Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Isabel Ibañez is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Her type of fantasy (more like magical realism) picks on well-established worlds (in this one the very real world of the matadores in Spain) and throws an unexpected twist to it.
In the Secrets of the Nile duology she threw magic as a real–however defunct–characteristic of the early 20th century world. In this one she replaced the bulls/toros with dragons and threw some magic in there as well.
The controversy and protesters against the Dragonadores in the book mirrors the real protests that went on for decades (might still be going on) against the killing of the bulls.
The characters are well-developed and likable however flawed, there is always a mystery that nags you throughout the book, and surprises. The twist at the end really shocked me.
The romance is also lovely and sexy without explicit scenes but there are a few somewhat graphic depictions of violence. The author’s descriptions of their world are brilliant without being overwhelmingly detailed.
Highly recommend this book for a fun, yet thought-provoking romantic fantasy.
Author Natalina Reis 