This book is about a young woman who comes from a prominent family in the country of Hispalia (based on Spain). Her mother is a famous flamenco dancer and her father is a renowned dragon fighter. After a horrific accident, she must learn to fight dragons to save the family estate.

I was super excited by the concept and the scene setting was a very strong point of this story. The culture, food, and structure in Hispalia is very well-described, so you can really imagine everything. That was probably the high point of the book for me.

That said, I found the main character hard to relate to in some ways. She clearly comes from a wealthy family and when the tides turn, she’s very unsympathetic initially. In some of her thoughts about things, she comes across as a bit spoiled. She does grow and mature as the story progresses, so I appreciate that.

The main theme of dragon fighting is based on bull fighting. I know that is a cultural tradition, but it’s hard to feel sympathetic for a family who chains and kills animals for sport in public arenas. The book does eventually explore the brutality of dragon fighting and even makes a move towards the characters realizing that dragons aren’t what they initially believed…but I feel like it came really late in the story.

The “bad guy” in the story was a bit predictable, but the concept around his motivations was very interesting. I just feel like the red herrings to lead you in a different direction were slightly heavy handed.

I’ve seen language mentioned in other reviews and I will say that this book incorporates a lot of Spanish. I personally am bilingual (Eng/Span), so it wasn’t an issue for me and I do think you can understand most words and sayings based on context…however if you don’t enjoy different languages being mixed in, it may cause you some difficulty.

I listened to this on audiobook and I will say that the narrator was excellent. She switched from Spanish to English fluidly and her pronunciation in both was flawless. It added a lot to the narration of the story.

All in all, I enjoyed this book, particularly in the audiobook format. The concept is strong, however, I do think that the execution could’ve been better. Everything wrapped up just a little to easily/neatly. It’s worth a listen though.

Book: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Audio Narration: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One of my favourite animated movies ever is How to Train Your Dragon. So naturally this book really intrigued me. The setting had a similar feel to it but with a Spanish flair to it. If I had been reading the book rather than listening, I’m sure I would have stumbled my way through many of the names and words, but the audiobook!!! Wow wow wow. Was it ever incredible. It was superbly done, and because of it, this book was unputdownable.

The synopsis of the book sums it up really nicely, so if you’re looking for a breakdown of what the story is about, I direct you there!
Zarela and Arturo, I was so happy with these characters!!! They were so perfect!
Zarela is stubborn and outgoing and an incredible flamenco dancer. She had a Mulan-esque vibe to her, a young woman willing to sacrifice herself to protect her father, even if it means fighting dragons, which she has no idea how to do.
Arturo, he is a complex character. My favourite kind of hero, the grump, the closed off, secretly kind hearted man we all love in a story. He is just full of surprises!! Just you wait.
Zarela is the perfect match to this grouchy dragonador, and their interactions and banter and the palpable tension between those two, it was really fun to read. I laughed so much, which was an added bonus, any story that makes me laugh makes it that much better to me (it’s not a difficult feat).
I really enjoyed this book, it’s a stand alone story, full of everything I could have hoped for! If you’re a fan of Mulan and How to Train Your Dragon, (I am sure there are better comparisons but my head went the animated direction), but with a whole lot more romance and well I think that sells it right there.
Mulan meets How to Train Your Dragon with a adult spin?! Sign me up!

You really should pick this book up, or better yet, try the audiobook! It’s incredible!!

Thankyou NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the compliments audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Content
Romance: 1-2 open door scenes toward the end of the book, kissing.
Aside from the scenes at the end, the story is what I would consider clean. The other scenes can be easily skipped over, in audiobook format it is easy.
Violence: fighting dragons, kidnapping, attempted murder, nothing gruesome.
Language: none I recall.

This book was really fun. It was a unique read filled with lots of adventure. I really enjoyed the characters and the dragon fighting aspect of the story. If you're looking for a fast-paced YA fantasy filled with adventure, love, and betrayal that I definitely recommend this one!

The audiobook was great. I thought the narration was well done and authentic to the story. Definitely recommend the audio format!

In Together We Burn, we follow Zarela, an 18 years old flamenco dancer. She is also the daughter of a famous Dragonador and when he is hurt, she has to take the reigns. Dragons were killed and now she has to find a new one to put in her arena... That's where Arturo (a dragon hunter) comes in.

One thing about me is that I hate arenas fictional or real where animals are put there to be hurt and killed just for the entertainment of entitled human beings. Animal cruelty is probably one thing I would fight against my whole life but that's beside the point. I'm only saying that because the main character sometimes grated on my nerves and I hated that she didn't want to change things with the dragons even after one of them danced with her. Even if it's for the sake of tradition, it's not a good enough reason in my opinion.

