‘Together We Burn’ by Isabel Ibáñez was such an lush, gorgeous read. Unique, full of adventure, magic, swoony forbidden romance, and a powerful heroine that I absolutely adored. Highly recommend!

A YA fantasy with dragons, romance, AND gorgeous colorful Spanish influence? YES PLEASE! For what this book said it was going to deliver, I feel that it did. I loved the fact that the author did all she could to immerse you into the culture to bring you further into the story. OVerall a great fantasy read.

4.5 stars

CWs: death of a parent, death by fire (dragons), kidnapping

This was such a good read! It was a little bit slow to hook me on the beginning, but by about 50 pages in I didn’t want to stop reading.
Zarela was a really great character. She was stubborn, loyal, and hardworking. I loved watching her fight to keep the arena. Her relationship with Arturo was really good too. The slow burn romance was really well done, and I really liked the chemistry.
I thought the pacing was good, and the writing style was easy to follow. The culture was really vibrant, and the setting was well described. I felt like I was in Santivilla with the characters.

I received an eARC from the publishers via NetGalley.

This was easily turning into a 3 star read until we got further into the book. Then it turned to a 4 star read, let me tell you how this happened.

•The story moves quick, some things feel like there offhanded but then a character says something and there is no shock factor like you think there would be.

•This is definitely enemies to lovers, and harassment until you help me! Not sure how I like that.

•MC seems clueless and while I know this is all fiction, personally I think if she had been making moves to really learn the family business when her mom died. It would have given more of that “gasp” moments when shiz went down. It would also give the character wiggle room for the sympathize with her actions and maybe even give her the benefit of the doubt. But for the most part she’s walking around like a spoiled brat who has no idea what she’s getting herself into. Her entitlement leaves very little room to sympathize.

•One thing I do like is the fact that she’s not taking no for an
•Everytime they say Encanto I think “we don’t talk about Bruno no no no we don’t talk about Bruno!

* I think I know who betrayed her family. The author for me doesn’t do a good job of hiding it. The interaction of this character with our MC is so Cringe that it made me suspect immediately.

* This is giving How to train your dragons Flamingo style! And it’s not bad.

* Once we get to chapter 29 and beyond things gear up and I loose all negative thoughts about the book. isabela has a way in writing to suck you in. She did it in Woven in The Star and she did it again for Together we burn for me.

* I looked at reviews before I finished the book because y’all know book drama is everywhere. But I don’t like to give in to negative thoughts until I’ve made up my own mind. Something that I saw a few times on others reviews was the fact that this book was Spanglish. Spanish and English together. They said they hated this aspect of the book, one even went far enough to say most readers are English speaking and they wouldn’t enjoy the book. As a Mexican, this really upset me because I love when others embrace my culture and my language. I loved that this book was written like this. I didn’t find a problem with that what so ever. I actually appreciated it. And if a non Spanish speaker doesn’t like that then honey move on. I appreciated it as a dual language speaking Mexican!

* The ending, not my favorite. I invest in the character only to not get what I want. 😂 But it’s better then the alternative.

Final Thoughts:

I’m glad I gave this book a try even though I had a moment where I didn’t want to continue. Because I gave it a chance with no prejudice, it kept me reading and it definitely had me wanting to find out what happened next with every chapter. I enjoyed this book!

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!