanish, country kind of place that made me interested. I loved the aspect with the dragons and the dancing interest of the main character.

I got a very "How To Train A Dragon" vibe from it, but it was wonderfully done. I didn't see the plot twist at the end and that fully just drew me in even more.

This book had everything I could ever want from a YA dragon loving novel and I would gladly read more from this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books, I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.