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A review by jyothym
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I loved it! That being said it is a very classic fantasy book - a group of people going on an "impossible" quest to retrieve a stolen artifact, but there were a couple things that made it stand out enough for me to give it a five star review.
First of all I loved the inspiration from ancient Arabia and how it reflected on Zafira's world, the language, the culture, and the character design. I love to see woc authors winning.
Zafira is such a strong female lead with a lot of heart. I can't help but love her. She doesn't seem to be afraid of anyone on the outside, but reading from her perspective revealed the hidden vulnerabilities that made her relatable and so easy to root for. I loved the whole conversation about how there is nothing inherently powerful in pretending to be a man. Zafira embracing and revealing that she is a woman is one of the bravest things she does in this book. Her strength in fighting, intelligence, and resilience are allowed to coexist with her more feminine and vulnerable traits, like her growing sympathy for Nasir and the other characters. It's a refreshing perspective when YA literature is increasingly pushing the narrative that strength is defined by a proximity to maleness. But my favorite thing ever is how the others are so afraid of her:
“Don’t think,” she snapped. (p. 211)
Did she stutter? If I were them I would never speak again. And then there's THIS:
Her eyes dimmed. “Did you think I expected you to marry me after a kiss, Sultani?” Her voice was torn, satisfying him before her words registered. “The last man who proposed to me didn’t even get to kiss me.” (p. 431)
OHH MY GODDD. I love her so much. Also this scene was so painful but it's ok because Miss Faizal blessed us with this line.
Of course I have to take this opportunity to talk about the second lead, Nasir. I like to think it's pretty hard to get me to actually like a male lead in a YA fantasy, but I have to say I spent at least a fourth of this book just feeling so incredibly sad for him. I never thought I would say this but can this man have one moment of fleeting happiness?! His character background so interesting because he's such a perfect example of a good morally grey character. Can a person with this much blood on his hands ever be truly forgiven? Was Altair right to blame him for the torture Kulsum endured? His inner conflict between being ruthless and loving is so heartbreaking. He's so dedicated to putting on this image of being cold and untouchable, but Zafira completely undoes that:
He paused and met her eyes. If a poet were to describe them, he would say to look into her eyes was to see the sea’s first glimpse of the sun, drinking its reflection with endless ripples. Or something like that. Nasir was no poet. And though she held his gaze unflinchingly, some part of her had retreated. Did his scars repulse her? Did he repulse her? (p.294)
First of all Nasir yes you are a poet. Second of all HOW COULD HE SAY THIS. I am on the floor.
Then the plot twist with the Silver Witch being his mother.
He had endured it all, every fabricated instance of love and respect and emotion. Because no matter what, his mother’s love had always been real. (p. 415)
And then it wasn't real! Well technically it was. But he felt like it wasn't. Either way please give this dude literally one good thing. Ok one more quote of me just feeling bad for Nasir:
“Do you intend to kill me?” he asked. The sadness returned, pulling at his heart. Was there no one who truly loved him? (p. 431)
Sobbing and shaking! <3
Final general thoughts on the book. The ending has me thinking Altair's character is going to change A LOT in the next book - maybe he's driven a little insane/evil from being imprisoned by the Lion guy. Yasmine's pledge to kill him??? First of all yes queen you are so right to feel that way. Second of all NOOOO. Something's definitely going to go wrong there. This was a great YA fantasy with beautiful writing, definitely a little slower paced than I'm used to and more character than plot driven. So excited to read the next one. 5/5 stars!!!
First of all I loved the inspiration from ancient Arabia and how it reflected on Zafira's world, the language, the culture, and the character design. I love to see woc authors winning.
Zafira is such a strong female lead with a lot of heart. I can't help but love her. She doesn't seem to be afraid of anyone on the outside, but reading from her perspective revealed the hidden vulnerabilities that made her relatable and so easy to root for. I loved the whole conversation about how there is nothing inherently powerful in pretending to be a man. Zafira embracing and revealing that she is a woman is one of the bravest things she does in this book. Her strength in fighting, intelligence, and resilience are allowed to coexist with her more feminine and vulnerable traits, like her growing sympathy for Nasir and the other characters. It's a refreshing perspective when YA literature is increasingly pushing the narrative that strength is defined by a proximity to maleness. But my favorite thing ever is how the others are so afraid of her:
“Don’t think,” she snapped. (p. 211)
Did she stutter? If I were them I would never speak again. And then there's THIS:
Her eyes dimmed. “Did you think I expected you to marry me after a kiss, Sultani?” Her voice was torn, satisfying him before her words registered. “The last man who proposed to me didn’t even get to kiss me.” (p. 431)
OHH MY GODDD. I love her so much. Also this scene was so painful but it's ok because Miss Faizal blessed us with this line.
Of course I have to take this opportunity to talk about the second lead, Nasir. I like to think it's pretty hard to get me to actually like a male lead in a YA fantasy, but I have to say I spent at least a fourth of this book just feeling so incredibly sad for him. I never thought I would say this but can this man have one moment of fleeting happiness?! His character background so interesting because he's such a perfect example of a good morally grey character. Can a person with this much blood on his hands ever be truly forgiven? Was Altair right to blame him for the torture Kulsum endured? His inner conflict between being ruthless and loving is so heartbreaking. He's so dedicated to putting on this image of being cold and untouchable, but Zafira completely undoes that:
He paused and met her eyes. If a poet were to describe them, he would say to look into her eyes was to see the sea’s first glimpse of the sun, drinking its reflection with endless ripples. Or something like that. Nasir was no poet. And though she held his gaze unflinchingly, some part of her had retreated. Did his scars repulse her? Did he repulse her? (p.294)
First of all Nasir yes you are a poet. Second of all HOW COULD HE SAY THIS. I am on the floor.
Then the plot twist with the Silver Witch being his mother.
He had endured it all, every fabricated instance of love and respect and emotion. Because no matter what, his mother’s love had always been real. (p. 415)
And then it wasn't real! Well technically it was. But he felt like it wasn't. Either way please give this dude literally one good thing. Ok one more quote of me just feeling bad for Nasir:
“Do you intend to kill me?” he asked. The sadness returned, pulling at his heart. Was there no one who truly loved him? (p. 431)
Sobbing and shaking! <3
Final general thoughts on the book. The ending has me thinking Altair's character is going to change A LOT in the next book - maybe he's driven a little insane/evil from being imprisoned by the Lion guy. Yasmine's pledge to kill him??? First of all yes queen you are so right to feel that way. Second of all NOOOO. Something's definitely going to go wrong there. This was a great YA fantasy with beautiful writing, definitely a little slower paced than I'm used to and more character than plot driven. So excited to read the next one. 5/5 stars!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood