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A review by thebakersbooks
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
4.0
4/5 stars — a solid debut with a strong plot and characters hampered slightly by pacing problems
This was frankly closer to 3.5 stars for me, but I don't mind rounding up for a debut novel, particularly one I ended up enjoying after a couple of false starts. I think I made the mistake of letting book Twitter's hype build this novel up to unattainable heights, which was my fault, not the author's! I started reading We Hunt the Flame when my hardcover arrived on release day back in May, but for some reason was unable to lose myself in the story. It may have been down to the physical awkwardness of the book (which is fairly hefty), because I had much better results with the ebook.
I'm going to break the novel down into its components to discuss what I thought worked and what didn't because it was really a mixed bag. (If you're not up for reading a lengthy review and want to tap out now, your takeaway should be that I DO recommend the book! My net experience was positive!)
The characters:
We Hunt the Flame has two narrators: Zafira and Nasir. Another three characters, Altair, Kifah, and Benyamin, round out the primary cast. The two POV characters were good choices; their viewpoints initially offered views into different parts of the world and later gave insight into Zafira and Nasir's enmity. However, my issue with the characters was that only those two (and possibly Altair) consistently felt like real, three-dimensional people. The other members of the main cast had goals and motivations of their own, but largely existed to move Zafira and Nasir's story. The secondary characters fell victim to this even more egregiously.Deen, Zafira's friend and semi-love interest from the beginning, dies a third of the way through the book in an anticlimactic moment of deus ex machina.
That said, I loved Zafira's character growth, as well as the themes of friendship and the camaraderie within the zumra. The dialogue (and humor) was wonderful, and the constantly shifting relationships among characters were exciting.
The setting:
I disliked the large-scale setting and loved the small-scale, daily aspects of it. Let me explain. Arawiya consists of several (five? maybe?) clearly defined regions, each of which is inhabited by people with distinct cultures, appearances, and interests/exports. The extent to which the people of each region were distinct reminded me of the setting from Four Dead Queens, something I hated in that book even though it made more sense there for plot reasons. The problem for me is when the regions of the fictional world have no apparent intermixing; a person is a product of one location, which you can instantly determine based on their skin color, accent, and mannerisms. In real life, nothing is so clearly delineated, even among countries that are in conflict.
What I enjoyed, though, were the details. Arawiya is inspired by ancient Arabia, and incorporated lots of beautiful details in the form of food, clothing, and language. The magic system and supernatural beings weren't super unique but were developed in ways I hadn't seen before. So when it comes down to it, maybe that's five stars to worldbuilding but three stars to the setting itself.
The plot: Oddly, the plot may have been this novel's greatest strength. (Come to think of it, that may be the overarching issue I haven't been able to put my finger on: this story was meant to be character-driven, but the plot was doing most of the heavy lifting.) Zafira and Nasir, each accompanied by a companion, venture onto the cursed island of Sharr to seek a magical artifact. Kifah and Benyamin join them later, and together they battle a variety of supernatural menaces, each staying alert in case any of their companions finally decides to murder them. Both the short- and long-term stakes of their quest are high.
The pacing: We Hunt the Flame is a long book, at least by YA fantasy standards. It felt longer than it was because the middle act was weighed down by pacing issues,in part because Deen's death took the wind out of Zafira's sails and simultaneously the plot's momentum . Getting introduced to two brand new characters in the middle of a fight didn't help, either. The transitions from one beat to another often felt forced (I mentioned a feeling of deus ex machina in the spoiler above, and there was more of that moving the plot along in some places). I appreciated the varied chapter lengths; the fact that some chapters were very short helped keep my reading pace moving even when the story's excitement lagged a bit.
The prose: Hafsah Faizal's beautiful prose and dramatic turns of phrase were probably the highlight of this book for me. While the flowery language and descriptions may have contributed to the weighty second act, for the most part, the emotional impact of the prose was worth a few extra words. Faizal gave us gems like "'Monsters cannot become men.' ... That does not mean I cannot love a monster," and "If you want me to be obedient, Prince, kill me and carry my corpse." Punchy doesn't begin to cover this prose, folks! It's incredible.
Miscellany: Finally, a few tidbits that didn't fit cleanly into any of the above categories that I really enjoyed. First, I liked that Zafira was a female protagonist described as "tall and broad-shouldered." It makes sense since she's a hunter (and eventually a fighter), but women in novels are too often given small, hourglass-proportioned shapes. Second, I was a big fan of the lack of toxic masculinity. If women in books are often forced to be tiny and delicate, men are rarely allowed "traditionally" female pursuits or any kind of non-romantic affection. In We Hunt the Flame, a male character (Deen), skillfully braids Zafira's hair as she notes he's done it many times before. There's lots of platonic and/or familial contact and repartee between male characters: Altair constantly poking fun at Nasir and hugging Benyamin, tons of shoulder-gripping and shoving between all three of them.
