Dragons, magic, mystery, and delicious food descriptions combine to create a fantasy story that I could not put down. Zarela was such a fun main character to follow, one who's justifiably angry at circumstances around her but still chooses to hope and doesn't hide her femininity. The plot was super interesting, with an intriguing mystery to solve, and I loved all the side characters. I really liked that there was Spanish woven throughout the story, and yes, I did feel very proud of myself that I understood most of it without having to translate, haha! I did call the big twist from an early point, but that didn't lessen my enjoyment at all. So yes, I thoroughly enjoyed 90% of this book, and I'd recommend it.

Unfortunately there's that 10% leaving a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. It was probably my own fault for hoping that a secularly-published YA wouldn't have this stuff but I couldn't help hoping. There's quite a bit of profanity (all in Spanish), a good amount of violence (involving the dragons), and one almost-sex scene and one sex scene. It's easily skippable, but it caught me so off-guard that I dropped the rating a full star. I just... don't need to see that, thanks.

Overall, I really liked this, and I do recommend it, but with those content warnings in place. (Also trigger warnings for loss of a parent) It was probably one of the bigger disappointments of the year, but still such an enchanting story that I did still really love most of it. Just not all of it. Oh well.

Four stars from me!

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.**

Man, this was an amazing read! I was so infuriated about the way she was treated, and I loved watching her face it, and I had such a great time reading it! This world with dragons and Dragonadors was so interesting, and I loved exploring it!

One thing that really struck in my craw was the membership situation. Like, only her father can register complains, but that they have to pay. But they won't investigate? I mean, come on! You should be insisting on an investigation, not trying to make sure one doesn't happen. Otherwise, what's the point of being a member? That really had me worked up!

I really enjoyed the two main parts of this book-the survival of her home, and her relationship with Arturo. They are pretty connected, and they were both so great to read! Learning more about the dragons-of the misconceptions that people had about them, was really great. And who sabotaged them? I had a guess, which was right, but thankfully, I was wrong about the reasons why. I much prefer what actually happened in this book to what I'd thought of. It made for a wonderfully satisfying ending!

I'm not sure if this was an ARC thing or not, but there was this mention by Arturo of mortals, and I had me wondering, if maybe he was a shapeshifter or some sort of creature with a longer lifespan then humans. It was just a little bit odd, and then it wasn't mentioned again. Though maybe it could be a sequel territory?

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Isabel Ibañez!

The following review was posted today, Sunday, May 29th, 2 days before publication. It will be shared on Twitter and Instagram between today and the publication date (Tuesday, May 31st), but the review has already been posted on Goodreads. The blog post includes links to pre-order the books and to its Goodreads page, so readers can add it to their to-be-read books.


“Because it isn’t about my not wanting you, (…) I do, damn it. I do. So stay and talk to me, because if I can’t have more, then let me have less.”

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Mentions parental death, violence, and animal death.

“Together We Burn” follows Zarela Zaldivar, a known flamenco dancer who’s the daughter of a famous Dragonador (so like, a matador but with dragons instead of bulls), as she tries to keep her family business afloat after her father is injured during one of the shows. To do so, she’ll need some help, and so in comes Arturo Diaz de Montserra, a dragon hunter who immediately sets it off with the wrong foot with Zarela. But after another accident takes place, Zarela starts to think that perhaps these aren’t accidents at all, but someone looking to bring the Zaldivar family down. Will Zarela and Arturo overlook their differences and work together to save things they both hold dear? Will truths be uncovered?

You know when a book captivates you right from the first line? Well, this was it. Isabel Ibañez wrote “My mother died screaming my name,” and she had me. I read this book in one sitting.

I loved the Spanglish aspects of this novel since Spanish is my native language. I loved the characters and the love story that was woven into the adventurous parts of this fantasy novel. And it wasn’t only Zarela and Arturo, no, I loved the side characters and, well, just from the premise of the book I knew animal cruelty would be involved, so keep that in mind, but it certainly wasn’t overly gruesome or as sensationalized as it could be. Ibañez simply writes it as it is, in this world of fantasy. The only thing I didn’t like about this book (other than the animal cruelty) was that it could be overdramatic at times–which I guess is to be expected of a YA novel, but oh well.

