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A review by fishy27
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
After having read A Tempest of Tea earlier this year and having a lot of fun with it, I was pretty eager to pick up We Hunt the Flame. I’d heard promising things about the supposedly exemplary enemies to lovers execution amidst a non-European-centric world. Oh, how I am disappointed.
It appears that there have been a handful of reviewers who have already articulated many critiques I have about this book, and I’m not feeling inclined to try to restate those. I’ll stick to my main takeaways from this book.
I was exceptionally disappointed with the characters here: they were really flat and single-minded, and Faizal takes so much time to tell us the same things (repeatedly) without really showing much. Both Zafira and Nasir are supposed to be mirrors of each other, hardened and somewhat cold, yet they soften for each other almost immediately.
The plot really was not all that intriguing, and the reveals were visible from MILES away. The characters would find something out, and it was supposed to be a huge moment, but I’d already assumed as much chapters ago.
After I finished the book, I told myself I liked it enough to continue the series. However, after a few days of reflecting on whether I actually liked this book, I decided to DNF the duology altogether. There were too many critical pieces missing from this book that cannot be recovered in another installment.
It appears that there have been a handful of reviewers who have already articulated many critiques I have about this book, and I’m not feeling inclined to try to restate those. I’ll stick to my main takeaways from this book.
I was exceptionally disappointed with the characters here: they were really flat and single-minded, and Faizal takes so much time to tell us the same things (repeatedly) without really showing much. Both Zafira and Nasir are supposed to be mirrors of each other, hardened and somewhat cold, yet they soften for each other almost immediately.
The plot really was not all that intriguing, and the reveals were visible from MILES away. The characters would find something out, and it was supposed to be a huge moment, but I’d already assumed as much chapters ago.
After I finished the book, I told myself I liked it enough to continue the series. However, after a few days of reflecting on whether I actually liked this book, I decided to DNF the duology altogether. There were too many critical pieces missing from this book that cannot be recovered in another installment.