Overall, this was my first book by this author and while this was an okay story, it's just not a memorable one for me. I'm glad I had the audiobook version of this book or I feel like it would have taken me a lot more time to go through it. However, I might have remembered more if I hadn't listened to it.

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

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!

Giving this one five stars because Ana Osorio did an incredible job! The way she narrates is so fluid and it pulls you right into the story,

Thank you to Netgalley for access to this ARC for an honest review.

Dragons, Spanish heroines, enemies to lovers. This book has so many things I love! First, I really really loved the blend of fantasy and Spain which gives you a fresh take on old themes. Dragon fighting instead of bull fighting? Yes please.

The pacing was really inconsistent at times and therefore felt a little clunky in spots. I loved the concept so much that I am willing to overlook it.

Thank you to the publisher Macmillan Audio for providing an audiobook ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

The idea of cape-wielding dragon matadors in the landscape of a YA fantasy gave me a pause as soon as I read it. Together We Burn seemed like a breath of fresh air in a genre I feel myself growing away from. It promised a Spanish-inspired fantasy world and disgraced daughter working to redeem her family’s honor, two things I hadn't yet read together with some dragons thrown in the mix. Unfortunately, a cool concept does always make a compelling story. And what this book delivered was exactly what the premise captured in vague terms - and little else.

I think a big part of my disconnect from the story at large because the worldbuilding here is noticeably undeveloped. It feels strangely insular for a fantasy world, as we mostly bounce between Zarela splitting her time across the arena, her uncle’s house, and Arturo's dragon ranch. We barely get to experience the city she lives in, let alone come to understand how the world works. The synopsis tells us this is a Spanish-inspired fantasy world and that’s about as far as that premise goes to paint the picture of all the rich, robust elements of a fantasy landscape this tantalizing description promises.

Together We Burn also made me realize my undying love for stories with dragons in them is perhaps only exclusive to books with sentient dragons, or dragon shapeshifters. The dragons here are hunted - or farmed - specifically to be killed in the arenas in which men like Zarela’s father perform in. And while that works for the concept of a matador, it doesn’t allow for the kind of sentient human-dragon interactions I love to read about. These dragons are more like bears or tigers than mythical, magical beings. Leave them alone and they won’t bother you; chain them up and antagonize them and they will attack indiscriminately.

I think I could have been a little more forgiving of this book’s shortfalls if I was more invested in the characters, however. But Zarela read as so many other YA protagonists - plucky and willing to speak her mind, but always selfless when it gets down defending her loved ones. She’s a great person, but her arc is exactly what you’d expect from page one and there’s really not much nuance here to get from Point A to where she finally lands at the end of the book to Point B. Her romance with Arturo was equally as underwhelming, especially with a title like Together We Burn leaning so heavily into their relationship.

I will give this book points for at least delivering a concept that is so unlike anything I’d read in YA fantasy - dragon matadors. It had the bones to be something truly fantastic, and while I consider it unique I don’t think I can call it memorable. Perhaps those less likely to look for standout characters or worldbuilding to make up for a very straightforward plot, or who are less picky in their flavor of dragons, may have a better time with this one. But I’ll admit I was a bit disappointed with a premise I had such high hopes for.

I loved this book sooooo much! When I started it I was a bit unsure as they were fighting and killing dragons in a ring similar to bull fighting for spectacle which I was not a fan of… but I held on because I fell in love with the characters and had to see how this book turned out. And I’m soooo glad I did!

From mystery and intrigue, to magic, and impressive world building I was a goner! Plus I’m a sucker for a strong female MC and amazing banter! A fantastic read for fantasy readers who love a good enemies-to-lovers trope! I thought I’d figured out the ending but the last 10% threw me through a loop! I was on the edge of my seat and holding on to each and every word.

As a forewarning this book also isn’t for the faint of heart as the main character deals with family deaths and trauma along with descriptive aftermaths of dragon attacks such as burned corpses, etc. Regardless, I need to own a physical copy of this one when it releases immediately to tab all of my favorite quotes and parts!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for the audiobook ARC for me to listen to and share my honest thoughts!

Thank you, Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this Arc in exchange for an honest review.


The Synopsis/description of this book was intriguing, but I just didn't care for this at all. The narration was perfect for this story. The characters and the world building were okay but could have went more into depth. There are parts that were practically predictable. I couldn't connect to the characters, the love interest, or anything. Personally, I wanted to like this, but I just didn't.

