Together We Burn, by Isabel Ibañez, follows Zarela Zalvidar, whose late mother was the most famous flamenco dancer in Hispalia and whose father is the most celebrated Dragonador (dragon fighter). Her family has owned their arena, where they host dragon fights, for generations, but a disaster that occurs during one show puts the future of Zarela's family and their livelihood at risk. With her father injured, Zarela must figure out how to save her family's legacy, enlisting Arturo Díaz de Montserrat a dragon hunter, to help her learn how to become a Dragonador herself.

I went into this book expecting to thoroughly enjoy it, and it exceeded all of my expectations. While I had loved Ibañez's debut, Woven in Moonlight, and it was even one of my favorite reads of 2021, I adored this book even more.

Zarela is a protagonist you can't help but root for. She's determined and stubborn and is willing to do anything to preserve her family's legacy. Despite that, she's deeply unsure of herself, having lived in her mother's shadow her entire life after taking her place performing following her death. Although traumatized from watching a dragon kill her mother, she is still able to find the courage to face, and even befriend, dragons if that's what it takes to save her family's arena.

Arturo is a completely compelling love interest. He's deeply against dragon fighting on a moral basis, but is willing to put that aside temporarily to help Zarela. He's as driven as she is, and they just fit together and bring out the best in each other. I shipped them so much; while every aspect of this book is wonderful, the romance is a particularly well-done element.

Every character in this book feels multidimensional and complex, even side characters who aren't present that often. Ibañez puts the same care into each minor character that she depicts as she does into everything about the book, making the entire world she depicts feel lush and alive.

The world-building is superb; it's a fairly contained story, taking place within the politics of a single city, but the story still feels as important and compelling as any of the broader battle-driven fantasy books that so often dominate the genre. She uses exactly the right amount of detail about the world and government and magic system so that it still feels real and compelling without the reader feeling bogged down with information that, while interesting, has little to no impact on the story being told.

I also just want to take a moment to talk about the dragons. They're so built into the nature of the world that the author creates that they don't even necessarily feel fantastical at all, but rather a logical derivation of the story being told. Beyond that, I was just really happy to read a book about dragons; for such a hallmark of the fantasy genre, I feel like you don't see them that often right now.

I can't recommend this book enough. I loved everything about it, from the characters to the worldbuilding to the plot. Ibañez crafted a truly amazing story in Together We Burn. If you love fantasy, you'll love it, but particularly if you're looking for a really well-done standalone, or a book that takes place in a fantasy world without being an epic or having world-ending stakes. It's the story of a girl doing everything she can to preserve her family legacy (it just has the bonus elements of dragons and magic). I'm giving Together We Burn 5/5 stars.

Together We Burn is a breathtaking fantasy standalone filled with romance, magic, action, and excellent world-building. I sincerely hope Isabel gives us more stories set in this lush, fascinating world inspired by matadors, flamenco, and all of the rich flavors and textures of Spain. Her writing is wonderfully descriptive, and has a cinematic quality that captivated me from the first lines.

I had such a difficult time finishing this book...it was so exciting and enchanting that I needed to savor my first read-through for as long as possible!

Together We Burn is an interesting social commentary on bullfighting and bullfighting culture, but with dragons in place of the bulls - dragons that are larger and more dangerous than bulls, and considerably wilder.

Zarela Zalvidar is 18 years old, the only child of a Dragonador, a dragon fighter, and a famous flamenco dancer. Zarela's mother is lost in a dragon attack, and her father is seriously ignored while fighting a dragon, leaving Zarela to take charge, both of her father's recovery and the family business. Much of the novel is predictable, as are many romance novels, but there is a nice twist at the end that improved my overall opinion, as well as a gradual discussion of the culture than leads to a potential and positive change in the culture as a whole. There's a lot of cultural references that broaden and deepen the setting and some of the plot, but not so much that it was confusing or difficult to follow, which can be a difficult balance to reach. Overall, I enjoyed this novel, and look forward to others from this author.

Thank you to Libro.fm for providing me an audio review copy. All opinions are my own.

I loved this story on audio! First of all, such a unique concept. I mean DRAGONS! Who doesn't like dragons.

