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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
This is actually the best book I've read this year, and it's my first time reading an Arabian-themed fantasy story. Although I stumbled upon some spoilers, they still didn't prevent me from being surprised; there are just so many layers to the plot. It's written so beautifully, and I love it so much that I decided to buy the second book in physical form (I'm on a budget huhu graduation coming up) (originally read the first one through a digital library).
OK I FINISHED IT, FINISHED IT IN EXACTLY ONE MONTH BUT HERE WE ARE
this was ... a trip. took me longer than i had hoped to finish, not only because i have school stuff and exam season to go through first, but the writing for this book is both fascinating and also, one of the hardest writing style to go through because it is both intricate and poetry-like, but at the same time it's VERY straight forward once you get the gist of what's going on. basically, the writing style is in cursive all the way around.
I liked A LOT of things about this book, the representation, the character building, and chemistry between the main cast (though, it was a bit disappointing that we didn't really get a lot of bonding and relationship building between them all) because it was FULL of tension.
i do have a few questions i would like to answer indirectly, considering my first impressions and my thoughts now upon finishing the book.
was this book the "enemies-to-lovers" book i was looking for?
not ... really. in the beginning, i can see why and what's about to happen, and when it happened i liked how the author narrated their scenes with so much tension and plot device that makes the "enemies" part of the story, but ... this wasn't literally enemies-to-lovers. being comrades by circumstances as a part of the story made the whole situation not very enemies to lovers. heck, it's more of an indifference-to-acceptance type of relationship driven by dragged misunderstandings and accidents (if u finished the book, you'd know what I mean)
i want to emphasise this again but,,, THE TENSION. SEXUAL TENSION. OVERALL TENSION. read this book if you expect a lot, a alot ALOT, of tension.
how to i feel about the characters, their design, motives, development, etc.?
i enjoyed it. memorable enough because it was simple and every character was very well fleshed out (more on Zafira and Nasir, however, since they are the mains) albeit some very lacking compared to the others (like, what was up between Kifah and Altair for most of the time other than what happened in the background, for example?)
who's my favorite character?
definitely Nasir Ghameq. I love his characterization, his backstory, and everything about his POVs are just full of emotion and made me cry on some occasion. not to mention, his character design is incredible. Also, suchhhhhhh a simp. I don't blame him though, Zafira in exposition does sound like the most beautiful being on Earth, according to his descriptions. my fair gazelle. ugh, swoon.
Other than that, the depth and layers of his character are one of my favorite things overall from this book and i can't wait to see him more in action. A parting word is, I just want to hug him for once, at least, for real, and please please at the end of this series, please be happy.
what do you feel about the plot twists?
one MAJOR plot twist () was very predictable to me, but the others really surprised me aka actually made me gasp audibly.
what's my favourite thing about this book (finally)?
THE STORY TELLING AND PROSE. once you get used to it, it's so good. in the beginning, if you're not used to sultry writing-style with extreme subtlety of exposition and description, then I would concur that you would have a somewhat difficult time going through the first few chapters of the book. but after that, it will get easier to get through once you get to know the characters and story and world-building more, so don't worry!
some examples of paragraphs i liked :
... what else to write? i am writing this review half asleep so idk how it will turn out if i read this in the morning sksksksk anyways, READ WE HUNT THE FLAME. or else.
addition note :
i do have one thing i'd like to confess really disliking about this book. like, why did it happen? if anything, why so fast?
this was ... a trip. took me longer than i had hoped to finish, not only because i have school stuff and exam season to go through first, but the writing for this book is both fascinating and also, one of the hardest writing style to go through because it is both intricate and poetry-like, but at the same time it's VERY straight forward once you get the gist of what's going on. basically, the writing style is in cursive all the way around.
I liked A LOT of things about this book, the representation, the character building, and chemistry between the main cast (though, it was a bit disappointing that we didn't really get a lot of bonding and relationship building between them all) because it was FULL of tension.
i do have a few questions i would like to answer indirectly, considering my first impressions and my thoughts now upon finishing the book.
was this book the "enemies-to-lovers" book i was looking for?
not ... really. in the beginning, i can see why and what's about to happen, and when it happened i liked how the author narrated their scenes with so much tension and plot device that makes the "enemies" part of the story, but ... this wasn't literally enemies-to-lovers. being comrades by circumstances as a part of the story made the whole situation not very enemies to lovers. heck, it's more of an indifference-to-acceptance type of relationship driven by dragged misunderstandings and accidents (if u finished the book, you'd know what I mean)
i want to emphasise this again but,,, THE TENSION. SEXUAL TENSION. OVERALL TENSION. read this book if you expect a lot, a alot ALOT, of tension.
