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A review by sarag19
The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad
5.0
4.5 out of 5 Stars
Some books come with a beautiful cover and fail to deliver and then there are books that come with a beautiful cover and deliver. The Candle and the Flame is one of those that delivers. It is such a beautiful story with so many amazing characters.
The Good
- Pretty much all the female characters, yes even those not so good ladies. The men are great too but it is the ladies that really shine in this book. Each woman brings their own unique strength to the plot and it never felt like it was at the expense of one of the other women. I loved Fatima Ghazala, she is confident in her powers but never arrogant about her abilities. I loved her desire for independence but her willingness to seek out and accept help as needed. Yet, I found Bhavya to be my favorite character in the end. Her characters arc, from a starry eyed lovesick girl to a staunch defender of her family and country willing to put the bigger needs above her own is beautiful, yet sad. I loved the contrast between that it drew between her and her brother. They both believed that how they go about handling the situation is the right way. Yet in the moment when it comes to making the right decision, the bear the weight of the pain, it is the women willing to make the sacrifice.
- This book is so lush in both the world that it created but everyone that inhabits it. Especially the food, its a compliment to say this book made me exceptionally hungry. Food is a huge part of culture and it is used as a theme in the book to show how diverse a city can be but also how unified. It is clear that the author loves the culture she puts into her book and wants to share it with everyone. Also a balance, that no culture or religious feels that it is being favored over another.
- I loved the relationship between Fatima Ghazala and Zulfikar, push and pull, give and take. They respect and care for each other and watching it develop through the book was just really sweet.
The Not So Good
- So, even though I pretty much loved this book the beginning was a little difficult to get through.It starts really good with the first chapter and then its pretty heavy in description of the environment that really starts to drag what started out so strong to a stumble. Some of the stuff would have been better addressed maybe further into the book, it just felt like the author wanted to describe the world at the expense of slowing down the story. Once that gets going the book flows really nice, its just a shame the stumbles for awhile after starting out so strong.
Still loved it and I hope we get to see more from Nafiza Azad.
Some books come with a beautiful cover and fail to deliver and then there are books that come with a beautiful cover and deliver. The Candle and the Flame is one of those that delivers. It is such a beautiful story with so many amazing characters.
The Good
- Pretty much all the female characters, yes even those not so good ladies. The men are great too but it is the ladies that really shine in this book. Each woman brings their own unique strength to the plot and it never felt like it was at the expense of one of the other women. I loved Fatima Ghazala, she is confident in her powers but never arrogant about her abilities. I loved her desire for independence but her willingness to seek out and accept help as needed. Yet, I found Bhavya to be my favorite character in the end. Her characters arc, from a starry eyed lovesick girl to a staunch defender of her family and country willing to put the bigger needs above her own is beautiful, yet sad. I loved the contrast between that it drew between her and her brother. They both believed that how they go about handling the situation is the right way. Yet in the moment when it comes to making the right decision, the bear the weight of the pain, it is the women willing to make the sacrifice.
- This book is so lush in both the world that it created but everyone that inhabits it. Especially the food, its a compliment to say this book made me exceptionally hungry. Food is a huge part of culture and it is used as a theme in the book to show how diverse a city can be but also how unified. It is clear that the author loves the culture she puts into her book and wants to share it with everyone. Also a balance, that no culture or religious feels that it is being favored over another.
- I loved the relationship between Fatima Ghazala and Zulfikar, push and pull, give and take. They respect and care for each other and watching it develop through the book was just really sweet.
The Not So Good
- So, even though I pretty much loved this book the beginning was a little difficult to get through.It starts really good with the first chapter and then its pretty heavy in description of the environment that really starts to drag what started out so strong to a stumble. Some of the stuff would have been better addressed maybe further into the book, it just felt like the author wanted to describe the world at the expense of slowing down the story. Once that gets going the book flows really nice, its just a shame the stumbles for awhile after starting out so strong.
Still loved it and I hope we get to see more from Nafiza Azad.