Together We Burn by Isabel Ibanez Book Review!

 

Title: Together We Burn
Author: Isabel Ibanez 
Publish Date: May 31st, 2022
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!

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 her father fight in their arena, which will one day be hers.

But disaster strikes during their five hundredth anniversary show, and in the carnage, Zarela’s father is horribly injured. 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 take her father’s place as the next Dragonador. When the infuriatingly handsome dragon hunter, Arturo Díaz de Montserrat, withholds his help, she refuses to take no for an answer.

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.

An ancient city plagued by dragons. A flamenco dancer determined to save her ancestral home. A dragon hunter refusing to teach her his ways. They don't want each other, but they need each other, and without him her world will burn.

Penelope's Review

I saw dragons and I knew I had to read this, but aside from that I wasn't really sure what to expect going in! This ended up being a really great read filled with culture, romance, adventure and intrigue! (and of course... lots of dragons!)

Zarela is a fiery, stubborn main character who will stop at nothing to save her family's legacy and restore their good name - including facing the monsters that plague her with fear as the next Dragonadore (people who fight dragons in arenas while people watch and cheer them on). Given that she has no experience fighting dragons, she hires a dragon hunter to teach her - enter Arturo!

Arturo is dry and sarcastic, and doesn't show alot of emotion - it makes for a great enemies to lovers trope! Watching him peel back little tiny layers at a time to show Zarela what's hiding underneath was my favorite part of the book! 

The magic system was a fun little twist to the book, and even though some things were predictable, it was still a great read! Unique storyline, great main characters, and a swoon-worthy romance all make this a read I recommend! There are quite a few Spanish words thrown into the mix and unfortunately it's not always 100% clear what they mean so bear that in mind if you (like me) don't speak Spanish! You may have to Google a few words lol!

Overall, this is a fun, easy read. I like the writing style, and will be looking into the author's other books in the future!

Rating: 4/5 Devils!