A review by spicedragon
The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

3.0

I feel because this was meant as a stand-alone it's a lot packed into one book, so you don't get much development but still... 2.5/5 but rounding up to 3 because we support authors of colour

A lot happens in the book but also nothing at all? The worldbuilding and the way the city of Noor is introduced to us is amazing, in fact, we know and grow more attached to the city more than the characters. The characters and plot are forgotten in favour of the city, and the plot isn't tangible until past the halfway mark.

I feel like this would've worked well as a collection of short stories from the different POVs of the various side-characters, so you get to explore Noor while also meeting the many characters. To be honest, it would've been a fun read that way as I did end up liking a lot of the side-characters like Rajkumar Bhavya

Also.. the romance?

Spoiler

I felt like there was no build-up like I understand for the Emir it was because of the fire bond but for Fatima? I felt like nothing for the pair, and I feel like if it was a slow burn with substantial build-up it could've been amazing... and also the 7 year age difference did NOT help

Spoiler