📚 Book Review: Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez 📚
🌟 Rating: ⭐⭐.5/5

An ancient city plagued by dragons. A flamenco dancer determined to save her family’s legacy. A reluctant dragon hunter. The setup for Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez is rich with potential, blending Spanish-inspired culture, flamenco, and dragons in a unique and promising way. Unfortunately, while the concept is intriguing, the execution left much to be desired.

The world-building had its moments, especially with the vivid descriptions of Hispalia and the dragon-filled arenas, but many elements—like the guilds and magic system—felt underdeveloped. The story itself, though easy to follow, leaned too heavily on predictable tropes, leaving little room for surprises.

Zarela and Arturo’s romance began with promise, but it quickly became clichéd and lacked the depth or emotional weight needed to feel truly engaging. Similarly, the side characters and plot twists were not explored in a way that added complexity to the narrative.

While the pacing picked up in the final third, much of the middle felt sluggish, making it a challenge to stay fully invested. Dialogue, particularly between the main characters, sometimes veered into eye-roll territory, and the emotional stakes didn’t quite land as strongly as they could have.

Overall, Together We Burn is a light, quick read that will appeal to those looking for a simple YA fantasy with Spanish cultural influences. However, readers seeking deeper character development, more intricate world-building, or a truly gripping romance may find this story falls short.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with an ARC of this novel.

A medieval fantasy book that feels exceptionally mysterious and atmospheric.

It follows familiar tropes: a determined young woman defying expectations, a brooding romantic interest, and a struggle to uphold family honour. Despite these clichés, the story feels fresh and engaging.

The arena's atmosphere comes across really well and the tension between tradition and innovation in dragon fighting.

It's my first read by this author, but certainly not my last. Full of mystery, romance, and dragons, I highly recommend it.

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 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.

The birth of a new bestselling author!

TOGETHER WE BURN was a really fun read, taking bull fighting and swapping out the bulls for dragons. There's also flamenco dancing, blending various entertainment industries and exploring the way the crowd interacts with them (as well as the ethics of dragon-fighting.) I liked the balance a lot because it let the book be a "dragon book" without them taking over.

It's such a great premise, making the dragons both common place and dangerous at once, weaving them into the society until they don't feel out of place at all. The banality of them (in some respects) hides their danger until it's too late and they unleash devastation. That felt like it made them seem more dangerous because of the contrast to them being part of the entertainment industry.

This is a great example of how something can be a "low stakes book" but still tension filled and full of drama. The world is not in danger here, there are no repercussions to anyone other than Zarela and her immediate circle if she fails. However it's the end of her world, which ensures the stakes feel very high because we are shown how much it matters to her, and we come to care about her and her close circle.

There is also a mystery woven into this book. Who is behind the attack on Zarela's home and why? I've been watching a lot of murder mystery films with my parents this holiday, so it was nice to continue that theme here, even if it was a subplot.

In all, this was a super fun standalone, full of dragons and intimate stakes. It's making me more excited for her next book (a true duology where the story is set across two books, rather than being a companion pair, set in Egypt during the 19th century excavations.)

I really enjoyed the world building and the characters. I especially loved that dragons were such an integral part of the story. The way that Zarela interacted with the different characters, and I thought the way she built relationships was interesting.

I will definitely be reading more from Isabel in the future.

stand alone book.

paws: 3

keywords: Dragons. dragon fighting, Spanish vibes, strong FMC, romance, enemies to lovers, magic, epic fantasy.

In short: A intense enemies to lovers story full of family and society drama all wrapped up with beautiful Spanish inspiration.

Full review:

Thank you netgallery for the chance to read this book.

Isabel Ibanez is a new author for me and as soon as I saw the blurb for we burn together I knew I had to read this dragon filled fantasy.

At the start I did struggle to connected to Zarela as a character which did at the beginning mean I struggled to take in the world as much as I would have liked but as we pushed through with Zarela’s tragic event at her and her fathers dragon fighting arena and her need to protected her family, its legacy and to get to the bottom of why the arena was attacked, Zarela, her family and her world become solid, realistic and mesmerising.

Isabel creates a cast of characters that are loveable, realistic in manner and fiery. She creates a beautifully strong, fervent and snarky romantic chemistry between Zarela and Arturo that flowers from bickering associates to sizzling lovers in a natural if quick manner and although there is a strong main romantic element to this fantasy Isabel doesn’t allow this to be just what the story is about, the romance is just one element in this beautiful story of family, exceeding expectations and the sometimes the ugly nature of humans.

This book is beautiful written with strong characters, a fast pace, an intoxicating romance and a mystery to be solved. If you like all these this book is definitely worth picking up and even if this is not your normal read id still recommend this story. And of course its full of dragons and no one should be able to say no to dragons.

4.5 stars from me!
Fast-paced, devourable - read in a day.
Loved the mix of dragons and dancing.
Enjoyed the setting and the use of Spanish words throughout.
Would like an Arturo please.

I wish it had of been longer so I could have more Lola and Guillermo.

I absolutely loved this book, I read it in a day last weekend - it has dragons and flamenco in a Spanish setting so it is hot hot hot and the author uses Spanish in the narrative which was a perfect addition, I can't wait for you all to read it! It was wonderful!

This book is non-stop. It has a wonderful magic to it through dance and dragons, the suthor mixes them in a rich setting to create an addictive narrative. Zarela is 18, headstrong and a wonderful MC to get behind. I found her emotive and endearing to read, my only disappointment is that I think it could have been longer or more in depth and in two books!

I dnf the book after ~30% because I just couldn't get into it. At first I really liked it and thought the world was really interesting but after a few chapters I grew bored and just didn't want to keep reading. I also switched to the audiobook and the narrator is great but for some reason - still bored. Maybe it just wasn't the right moment to read it and the book definitely wasn't bad or anything - at least as far as I read - but it also just wasn't for me I guess.

In Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez, Zarela is the daughter of a famous flamenco dancer and a dragonador (matador except for dragons instead of bulls).  There is an an accident, and her mother dies.

The story picks up a year later, and Zarela is a flamenco dancer herself, but feeling frustrated as the crowd doesn't want to see her dances, they want her mothers.  Something happens, and Zarela decides the way she can help best is by becoming a dragonader herself.

I found some bits felt out of place - how Zorela feels before her mother dies is too young for a year to pass and her to be 18, and a dancer herself, in my opinion.  

I also found money to feel disconnected.  It didn't feel quite right, or explained, so amounts felt inconsistent.

I did enjoy aspects of this book, but there are things that got in my way.

Together We Burn was published on 5th July 2022, and is available from Amazon.

You can follow Isabel Ibañez on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Titan Books.

A beautiful, magical take on the age old, favourite of fantasy authors…the dragon. I adored the mix of modern/traditional passions and fantasy classics. The Latin feel was majestic and the writing exceptional.

I was sold on this book at the mention of dragons, and as expected I absolutely devoured Together We Burn. The setting inspired by Hispanic culture drew me in, and transferring the thematic of bullfighting to dragon fighting really worked well.

Zarelda Zalvidar is the daughter of the most famous dragonador in Hispalia, and her mother was a renowned flamenco dancer. When her father is injured, Zarelda must train to become a dragonador herself, or risk for her family to lose their ancestral home. She enlists the help of Arturo, a dragon hunter, who reluctantly agrees to train her.

The novel had a mystery element to the plot, which I enjoyed, and I loved the way the cultural elements have been embedded in this fantasy world. There were some grammatical issues with the Spanish dialogue, and I was annoyed at Arturo's behaviour and attitude towards Zarelda given his role in her past, but overall I loved the unique setting.

Love. Love. Love. Love this book so much!!

What I loved:
1. Spanish setting
2. Dragons
3. Flamenco dancing
4. A forbidden romance.
5. A fiery and determined heroine!

Together We Burn has the perfect combination of: Latin culture, magic, close and endearing friendships, dragons, action packed chapters from beginning to end and a romance that will curl your toes.

This book was pure fire! Loved every minute reading it! I cannot recommend it enough. ♥️

Rating: 4 stars!

Something about this book made me happy so 5 stars it is. I think it was the romance? It was better than I thought it would be. It was entirely predictable but I was addicted all the same. I really loved the central cast of characters, and the way it all fit together. Just had a really fun time reading it, couldn't help but smile. It has it's sad moments but overall it had a positive message.

