Reviews

Together We Burn – Isabel Ibañez

Drawn in by the dragons, compelled by the wonderful characters and the evocative writing. A true gem of a crossover fantasy novel. Huge thanks to Sarah at Titan Books for sending me a review copy. As always, all opinions are my own.

RELEASE DATE: 05/07/2022

STAR RATING: 4/5 ✶

SUMMARY: 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 from 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 determined to save her ancestral home

Facing punishment from the Dragon Guild, Zarela must keep the arena—her ancestral home and inheritance—safe from their greedy hands. She has no choice but to train to become a Dragonador. When the infuriatingly handsome dragon hunter, Arturo Díaz de Montserrat, withholds his help, she refuses to take no for an answer. Without him, her world will burn.

But even if he agrees, there’s someone out to ruin the Zalvidar family, and Zarela will have to do whatever it takes in order to prevent the Dragon Guild from taking away her birthright. (from Titan)

OPINIONS: Together We Burn is the first Isabel Ibañez novel I’ve read, but certainly not the last. As the name of this blog may have hinted at, I love dragons, and this writes them well. Set in a world where a culture similar to that of Spanish bullfighting exists, but with dragons, Zarela has been trained her whole life to take over for her mother as a dancer, while her father is a famous dragonador. But fate has other plans, and she has to step up if she wants to save her family’s legacy. Ibañez waves a compelling tale of family loyalty, stubbornness and dragons, with a good dash of unlikely attraction. In short, a great story.

And oh, the enemies to lovers between Zarela and Arturo… It is absolutely delicious. Slow-burn, and that immediate, tangible chemistry between them. It’s just delicious. This is how I like my romance in YA. a great enemies to lovers trope will get me enchanted and drawn into the story – add in betrayal and dragons? Yes please! And oh, the worldbuilding. It’s inspired by elements from our world, but crafted into something truly unique as well, creating a story that you just can’t put down. I loved it, and I recommend you give it a shot too if you like YA fantasy, romance and dragons!

Add Together We Burn to your Goodreads here, and order a copy via Bookshop here (affiliate link).

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