Scan barcode
gabydoesgrowth's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-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
4.5
This was a fitting end to a great story. I definitely think this was better than We Hunt the Flame. The pacing made more sense and the story felt like it was moving forward instead of just existing. I did sometimes get lost in the details a bit so I had to go back and reread chunks. The characters kept me committed to this story. I was so excited to see how each one grew and changed as they became a true zumra. I loved Zafira and Nasir’s connection, although I do wish we’d gotten just a bit more! But I do appreciate that this is a YA story and think it was well done considering the target audience. I was so hesitant to finish the book, I took a few days off from reading because I didn’t want it to end.
The ending to Altair and Nasir’s story was *chef’s kiss* and I was glad for Kifah, but I wish we had gotten to see more of Zafira post-journey. We know Aldair will be a great king and Nasir will be the best caliph he can be, but where does Zafira fit into that reality? I know she will carve out a space for herself to be independent and support the change that is already unfolding, but I wish we got to see how.
Ultimately, I really liked the duology and definitely see this as a re-read for me in the future.
Ultimately, I really liked the duology and definitely see this as a re-read for me in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexism, Death, Violence, and Misogyny
Minor: Classism and Gaslighting
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
elnorastewart3's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Torture, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Grief
michellemaas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.0
I loved it!
I'm going to start by saying that We Free the Stars is one of the most quotable books I have read to date. Hafsah Faizal has such a beautiful way with words and that alone deserves a star before any other factors are even considered.
Another thing that is super close to my heart: asexual representation. In recent years the entertainment industry has come a long way in terms of representing the LGBTQ+ community but despite seeing a bunch of cute lesbian and gay couples, I NEVER see any asexual characters (or it isn't outright mentioned/discussed). Oftentimes characters are thrown into unnecessary relationships since romance is a huge driving point and I appreciate that Hafsah Faizal made Kifah an interesting and alluring character without needing to put her in a romantic relationship. The way she described asexuality was also so good.
Next there's Nasir and Zafira. One of my main critiques for the previous book was how Zafira and Nasir got over their qualms of each other without any real explanation for why. It was purely based on lust, Zafira being emotionally stunted after the death of her friend and Nasir latching onto the first person to show him affection. I am so happy that Hafsah Faizal deepened their relationship in the sequel. We got to see that slow-burn that she was going for in the first book because their relationship had to fester from lust to love. It was a beautiful journey (even if the beginning was a little questionable). Also, that ending. We all saw it coming but when I tell you I was a pile of squishy feels . . . just perfect.
The last relationship-related point I want to make is about Yasmine and Misk. I know I sound repetitive but I loved and appreciated that Yasmine was not magically fine at the end of the book. The author "sacrificed" a perfect ending that was wrapped up with a neat little bow to show that grief does not go away because other things in your life get better.
Then, I enjoyed The Lion of the Night as a villain. He was not purely a monster and while the author made it clear that his tragic past did not justify his actions, it gave us a better insight into him as a character.
Lastly, I want to shout out all the side characters like Altair, Lana, Yasmine, etc. My version of this book was 700-odd pages (as opposed to the 400/500-something of the first book) and I was apprehensive since a longer book doesn't always equal a better book. While I still don't know if all 700 pages were necessary, I am glad that the author went for a little bit of a longer book to explore the development and fleshing-out of the side characters. I feel that my reading experience was thoroughly enhanced by the fact that I had more knowledge of the side characters than an off-handed description as most other novels do.
I'm going to start by saying that We Free the Stars is one of the most quotable books I have read to date. Hafsah Faizal has such a beautiful way with words and that alone deserves a star before any other factors are even considered.
Another thing that is super close to my heart: asexual representation. In recent years the entertainment industry has come a long way in terms of representing the LGBTQ+ community but despite seeing a bunch of cute lesbian and gay couples, I NEVER see any asexual characters (or it isn't outright mentioned/discussed). Oftentimes characters are thrown into unnecessary relationships since romance is a huge driving point and I appreciate that Hafsah Faizal made Kifah an interesting and alluring character without needing to put her in a romantic relationship. The way she described asexuality was also so good.
Next there's Nasir and Zafira. One of my main critiques for the previous book was how Zafira and Nasir got over their qualms of each other without any real explanation for why. It was purely based on lust, Zafira being emotionally stunted after the death of her friend and Nasir latching onto the first person to show him affection. I am so happy that Hafsah Faizal deepened their relationship in the sequel. We got to see that slow-burn that she was going for in the first book because their relationship had to fester from lust to love. It was a beautiful journey (even if the beginning was a little questionable). Also, that ending. We all saw it coming but when I tell you I was a pile of squishy feels . . . just perfect.
The last relationship-related point I want to make is about Yasmine and Misk. I know I sound repetitive but I loved and appreciated that Yasmine was not magically fine at the end of the book. The author "sacrificed" a perfect ending that was wrapped up with a neat little bow to show that grief does not go away because other things in your life get better.
Then, I enjoyed The Lion of the Night as a villain. He was not purely a monster and while the author made it clear that his tragic past did not justify his actions, it gave us a better insight into him as a character.
Lastly, I want to shout out all the side characters like Altair, Lana, Yasmine, etc. My version of this book was 700-odd pages (as opposed to the 400/500-something of the first book) and I was apprehensive since a longer book doesn't always equal a better book. While I still don't know if all 700 pages were necessary, I am glad that the author went for a little bit of a longer book to explore the development and fleshing-out of the side characters. I feel that my reading experience was thoroughly enhanced by the fact that I had more knowledge of the side characters than an off-handed description as most other novels do.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Animal death and Slavery
More...