I would recommend this book if you like the enemies-to-lovers trope, if you know and appreciate Spanish culture, or if you’re looking for a relatively short but entertaining fantasy standalone book. The world-building was complex but it didn’t feel forced. This was truly a masterpiece.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

“He’s all of the warm and sultry flavors of Santivilla. I hold smoke and fire and sweet wine in my mouth. We catch on fire under a million stars. Together we burn.”

Publication Date: May 31, 2022

“My mother died screaming my name.”

A great first line and a beautiful cover pulled me right in. Together We Burn is a YA fantasy with a determined female flamenco dancer named Zarela. When something threatens her family home and Dragon arena she trains to be a Dragonador to help her family name. Cue the handsome and surly dragon tamer, Arturo, who reluctantly agrees to help her. It’s a slow burn enemies to lovers book that I enjoyed. There is a little mystery to it as well but you can see where this one is going to go. However, it was still an enjoyable dragon ride to get there:)

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an eARC for review!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

A magical story about dragons and if I had to say animal rights. In our story we meet the Zalvidar family who owns a dragon fighting arena where Zarela's mother is a famous Flamenco dancer and her father a Dragonador. Soon tragedy strikes and Zarela is left fighting to keep her family business afloat. She reaches out to a dragon trainer named Arturo who she convinces to help her train to take over the family business. Isabel Ibanez did a fantastic job making me feel like dragons exist. This was a fun and scary world where dragons and people were at war. And a story about a girl who must make the right decision to save her family and possibly the dragons.

Great book for any fan of Fantasy stories.

the magic system in this novel was unexplained and didn't make a ton of sense?? also i kind of wish this was a story about a girl and her dragons and not some half-hearted romance between brooding guy and stubborn girl because it was so flat and instalove and i was OVER it
it's a super predictable book and i didn't find myself super loving any part of it
oh and the villain sucked

This book took me a little time to warm up to, not because it was difficult to read but because the dragon fighting was so obviously based on bullfighting and it was hard (for me) to love someone who was arguing so strongly for something like bullfighting. But then again, that was the point of the story. As I got drawn into the story, I could see there were generations of hate and fear towards the dragons and that this family had turned it into an art form to give the people of the town hope against creatures that constantly threatened their skies. I ended up loving how the author wove in the beauty of Spanish heritage throughout this fantasy world of dragons and magic. I was hoping for a bit more fantasy worldbuilding because, at the beginning, there is a listing that tells you about all the various guilds and what they do, so I was expecting there to be more of that in the story, but other guilds (other than the ones for magic, dragon-fighting, and textiles) were pretty much glossed over or mentioned in passing. Who was and was not the bad guy was also pretty predictable, but being able to predict the ending didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story and it helped that it was also a very quick read. Ultimately, the conflict between those who were for dragon fighting and those against it was resolved in a satisfactory and clever way, which made me smile in satisfaction when I finished the book.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

4.5 stars!

Well, it's been quite a long time since I've read this. While that does bring the cons of not remembering certain details, it does mean that I've had more time to think about them. And I think 3 months is certainly enough time for my review to be honest.

If you check out my full review on GR, you'll notice that I have docked a half star. My reviews tend to be strongly influenced by how I felt reading it, especially how I feel after finishing it. That's often why I rate books so leniently. I think that I just loved reading Together We Burn so much that I was really lenient with the rating. Well, it's been 3 months, and I'm being a bit pickier. Still, for TWB to only "lose" half a star should be pretty telling.

This book is amazing, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!

I thought the whole setting was so cool and so inventive! I love the idea of dragon fighting and how it put a fun spin on bull fighting. I especially love that it takes place in a Spanish–inspired world. I think that just works perfectly. Any other country or culture, and it just wouldn't have felt authentic, . . . well, as authentic as dragons and dragon fighting can be, lol XD

There were a ton of great characters in TWB. I'll spotlight the MC and the love interest below, but let me just chat more about the character list in general. Gosh, I wish I could remember more details, but I LOVED Zarela's best friend. I can't for the life of me remember her name, but I absolutely loved her! She was such a great friend and was just so witty! I just gotta love Zarela's dear father. I rather liked her uncle, too, until he did some things that made me rather upset with him. Zarela's other friends were amazing, too!

Okay, so Zarela is our MC. She's firey, strong–willed, and determined. More importantly, she's not the obnoxious "I'm a strong–willed female MC, yay me" type. We all know those MCs that say they're tough but are about as tough as a puddle of water; they're annoying, and we hate them.