This story is about dragon fighting arenas. They have been around for years. It is a tradition, And now Zalera has to save her family's arena, after a disastrous massacre - somehow all the dragons that were kept in the keep, were let loose. A lot of deaths and damaged occurred, Zalera's father also falls ill right after, leaving Zalera with shame, lost reputation, and no dragons to save her family. She has to find a dragon fighter, or tamer, and find dragons with no income whatsoever. This is where Arturo enters the picture.

It was a cute enemies to lovers story. Lots of family secrets, magical dragons, lots of growing up, and even learning something new - like a new perspective of how dragons could be treated. *I loved Arturo for the way he imagined the future world with dragons.* This story has heart, has passion, and did I mention dragons?

Such an original plot and I loved the world building. This is a gem of a YA fantasy and I highly suggest all YA libraries purchase this one.

Isabel Ibañez 's Together We Burn is a lush, enchanting standalone fantasy inspired by medieval Spain, filled with romance, action, and adventure. The story is set in the year 1820, in a land called Santivilla. 18-year-old Zarela Zalvidar is the daughter of Hispalia's most famous Dragonador, Santiago Zalvidar, basically a matador but for dragons, and a famous flamenco dancer, Eulelia Zalvidar, who she takes after. Her mother was killed a year earlier during a celebration of the capture of a dangerous dragon.

Zarela is just as talented as a flamenco dancer as her own mother, but people are still obsessed with watching her perform Eulelia's best dances. Disaster strikes during their 500th anniversary show, when in the carnage, Zarela’s father is horribly injured, several of their dragons escape, and their tamers are killed. Zarela notices that things aren't what they seem. In fact, it seems as though someone has intentionally caused the family financial ruin if they can't fix the issues.

Now they face punishment from the Dragon Guild and could potentially lose their ancestral home, as well as their livelihood. Zarela must keep the arena—her ancestral home and inheritance —safe from their greedy hands. She has no choice but to take her father’s place as the next Dragonador. Dragons are used in dragon fights similar to bull fighting, and are mercilessly killed by the Dragonadores. In order to save her home and keep bringing in paying spectators, she has to learn to fight dragons herself, which means employing the help of a grumpy, sullen, mysterious, and Dragonador trainer Arturo Díaz de Montserrat.

They team up together to save the arena, inheritance and ancestral home of Zalvidar family, but somebody out there is too bloodthirsty to destroy family’s reputation and everything they’ve worked for centuries. With her families future on the line, she refuses to take no for an answer. Zarela refuses to give up the dragon-fighting ring that has been in her family for centuries, no matter what she must sacrifice, including the only life she has ever known. But will Arturo's own secrets ruin everything they built together? Who has reason to execute a dragon trainer and ruin their family name? A rival ring owner? One of the political groups protesting the killing of dragons in the ring?

Together We Burn may not appeal to those who are triggered by the sudden and brutal death of a parent, but it is a worthwhile read for those who are looking for something different.

Ibañez creates a stunning magical world that discusses real world politics when it comes to longstanding traditions and it it makes something morally right.

I really loved the idea of this book and by the end I did really enjoy it. That being said it took me until a little over 50% of the book to fully become invested. I was struggling to fully connect with the story and characters in the beginning. I was convinced we wouldn’t see character growth in the beginning, but was happily surprised to see the main character eventually got to broaden her ideas and convictions when it came to if tradition trumps conscience. I also would have loved a bit more of a relationship development between the love interests, as if progressed both slow and super fast all at once.

I think I also struggled because I knew the direction this book would take and had most of the plot twists solved pretty early on. This could be due to having read this genre for so long or just because the clues were obvious to me. Keep in mind though I am not the target age group for this book, and I feel like younger me would have been shocked by some of the revelations.

I will say that the way Flamenco was included into this fantasy world was beautiful. I absolutely loved seeing Zarela come into her own when it came to her dancing. Especially when many around her always compared her to her mother. It also was used as a beautiful way to honor both her parents and the world she grew up in.

Overall I throughly enjoyed this book as it progressed and how the author dealt with the controversy surrounding Bull Fighting in the real world. I will warn that if animal brutality or animal abuse is a trigger to you, you may want to avoid this book. It is heavily influenced by Bull Fighting and so there are a lot of similarities in the way the dragons are treated to how bulls are treated. It did cause me some discomfort while reading and I wanted to give a fair warning.