how to i feel about the characters, their design, motives, development, etc.?
i enjoyed it. memorable enough because it was simple and every character was very well fleshed out (more on Zafira and Nasir, however, since they are the mains) albeit some very lacking compared to the others (like, what was up between Kifah and Altair for most of the time other than what happened in the background, for example?)
who's my favorite character?
definitely Nasir Ghameq. I love his characterization, his backstory, and everything about his POVs are just full of emotion and made me cry on some occasion. not to mention, his character design is incredible. Also, suchhhhhhh a simp. I don't blame him though, Zafira in exposition does sound like the most beautiful being on Earth, according to his descriptions. my fair gazelle. ugh, swoon.
Other than that, the depth and layers of his character are one of my favorite things overall from this book and i can't wait to see him more in action. A parting word is, I just want to hug him for once, at least, for real, and please please at the end of this series, please be happy.
what do you feel about the plot twists?
one MAJOR plot twist (
Spoiler
basically how the Lion of the Night was revealedwhat's my favourite thing about this book (finally)?
THE STORY TELLING AND PROSE. once you get used to it, it's so good. in the beginning, if you're not used to sultry writing-style with extreme subtlety of exposition and description, then I would concur that you would have a somewhat difficult time going through the first few chapters of the book. but after that, it will get easier to get through once you get to know the characters and story and world-building more, so don't worry!
some examples of paragraphs i liked :
"Feelings had transpired without permission, conspired without his brain, working with what was left of his heart."
"Nasir used to wonder why he stopped feeling sorrow for the people he was sent to slay. At some point, his heart had ceased to register the monstrosity of his deeds, and it had nothing to do with the darkness tainting the lands. No, it was his own doing. He was turning his heart black, no one else.
"'All right' is when you're bleeding black but it's not as bad as bleeding red.When the world crashes but you're not alone when it does. When the darkness is absolute but you hunt down the smallest flame and coax it brighter. When you carve the good out of every bad and claim it a victory."
... what else to write? i am writing this review half asleep so idk how it will turn out if i read this in the morning sksksksk anyways, READ WE HUNT THE FLAME. or else.
addition note :
i do have one thing i'd like to confess really disliking about this book. like, why did it happen? if anything, why so fast?
Spoiler
it's obviously about Deen's death. His build up, his relationship with Zafira, and ALL OF HIS DAMN LOVE FOR HER. it left me awestruck. His love was so strong, and the words he use to express those feelings were also very strong, to the point where I was also swooned by him. He has suffered for a long time, I reckon because of his powers of having visions (now that I think about it, does that mean both Yasmine and Deen have the same affinity/power?) in form of dreams, and him accompanying Zafira was a good plot device to shape up more dynamic between the two of them. AND YET HE DIED. JUST LIKE THAT. to the very least, why didn't it just last just a little bit longer? like, have they meet, connect, and THEN set up the situation to be more climatic so the death would've affect the readers more. although, not every death scene needs to be climatic for it to mean something. alas, i just think his scenes were enough, and it would be much more interesting if the inclusion of Deen's powers and influence to Zafira and the others would've gotten explored more instead of what we got.
Underwhelmed by the "chemistry"? Everything felt so forced and the ending was like 3 plot reveals back to back, and I hated it.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
adventurous
funny
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Ich habe "We hunt the flame" schon oft auf Bookstagram gesehen und war auch von dem düsteren, mysteriösen Cover gleich angesprochen.
Die Prämisse klang ebenfalls vielversprechend: Eine junge Frau, die sich als Mann ausgibt, um in einer patriarchalen Welt als Jägerin zu bestehen. Der Prinz des Todes, der wie sie auf die Suche nach einem Artefakt geschickt wird und die Jägerin töten soll.
Ich fand es cool, dass das Buch ein arabisch angehauchtes Setting hatte, jedoch blieb es im Generellen hinter seinem Potenzial zurück.
Mehr Erzählen als Zeigen
Ein großer Schwachpunkt für mich war der Schreibstil. Emotionen und Gedanken der Figuren wurden nicht erlebbar gemacht, sondern nur erzählt. Statt mitzufühlen, wurde ich als Leserin ständig vor vollendete Tatsachen gestellt – was besonders bei Plottwists enttäuschend war. Diese wurden nicht spannend aufgebaut, sondern eher beiläufig erwähnt, ohne echte Wirkung zu entfalten.
Unnatürliche Figuren und Dialoge
Die Charaktere blieben für mich leider sehr blass. Ihre Handlungen wirkten oft konstruiert, die Dialoge künstlich, und die Emotionen sprangen zu schnell, ohne Tiefe oder Entwicklung. Dadurch fiel es mir schwer, mich emotional zu binden oder mitzufiebern. Vielleicht wäre dem Buch besser an der Ich- Perspektive getan, aber so kam oft ein formell narrativer Stil auf, der keine Nähe zu den Charakteren zuließ.
Ich glaube, ich muss nicht dazu sagen, dass ich die Liebesgeschichte dadurch ebenfalls nicht nachvollziehen und fühlen konnte.
Unausgereiftes Magiesystem
Auch das Magiesystem konnte mich nicht überzeugen. Es blieb vage, unlogisch und wenig originell. Gerade weil die Rückkehr der Magie ein zentrales Element ist, hätte ich hier mehr Erklärung, Regeln und kreative Ausarbeitung erwartet. Stattdessen wirkte alles recht willkürlich und voller Logiklücken.
Fazit
Trotz guter Ideen war die Lektüre für mich eine große Enttäuschung. Der Schreibstil, die Charaktere und das Worldbuilding haben mich nicht abgeholt und es kam mehr als genug Langeweile beim Lesen auf.
Ich bin mir zwar sicher, dass es Leser*innen geben wird, denen dieser Stil mehr zusagt – für mich persönlich war es leider nichts.
Ich habe das Buch als Rezensionsexemplar im Austausch gegen eine ehrliche Rezension von Netgalley erhalten.
Die Prämisse klang ebenfalls vielversprechend: Eine junge Frau, die sich als Mann ausgibt, um in einer patriarchalen Welt als Jägerin zu bestehen. Der Prinz des Todes, der wie sie auf die Suche nach einem Artefakt geschickt wird und die Jägerin töten soll.
Ich fand es cool, dass das Buch ein arabisch angehauchtes Setting hatte, jedoch blieb es im Generellen hinter seinem Potenzial zurück.
Mehr Erzählen als Zeigen
Ein großer Schwachpunkt für mich war der Schreibstil. Emotionen und Gedanken der Figuren wurden nicht erlebbar gemacht, sondern nur erzählt. Statt mitzufühlen, wurde ich als Leserin ständig vor vollendete Tatsachen gestellt – was besonders bei Plottwists enttäuschend war. Diese wurden nicht spannend aufgebaut, sondern eher beiläufig erwähnt, ohne echte Wirkung zu entfalten.
Unnatürliche Figuren und Dialoge
Die Charaktere blieben für mich leider sehr blass. Ihre Handlungen wirkten oft konstruiert, die Dialoge künstlich, und die Emotionen sprangen zu schnell, ohne Tiefe oder Entwicklung. Dadurch fiel es mir schwer, mich emotional zu binden oder mitzufiebern. Vielleicht wäre dem Buch besser an der Ich- Perspektive getan, aber so kam oft ein formell narrativer Stil auf, der keine Nähe zu den Charakteren zuließ.
Ich glaube, ich muss nicht dazu sagen, dass ich die Liebesgeschichte dadurch ebenfalls nicht nachvollziehen und fühlen konnte.
Unausgereiftes Magiesystem
Auch das Magiesystem konnte mich nicht überzeugen. Es blieb vage, unlogisch und wenig originell. Gerade weil die Rückkehr der Magie ein zentrales Element ist, hätte ich hier mehr Erklärung, Regeln und kreative Ausarbeitung erwartet. Stattdessen wirkte alles recht willkürlich und voller Logiklücken.
Fazit
Trotz guter Ideen war die Lektüre für mich eine große Enttäuschung. Der Schreibstil, die Charaktere und das Worldbuilding haben mich nicht abgeholt und es kam mehr als genug Langeweile beim Lesen auf.
Ich bin mir zwar sicher, dass es Leser*innen geben wird, denen dieser Stil mehr zusagt – für mich persönlich war es leider nichts.
Ich habe das Buch als Rezensionsexemplar im Austausch gegen eine ehrliche Rezension von Netgalley erhalten.
It took awhile to start and get interesting, I found when I was half way threw that I couldn’t stop reading.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I had a little trouble getting into it in the beginning and sometimes had to go back and reread stuff. However, by the end l really enjoyed it. I’m excited for the next book. I like that Hafsa’s website has a glossary if terms, map with descriptions, and descriptions of the main characters. I would love to see a character map with all the characters though. It would make it easier to keep track of things. Overall, l was happy with the read though.
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This is getting an extra half-star because of how much I love Altair! I did otherwise struggle with the pacing and the world-building; I never sank into the story as much as I wanted to—and I really wanted to. But there are a lot of great elements here, and I'm hopeful that the sequel will fill in some of the gaps.