But let me tell you this: Zarela proves her strength. And not the "tell, but not show" proof, but both! (So yay to author Isabel Ibañez!) Zarela is so determined to prove her worth and to save her beloved dragon fighting ring that she'll quite literally do everything it takes to do so — even conquering her fear of dragons to become the first female Dragonador (dragon fighter). Her strength, her bravery, her determination bordering on stubbornness are what make her so tough. But more importantly, we see her unyielding care for her best friend and father, whom she adores. This shows us that she's not just a tough jerk; she's real. She's a well–rounded person, emotionally. And even though we can't relate to being a Dragonador, this characterization helps us (or maybe it's just me) really relate to her. And that's great.

Arturo is your typical broody, slightly jerky love interest. This includes all the pros and cons that come with it.

We definitely see him being a "jerk" to Zarela initially. By "jerk," I don't mean mean or cruel, but more standoffish and borderline rude, if you get what I mean. In fact, he laughs at her for wanting to attempt to become a Dragonador. However, this rudeness is juxtaposed with real care, like when he saves her from a dragon attack. The actual saving isn't what demonstrates true caring, but rather a sacrifice he made to do so. No, it's not his life or someone else's, but something else. I'm not going to say, because I don't want to ruin that moment for you. :)

Overall, he had a pretty good character arc. He definitely reminds me a lot of Zuko from ATLA, but let's be honest. No one will ever be as great as Zuko. End of story.

As I've been hinting so far, the whole plot revolves around Zarela trying to save her dragon ring. You'll get no spoilers from me (at least here), but I really did enjoy the whole plot line. However, something about the plot and the pacing of it just didn't feel right. When I was reading it, I really saw no problem. But now, looking back, I feel like more could have happened.

So many great relationships! I think I'll only spotlight Zarela and Arturo's relationship below, but I'd be remiss if I didn't highlight her relationships with her best friend and father.

I just LOVE the amazing relationship Zarela has with her best friend. They're such a fun duo, and the care and respect for each other is just #friendgoals, lol. But in all seriousness, they're just so fun and goofy, and you really have to read TWB to get all of it. I just cannot do justice to this friendship, especially with my crappy memory. :\

I love Zarela's relationship with her father almost as much I do her relationship with her best friend. Zarela absolutely adores her father, and the time and attention she takes caring for him is just so pure! And the lengths she'll go to uphold her family name and her father's honor is just so admirable! It's great!

Now, I'm going to be slightly harsh, but Zarela and Arturo's relationship needed some work.

It was a slow burn instalove. I know that makes no sense at all, so let me explain. So, we knew Zarela and Arturo would be a couple from the very start, even before reading it. Otherwise, what type of YA book would this be; like, c'mon, this is just standard for YA fantasy. (This is the instalove part.) However, they barely had any on–screen chemistry. (That's the slow burn part.) Sure, we get a couple of lingering glances and brushes, but that's about it. I just think we should have had a bit more, but maybe that's just me. I don't know. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Now, I said earlier, and I'll say it again: the pacing just felt off. While reading it, it was fine, but now, looking back, I feel like it was missing something. I'm not sure what that something is, but I feel like more should (or could) have happened.

Pacing aside, I loved the prose. Isabel Ibañez has such a great writing style, and I absolutely devoured it! Her words just flowed right off the page.

Okay, overall, I really enjoyed reading TWB. Great book, great plot. And can we talk about that cover?! AMAZING, AND ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!!! 😍

Was it perfect? No, but it was close enough. Would I recommend it? Absolutely!

4.5 stars!

~~~~~

Major thanks to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review

#TogetherWeBurn #Netgalley

~~~~~

Full review posted to Goodreads!

I was dragon-baited. Plan and simple.

First off, I would like to clarify that my rating was initially three stars, but after writing this review out, I realized that I genuinely did not get this book. I tend to base my ratings on how I feel once I hit that last page and absorb that last word, and honestly, this is a book that I just happened to read and will likely forget entirely within a week, but I know I didn't enjoy my time with it despite hoping it would get better.

Dragons are my absolute favourite mythical creatures, and they're an instant selling point for me. Daenerys Targaryen? She's my boo and I wholeheartedly support her in whatever she does. Reading the synopsis back, I do not know why I thought this was a book about dragon riders. But let me tell you, the depths of my disappointment when I understood that that was not case here--it knows no bounds. Straight through to the core of the earth and out the other side. Because this was not a book on the symbiotic relationship between a human and a dragon. No, this was a take on bull fighting, but with dragons.