I don’t think this book was for me, the mindless killing of the dragons as something for fun and the character clearly enjoyed I wasn’t happy with she only stopped killing them because she found another use, not any redeeming features for the character. The love story, enemies to lovers wasn’t executed well at all for me. However I did find the magic system really interesting and I will give this an extra star for that, I’m so disappointed because I was expecting so much after Woven in Moonlight

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I'm such a sucker for enemies to lovers, and this was no exception. Add in dragons, and I was hooked. I thought it was a really interesting concept, but I wish the magic system was a little more detailed.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! :)

"I wrap my arms around his neck, thread my fingers through his thick hair. His lips are hot against mine. He's all of the warm and sultry flavours of Santivilla. I hold smoke and fire and sweet wine in my mouth. We catch on fire under a million stars. Together we burn.' — Together We Burn, Isabel Ibanez.

Together We Burn is the new YA fantasy standalone of Isabel Ibanez, a story set in a Spanish-inspired background, with dragon fighting and fighters, ready to do the impossible to make spectators dream and scream. The Zalvidar family paid the cost of such dangers. When Zarela's mother saved her from a dragon attack in their arena, she also lost her life in the process. One year later, Zarela is still grieving, but another incident shakes everything up in the arena: dragons escape in the wild, causing grave wounds to Zarela's father and destroying the reputation of the Zalvidars. Things get even weirder when she discovers the body of their last surviving dragonador in La Giralda. Zarela is sure of one thing: someone wants them gone.

I really enjoyed this book. That was my first by Isabel Ibanez, and I extremely enjoyed her writing style. I was curious about reading a book with a Spanish-inspired setting. I already read Italian, Korean, Chinese, and French-inspired backgrounds, but never did I read Spanish-inspired ones. I wasn't disappointed. On the contrary, I loved it. I was a bit worried about the dragon-fighting in arenas because it was very similar to bull-fighting, a tradition which, though I respect for its close tie with the Spanish culture, isn't something that I enjoy watching because of the abuse against the animal. However, Ibanez brought a very interesting discussion about this topic.

That being said, I think that the whole concept of the book remained very interesting. It somewhat made me think of a manga that I ADORED when I was a child: Fairy Tail. The relationship between humans and dragons was well-developed, just like between the protagonists, Zarela and Arturo. Their romance was very spicy and slow, but I fell for them both.

The thing that I could reproach to this book was how predictable it was. From the first chapters, I already predicted who was guilty and how the story would end. So I wasn't surprised at all when the events unfolded. In the end, I still appreciated the story, but it was lacking this little something that would have made me love it.

I would still recommend it highly to lovers of YA fantasy, fans of Adrienne Young and Leigh Bardugo. Thank you so much Titans book and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this title!

Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez is a book that combines dragons and flamenco dancing to create a riveting fantasy story with an enemies to lovers romance. The world that Ibañez has created is inspired by medieval Spain and is mesmerising. I’m terrible at dancing. I have zero talent for it, and have no natural rhythm when it comes to movement. Ibañez’s writing brings the passion and power of flamenco dancing to life, and every time I felt myself get lost in it. The beauty and light of flamenco dancing is juxtaposed against the brutality of the dragonadors which is based on the controversial tradition of bull fighting. It’s a controversy that Ibañez handles well in the world of Together We Burn, blending it into the story.

There are typically three types of dragon books out there; dragons are monsters, dragons are our friends or dragons are ancient mystical creatures. Together We Burn is something different, and the whole guild system that Ibañez has created is incredibly detailed and interesting. We only really get to see a few of the guilds in detail, although there is a list of all the guilds at the start of the book which acts as an overview of how the guild system works.

Zarela is a great character, strong yet also young and Ibañez shows her inexperience brilliantly, showing her struggles and doubts as she takes on the Dragon Guild. She’s a young woman standing up to against a group of men, she’s at a huge disadvantage, and she knows it. As the daughter of an infamous flamenco dancer, Zarela recalls her mother’s lessons about dressing the part and uses clothes and colour to bolster her appearance and her confidence. I appreciated the fact that when she did so the men didn’t instantly swoon over her. That was something I liked about Ibañez’s writing, her characters reactions and responses throughout always felt realistic. I especially felt this with the interactions between Zarela and her best friend Lola which were fantastic and often had me giggling.

The mystery sub-plot of who is out to ruin the Zalvidar family was quite obvious to me, and I refer to it as a sub-plot because to me the main plot was Zarela’s aim to their family’s next Dragonador and save their arena. There is so much more to that, and it’s entangled with the romance. There are secrets upon secrets in Together We Burn, and even if you begin to work them out as I did the moment they come to light still makes it worth reading.