Overall, We Hunt the Flame was an enjoyable, leisurely read. I recommend it to fans of "group heist"-type books along the lines of Six of Crows. If you enjoyed The Disasters or The Gilded Wolves, this might appeal to you!
This was frankly closer to 3.5 stars for me, but I don't mind rounding up for a debut novel, particularly one I ended up enjoying after a couple of false starts. I think I made the mistake of letting book Twitter's hype build this novel up to unattainable heights, which was my fault, not the author's! I started reading We Hunt the Flame when my hardcover arrived on release day back in May, but for some reason was unable to lose myself in the story. It may have been down to the physical awkwardness of the book (which is fairly hefty), because I had much better results with the ebook.
I'm going to break the novel down into its components to discuss what I thought worked and what didn't because it was really a mixed bag. (If you're not up for reading a lengthy review and want to tap out now, your takeaway should be that I DO recommend the book! My net experience was positive!)
The characters:
We Hunt the Flame has two narrators: Zafira and Nasir. Another three characters, Altair, Kifah, and Benyamin, round out the primary cast. The two POV characters were good choices; their viewpoints initially offered views into different parts of the world and later gave insight into Zafira and Nasir's enmity. However, my issue with the characters was that only those two (and possibly Altair) consistently felt like real, three-dimensional people. The other members of the main cast had goals and motivations of their own, but largely existed to move Zafira and Nasir's story. The secondary characters fell victim to this even more egregiously.
That said, I loved Zafira's character growth, as well as the themes of friendship and the camaraderie within the zumra. The dialogue (and humor) was wonderful, and the constantly shifting relationships among characters were exciting.
The setting:
I disliked the large-scale setting and loved the small-scale, daily aspects of it. Let me explain. Arawiya consists of several (five? maybe?) clearly defined regions, each of which is inhabited by people with distinct cultures, appearances, and interests/exports. The extent to which the people of each region were distinct reminded me of the setting from Four Dead Queens, something I hated in that book even though it made more sense there for plot reasons. The problem for me is when the regions of the fictional world have no apparent intermixing; a person is a product of one location, which you can instantly determine based on their skin color, accent, and mannerisms. In real life, nothing is so clearly delineated, even among countries that are in conflict.
What I enjoyed, though, were the details. Arawiya is inspired by ancient Arabia, and incorporated lots of beautiful details in the form of food, clothing, and language. The magic system and supernatural beings weren't super unique but were developed in ways I hadn't seen before. So when it comes down to it, maybe that's five stars to worldbuilding but three stars to the setting itself.
The plot: Oddly, the plot may have been this novel's greatest strength. (Come to think of it, that may be the overarching issue I haven't been able to put my finger on: this story was meant to be character-driven, but the plot was doing most of the heavy lifting.) Zafira and Nasir, each accompanied by a companion, venture onto the cursed island of Sharr to seek a magical artifact. Kifah and Benyamin join them later, and together they battle a variety of supernatural menaces, each staying alert in case any of their companions finally decides to murder them. Both the short- and long-term stakes of their quest are high.
The pacing: We Hunt the Flame is a long book, at least by YA fantasy standards. It felt longer than it was because the middle act was weighed down by pacing issues,
The prose: Hafsah Faizal's beautiful prose and dramatic turns of phrase were probably the highlight of this book for me. While the flowery language and descriptions may have contributed to the weighty second act, for the most part, the emotional impact of the prose was worth a few extra words. Faizal gave us gems like "'Monsters cannot become men.' ... That does not mean I cannot love a monster," and "If you want me to be obedient, Prince, kill me and carry my corpse." Punchy doesn't begin to cover this prose, folks! It's incredible.
Miscellany: Finally, a few tidbits that didn't fit cleanly into any of the above categories that I really enjoyed. First, I liked that Zafira was a female protagonist described as "tall and broad-shouldered." It makes sense since she's a hunter (and eventually a fighter), but women in novels are too often given small, hourglass-proportioned shapes. Second, I was a big fan of the lack of toxic masculinity. If women in books are often forced to be tiny and delicate, men are rarely allowed "traditionally" female pursuits or any kind of non-romantic affection. In We Hunt the Flame, a male character (Deen), skillfully braids Zafira's hair as she notes he's done it many times before. There's lots of platonic and/or familial contact and repartee between male characters: Altair constantly poking fun at Nasir and hugging Benyamin, tons of shoulder-gripping and shoving between all three of them.
Overall, We Hunt the Flame was an enjoyable, leisurely read. I recommend it to fans of "group heist"-type books along the lines of Six of Crows. If you enjoyed The Disasters or The Gilded Wolves, this might appeal to you!