Herein lies my issue with the book. Every month, a dragon fighter will face a captured dragon in the arena, and will kill it slowly and cruelly for the sake of spectacle. And the main character is completely, absolutely, one hundred percent cool with it. Considering that the prologue and first chapter are similar fatal catastrophes a year apart, it's clear these people are not running a very good business. People are protesting, many are trying to shut them down, and Zarela genuinely does not see the issue. Almost the entire book is her driven by desperation to keep her father's business going at all costs.

We must continue to brutally murder captured dragons because it's our family legacy.

And I hated that. I did not understand how this young and clever woman could not see past this box she put herself in. Why would you not grasp that this business your family is in is awful and destructive and try to figure out a different path forward? I disagreed with almost every decision she made. She dragged multiple people into the issue, and I really wanted them all to disappoint her so she would come to her senses and approach things differently. The solution that does come about is kind of where I gave up on this book. (view spoiler) It was discovered by accident far too late, and was put into action in a way that felt very rushed and haphazard.

I did like some parts of the book. As much as I hated the dragon killing for sport, the Spain-influenced world was really cool. It was super easy to imagine and felt like a very different type of setting. I also really like the character Arturo. He's a dragon hunter slash trainer (which is a pointless position I really don't want to get started on) and I felt like he was the only rational person in the entire book. Plus he's grumpy and broody and has a past. We love that in our love interests.

I'd heard some less than good things about Ibanez's first books from Latinx friends, and now after having such a poor reading experience here, I think I'll be passing on this author in future.

'm not going to say this was a quick read because I read this in a day, I read it in a day because I couldn't put it down! Such a beautiful book, great visuals. It kind of felt like a mash up of How to train your dragon and Book of life, but for a slightly older audience. This book pulled me in with the first sentence. I don't care if you don't read the prologue, read the damn prologue. The romance between Zarela and Arturo was so aggravatingly wonderful. I love this world of Hispalia. The drama, the machinations, I guessed right about the whole thing but it was so good I didn't care.

This was a super fun read. I could absolutely see it set in Spain and just throw some dragons in. But I think that was the point. I figured out who was trying to sabotage the arena at about 30%, although I did not have the motivation correct. The language in this book was beautiful, the descriptions were vivid.. It wasn’t a revolutionary or particularly twisty storyline, but it was a good solid storyline. It has likable characters, and beautiful imagery. It all works together very well.

"You keep surprising me," he says, and there's a particularly despairing quality to his voice that I find riveting. "I wish you'd stop."

Arturo y Zarela. Me gusta! The flamenco dancer who has mysterious business with the dragon tamer. Te quiero! Man, these two. I LOVE THEM. I was so engrossed in this story. The first 50 pages are utter pandemonium! HOOKED!


TOGETHER WE BURN is action packed! An ancient city plagued by dragons. Readers will be rooting for Arturo and Zarela! Chanting kiss, kiss, kiss!


There are elbow brushes, people. ELBOW BRUSHES!!!! So what I am trying to say is, you need this novel in your life!!! *chef's kiss*. It was excelente! Perfecto. Buy three copies.


✨THINGS AND STUFF✨
-loathe to love
-"we're so wrong for each other" BANTER
-dragonador (think matador 🐂 but 🐉)
-flamenco 💃🏼
-gardenias
-sangria with thick slices of golden apple and strawberries
-mouth watering cuisine
-wizards & witches
-mystery & murder
-jaw dropping revelations
-#IsThisAKissingBook: upper YA. open-ish door. "...he pulls me into a kiss, and it's like every other time. We catch fire."

Thank you Wednesday Books for an advanced copy! Mucho gusto.

🎶Song: Animal by Troye Sivan🎶

I had been intrigued by the idea of a book full of magic and dragons that was set in what amounted to an alternate version of Spain. At 20% in, I had to give up. I hate to do that, especially for an ARC, but I found myself with absolutely no interest to finish this book.