I think I would have enjoyed this one a lot more when I was in my late teens, early twenties. The writing was good, pretty standard for Ya fantasy. The world-building was easily the strongest aspect of this book. It felt very fresh and unique. The pacing was a little slow for my tastes, especially for the first third or so. Overall, I would recommend this to a younger audience than myself, maybe to the same kids to whom I would recommend Eragon and The Hunger Games.

Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez involves scary huge dragons and dragonadores (dragon tamers). A world where human face dragons in a huge arena. When someone let all the dragons from Zarela’s family free, nearly killing her dad in the destruction, she knows she has to step up as the next dragon tamer of her family. A really well done story, if you read Ibañez before, you’ll recognize her familiar way to craft a world that showcases her hispanic heritage. Simply beautiful.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of Together We Burn! I really loved this cover, so I requested it as soon as I saw that, not knowing what the book was about at all, and I'm so glad I did because the book was so good- it's about dragons y'all!!!
Together We Burn 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads:
Eighteen-year-old Zarela Zalvidar is a talented flamenco dancer and daughter of the most famous Dragonador in Hispalia. People come for miles to see her father fight in their arena, which will one day be hers.
But disaster strikes during their five hundredth anniversary show, and in the carnage, Zarela’s father is horribly injured. Facing punishment from the Dragon Guild, Zarela must keep the arena—her ancestral home and inheritance —safe from their greedy hands. She has no choice but to take her father’s place as the next Dragonador. When the infuriatingly handsome dragon hunter, Arturo Díaz de Montserrat, withholds his help, she refuses to take no for an answer.
But even if he agrees, there’s someone out to ruin the Zalvidar family, and Zarela will have to do whatever it takes in order to prevent the Dragon Guild from taking away her birthright.
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.
Oh this was such a great book! It gave me small hints of How to Train Your Dragon (which I loved), but I feel like it was done in like a better, more complex way, so I really loved that! There was so much great Latin culture packed into this book (I really want tomato jam now that I've read about the characters in this book having toast with tomato jam for breakfast). I loved the whole world that was built in this book with the guilds and I wish that we had been able to explore more of the other guilds, but I understand why we couldn't (but maybe we can have a follow-up with the seamstress' guild or the magicians' guild). The one thing I didn't really like about this book was the romance- I'm all for romance in fantasy novels, but for some reason, it just felt a little forced here and like it came out of nowhere, and I almost would have enjoyed things better if they had just stayed close friends. Otherwise, I think the pacing and plot were great and I really think that everyone should go out and read Together We Burn!

Link to be added once post goes live

So this took a minute to get started and yes, I did guess the big twist about 2% into the book but I don't know whether that makes me super smart/cynical or the plot really simple, but either way it was a thing that happened.

Pros:
Atmospheric descriptions of setting, food, clothes
Fun attempt at world building

If Ibanez is good at one thing it is describing where stuff is happening. Things are vivid and bright, the gardenias smell amazing and the stinky heat from the dragons will choke you. Likewise the descriptions of tomato jam and bread in olive oil are evocative of a warm, dry summer and I have to say these things were the high point. I'll talk about the world building a bit more later.

Cons:
This was Enemies to Lovers?
Predictable Plot
Dragons and Plot

I have no idea what to do with the dragons. Are the good? Bad? Misrepresented? All of the above? Who knows. they kill people but it feels like they only do that if you actively seek them out but also we seek them out for amusement because they kill people? I know it is a metaphor for bullfighting but bulls are a lot safer when not in a bull-fighting ring than a dragon would be and I'm just not sure of the Dragon's overall place in the world.
The world, ah, yes. Its um got dragons? And something about a sea port? I wouldn't know, Ibanez says that isn't important here because Here There Be Dragons.
Like I said at the beginning, if you are a cynical asshole with trust issues or just, I don't know, read a lot, you may guess the twist near the end. Was I prepared for it to be as crazy as it got? No, and that's why this isn't the worst thing, just something to go in noting.
I think there was an attempt at Enemies to Lovers here but like a lot of stories do now, this one skips the Reluctant Partners in Friendship step and goes straight to Simmering Sexual Tension so that by the time these two are getting at it I'm not even confident I want it anymore. I like my bickering to continue though so maybe thats a Me problem.

