Together we burn by Isabel Ibanez

In a dramatic and colourful tale, dragons, dragon-fighting and romance combine in a fervent way, and a family that has a long tradition of Dragon contests in their arena must fight to maintain their place in the Dragon-fighting community.  The fantasy world of Hispalia has strong hints to the reader of the Spanish bull-fighting passions, but with the added threats of attack by wild dragons. Dragons owned and trained by the Draganadors as a form of entertainment, ‘perform’ to the death at the hand of their trainers. Zarela is a young woman who still mourns her Flamenco-performing mother, who died as the result of a dragon attack, and works to mimic her Mother’s skill and to support her Dragandor father in the arena. Sadly, there is tension in the community and when dragons attack during a performance it seems that Zarela and her father have been targeted deliberately. Zarela’s zest for life and her desire to protect her family name  have unexpected consequences when she employs a young trainer, Arturo, to help her become a performer in her own right. The relationship between Zarela and Arturo begins with tension, but a slow burn passion weaves its way into the story alongside the mystery of the cause of the opposition to Zarela’s family endeavours.

This is a story that burns! Dragon attacks and fantasy tension introduce intriguing stresses into the adventure but woven alongside this are activists who are working to save the dragons (bull-fighting parallels). Dragons are interesting fantasy creatures and there are many species with different qualities within the story. The tensions in the story between humans and with the dragons make for an exciting tale. The romance that develops with the dancing Zarela and the brooding trainer, Arturo, has elements of sensual stress as they both have strong passionate personalities and reasons to dislike one another.  Additional tension, in an environment where death is always a close companion, weaves throughout the entire story and compels the reader forward and the author manages this well. The young potential lovers do perhaps twist and weave like toreadors in the ring, but although there is an element of the innocent tease initially they are not completely virtuous. This is not a Dragon story for children. Together We Burn will be enjoyed by fantasy devotees aged 15+, but the romantic and sensual overtones perhaps will make this romance element too cloying for some male readers, despite the action-adventure of fighting dragons.

Themes: Fantasy, Dragons, Magic, Romance.

Carolyn Hull