Together we burn was a really interesting read full of action it almost feels like there's never a dull moment... which I found overwhelming. It felt unbalanced and hard to keep up with. The plot of This book was exhausting me - books shouldn't do that, right? I found myself very uninterested after a bit and found it difficult to keep up

First off, I would like to thank Macmillan for providing the ARC for me to review and give my honest feedback. Together We Burn by Isabel Ibanez is a fantasy young adult novel deeply coated in Spanish cultural of bull fighting with a twist. The twist is they don’t fight with bulls they fight with dragons, now this is not a spoiler, it tells you this in the blurb on the back of the book. Our journey follows the daughter of the most famous Dragonador, Zarela Zalvidar, as she is made to grow up and face challenges well beyond her years.
Zarela is a flamenco dancer who lives with her father in their ancestral home which is located near the arena where her father fights the deadly dragons, he has become famous for. However, when the fates or in this case outside forces take deadly force and turn her world upside down, she must take control and become stronger than she ever thought she was capable of. In the process she finds an unlike alley in a handsome dragon hunter who is both infuriating and amazing. Together they uncover the mystery surrounding the tragic events that took place and try to help her family recover from the shame and hardship that has befallen upon them.
This story has both beautiful and heartbreaking at times, I found myself rooting for them and feeling angry for the way things were unfolding around them. They would fight so hard and could not seem to get a leg up or some justice, but they continued to fight and never gave up. The passion, the will they/ won’t they of it all was so good. It was like a delicious flame that just kept smoldering waiting to light into an inferno of passion. But don’t take my word for it… read and see if you get burned.

This was an interesting book and it starts off with a lot of action, suspense and emotion. There are a lot of good ideas in this book but is failed to keep me interested in the whole thing.. The pacing was slow and I predicted a lot of what happened.

I do have to say I like the background of the character and the emotional impact this has on the book. It helps us as readers to connect with the character.

I enjoyed the narrator as well. I think that she had a nice pace and portrayed the right personality. I enjoyed listening to her narrate the story.

Together We Burn is everything I wanted and more! Zarela is a fiery, strong, and determined young lady who would risk it all in order to save her family. She is head strong and I loved how she never backed down in the face of a challenge, no matter how nervous she may have been.

This entire story brought back memories of my family members who were toreros (bullfighters) except that in this fantastical magical world instead of bulls we have dragons! Dragon hunters, dragon fighters, and a young lady who dances with dragons, what more could you want?

Zarela is 18 years old and she finds herself in an impossible situation after a horrible incident leaves her father in bad health, her family almost in ruin, and she alone is left to try to save her family name and legacy. How will she prove that her family instead what everyone thinks and what secrets could she uncover along the way? There were so mysteries to this story, and even though some of them were a bit predictable they were still enjoyable and moved the story along nicely.

Arturo is a dragon hunter who hates the vicious act of killing dragons for sport and entertainment, yet he helps hunt them. Why? Arturo is just as strong minded as Zarela and everything he stands for goes against her families legacy, yet he finds himself helping her because he needs the money she can provide in exchange for him training her. Yet Arturo has some very big secrets of his own that could cost him everything he wants.

The way these two characters come together and the way in which this story was written really grabbed my attention. I could not put this book down. It’s perfect for lovers of fantasy because it has a strong female heroine, forbidden love, magic, dragons, and Latin culture! Definitely recommend this book and will be selling it to customers.

A firey, independent leading woman. A grumpy, caustic dragon tamer. Dragons. Intrigue. Betrayal. Music. Dancing. Kissing (and more!). I absolutely loved Together We Burn by Isabel Ibanez. Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to listen to the advance audiobook, and it was a fantastic experience. As with many audiobooks, the immersive experience and the narrator's skill placed me in the moment with each chapter. Ana Osorio was terrific. Her voice felt authentic to the story and was melodic in how she made the words on the page come alive. Zarela and Arturo leap off the page (or out of the headphones, if you will). The enemies to lovers trope is here and it is so well done. The world is unique and did I mention DRAGONS? The culture is rich and the worldbuilding is great. If you like fantasy, Together We Burn is a great one to pick up.

The opening scene of this novel had me hooked: a famous flamenco dancer who has fallen in love with a matador... I mean dragonador.,, risks it all to save her daughter from a rampaging dragon. Tragedy ensues, but life endures. But it's just the start of the woes that befall Zarela's family. A series of unfortunate events and sabotage puts her life and her hacienda and business in jeopardy and it all starts when they are celebrating their 500th anniversary as a family owned arena.

Zarela must keep her family home and that means doing things she never dreamed she would have to do. She has to become the face of her family's arena and fight to save it in many different ways. She has to face the guild of dragonadors, she has to find a way to get some money, she needs to find some dragon, learn how to fight them and she needs a dragon master or trainer or someone to help her accomplish all this... queue a dragon hunter named Arturo. Things will get spicy.

