Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Together We Burn

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Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez

5 reviews

amberinpieces's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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gabibrose's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A wholly enjoyable adventure tale with a cast of lovable characters and unique world building. I was swept away by Isabel Ibañez's Together We Burn from the start. 18-year-old Zarela Zalvidar, following in her late mother's footsteps, has become a talented flamenco dancer performing alongside her father, one of Hispalia's most famous Dragonador's. They perform dragon fights for the public, putting on a spectacle for ticket buyers, but when disaster strikes during their five hundredth anniversary show, leaving Zarela's father and many others injured, the Dragon Guild requires they pay retribution. Zarela enlists the help of a broody dragon hunter to train and prepare her as she decides to step in her father's place and save her ancestral home from ruin. But there is something or someone determined to destroy Zarela's family, and they won't stop until fire rains down on everyone.

The concept of dragon fighting in a historical society and the business behind owning and operating a dragon ring was fascinating. Ibañez mastered the world building, adding in details like dragon ring owners referring to dragons as "investments." These details helped flesh out the occupation of owning a dragon ring and made the business side of things believable. The tension between Zarela and dragon hunter Arturo was built up nicely, and one of my favorite parts of the reading experience was watching their relationship shift from enemies, to reluctant allies, to more. The fashion, food, and cultural details that were woven throughout made the story come alive in a rich, vivid way. This was such an exciting, romantic read and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

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beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

~~I'll have more to say later, but for now all I'll say is I enjoyed the heck out of this.~~

Overall, I really enjoyed this.

Zarela Zalvidar is a character who kind of sneaks up on you. At first, I disliked her initial attitude towards the protestors who oppose dragon-fighting - a traditional sport in the fictional land of Hispalia, rather like bullfighting in Spain - but I understood her fear of dragons. But as the novel progresses, her determination, toughness, and stubbornness made me root for her. And it did seem that she

changed her attitude at the end

, which I appreciated. I also enjoyed her relationship with her father, it is obvious how much she cares about him.

Of note too, is that Isabel Ibañez takes care to show us that Zarela's opinion is not the only one to be valid, and she does that with the character of Arturo Díaz de Montserrat, Zarela's reluctant trainer and

eventual love interest

. Arturo, a brooding and rough-hewn ex-dragon fighter is now vehemently against dragon fighting, and both he and Zarela are stubborn to a fault. Their growing relationship was a beautifully written slow burn.

It is here that I need to warn you - do not read this book if you are hungry. Ibañez describes food - Spanish food, in this instance - in a way that truly makes your mouth water. I'd like a slice of toasted bread with Jamon, tomatoes, and a generous slathering of olive oil, please.

Having said all of the above, there were ways in which I think the novel fell ever so slightly short. The climax - although I loved the way in which the tension slowly built - felt ever-so-slightly rushed. And the eventual villain reveal was a bit unbelievable, which I thought could have been helped by Ibañez showing us more of his character. The timeline also occasionally confused me (

how many years ago did Zarela's mother die?

).

But that ending? Where Zarela ended up

dancing with the dragon instead of fighting it

. Chef's kiss.

A good YA read for anyone who is a fan of spicy slow-burn relationships and Spanish culture.

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stardust_heidi's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Love love loved this. The main pairing was so perfect, the grumpy brooding dude and the takes no shit heroine. I thought the setting and plot were so unique. I can’t wait to read more of this author’s work!

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bandysbooks's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Together We Burn features a young female character who is the heir to her mother’s flamenco legacy and her father’s dragon fighting legacy. When tragedy strikes, she must face the dragons she’s feared to save her inheritance. In order to learn how, she solicits the help of a retired, disenchanted dragon fighter to train her.

I really wanted to love this book, but it ended up just being okay for me. I had issues with the characterization, the setting, the plot twists, and the pacing.

First of all, the setting. The country in the story is called Hispalia and is pretty much Spain. I don’t really understand the point of making up a country if it’s literally going to be a country that already exists. I kept waiting to see what would differentiate it from Spain and it’s never really made clear…aside from dragons existing.

Second, it’s incredibly hard to relate to or feel sympathy for the main character. Her father is a famous dragon fighter and initially that isn’t so bothersome…but then they talk about how the dragons are treated and it makes it hard to feel any sympathy for anything bad that happens. Additionally, the MC comes across quite entitled. Clearly, she comes from a rich family and I can see how that would make her out of touch…but at times she comes across as spoiled and inconsiderate.

Third, I was able to figure out who the bad guy was pretty early on. I also figured out what would happen when the MC faced a dragon. It just felt like a pretty predictable plot. Add to it pacing issues and it gets kind of difficult to stay engaged at points.

All in all, I think the idea was good, but the execution was a miss. There were definitely moments of engagement that I wish the author would have built upon more. A quick enough read if you want something fairly light about dragons.

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