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A review by incrediblefran
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
Did not finish book.
I was really looking forward to reading We Hunt the Flame. The premise was intriguing, and I was excited to read a fantasy with an ancient Arabia-inspired setting. It sounded so fresh and promising.
And yet, I did not finish. I used to push myself to finish any book I started, but have lately realised that life is too short for that. The primary emotion I felt while reading We Hunt the Flame was, sadly, boredom. The opening was so promising, with a rich setting and some fascinating worldbuilding, as well as some mysteries seeded. But the characters felt flat and dull, and at no point did I feel connected to them as people. The only characters with a spark of life to them were Altair and Yasmine, where the two leads fell flat for me.
While there is some lush and beautiful description, often the prose was clunky and sometimes overwritten, in a way that obscures the actual meaning. The pacing was slow as molasses, and I felt very little of the tension that is clearly meant to be evoked. The Arz, for example, is a fantastic creation: the sinister dark forest that swallows up those who enter it, slowly creeping closer and closer, inescapable and terrible? Very spooky. And its introduction through Zafira is so atmospheric. But despite that, there is little sense of the danger of the Arz when we are following Zafira through her home. She is the Hunter, apparently single-handedly keeping her people from starvation, and yet there is no sense of this. These people have lush wedding feasts and busy ice cream shops! It's hard to believe that they are kept from starvation by Zafira's brave actions in the forest of death. And then, when Zafira and Deen must set out on their quest to reach Sharr, on the other side of the Arz? It vanishes. Convenient. It's not a moment of wonder, but of disappointment. Potential conflict and danger is just removed from their path.
Zafira must disguise herself to act as the Hunter, because in Demenhur women are oppressed and denied any opportunity. If she is discovered as the Hunter, it could have far-reaching ramifications. And yet... we are only told this. We are not shown any real examples of how women are subjugated and held back by the sexism of their society. I'm not asking for endless depictions of brutal misogyny, but Zafira's fight to overcome these barriers does not ring true when we are only told that these barriers exist.
Nasir is brooding and dark, and that's... kind of it? I hope he develops later, but I'm not interested in sticking around to find out. There's clearly an attempt to give him depth. Unfortunately, it's in the reveal that his lover (a servant girl) was mutilated by his father the Sultan when he found out about their relationship. This poor woman has her tongue cut out, but we are meant to feel sorry for Nasir.
I desperately wanted to love this book. When I found myself growing bored and not wanting to pick it up again, I went looking for spoilers (something I rarely do) just to see if there was something there to convince me that it was going somewhere interesting. Unfortunately, nothing sparked my interest.
I truly, truly hope that Hafsah Faizal will write and publish many more books. This review has been very negative, but she is clearly talented. I won't be coming back to this particular series, but I would absolutely give her next new work a chance.
And yet, I did not finish. I used to push myself to finish any book I started, but have lately realised that life is too short for that. The primary emotion I felt while reading We Hunt the Flame was, sadly, boredom. The opening was so promising, with a rich setting and some fascinating worldbuilding, as well as some mysteries seeded. But the characters felt flat and dull, and at no point did I feel connected to them as people. The only characters with a spark of life to them were Altair and Yasmine, where the two leads fell flat for me.
While there is some lush and beautiful description, often the prose was clunky and sometimes overwritten, in a way that obscures the actual meaning. The pacing was slow as molasses, and I felt very little of the tension that is clearly meant to be evoked. The Arz, for example, is a fantastic creation: the sinister dark forest that swallows up those who enter it, slowly creeping closer and closer, inescapable and terrible? Very spooky. And its introduction through Zafira is so atmospheric. But despite that, there is little sense of the danger of the Arz when we are following Zafira through her home. She is the Hunter, apparently single-handedly keeping her people from starvation, and yet there is no sense of this. These people have lush wedding feasts and busy ice cream shops! It's hard to believe that they are kept from starvation by Zafira's brave actions in the forest of death. And then, when Zafira and Deen must set out on their quest to reach Sharr, on the other side of the Arz? It vanishes. Convenient. It's not a moment of wonder, but of disappointment. Potential conflict and danger is just removed from their path.
Zafira must disguise herself to act as the Hunter, because in Demenhur women are oppressed and denied any opportunity. If she is discovered as the Hunter, it could have far-reaching ramifications. And yet... we are only told this. We are not shown any real examples of how women are subjugated and held back by the sexism of their society. I'm not asking for endless depictions of brutal misogyny, but Zafira's fight to overcome these barriers does not ring true when we are only told that these barriers exist.
Nasir is brooding and dark, and that's... kind of it? I hope he develops later, but I'm not interested in sticking around to find out. There's clearly an attempt to give him depth. Unfortunately, it's in the reveal that his lover (a servant girl) was mutilated by his father the Sultan when he found out about their relationship. This poor woman has her tongue cut out, but we are meant to feel sorry for Nasir.
I desperately wanted to love this book. When I found myself growing bored and not wanting to pick it up again, I went looking for spoilers (something I rarely do) just to see if there was something there to convince me that it was going somewhere interesting. Unfortunately, nothing sparked my interest.
I truly, truly hope that Hafsah Faizal will write and publish many more books. This review has been very negative, but she is clearly talented. I won't be coming back to this particular series, but I would absolutely give her next new work a chance.