Reviews tagging 'Grief'

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

57 reviews

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.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Grief

Minor: Death of parent and Child death

medditeranean_b00kw0rm's review

adventurous emotional reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Grief

lupalionessa's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

Upon my reread of this book, it truly has become a comfort read for me, thus the 5 stars. Technically the pacing, etc. should make it a 4 star but this book scratches all of my itches and therefore I love it.

Within the first few chapters, continuing on throughout the book, it is evident what pieces of media inspired Faizal. The Hunger Games, Shadow and Bone, LOTR, and Assassins Creed are all pieces of media referenced, in ways some may say are heavy handed. But, I love all those series so it was nice to have those tropes again, this time in the wonderfully crafted land of Arawiya. 

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll blush, you’ll flip through the pages quickly! Can’t wait to read the sequel finally. I love Altair the best btw.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Blood

Moderate: Murder, Gore, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief

Minor: Child death

bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

i enjoyed the plot of this story and the setting felt like it’s own well developed character. that said the main characters were often the most tedious part of the story. at times, the pacing could have been better. for large parts of the story, i didn’t feel emotional connection with any of the characters save a few side characters.  the romantic subplot could have been cut entirely and the book would have benefited thereby. that said i was riveted and plan on reading the next book in the series. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement, Sexism, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol

aas's review

adventurous dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Slavery, Physical abuse, and Violence

mattyb's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Grief, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Stalking, Violence, War, Torture, Gore, Physical abuse, and Sexism

Minor: Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, and Kidnapping

sammuraichan'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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, Murder, Sexism, Blood, Violence, and Death

Minor: Animal death

katievallin's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Blood, Child abuse, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Kidnapping, Child death, War, and Domestic abuse

bootsmom3's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Torture, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual content

prufrockpreptooth's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

Not what I was expecting and at the same time, exactly what I was expecting. I don't really know what I thought of the book : I had a very hard time to get into the story, but I couldn't put in done once in it... And the end, please ! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, and Blood

Minor: Animal death, Misogyny, and Death of parent