Isabel Ibañez

Isabel Ibañez's Together We Burn is a lush, enchanting standalone fantasy inspired by medieval Spain, filled with romance, adventure and just the right amount of danger.

An ancient city plagued by dragons

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 him fight in their arena, which will one day be hers. But disaster strikes during one celebratory show, and in the carnage, Zarela’s life changes in an instant.

A flamenco dancer who must become a dragon hunter to save her family legacy

With the Dragon Guild trying to wrest control of her inheritance from her, Zarela has no choice but to train to become a Dragonador. But when the most talented dragon hunter left in the land -- the infuriatingly handsome Arturo Díaz de Montserrat -- withholds his help, Zarela cannot take no for an answer. Without him, her world will burn.

Together We Burn

Courtney Passio

Gillian Rose

3.75 stars

I really liked the whole dragonfighting instead of bullfighting aspect as well as taking into account how awful the spectacle is (especially nowadays!). Zarela was a fun lead character and her hate-to-love romance with Arturo was interesting and spicy. However, I had a few quibbles with the lack of explanation around the magic system, a somewhat rushed ending, and weird villain reveal. It was fine book, nothing more, nothing less.

Abigail Joyann

2 stars for DNF @13% - Skimmed to the end.
Thank you St. Martin's Press & NG for this ARC. This will be published May 31st, 2022.

This was disappointing for a book that could have been soo good and super interesting. The pace was entirely too slow for me and I just couldn't get hooked on. I skimmed the rest of the book to know what it was about though. It's such a unique concept for high fantasy and I kept trying to push myself to fully read it because of how much I wanted to enjoy it. The writing was repetitive and gave "trying too hard". Additionally, I just love dragons, and just reading about sooo many dying was breaking my heart.

Set in Hispalia we are thrown into the world of Dragonador's slaying dragons. Each show starting with a traditional flamenco performance by our fmc Zarela. Chaos breaks loose on the 500th anniversary at La Giralda leaving her father, the dragonador, severely injured and unable to continue. Zarela must then take over the business herself.

This also has a romance plot but this was just from the parts I skimmed. When I skimmed the ending, it was incredibly lackluster and left me satisfied with not fully reading the book.

I wish I could have loved this.

Isabel Ibañez's Together We Burn is a lush, enchanting standalone fantasy inspired by medieval Spain, filled with romance, adventure and just the right amount of danger. An ancient city plagued by dragons 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 him fight in their arena, which will one day be hers. But disaster strikes during one celebratory show, and in the carnage, Zarela’s life changes in an instant. A flamenco dancer who must become a dragon hunter to save her family legacy With the Dragon Guild trying to wrest control of her inheritance from her, Zarela has no choice but to train to become a Dragonador. But when the most talented dragon hunter left in the land -- the infuriatingly handsome Arturo Díaz de Montserrat -- withholds his help, Zarela cannot take no for an answer. Without him, her world will burn.

2.75 ⭐️ 

I got this one from an owlcrate box and I went completely blind into it.
What intrigued me were the flamenco elements and also… the dragons. Because I love me a gripping dragon story. 
As much as I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters in the beginning, followed by the build up (although the buildup itself was kind of abrupt) I couldn’t entirely feel the love aspect of it later on. Not to mention that the sex scene (in my opinion) was completely unnecessary and a bit too explicit for a YA book. I understand that the main character is 18 years old but that addition contributed with nothing to the rest of the story. 
Also the villain was well portrayed but kind of too obvious from the very beginning. 
I would’ve initially given this 4 stars (because it wasn’t a 5 stars read) but THE cave scene ruined it for me. 
I also couldn’t understand why communication lacked so much at times when it could’ve been avoided as well.

Cass James

So, so, so good! I received this book yesterday in the May YA Bookish Box and oh boy do I love it! Such a fun world and truly loveable characters. Zarela and Arturo will always have a special place in my heart now ♥️

Katie Allard

The more I think about this book, the more I like it. My edition is from the Bookish Box so it’s gorgeous, but the story itself is also compelling and interesting. While YA isn't really my thing anymore, this is a well written and fast moving standalone novel. While I was able to guess a lot of the “twist” plot points, there were some things I didn’t see coming so that was enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this book to younger readers or anyone interested YA fantasy. 

courtofkayla 

Together We Burn in Three Words: fast-paced, tension-filled, and YASS DRAGONS. (Okay maybe that's technically not three words but you get the vibe!) 

