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miagic_tome's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I sped through We Hunt the Flame so quickly and scrambled after the cliff hanger ending that I raced to get this from my library. Loved listening to the audio version of both books and loved to see the characters grow and change in this one. Beautifully written and definitely one of my favorite books so far this year
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Blood
Moderate: Torture
joensign's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Confinement, Sexism, and Misogyny
maple_dove's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In my humble opinion, this book did not fall into the pit of sequel in a trilogy/duology syndrome (I forgot what it's called). I'm stuck between rating this 4.75 or 5 stars. I chose the latter.
This book just made me love the characters and the world even more. I binged this book in two days.
There's also aroace rep! It's nice to not have every character to have a romantic love interest. :)
I didn't write any quotes down, however, there are a lot of good quotes in this book.
This book just made me love the characters and the world even more. I binged this book in two days.
There's also aroace rep! It's nice to not have every character to have a romantic love interest. :)
I didn't write any quotes down, however, there are a lot of good quotes in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, War, Violence, Murder, Confinement, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Medical content, and Gore
Minor: Torture and Sexual content
I didn't keep exact track of the content warnings as I did for the previous book so these content warnings might not be entirely accurate.doodeedoda's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Sexism, Torture, Violence, Child abuse, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
bri__'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The last part of this book was great but I definitely found that alot of the middle was dragged and that caused me to take a week in completing this book. The writing is impeccable and the plot is insanely complex.
I loved Nasir so much throughout this series but I found Zafira to be a very complicated character to deal with due to her tendency to run away from her problems (being her relationship with Nasir). Yes there was some partial enemies to lovers in this duology but he fell in love with her during their time on Sharr so I wouldn't say it was that long a period of time. As stated already I did enjoy the ending, I'm just disappointed we didn't get to see more of the possible dynamic between Altair and Yasmine or the actual effect of magic among the community since we only got to see snippets.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, War, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical content
Minor: Child death and Infertility
psydneigh's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I originally started this about a year ago but just wasn’t in the mood and had to put it down. The first 35% is pretty slow, but it definitely picks up from there. I really enjoyed seeing the characters again. I didnt feel like Aya’s betrayal was justified enough to make sense to me. I was shook Wish we had seen a bit more at the end, but overall I enjoyed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Abandonment
maeverose's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Murder, Confinement, and Gore
Minor: Grief and Misogyny
Loss of control over your thoughts and actions is a pretty big theme throughoutstllyltc's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Kifah and Zafira, with all of their lines so deeply etched with the titles to a meaning, there are times when you find a story specifically mentioning its title and think it's a cliché, but this one was beautifully done. It's striking how the author honed the characters and their development. This deep understanding of feelings and emotions allows readers to relate to and identify with them. Reading this felt complete, and it is unquestionably endowed with perfection.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Murder, Child death, Abandonment, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Torture, and Violence
nefariousbee's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia
plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I gave the first book in this series only three stars, because I thought the characters and world-building were good but too many other things were off. I feel like a clown now, because I was enthralled as soon as I started this book and that never stopped. Now I’m obsessed with the characters and the story, and I’d go as far as saying that this is one of my favorite books of all time. Any book that makes me feel so many emotions deserves a spot on that list.
And dear god, there were emotions. There still are. I love the zumra, but they put me through more crap than I was prepared for. This especially applies to Zafira and Nasir. I ship them so hard!!! And the number of times I nearly lost it because of something sweet he said to her… I don’t think I’ve ever seen a love interest as reverent of their lover as he is. I’m pretty sure he’s the most romantic love interest ever. Very few ships make me swoon and screech and lose my mind as much as these two did, which says a lot, honestly. I’m a hopeless romantic and there are dozens of ships I’ll go down with, but something about these characters just affects me. I think it’s the slow-burn. Those usually hit me hard.
Romance aside, the friendships and family dynamics were also phenomenal. Zafira, Nasir, Altair, and Kifah are all iconic, and I love the dynamic between the four of them. I especially loved all the banter. I also really liked Zafira and Kifah’s friendship, and Zafira’s bond with her younger sister Lana, and Nasir and Altair’s friendship. It was really sweet to see Lana grow up, and how she loved her sister so much. I appreciate that she wasn’t sidelined in the midst of everything, and instead was just as complex and important to the story. As for my boys, they’re like the grumpy one and sunshine one, friend edition, and I’m totally here for it. They’re great on their own, and an absolutely hilarious duo.They’re my favorite brothers, I think. I loved seeing them get used to that part of their relationship, and love and support each other.
The entirety of act three had me STRESSED. (I mean, the whole book did, if I’m being honest.) The final showdown was handled in a way I didn’t expect, so props to Faizal for that. Even after everything was wrapped up in terms of plot, I was still stressed because of how two specific characters were acting.Part of me was worried that Zafira would just run away from Nasir and her feelings for him, and he would let it happen. Thank every god that Yasmine talked some sense into Zafira, and everything worked out in the end. I thought it was really sweet how she came to the throne room, and he ran to her, scattering papers everywhere, and just kissed her. I legit felt like cheering at that moment. Luckily, when I closed the book, my shipper heart was very happy. It was all perfect. I do kind of wish we’d gotten another chapter or two, since this happy ending felt slightly vague, but it was still very much a happy ending. And that’s enough to satisfy me. ❤️
I loved this book. I can definitely see myself rereading this duology in the future. I know I’ll certainly be anticipating A Tempest of Tea, and everything else Hafsah Faizal has up her sleeve.
Representation
And dear god, there were emotions. There still are. I love the zumra, but they put me through more crap than I was prepared for. This especially applies to Zafira and Nasir. I ship them so hard!!! And the number of times I nearly lost it because of something sweet he said to her… I don’t think I’ve ever seen a love interest as reverent of their lover as he is. I’m pretty sure he’s the most romantic love interest ever. Very few ships make me swoon and screech and lose my mind as much as these two did, which says a lot, honestly. I’m a hopeless romantic and there are dozens of ships I’ll go down with, but something about these characters just affects me. I think it’s the slow-burn. Those usually hit me hard.
Romance aside, the friendships and family dynamics were also phenomenal. Zafira, Nasir, Altair, and Kifah are all iconic, and I love the dynamic between the four of them. I especially loved all the banter. I also really liked Zafira and Kifah’s friendship, and Zafira’s bond with her younger sister Lana, and Nasir and Altair’s friendship. It was really sweet to see Lana grow up, and how she loved her sister so much. I appreciate that she wasn’t sidelined in the midst of everything, and instead was just as complex and important to the story. As for my boys, they’re like the grumpy one and sunshine one, friend edition, and I’m totally here for it. They’re great on their own, and an absolutely hilarious duo.
The entirety of act three had me STRESSED. (I mean, the whole book did, if I’m being honest.) The final showdown was handled in a way I didn’t expect, so props to Faizal for that. Even after everything was wrapped up in terms of plot, I was still stressed because of how two specific characters were acting.
I loved this book. I can definitely see myself rereading this duology in the future. I know I’ll certainly be anticipating A Tempest of Tea, and everything else Hafsah Faizal has up her sleeve.
Representation
- protagonists and side characters of color
- aromantic asexual side character of color
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Torture, Violence, Grief, and Gore
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Self harm, and Sexism
Minor: Kidnapping and Confinement