What I loved: the subtle references to Spanish culture, the social commentary on bull fighting... I mean dragon fighting, the delicate balance this novel walks in showing cultural values and changing societal needs and norms, the peaceful resolutions that this novel comes to on its own, the dragons and the dancing.

This book started as a flicker and soon consumed my days as I blazed through it as fast as possible. I think the scorching social commentary and illuminating cultural connections are what fueled my happiness with this novel!

I loved the narrator too!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

What an exciting read! This book was like "How To Train Your Dragon" meets "Zorro" ... and I LOVED IT!!!!!!

First off, a big beautiful thank you to the amazing Isabel Ibañez, Wednesday Books, & NetGalley for the Audio ARC. This is a honest review and all thoughts are my own.

From the moment I began reading this book until the last page, I was HOOKED. Dragons are terrors of the sky, but like Hiccup suspected, just misunderstood. The people of Hispalia love two things the flamenco dancers and the Dragonador dragon fighters. Like bull fighters, Zarela Zalvidar's father is one of these fighters and owns the biggest and best dragon ring in the city. At the height of the Zalvidar families 500th celebration, the worst happens and their dragons escape (there might have been foul play here, not saying more). In the aftermath of the destruction and death Zarela must carry the family legacy on her shoulders which leads her to the Dragon Hunter, Arturo. Their relationship is no enemy to lovers because enemies would suggest hate and even at the start these two couldn't hate each other.
Zarela struggles through a gauntlet of troubles and woes as she goes to war with a declining family name, a city who hates her, a dragons rights group that is set on demoralizing her family, facing fear and emotions, and a mystery as to who was attacking her family. I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed listening to this story! The narrator was terrific and the story was thrilling from start to finish.
I don't often give 5 stars, but this one deserves every one of those five pointed golden treasures. I will definitely be buying this in hardback when it comes out to adorn my shelves and rant about to anyone who asks. This is a must read! Buy it with no hesitations or doubts.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Having lived in Spain for a time and having fallen in love with the Spanish langue, culture and traditions, Together We Burn was everything my heart could have wanted from a fantasy story with a Spanish-inspired setting.

After a tragic accident leaves her father unable to continue as a renowned dragonador (think bull fighting, but make it with dragons), 18yo Zarela Zalvidar takes it upon herself to save her family’s livelihood and legacy. To do so, she is forced to ask for help from the prickly dragon hunter Arturo, and together they work to uncover who might be out to destroy the Zalvidar family name.

Things that I loved about this book:

- Clever and humorous banter between Zarela and Arturo. They have a great slow-burn, enemies to lovers journey.
- Zarela’s fierce loyalty to her family’s legacy and the traditions - flamenco dancing and dragon fighting - that have shaped who she is.
- All of the detailed and vivid descriptions of the Spanish-inspired setting and culture: the food, the clothing, the music, flamenco dancing, bull/dragon fighting.
- The mystery of who might be sabotaging the Zalvidar family. Several of the characters make for really good suspects.
- Interesting magic system, and of course, dragons!

The beginning felt a little slow, some parts seemed to drag, and then a lot of action happened in the last quarter of the book, but overall I really enjoyed the plot and the characters and just had a lot of fun listening to this story!

4.5/5 ⭐️
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: (Mature) Young Adult
Content: 1 heavy make-out scene; 1 brief, vague open-door scene

I cannot describe how much I enjoyed this! I was surely thinking 20% in that this would just be a 3 star. But I loved Zarila and Arturo soo much and I loved the lush setting and the world building. Arturo was such a loveable prick and the way he was both infuriated and infatuated by Zarila was so funny! I loved their banter and their slow burn relationship—it was so well done, the way everything from trust to yearning to burning love was built between them.

I also like the setting and atmosphere of Spain and the integration of dragons. There was so much fun in the dragon training. I also adored the secondary characters, they were super well written and fun to have around.

The romance absolutely took the cake and was such a slow burn but had the BEST satisfying end. I hope the author continues to write more wonderful stories like this and I cannot wait to purchase the paperback of hardcopy when this releases!

Step into a world of dragon rage and glory full of fierce passion and fiery celebrations. The risk is great, but the reward even greater…if all goes well. The infuriatingly stubborn heroine, 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. With an antagonist that is just as stubborn and determined not to give in to any of Zarela’s demands, the story is driven by a battle of wills with two combatants that refuse to give an inch.

I especially like the narrator for this audiobook. She spoke the Spanish words and phrases very clearly and expertly, faster than I would have read them myself. I like the different voices she used for her characters as well, adding just enough of the Spanish accent to remind listeners of the language but not so much that listeners would have trouble interpreting the words.