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A review by battyaboutbooks
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
π¦ We Hunt the Flame Book Review π¦
β #QOTD What was the last epic fantasy you read? β
π¦ People lived because she killed. People died because he lived. Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the sultan. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. Both Zafira and Nasir are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya--but neither wants to be.
π¦ War is brewing and the Arz sweeps closer, engulfing the land in shadow. To save her family, Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic and stop the Arz. Nasir is sent by the sultan on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds--and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine. Will they make it out alive, or find something more than the prize they were sent to find?
π Mashallah! I'm going to try and HORRIBLY fail to convey my love for this book (you can totally tell I'm a writer some days, can't you?). We Hunt the Flame is everything you romantasy lovers could ever ask for with an eloquent grasp of language most writers could only hope to achieve. Hafsah Faizal's Middle Eastern-inspired fantasy transcends pen and page. Her characters are brutally flawed, aching with familial pressures, loss, and pain, clinging to thin threads of hope for more; each with unique voices, motivations, and quirks that bring them off the page and into our homes (and hearts). Your feet will crunch over the ice of Demenhur, traverse the Sharr's forestry, tiptoe across glossy tiled floors of Sultan's Keep. With every breath, you'll smell kibbeh garnished with mint or the zest of Kifah's rich spices over rabbit, taste the tang of zataar or rich qahwa against your tongue. You know I love when stories make a character's culture relatable through food, but reading We Hunt the Flame had me craving ma'amoul and katayef in the worst way. Okay, getting side-tracked.
π If the vivid imagery and powerful prose don't capture you, the characters will. Zafira is burdened with responsibility yet forced to hide her identity as a woman under a hook and cloak, presenting her accomplishments as those of a man. She feeds her entire village, expecting and receiving nothing in return. Her heart is heavy with grief and guilt--much as Nasir's is. That parallel creates a foundation for their slow-burn romance, their chemistry undeniable but their sense of duty, guilt, and heavy hearts getting in the way. Oh, and Nasir was sent to kill Zafira, so that's an issue, too. (Sneaking back into this review after reading We Free the Stars: khara, it gets SO MUCH MORE INTENSE!!!). They're snippy and bitter with one another, those quick barbs adding to the tension between them, and yet there's a spark of mutual respect and understanding they've never found in anyone else. If you love an "I hate everyone but you" kind of romance, this is it!
π Speaking of snipe, Altair. Sweet baby boy, his sass is EVERYTHING. Altair and Nasir's bromance (*coughs*) is an enemies to besties mess in the making. Alongside our other side characters, Benyamin and Kifah, these five create a found family "zumra" you'll absolutely adore.
π My only issue was the pacing, slowed due to the amount of introspection. Zafira and Nasir aren't the type of characters to talk out their feelings with others; of COURSE they're going to internalize everything. While I recognize that this was the only way the story would work, it did cause the story to drag at certain points. I also guessed at a few things, but Faizal sprinkled the breadcrumbs of her story with care, creating an intricate tapestry that unites the zumra and their individual threads into a singular epic.
π¦ Recommended for all romantasy fans, namely fans of Ember in the Ashes, Rebel of the Sands, The Wrath & the Dawn, Spice Road, and The City of Brass.
β¨ The Vibes β¨
π Young Adult Epic Fantasy
πΉ Sands of Arawiya Duology
π Magic
π§ Assassin/Huntress Enemies to Lovers
π Lyrical and Spellbinding
πΉ Arab & Muslim Inspired/Writer
π Dual POV
π§ "I came to kill you but fell for you"
π Slow Burn & Super Angsty
β¨ Acclaim β¨
π An Ignyte Award Winner
π A TIME Magazine Top 100 Fantasy Book of All Time
π A Paste Magazine Best YA Book
π A PopSugar Best YA Book
π A TeenVogue Book Club Pick
π A Barnes & Noble Teen Book Club Pick
π¬ Quotes
β "A life with magic means nothing to me if you arenβt in it." β
β A thousand leagues and a thousand sands. For you, a thousand times I would defy the sun. β
β We hunt the flame, the light in the darkness, the good this world deserves. β
β Everyone has a turning point. A breaking point, too. β
β A life without purpose may be no life, but a life without love is nothing but an existence. β
β His voice was a caress. It lilted across the length of her name, tasting it. Teasing it. She wanted him to say it again. And again and again. She wanted him to do to her what he had done to her name. β
β 'All rightβ is when youβre bleeding black but itβs not as bad as bleeding red. When the world crashes but youβre 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. β
β #QOTD What was the last epic fantasy you read? β
π¦ People lived because she killed. People died because he lived. Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the sultan. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. Both Zafira and Nasir are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya--but neither wants to be.
