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A review by annagwritesandreads
We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Note: This is the second book in a duology. There will inherently be spoilers. :) I would also recommend reading this duology before reading A Tempest of Tea.
General Description: Zafira and Nasir must continue to restore the hearts to Arawiya to bring back magic, even if they run into trouble at every turn. Nasir has to fight the magic in his blood and Zafira has to figure out her new relationship with a magically book called the Jawarat. On top of that, these two realize there are feelings developing quickly between them. Will they be able to restore magic, gain control of themselves, and find love? What loss will they face along the way?
The good:
- You get to delve even farther into the world that Hafsah beautifully built and I loved that.
- You do get resolution, which I appreciated.
- The battle scenes were action packed, but this just leads into my next critique.
ALSO: The romance as okay? I just wasn't truly sold on it. Neither a plus or minus in my opinion.
The loss of 2 stars:
- This was an 18 hour long audiobook. The pacing felt all over the place based on how long it was. I was either fully into the story or completely disengaged, with no real in between place to just enjoy it.
- The points of the book I felt were supposed to be climaxes felt extremely short. We'd build up to a scene that would last five minutes. There was too much tension building and not enough action for me.
Overall, if you read the first book, you should finish the duology, but I didn't think this was as good as the 1st book.
General Description: Zafira and Nasir must continue to restore the hearts to Arawiya to bring back magic, even if they run into trouble at every turn. Nasir has to fight the magic in his blood and Zafira has to figure out her new relationship with a magically book called the Jawarat. On top of that, these two realize there are feelings developing quickly between them. Will they be able to restore magic, gain control of themselves, and find love? What loss will they face along the way?
The good:
- You get to delve even farther into the world that Hafsah beautifully built and I loved that.
- You do get resolution, which I appreciated.
- The battle scenes were action packed, but this just leads into my next critique.
ALSO: The romance as okay? I just wasn't truly sold on it. Neither a plus or minus in my opinion.
The loss of 2 stars:
- This was an 18 hour long audiobook. The pacing felt all over the place based on how long it was. I was either fully into the story or completely disengaged, with no real in between place to just enjoy it.
- The points of the book I felt were supposed to be climaxes felt extremely short. We'd build up to a scene that would last five minutes. There was too much tension building and not enough action for me.
Overall, if you read the first book, you should finish the duology, but I didn't think this was as good as the 1st book.