Step into the world of dragons in an ancient city driven by vibrant cultures and that of the flamenco dancers. Dragonadors kill dragons in grand arenas and make up the core of Hispalia. Zarela Zalvidar reigns as one of the most famous flamenco dancers and Dragandors in her beloved city. Citizens come from far and wide to watch her dance and her father put on a show. But after a night in which everything goes wrong, the Zalvidar legacy is put on trial as the arena and their ancestral home is sabotaged. Zarela must step up and face her fears of the mighty dragons and work with her unwilling ally, Arturo, one of the most famous dragon hunters in the land, she calls to question who may be working against her family, what legacy really means, and who she is. Love, duty, and dragon hunting come together in a beautiful YA novel that I haven't been able to stop thinking about since finishing it last night. 

Three Things I Loved: 
1) THE WORLD. Hispalia was such a fun setting in the fact that there was so much history and lore to dive into. I loved the whole 'dragons' are our enemy but also our culture, and the tension that existed between their world and the dragons. Not only are there multiple layers to the power dynamics, but seeing that mixed with magic as well and is a very refreshing setting compared to a lot of YA books I've read in the past few months. 
2) THE DRAGONS. There were so many kinds, so many beautiful moments, and I'm a sucker for a good dragon book. 
3) The banter between the Zarela and Arturo. That's it. That's the tweet. 

Overall, I highly recommend it. Together we Burn is a solid YA fantasy novel with fresh takes on dragons, and is fast-paced. I read it in a day and a half and loved every second of it. 

4/5 Stars. 


Hannah Wall

I was given this book from Netgalley, but this is an honest review. 

I read this in less than 24 hours and it was BRILLIANT!!!!!! My heart was beating so fast and I loved everything about this book. 


I love the characters and the setting! The dragon fighting is so cool and the writing is spectacular. Zarela is such a fun character. She is strong and dedicated to her family and I love her! Arturo is such a funny, grumpy guy and I now have a new book boyfriend. The slow burn almost got me, but it was the perfect amount. The setting was very cool. I loved the governmental system and the slight magic along with the amazing dragons. The writing was just magical and was so descriptive of the dresses, animals, and food. I love this book so much and I’m honored I could read it before the release date.

Gosh, I don’t even know where to begin with this review besides saying how freaking fun this book was! I laughed, had my nerves wracked and even cried (which I almost never do when reading!) This book had such sweet and tender moments, goody scenes and DRAGONS! 

I never feel like we see enough dragons in YA fantasy but Together we Burn is all about dragons and also.. DANCING. 

Together we Burn follows a fierce YA Heroine (which most of us love!!) who doesn’t give up or back down to save her family’s legacy. A legacy full of dragon fighting champions and beautiful flamenco dancers! Zarela’s family is part of a dragon fighting guild that hosts shows where a dragonador fights a dragon at an arena for everyone to see in the hopes of being victorious. However, during a big event at her families Arena, dragons keep loose and terrorize all who are there to watch. With deaths on her hands and a destroyed legacy, Zarela must find out exactly what happened and hope to restore her families name. 

I really loved all of the characters, especially Arturo (insert wink emoji lol) but even more, Lola. She’s a friend every girl WISHES to have and I just adored every scene she was involved in! ALSO ROJA, that’s all I will say about her lol you must read to find out. 

As always, my reviews are very chaotic BUT read this. Especially if you love a strong YA female lead, dragons, romance and dancing!! Also I forgot to mention, the food described in this book made me SO hungry lol I need to try ALL of it!

Overall, LOVED THIS BOOK. I’ll say, there were some things I predicted that came true and some things are a bit surface level but this is just one of them fun and easy YA reads that I can’t get enough of!

Read it you like
- DRAGONS
- Strong women
- Flamenco dancers
- A spicy scene that was unexpected 👀
- Delicious sounding Hispanic good 
- Romance
- Sweet parents and friends
- Unique magic

Liz Griffin

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC and Libro FM for the early audio copy of TOGETHER WE BURN by Isabel Ibañez, available from Wednesday Books on May 31.

❤️‍🔥 What a mesmerizing book! Set in a Spanish-inspired fantasy kingdom, Dragonadors (dragon fighters) entertain crowds by facing off against captive dragons in arenas. Zarela is the daughter of one such Dragonador, but after two family tragedies, she finds herself managing the household and in need of more dragons and dragon tamers to uphold her family’s legacy. She recruits Arturo, a surly but handsome dragon tamer with a soft spot for the dragons he hunts, and sparks inevitably fly!

What I loved so much about this sunshine-and-grump-romance book is how feisty Zarela is, and she didn’t have to make herself less for love. Arturo succeeded in being protective without being controlling, which I applaud. And nobody writes mouth-watering food and gorgeous attire quite like Isabel.

For those curious about the steam level, I’d say quantity-wise, it’s about equivalent to Lakesedge, or a little less than Serpent & Dove. There is a lot of great tension and sizzle and build-up between our romantic leads. ❤️‍🔥

Together We Burn

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