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A review by stephbakerbooks
Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a decent YA fantasy story, and while there weren't really any surprises in the plot, the unique setting and strong protagonist made it a compelling read.
Okay, so I figured out the bad guy early on in the story, though I was still interested in finding out the why behind the actions and in what would happen to our protagonist (but yes, the why ended up being too far-fetched and a little implausible for me, but it didn't bother me too much). The plot followed a fairly predictable young-adult arc.
That being said, I still really enjoyed it. There's something to be said for a book that hits the points you're expecting—it's familiar and comforting while still being new. Zarela was an easy main character to love and root for and I liked the romance story with Arturo, even if, again, it hit all those predictable points. There's not a ton of character development, but Zarela and Arturo both get some growth that made for nice touches to the story.
And I loved the setting! The dragon-fighting and this somewhat magical world inspired by medieval Spain were intriguing and kept me hooked. I appreciate a good moral dilemma conversation and I liked the discussion that our main characters were having over the morality of dragon-fighting, and if something being a long-held tradition is reason enough to continue doing it. These kinds of conversations make a fantasy book more relatable. I also like that this is a standalone. I don't read enough standalone fantasy novels.
I also loved all the Spanish throughout—made me realize I know more Spanish than I thought!
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for letting me read an early eARC!
Okay, so I figured out the bad guy early on in the story, though I was still interested in finding out the why behind the actions and in what would happen to our protagonist (but yes, the why ended up being too far-fetched and a little implausible for me, but it didn't bother me too much). The plot followed a fairly predictable young-adult arc.
That being said, I still really enjoyed it. There's something to be said for a book that hits the points you're expecting—it's familiar and comforting while still being new. Zarela was an easy main character to love and root for and I liked the romance story with Arturo, even if, again, it hit all those predictable points. There's not a ton of character development, but Zarela and Arturo both get some growth that made for nice touches to the story.
And I loved the setting! The dragon-fighting and this somewhat magical world inspired by medieval Spain were intriguing and kept me hooked. I appreciate a good moral dilemma conversation and I liked the discussion that our main characters were having over the morality of dragon-fighting, and if something being a long-held tradition is reason enough to continue doing it. These kinds of conversations make a fantasy book more relatable. I also like that this is a standalone. I don't read enough standalone fantasy novels.
I also loved all the Spanish throughout—made me realize I know more Spanish than I thought!
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for letting me read an early eARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Violence