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mj1588's review
adventurous
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Torture, Physical abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
mariebrunelm's review
adventurous
funny
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
Zafira is a huntress from a poor, snow-laden village. Only she will brave the darkness looming ever closer and bring back game to feed her family. Lured by the chance of bringing back magic, she ventures on the other edge of the dark, not knowing what she will have to face. Nasir is a prince, but also the King's most ruthless hashashin. He doesn't question orders even when he may not come back. A mysterious book is what leads them both farther from their home than they have ever been, but they’re not the only ones looking for it.
This fun YA novel had excellent vibes and a SWANA-inspired world-building that I relished. There was a lot of banter between the characters, which I'm always happy to read, although at some point it almost became a little too much. Does every interaction have to be lined with irony ? There was also a slow-burn romance that I didn’t exactly care for but that's because I don’t care for romance generally. I loved the prose, the language (and the glossary that had a pronunciation guide included), and the fact that it wasn’t too fast-paced for a YA novel. One could even say that not much happened, at least in the grand scheme of things. The characters face danger upon danger, but there is also quite a bit of space devoted to quiet moments and more-or-less deep conversations. As much as the world-building was developed, the narrative itself was a lot lighter. Perhaps I would have enjoyed more balance between the two, but that’s really me being picky. I enjoyed how the author wrote her characters, and even though they carry their fair share of trauma, their dynamics made We Hunt the Flame a fun and enjoyable reading experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
flickwitch's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Torture
onthesamepage's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I know that I was supposed to care a lot for these characters, but I can't say that actually happened, for the most part. A few of the relationships did hook me, but again, probably not the ones I was supposed to care for. I found the dynamic between Zafira and Deen really compelling. How much Deen cared for her was very obvious, and I have a soft spot for when people throw everything they are on the line to protect/care for someone else. The other relationship I liked was the one between Nasir and Altair. Not that Nasir does much other than brood, but Altair has a fun personality (except when he's deadly serious), and the more I got to see them interact, the more I started to care for their friendship. I know I'm supposed to care a lot about Zafira and Nasir, and their budding romance, but it honestly fell flat for me. Neither showed all that much personality or chemistry.
The Arabia-inspired setting was another highlight. The descriptions of the beautiful cities, the desert, but also the characters wearing keffiyahs gave me a lot of joy. Unfortunately, the (mis)use of the Arabic language didn't.
I'm a native Arab speaker, so of course I zoomed in on the Arabic. The way it's used comes across as someone who isn't a native speaker inserting Arabic words to add to the mood. It's not that the words were wrong, exactly, but they're not used quite right. Umm means mother, yes, but I would never refer to my mother as "umm" while addressing her. She would be "ummi"—my mother. The same applies to Okht, which should have been okhti, and also, why does this start with an O instead of a U like umm when the sound is the same? This annoyed me just as much as Leigh Bardugo's misuse of Dutch in Six of Crows. The Arabic felt clunky in some of the sentences, and the opposite of subtle. I didn't even need to know more about the island Sharr because its name told me exactly what its deal was.
Something I noticed in A Tempest of Tea was the excessive use of pet names. That happens here as well, although to a lesser degree, but I can't say I was all that happy to see "azizi" being used this often.
The last thing I'll mention is that there are parts where the author would chop up a sentence:
The Arabia-inspired setting was another highlight. The descriptions of the beautiful cities, the desert, but also the characters wearing keffiyahs gave me a lot of joy. Unfortunately, the (mis)use of the Arabic language didn't.
I'm a native Arab speaker, so of course I zoomed in on the Arabic. The way it's used comes across as someone who isn't a native speaker inserting Arabic words to add to the mood. It's not that the words were wrong, exactly, but they're not used quite right. Umm means mother, yes, but I would never refer to my mother as "umm" while addressing her. She would be "ummi"—my mother. The same applies to Okht, which should have been okhti, and also, why does this start with an O instead of a U like umm when the sound is the same? This annoyed me just as much as Leigh Bardugo's misuse of Dutch in Six of Crows. The Arabic felt clunky in some of the sentences, and the opposite of subtle. I didn't even need to know more about the island Sharr because its name told me exactly what its deal was.
Something I noticed in A Tempest of Tea was the excessive use of pet names. That happens here as well, although to a lesser degree, but I can't say I was all that happy to see "azizi" being used this often.
The last thing I'll mention is that there are parts where the author would chop up a sentence:
She fell
to her
knees.
I'm guessing this is for emphasis. Thankfully it didn't happen too often, because it's definitely not something I like.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Child abuse, Murder, and Torture
jrae_miller's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
4.0
This book was somehow slow- and fast-moving at the same time! The writing is lyrical and elegant, and the world building is solid enough that I only felt out of place because it is an unfamiliar government system. I sometimes lost track of who the others were, to be honest, and who was and was not trustworthy. I had read this before but couldn't recall most of the plot, so the twists and reveals were a surprise this time around as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny
kristinescorner's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Abandonment, Blood, Death, and Torture
Moderate: Death of parent and Slavery
rafacolog's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Blood, Death, Violence, Child abuse, and Misogyny
amandaplease50's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think I’m just reiterating what other reviewers have said but the first 1/4 ish of the book was slow. I had a hard time getting into it. But one I did it didn’t take too long to read.
I enjoyed all the characters throughly and I feel that some criticism of the flatness of supporting characters will change in the second book.
But there were parts where I felt so much was happening I missed something and ended up rereading certain sections. For a first novel though honestly it’s a great story to build off of so I’m really excited to read the second book.
I enjoyed all the characters throughly and I feel that some criticism of the flatness of supporting characters will change in the second book.
But there were parts where I felt so much was happening I missed something and ended up rereading certain sections. For a first novel though honestly it’s a great story to build off of so I’m really excited to read the second book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse
elislittlelibrary's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
I loved this book so, so much! Especially after the first introduction, I was really invested in the story and the characters alike. The dual POV was also a nice addition, because you get to know the characters and their thoughts more closely.
Now, this is YA and while there is romance, there is no smut. I’m personally not a huge fan of smut, so i didn’t miss anything (more on the contrary, actually), but just fyi!
One of the best parts, besides the story and the world, were the characters, mainly the female characters. I enjoyed having strong female characters that navigated a world that is (partially) misogynistic. Also- there was no “not like other girls” or battles between women, just empowerment without rivalry.
And, another thing- the descriptions of characters appearance felt really sophisticated. Not unrealistic, but also not downputting or anything. And there was a certain fluidity, the FMC having some more “masculine” features like broad shoulders, etc. Refreshing to read and encouraging to read in a YA book!
Now, this is YA and while there is romance, there is no smut. I’m personally not a huge fan of smut, so i didn’t miss anything (more on the contrary, actually), but just fyi!
One of the best parts, besides the story and the world, were the characters, mainly the female characters. I enjoyed having strong female characters that navigated a world that is (partially) misogynistic. Also- there was no “not like other girls” or battles between women, just empowerment without rivalry.
And, another thing- the descriptions of characters appearance felt really sophisticated. Not unrealistic, but also not downputting or anything. And there was a certain fluidity, the FMC having some more “masculine” features like broad shoulders, etc. Refreshing to read and encouraging to read in a YA book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Torture
Minor: Child death and Misogyny
taleofabibliophile's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Murder, Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Torture
Minor: Gore, Slavery, and Cursing