π¦ War is brewing and the Arz sweeps closer, engulfing the land in shadow. To save her family, Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic and stop the Arz. Nasir is sent by the sultan on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds--and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine. Will they make it out alive, or find something more than the prize they were sent to find?
π Mashallah! I'm going to try and HORRIBLY fail to convey my love for this book (you can totally tell I'm a writer some days, can't you?). We Hunt the Flame is everything you romantasy lovers could ever ask for with an eloquent grasp of language most writers could only hope to achieve. Hafsah Faizal's Middle Eastern-inspired fantasy transcends pen and page. Her characters are brutally flawed, aching with familial pressures, loss, and pain, clinging to thin threads of hope for more; each with unique voices, motivations, and quirks that bring them off the page and into our homes (and hearts). Your feet will crunch over the ice of Demenhur, traverse the Sharr's forestry, tiptoe across glossy tiled floors of Sultan's Keep. With every breath, you'll smell kibbeh garnished with mint or the zest of Kifah's rich spices over rabbit, taste the tang of zataar or rich qahwa against your tongue. You know I love when stories make a character's culture relatable through food, but reading We Hunt the Flame had me craving ma'amoul and katayef in the worst way. Okay, getting side-tracked.
π If the vivid imagery and powerful prose don't capture you, the characters will. Zafira is burdened with responsibility yet forced to hide her identity as a woman under a hook and cloak, presenting her accomplishments as those of a man. She feeds her entire village, expecting and receiving nothing in return. Her heart is heavy with grief and guilt--much as Nasir's is. That parallel creates a foundation for their slow-burn romance, their chemistry undeniable but their sense of duty, guilt, and heavy hearts getting in the way. Oh, and Nasir was sent to kill Zafira, so that's an issue, too. (Sneaking back into this review after reading We Free the Stars: khara, it gets SO MUCH MORE INTENSE!!!). They're snippy and bitter with one another, those quick barbs adding to the tension between them, and yet there's a spark of mutual respect and understanding they've never found in anyone else. If you love an "I hate everyone but you" kind of romance, this is it!
π Speaking of snipe, Altair. Sweet baby boy, his sass is EVERYTHING. Altair and Nasir's bromance (*coughs*) is an enemies to besties mess in the making. Alongside our other side characters, Benyamin and Kifah, these five create a found family "zumra" you'll absolutely adore.
π My only issue was the pacing, slowed due to the amount of introspection. Zafira and Nasir aren't the type of characters to talk out their feelings with others; of COURSE they're going to internalize everything. While I recognize that this was the only way the story would work, it did cause the story to drag at certain points. I also guessed at a few things, but Faizal sprinkled the breadcrumbs of her story with care, creating an intricate tapestry that unites the zumra and their individual threads into a singular epic.
π¦ Recommended for all romantasy fans, namely fans of Ember in the Ashes, Rebel of the Sands, The Wrath & the Dawn, Spice Road, and The City of Brass.
β¨ The Vibes β¨
π Young Adult Epic Fantasy
πΉ Sands of Arawiya Duology
π Magic
π§ Assassin/Huntress Enemies to Lovers
π Lyrical and Spellbinding
πΉ Arab & Muslim Inspired/Writer
π Dual POV
π§ "I came to kill you but fell for you"
π Slow Burn & Super Angsty
β¨ Acclaim β¨
π An Ignyte Award Winner
π A TIME Magazine Top 100 Fantasy Book of All Time
π A Paste Magazine Best YA Book
π A PopSugar Best YA Book
π A TeenVogue Book Club Pick
π A Barnes & Noble Teen Book Club Pick
π¬ Quotes
β "A life with magic means nothing to me if you arenβt in it." β
β A thousand leagues and a thousand sands. For you, a thousand times I would defy the sun. β
β We hunt the flame, the light in the darkness, the good this world deserves. β
β Everyone has a turning point. A breaking point, too. β
β A life without purpose may be no life, but a life without love is nothing but an existence. β
β His voice was a caress. It lilted across the length of her name, tasting it. Teasing it. She wanted him to say it again. And again and again. She wanted him to do to her what he had done to her name. β
β 'All rightβ is when youβre bleeding black but itβs not as bad as bleeding red. When the world crashes but youβre 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. β