Leanne Olson

Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez
Releasing May 31, 2022 from St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books

Together We Burn is a standalone young adult fantasy romance with a fantastic concept.  The heroine, Zarela, comes from a line of dragonadors: basically, toreadors but the bulls are dragons.  

Zarela’s family owns an arena that holds flamenco and dragon-fighting shows.  When a tragedy strikes and the dragons are released, killing many spectators and injuring Zarela’s father, she has to figure out how to save her family’s legacy.  Zarela hires Arturo, a glowering, cranky former dragonador who refuses to fight dragons, and of course has a big secret.

The majority of the book is a wonderful slow-burn romance. Zarela and Arturo’s banter and growing, grudging respect for each other was a lot of fun, and their scenes together sizzled.  Zarela’s a great heroine, feisty, smart, strong, and frightened, and Arturo is one of the few people capable of standing up to her.  

The scenes with dragons also grabbed my attention: there’s a sense of danger and awe that I loved.  I felt I could fully picture the dragons, their different breeds, and imagine the smell and heat surrounding them.  I also really enjoyed the sense of family and history in the book. The world is inspired by medieval Spain and I loved the Spanish language and culture throughout.

The ending fell apart a little for me.  While most of the book was a mysterious slow build, the last 10% seemed too rushed and too easily tied up.  However, since I enjoyed the majority of the book so much, it’s still a four star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my review copy of Together We Burn.