I think this s a serviceable standalone and the descriptions are really lovely but the depth is not all there when it comes to world building and characters.

Zarela Zandivar is the daughter of one of the best Dragonadors in Hispalia and her now passed mother who was the greatest flamenco dancer at the dragon arenas. After dragons escaped her family's cages, killing dozens and severely injuring her father, it falls on Zarela to save her family's legacy and determine if there's anyone that has it out for the Zandivars. Unfortunately, her only way of doing so is to ask the aid of a mysterious and brooding tamer who's just as stubborn as she is.

If you know me, I'm a huge sucker for dragons. So it wouldn't surprise most of you that I immediately fell in love with this book from the opening line. The world is extremely intriguing, with its own magic system and hierarchy that leaves one wondering about what else might be going on past Zarela's story. I would absolutely love to see another story in this world but from a mage's point of view. We got hints of how much magic there is already in this story, in the form of ingredients that form magic sticks that must be broken to use, but it's just a dip into what is a much greater world.

Every single character in this story is beyond compelling. Zarela is such a powerful force, and knows her own confidence and how to use that for the better. She never once read off as selfish to me. Everything she does is to help her family who's already been torn to sunders, and her love makes her so much stronger. She has a will and a compelling stubbornness that makes her so much fun to read about and follow her story.

Now, Arturo. Oh, Arturo. He might be my new favorite fictional character crush. He's a stubborn ass with a somewhat complicated backstory and is so SO hot. Some of the things he said would have sent me on my knees. He is THE epitome of everything booktok praises and I will not stand any slander for him.

My only caveats with this book happen to be things that happen at the end. First, I easily predicted the real culprit. It's the same trope I've seen over and over again and while the reveal was emotional and powerful, it was dulled down for me because I had known it from the very beginning. Second, the resolution of the story felt a tad rushed for me. After everything La Giralda (the dragon arena) had gone through, I don't think that a simple act would lead to that quick of a decision to relive everything that had happened. I know that, as a potential stand alone, it needed to be wrapped up quickly. However, it seemed like an attempt to just get it over with, which I didn't like.

Together We Burn is perfect for fans of How to Train Your Dragon, and a perfect summer read that will warm your heart.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley as an arc. Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an e-ARC of this book, however all thoughts and opinions are my own and I"m sorry that I hated it.

I like the idea of giving authors a second chance and that’s what this is for Isabel Ibañez. Her first book was mediocre at best and plagued with problems related to anti-indigenous sentiment. This time she has decided to tackle bullfighting by replacing them with dragons. With this, it has become perfectly clear to me that this author lacks the ability to create a nuanced conversation or critique of something because Zarela is pro-dragonfighting until like the last 90% of the book. I understand the argument that it is an important part of history/culture, but we as humans evolve and so do our beliefs. Right now, bullfighting/animal torture is seen in a pretty negative light. It should be easy to reflect that earlier in the book. She tries to justify it by arguing that they are monsters attacking villages, but on the flip side depicts them as being afraid of humans. Also, just because an animal attacks villages doesn’t mean they deserve to die. I don’t even buy that with wolves and cattle.

In terms of the romance, it was hard for me to read. We always tell men that when a woman says no, she means no. I feel like it should be said, that when a man says no he also means no. He told her no several times in the beginning and then she basically stalks him till he says yes. Later he’s all like, “I fell in love with your determination”, but honestly … if the roles had been switched people would have more issues with it. Also, she’s so spoiled and has absolutely terrible ideas and he calls her out on them, which I do appreciate. Arturo for me was the best thing about this. I saw another reviewer call him boring, but honestly he was the only one with any common sense. He’s the reason I kept reading because I disliked Zarela in the beginning and absolutely hated her by the end. Arturo doesn’t deserve this, she honestly could have gotten him killed with her idiocy.

I found the first half of this to be terribly slow and overwritten. The writing just made me laugh at times because it felt so dramatic all the time. Also, this is one of those cases where we were shown characters doing things that weren’t really necessary for the progression of the story and I would have been so much happier without it. Just tell me she sold her mother’s dresses, I don’t actually need to be shown. “But that’s how I’m showing you what kind of character she is.” Yeah, I don’t care. Show me in a more interesting fashion. “How about a few headstrong and not well thought out actions?” Yeah, the adults in this book are right to think she makes terrible decisions and I don’t know if I ever want to read a Y.A. book again. Yes, this book makes me question Y.A. as a genre.

