You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
- WE HUNT THE FLAME has a beautifully built world and is full of descriptions that make you feel like you are there.
- The pacing was a bit slow - a lot of sitting/walking around and talking, though that may have just been misguided expectations on my part.
- Strangely, Zafira felt like the least-developed character. Everybody else on the quest had a distinct personality and backstory, but she didn't have much beyond being The Huntress (and the fact that she was obviously in love with her best friend Yasmine, why were we wasting so much time on the boys?)
- The pacing was a bit slow - a lot of sitting/walking around and talking, though that may have just been misguided expectations on my part.
- Strangely, Zafira felt like the least-developed character. Everybody else on the quest had a distinct personality and backstory, but she didn't have much beyond being The Huntress (and the fact that she was obviously in love with her best friend Yasmine, why were we wasting so much time on the boys?)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Rape and Suicidal thoughts
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, and Grief
Minor: Animal death and Death of parent
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
WE HUNT THE FLAME drips with lush descriptions and evocative imagery, linked by the often scattered thoughts of two very different narrators as circumstances and a bit of a death-wish pull them inexorably closer.
I loved the setting and most of the characters. I was frequently lost in the prose of an individual moment but I find myself now able to recall the entire story, somehow whole in my mind even as the scenes sometimes felt scattered. If you’re reading this for the beautiful setting, twisting quest of a plot, and intense yearning to belong, you’ll love this. I plan to read the sequel because I want to know how this story ends. It’s literally part one of two, so a lot of stuff was left open to be handled later, but there’s a definite endpoint to the initial quest which brought everyone together.
The world-building is really really good, especially around language. The text is full of places where a word is left untranslated from the speaker's dialect (or possibly a completely different language, depending on the instance) and the point-of-view character thinks about the meaning in a way that conveys the translation. It happens a lot and helps to deepen immersion in the setting, since the the various regions having different dialects/languages is a very important part of this world.
If you’re planning on reading this because you heard it was queer, my answer is that it probably is, but I cannot predict whether you’ll be satisfied by the portrayals within.There’s a character whose every word drips with what looks like queer longing, but the main person he’s been possibly flirting with is completely off limits for plot reasons and he knows it the whole time. There’s a woman who dresses as a man and jokes about kissing her sister of the heart, but they don’t kiss, she drops the masculine guise very early on, and she ends up with a guy. It feels either like it was heading for maximum queerness in a society which punishes women simply for existing (the male guise was necessary for the main character to feed her family), or one which describes very intense bonds but resolutely caps any possibly queer bonds at platonic, no matter how intensely they banter and stare at each other. I don’t know whether almost everyone was straight or if several key characters were bi, but the book also doesn’t provide an answer. And so I’m left with “is it queer? Yeah, probably.
I loved the setting and most of the characters. I was frequently lost in the prose of an individual moment but I find myself now able to recall the entire story, somehow whole in my mind even as the scenes sometimes felt scattered. If you’re reading this for the beautiful setting, twisting quest of a plot, and intense yearning to belong, you’ll love this. I plan to read the sequel because I want to know how this story ends. It’s literally part one of two, so a lot of stuff was left open to be handled later, but there’s a definite endpoint to the initial quest which brought everyone together.
The world-building is really really good, especially around language. The text is full of places where a word is left untranslated from the speaker's dialect (or possibly a completely different language, depending on the instance) and the point-of-view character thinks about the meaning in a way that conveys the translation. It happens a lot and helps to deepen immersion in the setting, since the the various regions having different dialects/languages is a very important part of this world.
If you’re planning on reading this because you heard it was queer, my answer is that it probably is, but I cannot predict whether you’ll be satisfied by the portrayals within.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent
CW for major character death.catchmereadingnotsleeping's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
tahsintries's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Misogyny and Death of parent
redthistle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Grief
katsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"There is a certain beauty in chaos, magnificence in the uncontrollable."
"We hunt the flame, the light in the darkness, the good this world deserves."
"A life without purpose may be no life, but a life without love is nothing but existence."
Review:
Overall, I felt like this was an amazing debut novel. The world was immersive and really exciting. The world was heavily influenced by Arabic language and culture which I loved. It took a hot minute for me to really get into the story but once I did, I really enjoyed it! I loved the class of good and evil and the ragtag gang of characters on an adventure. (I freaking love Altair!) I really enjoyed the romance for the most part. Sometimes, it got a little cringey but I think that has more to do with me not being the intended audience instead of poor writing. (I suppose thats bound to happen when you read Young Adult novels as an adult.) Because, truly, the writing was beautiful. It was lyrical and poetical while not taking itself too seriously. There were some zingers and humorous dialoge thrown around without jarring me out of the story. Ultimately, I'm very much looking forward to reading the second installment in this duology!
"We hunt the flame, the light in the darkness, the good this world deserves."
"A life without purpose may be no life, but a life without love is nothing but existence."
Review:
Overall, I felt like this was an amazing debut novel. The world was immersive and really exciting. The world was heavily influenced by Arabic language and culture which I loved. It took a hot minute for me to really get into the story but once I did, I really enjoyed it! I loved the class of good and evil and the ragtag gang of characters on an adventure. (I freaking love Altair!) I really enjoyed the romance for the most part. Sometimes, it got a little cringey but I think that has more to do with me not being the intended audience instead of poor writing. (I suppose thats bound to happen when you read Young Adult novels as an adult.) Because, truly, the writing was beautiful. It was lyrical and poetical while not taking itself too seriously. There were some zingers and humorous dialoge thrown around without jarring me out of the story. Ultimately, I'm very much looking forward to reading the second installment in this duology!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Blood
cereads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.5
My original review for this was cringy so I'm rewriting after a reread!
I love this book! The world building (based on ancient Arabia) is so rich and vivid. I love the information we learn about the caliphates and how they are ruled, understood, and how magic (and it's disappearance) affect the people.
Zafira is an amazing MC! She is badass but also soft and flawed. She is seeking acceptance from her people and learning to be proud of who she is.
Nasir is also so amazing. Perfect brooding bad boy with a heart of gold. The slow burn enemies to lovers romance is completely to die for!
The supporting cast of characters are probably the best part of this book! There are so many great ones- from Yasmine, to Altair, to Benyamin, and beyond. The villains are complex and original.
Overall, I really love this book!
I love this book! The world building (based on ancient Arabia) is so rich and vivid. I love the information we learn about the caliphates and how they are ruled, understood, and how magic (and it's disappearance) affect the people.
Zafira is an amazing MC! She is badass but also soft and flawed. She is seeking acceptance from her people and learning to be proud of who she is.
Nasir is also so amazing. Perfect brooding bad boy with a heart of gold. The slow burn enemies to lovers romance is completely to die for!
The supporting cast of characters are probably the best part of this book! There are so many great ones- from Yasmine, to Altair, to Benyamin, and beyond. The villains are complex and original.
Overall, I really love this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder