A review by leahegood
Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez
3.0
Good story telling. Not squeaky clean.
Summary
What happens if you take Spanish bullfighting and make it dragon fighting instead? That is the world Zarela lives in. Her mother dances flamenco before an adoring crowd and then her father fights a dragon. Though it is her father who faces the fearsome beasts, tragedy strikes her mother first. In an awful accident, a dragon escapes and its fire takes her mother from them. Though Zarela would like her father to give up dragon fighting, he presses on. Until tragedy strikes again. With her father gravely injured, her home and livelihood in ruin, and an unknown saboteur still at large, it falls to Zarela to find a way to save her family and her home.
Thoughts
This was a fun twist on a historical/cultural setting blended with fantasy elements like dragons and magic (which gets stored in little wands and released when the wand is snapped). I've been working on learning Spanish for several years and was delighted to understand most of the Spanish words and phrases sprinkled through the story. This is a good book if you're looking for a fantasy that fits for Hispanic Heritage Month.
I can't think of another book that manages to do "bad to worse" so consistently and effectively. Every time Zarela turns a corner, things have spiraled out-of-control in a more dramatic way than before. This isn't a case of undeserved misfortune, but rather undeserved misfortunes.
With the exception of two scenes (see content section below), the romance is generally sweet. Arturo is a young dragon tamer Zarela hires to teach her how to fight dragons. He refuses to fight dragons himself and is unwilling to explain why. Despite the barriers he holds between them, he's protective of Zarela and strangely loyal. He also holds a secret with the potential to tear them apart.
If you're into mystery elements, the mystery subplot in this story fell a little flat for me. I'm not a big mystery reader, so I didn't really mind, but I figured out who the secret saboteur was long before Zarela finds her proof. When she finally gets the proof she needs, my interest in the ensuing scenes was more about uncovering the person's motives than reveling in a big reveal.
Finally, I was slightly annoyed that the ending felt 100% 2022 instead of the historical setting the story world lives in.
Content
Language: Some low level swearing.
Romance: As mentioned at the beginning of this review, this book cannot be categorized as squeaky clean. There were two "bedroom" scenes which I felt went too far and were too detailed, especially considering this is a YA. One was hardcore making out. In the other, they went all the way. There's enough lead-up to give clues to flip ahead/skip ahead if you want to get the story without catching those scenes. Outside of these scenes, there is awareness of each other's physical proximity and a few kisses.
Violence: There is surprisingly little violence and gore for a story about dragon fighting. While there are scenes where dragon attacks cause panic and death, the carnage is described with a light hand. The focus remains firmly on Zarela's actions and emotional response to what is going on around her.
Substances: Characters enjoy wine with their meals. On one occasion, Arturo drinks a little too much and Zarela comments that she likes "slightly drunk" Arturo.
Religion: None that I can think of.
Summary
What happens if you take Spanish bullfighting and make it dragon fighting instead? That is the world Zarela lives in. Her mother dances flamenco before an adoring crowd and then her father fights a dragon. Though it is her father who faces the fearsome beasts, tragedy strikes her mother first. In an awful accident, a dragon escapes and its fire takes her mother from them. Though Zarela would like her father to give up dragon fighting, he presses on. Until tragedy strikes again. With her father gravely injured, her home and livelihood in ruin, and an unknown saboteur still at large, it falls to Zarela to find a way to save her family and her home.
Thoughts
This was a fun twist on a historical/cultural setting blended with fantasy elements like dragons and magic (which gets stored in little wands and released when the wand is snapped). I've been working on learning Spanish for several years and was delighted to understand most of the Spanish words and phrases sprinkled through the story. This is a good book if you're looking for a fantasy that fits for Hispanic Heritage Month.
I can't think of another book that manages to do "bad to worse" so consistently and effectively. Every time Zarela turns a corner, things have spiraled out-of-control in a more dramatic way than before. This isn't a case of undeserved misfortune, but rather undeserved misfortunes.
With the exception of two scenes (see content section below), the romance is generally sweet. Arturo is a young dragon tamer Zarela hires to teach her how to fight dragons. He refuses to fight dragons himself and is unwilling to explain why. Despite the barriers he holds between them, he's protective of Zarela and strangely loyal. He also holds a secret with the potential to tear them apart.
If you're into mystery elements, the mystery subplot in this story fell a little flat for me. I'm not a big mystery reader, so I didn't really mind, but I figured out who the secret saboteur was long before Zarela finds her proof. When she finally gets the proof she needs, my interest in the ensuing scenes was more about uncovering the person's motives than reveling in a big reveal.
Finally, I was slightly annoyed that the ending felt 100% 2022 instead of the historical setting the story world lives in.
Content
Language: Some low level swearing.
Romance: As mentioned at the beginning of this review, this book cannot be categorized as squeaky clean. There were two "bedroom" scenes which I felt went too far and were too detailed, especially considering this is a YA. One was hardcore making out. In the other, they went all the way. There's enough lead-up to give clues to flip ahead/skip ahead if you want to get the story without catching those scenes. Outside of these scenes, there is awareness of each other's physical proximity and a few kisses.
Violence: There is surprisingly little violence and gore for a story about dragon fighting. While there are scenes where dragon attacks cause panic and death, the carnage is described with a light hand. The focus remains firmly on Zarela's actions and emotional response to what is going on around her.
Substances: Characters enjoy wine with their meals. On one occasion, Arturo drinks a little too much and Zarela comments that she likes "slightly drunk" Arturo.
Religion: None that I can think of.