Together We Burn

Isabel Ibañez

YA Fantasy

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.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

(4 / 5) Zarela’s family has been showcasing dragon fights for generations. It is a 3,000 year old tradition. It is a fight to the death between man and dragon and the dragons often win. Someone sabotages a performance, letting dragons free and many are killed. Can she find a way to keep the shows together?

I love a good dragon story and this did not disappoint! The main story builds Zarela’s family empire and the resolve (yay for a strong female!) she has to save it. She is stubborn and determined and admirable. She will do what she needs to continue their legacy, including working with dragons. Since her mother was killed by a dragon, it’s a difficult challenge to overcome. 

We meet Arturo who is just as stubborn and determined! I loved their pairing. It built slowly making it more believable and real. Then we meet the dragons. Oh I wish I could’ve had more dragons! They were unique and I feel there could’ve been an entire story about them. I would’ve loved that! But the story focused more on building the relationship than focusing on the dragons. My personal preference would have been the other way around but I still enjoyed it.

General content summary: There were a few scenes of detailed intimacy that I wouldn’t recommend for younger readers. The full summary: minimal language, a young woman watches her mother killed by dragon fire, many are injured or die when dragons attack, intense burns from a dragon, dragon attack with deaths, underage drinks, kisses, detailed intimacy, detailed intimacy with clothes off, questions about virginity, a young woman is slipped a sedative, a young woman is taken captive, a man is poisoned.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the gifted copy!

The book releases May 31, 2022.

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.