A review by thepagemasterr
Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez
5.0
Flamenco dancing, enemies to lovers, magic, and dragons?! Sign me up for all of it!
"Together We Burn" has everything I wanted in a fantasy and more. It is jam packed with creative and imaginative concepts that blend real-world culture with fantasy stakes.
After a dragon fight turns deadly, young Zarela Zalvidar is willing to do anything to save her family's arena and protect the dragonador legacy she’s inherited. Even if this means teaming up with someone who's against everything her family's legacy stands for. Enter the forever-scowling dragon hunter Arturo Diaz de Montserrat. Through their partnership they find an entirely new way to build a legacy.
At times I felt that the 'villain' of the book felt a bit predictable, I felt that way because Isabel did such a great job at constructing the character arc that it could only mean one person was responsible. Ibañez does an amazing job writing the tension between Zarela and the patriarchy, Zarela and her father (+ his expectations), as well as Zarela and the love interest, Arturo! The magical world she built blends classic components of Spanish culture and heritage with fantastical elements.
Sidebar - I absolutely loved the use of Spanish words/phrases/foods interspersed throughout the book. I never had to look anything up because the author did such a good job of contextualizing her word choices and made the book & world building richer for it!
* I received this ARC through NetGalley, which has not impacted my review in any way *
"Together We Burn" has everything I wanted in a fantasy and more. It is jam packed with creative and imaginative concepts that blend real-world culture with fantasy stakes.
After a dragon fight turns deadly, young Zarela Zalvidar is willing to do anything to save her family's arena and protect the dragonador legacy she’s inherited. Even if this means teaming up with someone who's against everything her family's legacy stands for. Enter the forever-scowling dragon hunter Arturo Diaz de Montserrat. Through their partnership they find an entirely new way to build a legacy.
At times I felt that the 'villain' of the book felt a bit predictable, I felt that way because Isabel did such a great job at constructing the character arc that it could only mean one person was responsible. Ibañez does an amazing job writing the tension between Zarela and the patriarchy, Zarela and her father (+ his expectations), as well as Zarela and the love interest, Arturo! The magical world she built blends classic components of Spanish culture and heritage with fantastical elements.
Sidebar - I absolutely loved the use of Spanish words/phrases/foods interspersed throughout the book. I never had to look anything up because the author did such a good job of contextualizing her word choices and made the book & world building richer for it!
* I received this ARC through NetGalley, which has not impacted my review in any way *