Truly wonderful from beginning to end.

This is the type of book you don't want to put down.

The author paints such a vivid picture through each chapter and the characters are so well written; you'll think you've known them your whole life.

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

4.5 stars.

I had all the intentions of giving this book a solid 5-star rating, but I can't. And it kind of breaks my heart because I LOVED it. Truly, I felt myself deflate when I realized I couldn't give it 5 stars. (More details under Notes at the end.)

Now on to the good stuff.

This book was every bit as gorgeous inside as the cover was--the writing and the story were beautiful. Every bit of imagery added to the characters, the setting, and the story--I didn't feel like any of it was overdone. I absolutely loved the blend of flamenco and dragon fighting. Years ago, I read a book about bullfighting, so I recognized a lot of its elements within the dragon fighting in this book. And even though a couple of things reminded me of How to Train Your Dragon, this book is most definitely not HTTYD (though those are some of my favorite animated movies ever).

Zarela (18) and Arturo (20) are both interesting characters. The two of them are like a match and kindling; it's either going to keep you warm or burn your house down. I loved Zarela's determination and dedication to her family and home. I loved Arturo's good heart, despite his prickliness and tendency to shove everyone away. I wouldn't call him a teddy bear, more like an artichoke--you've got to get through all of the spiny leave before you get to the delicious heart in the middle. I cared about them. Supporting characters, too, were richly written--Lola, Ofelia, Santiago, even Guillermo, Don Eduardo, and Hector.

Note: Some swearing, mostly in Spanish but some in English. Some non-expicit sex (easily skipped). That's the reason I couldn't give it 5 stars, honestly--the sex. First, I'm irritated that more and more YA books are including what feels like obligatory sex scenes (and f words, btw). Many times they don't feel like they even really fit naturally into the story (like in this book--it felt out of character and kind of random to include them). But regardless of that, I just hate how sex has become such a big part of YA literature, in particular. I would have gladly purchased a hardcover edition of this book had it not been for that part of it.

Oh boy: it is absolutely impossible not to love this book so much!

A fiery, determined, powerful heroine who dances with dragons: ( seems like she’s great combination of Daenerys Targaryen and Shakira) - a brooding, tough, hard working tamer who can whisper to the dragons- hottest enemies to lovers trope- an impressive world building where the dragons fly around and their magic help them heal the people- a hateful revenge plan- mystery behind the carnage at the arena belong to Zalvidar family for 500 years!

Yes: this is heavenly package for the fantasy lovers like me who keen on reading about resilient, tough heroines and forbidden love stories with a touch of magic, action packed chapters, mesmerizing Latin culture.

18 years old Zarela Zalvidar can do anything to save their arena she’s inherited from her ancestors, the life of her father in expanse convincing the meanest dragon hunter Arturo Diaz 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.

And Arturo has so many secrets that ruin everything they built together! Could that brooding, hostile man rock Zarela’s entire world!
Go on and read it!

Even though the big revelations of the book were a little foreseeable, I loved the tension, I loved the magical world, I loved the passion between MCs that put the pages of hard copies into fire!

So I’m rounding up 4.5 stars to 5 dragon lady who should be winner of dancing with stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

This was a decent YA fantasy story, and while there weren't really any surprises in the plot, the unique setting and strong protagonist made it a compelling read.

Okay, so I figured out the bad guy early on in the story, though I was still interested in finding out the why behind the actions and in what would happen to our protagonist (but yes, the why ended up being too far-fetched and a little implausible for me, but it didn't bother me too much). The plot followed a fairly predictable young-adult arc.

That being said, I still really enjoyed it. There's something to be said for a book that hits the points you're expecting—it's familiar and comforting while still being new. Zarela was an easy main character to love and root for and I liked the romance story with Arturo, even if, again, it hit all those predictable points. There's not a ton of character development, but Zarela and Arturo both get some growth that made for nice touches to the story.

