Reviews tagging 'Racism'

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

2 reviews

oliverreeds's review

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adventurous tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Okay. This book has the heart and soul necessary for a good YA novel/novel in general; however, it was simply confusing. The first third of the book is completely dedicated to characters who either die or become increasingly unimportant. In making the first section so long, the author lost something important. She overemphasized how important these people were to Zafira instead of showing it. I wanted to see what Deen meant to her, what her sister meant, what Yasmine meant. The dialogue is amazing, but there was too much showing. 
Specifically with the Deen timeline: what? why was he there? what did he prove? what did the book gain from him being there and then going with Zafira? It didn't add anything to either character. The journey to Sharr was also like one page. I wanted it to be longer. I was confused at how much time was spent establishing the norm for Zafira and then how little that actually mattered. Three-four days were spent in her home town and it did almost nothing to further the plot. It isn't like Deen motivated Zafira in any way. She made a half-hearted promise to him but like overall his inclusion was just... unnecessary in my opinion. And then there was the whole thing with Zafira's mother. It would have been so much more impactful had it been written, described, understood differently. As a reader I had no attachment to the character before she started laying down trauma and recovering from it. I had no emotional stake for her and her mother's relationship.
 
Also in terms of plot introduction, sometimes the chapter would just start. And things would be different in a weird unexplained way and I would fully go back a couple of pages to make sure that I didn't miss something. 
Like one time they're j chillin on Sharr and the next chapter they can't find Zafira? There's no explanation for her being gone. There's not like we went to sleep and then woke up and now we can't find her. She just is somewhere else. Same with the darkness subplot. There was a lot that could have been done with that. The foreshadowing. The ~energy~ was there but it wasn't enough. I was just confused. What do these power mean? What are the stakes
 
I think the biggest issue I had with this novel were things a good editor should have caught. There were a couple of character inconsistencies. The chapter openings were often unexplained. The subplots were not explained, foreshadowed, or developed enough. The lore was absolutely beautiful but the author expected the reader to just know it. It needed to be presented in a better way for the minute detail aspects. It seems like the biggest issue in terms of plot had to do with transitions. Whenever there was a lull, BAM weird chapter where something happens that is important!!! But it was unexplained. It was out of pocket. I think the author just needed to listen more to her story. To focus on how someone who didn't know the world would see it.
Things I loved: the characters. They are all incredibly distinct. They are the reason i kept reading. The writing!!! Is beautiful. This author describes characters in such a clear, precise, and beautiful way. The metaphors hit so hard. Just wow. I think that this author is incredibly talented. She clearly had a vision, knew her characters, and crafted a beautiful world, but some things just fell short. They didn't work quite the way they should have. I would love to return to this author once she has written more and really honed the novel crafting and transition aspects of writing.

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eddine's review

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adventurous challenging informative reflective tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

CHEFS KISS

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