Speaking of this as a Y.A. book. There is a mutual masturbation scene and a sex scene that doesn’t fade to black. I wouldn’t say that they’re the steamiest thing that I’ve ever read, but they’re a bit… well more than most Y.A. book have. Let’s just say, it’s pretty obvious about what went where. I mean, I didn’t feel anything for the romance, but it is still graphic enough that people should be aware that it exists. Arturo does ask for consent so good on him.

Overall, I’m not going to be recommending this to anyone unless they specifically tell me that they dislike dragons and want to see them killed for sport. Or if someone tells me they like headstrong to the point of idiotic characters. Or they want to see some mutual masturbation in a dragon cave. I’m not planning on reading anything by Isabel Ibañez ever again. Usually I give three chances, but both this and Woven in Moonlight were problematic enough that I have zero desire.

Ibañez paints such a beautiful and exquisite world in Together We Burn. I loved the setting; however, I was expecting something different. More magic, more dragons, more intrigue. This book is about relationships and finding what makes your soul sing. The story settles on Zarela Zalvidar, daughter of a famous flamenco dancer and dragonador (i.e., dragon fighters). Her family is beset with tragedy and Zarela stands up to take on the family mantel. This is a coming-of-age story and the reader gets to see Zarela struggle to fit herself within strict cultural norms.

This was an enjoyable, albeit, predictable read. I loved the dragons and flamenco! As previously mentioned, I would have liked to see more layers to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

This book has a fantastic concept but for whatever reason I just felt disconnected while I was reading it. The book is written well, flows nicely and has some interesting characters but I felt like it was missing a few key things. I wished there had been more world building and I wanted more depth from the characters. Overall it was a good read but it wasn't great for me. I listened to the audio and read the ebook, switching back and forth, and I felt like the narrator added a lot of feeling to the story that the written words were lacking.

Very cool book with some neat twists on dragon history by interweaving it with bullfighting similarities. I love a feisty female lead with an equally feisty male lead. Definitely worth a read if love romance and dragons.

Aside from the obvious draw of the dragons of dragons - because who doesn’t love dragons - the vibrant descriptions of even the smallest details, the tension [romantic and dramatic] and the pure grit and determination of the main character really made this book for me. It was very enjoyable and had a decent pacing that made it a fast read.

*** Spoilers ***

The ending did feel a bit rushed - I think I would have five starred this if we had had more time with her dancing with the dragons and more of what society was like post dragon fighting [I do so wish there hadn’t been so many dead dragons]. And of course more time with her and Arturo would have been nice too.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the digital copy to read and review!

Together We Burn wasn't my favorite book, but it was definitely a fun one.

Tbh I think that this book was meant for a younger YA audience, mainly because of its simple and predictable plot. I feel like if I had read this one at a younger age, my mind would have been blown away. That being said, it was still a stunning fast-paced read with its action packed scenes, cute romance, and vibrant storytelling. It's also filled with delicious food and lovable characters (especially Arturo like I loved him and I hated him lol).

I also loved the fact that this book was about dragons. I feel like not a lot of books feature them in it and I thought that Together We Burn had such a unique take on how humans would exist with these scaley beasts.

I definitely had a lot of fun with this one and I'm excited to read Isabel Ibanez's other books!

I went into this story with a bit of trepidation, having read very few "YA" books and even fewer that involved dragons. I didn't know what exactly to expect, but I definitely didn't think id love it as much as I do.

To be frank, this may very well be my favorite book of the year so far. From page one I was very intrigued by the plot. It was so beautifully written and well developed. Although some things were predictable, I don't believe it took anything away from the story. I loved the characters so much, their interactions with one another were so natural. (Lola > 😍) The tension between the main characters, Zarela and Arturo, was so strong and I loved every second of it. I'm not usually one who has the patience for slow burn romance, but the pacing of this one was fantastic, never ever leaving me bored.

Overall this was such a beautiful book that I will definitely rereading in the future, out of pure adoration for the characters. Highly recommend checking it out!

Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and the build of this. The pacing was great and I enjoyed Ibañez's voice throughout. It was easy to read and follow and I really enjoyed it!