And I loved the setting! The dragon-fighting and this somewhat magical world inspired by medieval Spain were intriguing and kept me hooked. I appreciate a good moral dilemma conversation and I liked the discussion that our main characters were having over the morality of dragon-fighting, and if something being a long-held tradition is reason enough to continue doing it. These kinds of conversations make a fantasy book more relatable. I also like that this is a standalone. I don't read enough standalone fantasy novels.

I also loved all the Spanish throughout—made me realize I know more Spanish than I thought!

This book. I can't tell if I want to eat or make out with Aurturo. Can I do both? Ibanez is one of the best authors at world-building. Everything in her stories is vivid and immersive and lush. This book is no different. The romance is swoony. The dragons are impressive. The friendships are perfect. And the banter. *chefs kiss*. Thank you St. Martins for letting me read this perfect fantasty. It will be a favorite for everyone.

In this high fantasy, Zarela is the daughter of a dragonadore family. The family hunts, tames, and fights dragons in their very popular arena. When tragedy strikes, Zarela loses her mother.

When the story begins, Zarela is still mourning the lose of her mother, but when the arena dragons are let loose, both patrons and her father are gravely injured. Zarela has to find a way to make ends meet and save her family’s home.

No one believes in her, not even her ailing father. But Zarela is determined to prove everyone wrong. She sets out to hire a new dragon tamer and purchase some new beasts for the family arena. She doesn’t know what she’s in for as she begins her adventure of magic, tragedy, and unexpected love.

This book was a really fun read but I would have loved some more world building and more descriptive writing. It read a little more like middle grade than young adult fantasy. I think that a little more depth to the story would have really set this up to be an epic fantasy. I’m also not a huge fan of spice in YA but it is what it is.

All I saw was dragons and I knew I had to read this one! Together We Burn is a slow-burn with mystery and adventure! The writing style was beautiful and captivating, with strong characters and a unique storyline. Zarela was a great protagonist - resourceful, passionate, and complex! The pacing was a little off at times, and I feel like so much was pushed to the last 20%, but it still had me on the edge of my seat. I loved the contrast between the culture/history of the dragon-fighting practice versus the brutality of it. This is my first book by Isabel Ibañez and I loved it! Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for my gifted copy! Release Date: 5/31/2022

“Together We Burn” by Isabel Ibanez was such a pleasant surprise. I had never read anything by this author previously, so the beautiful prose filled with descriptive language was welcome and really pulled me into the story from the get go. The theme of family and pride was strong within the book and enjoyable. I did have reservations in regards to the bullfighting style of the interactions with the dragons. While that aspect wasn’t my favorite, I found that the infusion of Spanish culture was great. It made this fantasy unique and interesting. The use of Spanish language in parts of the book made it feel more authentic but I’d rely on ownvoices reviewers on the cultural aspects of this novel. (Please seek out those reviewers)

DNF at 25%.

I unfortunately just couldn't get into this book. I'm not sure if it's the writing style, the characters, or just some sort of personal reading slump, but I've found myself disinterested in picking it up.

The premise is still very interesting, and I'm sure there are other readers who will love it, but it's not working for me, at least not at the moment.

Omg a high fantasy book with dragons!! It’s fast-paced and swoony. Perfect for fans of high fantasy novels.

This was such a great book! I loved the culture of Hispalia, as well as the different types of dragons. Zarela was a great main character, incredibly capable and compassionate, and I loved her relationship with Arturo. Even though the stakes in this book were lower than a lot of other fantasies (Zarela losing her family's home rather than the world ending) I was on the edge of my seat and finished this in one sitting. I didn't expect the identity of the person sabotaging Zarela's family, and I was really happy with how everything wrapped up.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are purely my own and not affiliated with any brand.

I will say I almost didn’t finish this book. It had nothing to do with the writing or the premise of the story. It was my person view on bullfighting and how ethical it is. I am really glad I pushed through and read to the end!! It was such a good story and I would have regretted not finishing it. Isabel Ibanez is such a great writer. I could clearly see and hear the dance steps in my find. The world she created is so detailed I can picture it clearly. I loved the main characters. I could relate to them and found their banter witty.

