A review by chai_and_books
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. Yes the pacing was off. yes the world building was a little hard to follow. Yes the characters were a little bland at the start. But once the real adventure started, everything magically pulled together (get it- because they were searching for magic- ok nvm). I loved Zafira's characterization. She's strong and knows what she was wants, but is untrained and you see that when she's confused and makes hasty decisions. Nasir was boring to me at first, but his interactions after him and Altair reach the Arz gave me life. His actions are heavily influenced by the trauma he endured and the way Faizal portrays his journey from that to finding his voice is well done. Altair is the Kenji of this world and no one can tell me otherwise. He's witty, unserious but genius friend we all deserve tbh. I'm not the biggest fan of the found family trope but this group of people, forced together by circumstance, felt like they were meant to be together. All the different dynamics within the group were enjoyable and I'm glad they were explored for the most part. But most importantly, the way Nasir and Zafira gave- We didn't get a lot of them in this book but whatever crumbs we did get, I hung onto them for dear life. They are my children and they deserve to be happy together. 
Overall, was it the best fantasy book the market has to offer? No. It had its flaws, however I would highly recommend it to people who are new to the fantasy genre and want a wholesome (for the most part) story with a romance subplot that will make you scream, cry and punch the air. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings