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wordsbychiara 's review for:
We Free the Stars
by Hafsah Faizal
I procrastinated WE FREE THE STARS so hard since the release because I didn’t want to say goodbye to the world of Arawiya, but it felt so good to actually be reading about these characters again. Hafsah Faizal is such a gifted storyteller. She weaves magic and poetry into her prose and her characters feel so real, it’s like you’re dragged into the page.
After the heartbreaking ending of We Free the Stars, I had many theories and hopes for this final installment. The plot was just as engaging to me as it was in the first book, with many exciting action scenes and plot twists. But it’s on the character department that I got the majority of my surprises. Everyone had such growth in We Free the Stars, and if I loved them before, I’m absolutely obsessed with the zumra now! I was especially pleased on the work done on Kifah’s character. Out of all of them, she was the one that didn’t really stand out to me before, but I appreciated her so much in this installment! Her witty dialogue was a perfect balance to the darker events and Zafira and Nasir’s brooding.
As much as I loved the first book, I lamented the fast-moving relationship between Nasir and Zafira, and I believe the author made a wise choice in hitting the breaks in this installment and slowing them down. The added angst element made their relationship more appealing to me, and I went from not really caring about them together to screaming at them to just f*** already! Nasir, especially, came such a far way from the man he was in We Hunt the Flame. Our brooding Prince of Death became softer, more caring, and it was a very good look on him. I especially adored every single interaction with Altair. You know I love a good bromance!
Altair confirms himself as my favorite character, and I was happy with his storyline in this one…for the most part. Based on the epilogue of We Hunt the Flame, I came into its sequel expecting a certain storyline for my favorite habibi…but the storyline wasn’t there. It was teased by other characters, but we never see anything of it on page. I’m not sure if this was always the author’s intention or if she had to remove the arc due to editing reasons, but it left a bitter taste in my mouth, and it’s the reason why my rating is a little lower compared to book one.
After the heartbreaking ending of We Free the Stars, I had many theories and hopes for this final installment. The plot was just as engaging to me as it was in the first book, with many exciting action scenes and plot twists. But it’s on the character department that I got the majority of my surprises. Everyone had such growth in We Free the Stars, and if I loved them before, I’m absolutely obsessed with the zumra now! I was especially pleased on the work done on Kifah’s character. Out of all of them, she was the one that didn’t really stand out to me before, but I appreciated her so much in this installment! Her witty dialogue was a perfect balance to the darker events and Zafira and Nasir’s brooding.
As much as I loved the first book, I lamented the fast-moving relationship between Nasir and Zafira, and I believe the author made a wise choice in hitting the breaks in this installment and slowing them down. The added angst element made their relationship more appealing to me, and I went from not really caring about them together to screaming at them to just f*** already! Nasir, especially, came such a far way from the man he was in We Hunt the Flame. Our brooding Prince of Death became softer, more caring, and it was a very good look on him. I especially adored every single interaction with Altair. You know I love a good bromance!
Altair confirms himself as my favorite character, and I was happy with his storyline in this one…for the most part. Based on the epilogue of We Hunt the Flame, I came into its sequel expecting a certain storyline for my favorite habibi…but the storyline wasn’t there. It was teased by other characters, but we never see anything of it on page. I’m not sure if this was always the author’s intention or if she had to remove the arc due to editing reasons, but it left a bitter taste in my mouth, and it’s the reason why my rating is a little lower compared to book one.