Overall, I would recommend this book to a friend. I greatly enjoyed it and as a Latina, I always appreciate when there are books that embrace the heritage!

I'm not a huge fan of fantasy but when I do read it I prefer teen and it doesn't hurt if dragons make an appearance.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

This is the type of fantasy I love; excellent worldbuilding with complex societal structure and dragons. Honestly anything including dragons 100% deserves a read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this intetesting read that has dragons!
This book is about a girl Zarela who is the daughter of a flamenco dancer and a Dragonador. Her father runs an arena where dragons are killed according to tradition and of course with dragons comes trouble. It is expected that tragedy would strike the arena and when it does the MC and her father find their career falling to pieces. This is where the actual story starts. I absolutely adored the way Zarela was willing to do anything for her friends and most of all her family. The deep bonds in a family are not often mentioned in books and when they are, I'm immediately interested. This book has that aspect, how the MC drew strength from her love for her family and it just warmed my heart. I also loved the dragon part of this book and I was very relieved by Zarela's choice in the end. I adored the side characters a lot! The only thing I didn't like was the insta-love. The romance was rushed and I felt like not many convos were had between Zarela and her love interest before they realized their feelings towards each other. Other than that, I had a good time reading this book!

3 stars!💖

As a dragon lover, I was very excited for the promise of dragons in this book. Though the storyline of the dragons, much like most of the others, felt very predictable and followed popular tropes. As I was reading, it was just too easy to see where the story was going, even if I couldn't tell exactly how it would get there. Now, this doesn't make it a bad book, it was a fun story to read, but it wasn't as innovative as I had hoped. The guy gets the girl, dragon fighting is wrong, etc.
The story was very slow in the beginning and rapidly picked up towards the end. At the start, the main character, Zarela Zalvidar, was crushed under the weight of her parent's and constantly compared to her mother. I had hoped that she would be allowed out from their umbrella's, but it seemed that she just embraced it rather than truly stepping out. Of course, she did do something entirely new at the end, but it was still colored by her parents.
I do appreciate the Hispanic inspiration- it is so rare to find fantasy inspired by medieval Spain. And, Isabel Ibañez truly excels at writing descriptions. Every detail was loving transcribed for the reader, painting a beautiful scene for the story and making me hungry with all the talk of food.
Overall, though it was predictable, it was a lovely and enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes diverse fantasy, dragons, and slow burn love stories.

Thank you to Netgalley for this title in exchange for an honest review.

Author Isabel Ibañez does it again with Together We Burn weaving in themes and amazing plot and character development. I was so invested in this story I finished it in less than a few days

After a tragic incident takes place during a special event, the five-hundreth anniversary show in the dragon fighting arena, Zarela must fight to keep her ancestral home while her father tries to recover from a horrible injury. In order to keep her home, she tries to enlist the help of a dragon hunter and tamer, Arturo de Diaz de Montserrat.

Training, fighting and more, Zarela does everything she can, desperate to save her home from greedy men.

To say I liked this book is an understatement. I absolutely loved it! The premise is super interesting. I loved that there's dragonadors fighting dragons instead of bulls and the dragons sound so beautiful and interesting. I love dragons!

Zarela is scared of them after a tragic incident from the past, but I love how throughout the book, she grows and overcomes her fears of them, learning more about them from the handsome diablo, Arturo, who understands them better than most.

Once I got through the beginning of the book, it didn't take much for me to truly dive into this book, so much I could not put it down. The characters are great, I love the side relationships Zarela has, Lola is one of my favorites. She's so funny and really loves her best friend. Ofelia is stern but it's just how she expresses her love as well. I miss these characters already!

The romance in this book is positively swoonworthy, the tension between them is incredible, I was on the edge of my seat for this romance. I haven't been so drawn to a romance in a while as I was to the one in this book.

If you love action, dragons, a sweeping romance, a bit of mystery and a strong, stubborn heroine, read this book! It's amazing!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read an arc of this amazing book!

This book was so good!! I really loved the main characters and the plot of this story. I flew through this book in one day. This is the type of book I would read again and again. Highly recommend!