The pacing of this book is painfully slow. I got to 20% and felt like nothing had happened. The characters also felt like they were lifted out of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise and slightly altered through the flipping of the POV to a character who is the daughter of a dragon fighter and has no qualms about killing dragons. I really wanted to like this book but the pacing and style weren't for me. I tried to go back to it after setting it down for a few days and found myself even more reluctant to continue so chose not to force myself to finish this one.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!
I thoroughly enjoyed this unique and vibrant story. It had dragons, dancing, passion, mystery, and justice.
The cons: I felt that the pacing could have been more consistent, because some parts of the story seemed to move too quickly while others lagged. I also thought the romance plot could have been more deliberately laid out- at times there would be seemingly sudden changes without enough build up, and yet it was still a very slow burn. Finally, I would have loved to see even more world building- the novel was short for a standalone fantasy and there is a lot more that could have been explored, from the magicians guild to class structure to the background of the ranch owner.
The pros: I found the authors writing style to be engaging and the story invoked a whole lot of emotion. It was an adventure and a mystery to solve and a love story and an exploration of culture and a magical fantasy land all wrapped into one. I read the book quickly and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I fell in love with many of the characters, especially the hero, heroine, and heroines best friend. Not to mention a very special dragon. I thought the author did a great job in weaving in cultural elements and Spanish phrases in a way that still made the story understandable to a non-speaker while making it feel authentic. It was accessible but intriguing for an outsider. Finally, I just loved the unique nature of this story, with a new take on dragons that weaves in themes of justice and societal divides while also celebrating art.
All in all an enjoyable read!

In the nation of Hispalia, dragonfighting is a treasured and time-honored tradition. Not only does it keep the creatures that threaten the human population at bay, but it's also considered top tier entertainment. Zarela Zaldivar's father is one of the most respected Dragonadors– aka dragon fighters– in the nation. That is, until an unthinkable dragon escape happens at the family arena's massive anniversary show, leaving several patrons dead and her father grievously injured. Now it's up to Zarela, a flamenco dancer like her mother before her, to restore the family's good name, save the business, and discover how this tragedy occurred in the first place. And her only hope in doing so is Arturo, a dragon sanctuary worker and former Dragonador who rejects the world of dragonfighting despite Zarela's best efforts.

To start on a positive note, the worldbuilding in Together We Burn is intricate, original, and very well done. Ibanez clearly put a lot into creating a detailed guild system, magic system, and a fantasy nation all its own. Unfortunately, it sometimes feels like the book favors delving into these details over an actual plot. In a world full of DRAGONS and MAGIC, Zarela spends most of time managing the mundane details of her family business with very little flair. While things do pick up toward the end, it lead to some horrible pacing issues for at least half of the book.

Then there's Arturo. I generally dig the enemies-to-lovers trope, but there are some limits on how hard the "enemies" bit can go, IMO. Arturo is genuinely hostile to Zarela early on, at which time they are strangers. He wasn't brooding or a rival, he was just flat-out mean. There are further details revealed later, but I don't think they excuse just how poorly he treats her. As time goes on, they have some sweet moments, but the earlier tone of their relationship makes them feel out-of-place and unearned. I wasn't left with the impression that Zarela and Arturo were partners or even equals until very close to the end of the novel. This is part pacing issue, part character development issue. I did enjoy some of the other secondary characters like Zarela's very involved best friend and her sort-of magician boyfriend who reluctantly gets dragged into the action.

Unfortunately, there was one other major issue: Obvious villain is obvious, which isn't great when much of your plot centers around a mystery. There are red herrings, sure, but they're not developed enough to even seem all that plausible. There was no shock factor whatsoever, yet the motivation seemed silly once revealed. Perhaps the greater sin here is that the villain is used for deus ex machina to the biggest obstacle in Zarela and Arturo's relationship.

This review isn't coming across as a ringing endorsement, but Together We Burn isn't a bad book. The world is lovely and it does have its moments of action and excitement, particularly in the last quarter or so. However, I feel like the plot was too thin, the story didn't take advantage of the lush action elements available within the world, and I wanted to connect with the characters more than I did.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked a lot of things about this book! First of all, the author's writing is lovely. I loved all of the cultural references and you can tell Isabel has such a love for the Medievil Spanish-inspired setting. The magic system is fun (so fun that I wish there were more of it in the book!) and the setting and worldbuilding were engaging. I wanted to walk the streets with Zarela and Lola, eat inside Ofelia's kitchen, and learn to flamenco dance.

What didn't land for me was the character development in the story. The romance felt rushed to me, especially since the love interest was annoyingly rude for the novel's first half. I get why he is... but it got old. To be honest, I didn't really like any of the primary men in this book (Except Guillermo. He's great.) Arturo and Zarela's connection by the end felt a little rushed to me, especially when Zarela's whole world is falling apart right in front of her. She would spend so much time talking about how she needed to save her family, but then she would totally forget about that as soon as Arturo walked into the room.

That being said, I did like Zarela as a character. She's feisty and impulsive and smart and loyal. And I would totally read a story set in Hispalia again. I would love to learn about the place Zarela's mother is from.

DNF @17%

I wanted to like this, love this even, but it was not meant to be. This was not even good YA and it was just so meh that I could not even make myself continue with it. I love Dragons and magic and all that comes with a story that includes them, but this is just not it. The writing is disjointed, repetitive, and...boring. I never felt anything [even when the dragons are killed] because it just never felt believable. If you are going to write fantasy, you need to make it believable OR you need to make it so the reader is willing to suspend disbelief to believe. That never happened here. What a complete disappointment.

If you are going to have a book that is filled with trauma and tense situations, perhaps you should pick a narrator that isn't a whispery mess. Also, perhaps the narrator shouldn't sound like they were amused or happy when reading traumatizing section about dead dragons and people as it is very disconcerting and truly off-putting. The book on it it's own was not great, but the ill-picked narrator really added to the disappointment that was this book.

If you are going to have a book that is filled with trauma and tense situations, perhaps you should pick a narrator that isn't a whispery mess. Also, perhaps the narrator shouldn't sound like they were amused or happy when reading traumatizing section about dead dragons and people as it is very disconcerting and truly off-putting. The book on it it's own was not great, but the ill-picked narrator really added to the disappointment that was this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing these ARCS in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️ This book started out very slow, with a lot of details and information repeated over and over. When we meet Arturo (the main character Zarela’s love interest) about 1/4 through the book the action starts to pick up and I was definitely interested.

I saw one review that compared this to How to Train Your Dragon but with flamenco and bull (dragon) fighting and that fits. (I don’t see that as a bad thing.) I’d throw a little West Side Story into the mix. The romance is sweet and I definitely like Arturo, but it does progress really fast.

The ending of the book doesn’t feel rushed, but quite a lot happens that I feel some of it could’ve had better groundwork laid. There were a lot of loose strings and some of them were tied together in the end in ways that didn’t seem as logically with the story. There could’ve been more weaving in.

Ibanez does great with her descriptions with food! Those made me hungry. A menu or recipes in the index? I definitely wouldn’t be complaining.

Overall, a good story that could probably benefit from a longer word count (or a shorter first 1/4) and a little more time spent on the mystery to solve, but enjoyable!


I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

this worked for me, not super strongly, but it clipped along at a good pace and held my interest long enough for me to finish it. i hope it's a stand alone though

The Quick Cut: A girl tries desperately to save her family's dragon fighting ring after someone sabotages the 500 year anniversary event.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing the ARC for an honest review.

For a select few, the future is an easy thing to know. When your family passes down a business generation to generation, the future means that you are born into a career. Zarela will go from flamenco dancer to dragon fighter to save her family's fighting ring after someone sabotages a major event.

Zarela is the 18 year old daughter of a famous flamenco dancer and the most famous dragon fighter in all of Hispalia. Their family has owned their Dragonador (dragon fighting) ring for 500 years. So when the 500 year anniversary event ends with dragons escaping, killing their workers, and with nothing left - the community calls for their ring to be shut down and taken away from them. Can Zarela keep the family ring open? Or will the sabateur take her life too?

The author of this book is well known for having a talent to create believable worlds with her words. In this standalone book, she very much accomplishes that goal and more with this fantasy based tale steeped in Spanish influence. I enjoyed this world from start to finish and didn't want it to end!

Zarela is put in the most precarious situation she can be. Her father is dying, the family business is on the brink, and the community wants them shut down. It's left to her to do what it takes to keep her world from falling apart, including being willing to break boundaries to do it. Her determination is so visceral that it made me want to try for the seemingly impossible. She's a lovable, inspiring character that you want to see win.

A significant portion of the story centers around her working relationship with Arturo - someone who refuses to kill dragons anymore, but captures and trains them. Seeing these two fight each other with opposing perspectives is interesting enough, but seeing them learn from one another creates a chemistry and a spark that goes beyond a working relationship. These two put a smile on my face, especially as they influenced one another's decisions the longer they work together.

A powerful standalone fantasy that can't be missed!

My rating: 5 out of 5