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 him 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.

Together we Burn is the first book I have read by Isabel Ibanez and on the strength of this I will definitely be seeking out the rest of her works. The story is absolutely glorious, with wonderful characters and colourful world building. The writing style is so easy and the story flowed so well, I struggled to put it down and flew through the pages when I picked it up!

Zarela is the kind of protagonist I love to love, full of fierce determination but also happy to barrel headfirst into whatever she needs to reach her goal, I really liked that she felt 18 years old with a good level of naivety balanced  with the kind of understanding that 18 year olds never quite get the credit they deserve for. This, coupled with the wonderful Lola create a fun yet chaotic team. Arturo is the antithesis of Zarela and if you like a grumpy vs sunshine trope then you will love their dynamic!

Yes, there are dragons but don’t go into this expecting them to be the star of the show, the story is very much character driven by Zarela as she races against time to uncover the mystery surrounding recent events. The climax is fantastically written, fast paced and paints a breathtaking picture. Zarela is a burst of colour in the otherwise bleached landscape.

In short I absolutely adored this book and I was so happy the story was wrapped up in one stand alone novel. It is a wonderfully written YA Fantasy, with just a hint of spice that created a story that I am sure i will come back to! Thank you so much Titan books for sending me a copy to review.

5*