Together We Burn is a book about dragons like you’ve never read before. Come for the dragons, stay for the ingenious world Ibañez has created.

Zarela is a flamenco dancer and daughter to the most famous Dragonador of Hispalia, a country inspired by Spain. To save her family's arena, she has to learn to become herself a Dragonadora and asks Arturo for his help, Arturo who is a dragon hunter who doesn't want to kill dragons.

Two years ago, I read Woven in Moonlight by the same author. I wasn't really attracted by Together We Burn, but when I saw it on NetGalley, I was tempted. Well, I should have resisted the temptation.

You got it, I didn't like this book, I even DNF it at 39% (p.144) in the middle of a chapter 'cause I just couldn't take it anymore. I had almost DNF it way before but I can be stubborn. I was still curious so I skimmed through all the reviews on Goodreads until I finally found one where the entire plot was described (the person had really liked the book) and after bursting in laughter, I congratulated myself for giving up on this story when I did.

Before I criticise all the bad, some good points:
- the magic system was pretty interesting and different from others: the magic is contained in a wand and can be used only once.
- the system of guilds. It wasn't really explained in what little I read but it seemed interesting.
- the presence of people who are against the killing of dragons for entertainment. I don't know much about their convictions, but I was glad they were there since the book followed Zarela's POV who doesn't see any problem in killing dragons for fun.

Now for the negative... I'll of course only talk about what I've read.
You have to know that I am of Spanish descent so I know pretty well the culture and the language so I really cringed reading some things. First of all, the description of the flamenco dance. I liked the description of the movements and of the clothes BUT did not approve at all when the author said the dancers were smiling when flamenco is known for the serious-almost-angry faces of the dancers. Granted, it's not very serious, but still, bad start. The book was very immersive in the spanish culture since the dialogues were almost all in spanish. I wonder if people who don't talk it understood something? I was pretty irritated that the characters alternated between "tú" and "usted" in the same sentences, like it's a grammatical error, could no one proofread the dialogues??
The author likes to write about food, it's not my thing and I found it didn't bring anything to the story and even took me out of it, when in Woven in Moonlight, it was an important part of the story.
The book is presented as a romantasy, not my favourite genre but I have nothing against it. When we meet Arturo, we immediately know he is the love interest and we also get that it's going to be an enemies to lovers. I couldn't help to again compare with the author's other book where the characters were true enemies. Here, Arturo was just plain rude with Zarela EVEN THOUGH (spoiler) knowing he was partly responsible for her mother's death, he could have been a little more nice right?? Obviously not. I read some reviews where people loooved Arturo, even saying he was their new book boyfriend and I really don't get it??? He was SO rude with everyone, so judgy, so disrespectful. Anyway.

If you like dragons, don't read this book as they only get killed until Zarela finds another idea to make money of wild animals without killing them, so nice of her.

Rep: spanish culture
TW: animal and human death, animal cruelty, blood, poisoning, kidnapping (I saw the last two in the spoilers I read so there may be more TWs)

Zarela Zalvidar is a talented flamenco dancer and the daughter of the most famous Dragonador in Hispalia. When disaster strikes she must train herself to become a Dragonador or else forfeit her ancestral home. Unfortunately the handsome dragon hunter she has chosen to teach her is playing hard to get, but Zarela refuses to take no for an answer...because without his help her life will go up in flames.

So I ended up a bit disappointed in this one. I was expecting a lot and it just didn't really deliver. There was a lot of action in the last 30% but not a lot of it made sense as a whole. The twists I called a mile off because they're kind of obvious and a bit cliche... Also Zarela was a bit too stubborn for her own good, that girl needs to learn when to just move on 😂 and leave the poor hero alone. I felt really sorry for him actually, she just wouldn't take no for an answer....ever...

I did like the setting - I mean, dragons with a Spanish flair was definitely an amazing recipe, but then there was a severe lack of dragons in the first part, and the ones that were there just ended up getting killed off 🙃 I would have also loved to see more of the magic system and the whole Guilds thing explored more. They're sort of mentioned in passing but that's about it.

Another thing that kind of bugged me was the overuse of Spanish? I understand wanting to cement the culture and world building but it got to the point where I had no clue what the characters were saying to each other.

Altogether this one just wasn't for me unfortunately!

Many thanks to titanbooks and Netgalley for an ARC.

Thank you so much for letting me read this earc I loved this book so much. I loved the characters and the magic in this world. And I loved that it had dancing and dragons.