A wonderfully rich debut novel. The world development and the depth of the characters had me clinging to every word— I could not put it down!

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

SOOOOO good. I remember when Hafsah Faizal was a book blogger, and now look! Her prose, world-building, characterization, descriptions... it's all so good. I loved the elements of political intrigue and magic. The ending sent my jaw to the floor, and I need the next book immediately. Why did I wait so long to read this!?

I have tried to read this book five different times and I keep thinking that I will love it but I don't. I don't like the story. I don't like the characters. I find that the whole thing falls incredibly flat for me. I am just not a fan.

Zafira disguises herself as a man so she can become a Hunter, braving the forest of Arz to feed her people, defying the sultan. Nasir's job is to assassinate anyone in defiance of his father- if he thought on his own he would face his father's wrath. Can they find their own path? War is brewing

Would recommend to anybody who enjoyed the Alanna books by Tamora Pierce

This was a very enjoyable read. Nasir, Prince of Death, is very mysterious, which is always a plus :) The author does a good job of getting the reader to fall for him as the heroine eventually does, with minimum physical descriptors. Zafira is very courageous and I want to be her when I grow up :) She fills the role of a man by hunting and feeding her village when the local political leaders look down on women. Everyone believes her to be a man, only known as The Hunter, when in fact, she’s the Huntress. It was nice seeing her grow more comfortable in her role and embrace it. I really liked the camaraderie developed in the group helping Zafira with her mission, and their cool magical affinities glimpsed here and there. I’ll be adding the next book on my TBR.
I knocked one star off because I felt it was a bit too wordy, especially the first quarter to third of the book (I bet at least 30 pages minimum could been taken out), and all the Arabic words thrown in kept on interrupting the flow of the story. Yes, I know it’s an Arabia-ish setting, and it did add to the story, but it still distracted me too much.

This was a wonderful novel, excellent world building and I couldn't put it down; however the novel had too much introspection that didn't allow the storyline to move along as fast as I would have liked.

Amazingly well written - a little slow going at first, but once it picks up, it really picks up. Love it, need the sequel immediately.

The writing, the characters, the world... Everything about this book is incredible and perfect and absolutely freaking BEAUTIFUL. I was completely drawn into these characters and their stories and their struggles and journeys. I became obsessed with them and was rooting for each of them from page one.

Nafira bint Iskander is the Hunter, and she supplies her people with the food that keeps them alive. She is loyal and dedicated to her people and would do anything for them. Including going on a dangerous mission to secure their welfare. Nasir Ghameq has become the monster he never wanted to be in the pursuit of bringing pride to a father who is no longer the person he remembers. On the opposite side of a war neither of them wants to be a part of, they are after the same treasure and will collide on an island filled with darkness and danger.

Altair, Kifah, and Benyamin round out our lovely zumra, and I adored all three of them and the deep bonds between the characters. I loved the brotherhood between Nasir and Altair, as well as between Altair and Benyamin, and then Kifah. I loved the way Nafira and Nasir got to know one another and just everything about the journey the five of them went on together and ho they fought for one another and are going to bring change to their land.

This book was just incredible and I loved every second of it! It was so well-written and I loved the world, the magic, the characters. This was just beautiful and incredible and I definitely recommend this duology <3

I love this book so much! The story, characters, and plot sucked me in from the start and I had a difficult time putting the book down. I love the adventure and how each character navigates through difficult moments/grief. This is an amazing read and I cannot wait for the sequel!

TW: physical abuse, verbal abuse, and mention of suicide

I didn't really like the slow pacing of this one, its hard for me to read books when they are slow paced. I really enjoyed the characters. There was great world building and the writing was beautiful.

I gave this a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

We Hunt the Flame is probably one of my favourite novels that include mysterious islands and a dark forest. Honestly, the writing depicting the journeys of Zafira through the forest and then on the island is amazing, and I was able to totally immerse myself into the world created by Faizal. Even more amazing was being able to seamlessly switch between the two narrators as the story progressed and understanding how both Zafira and Nassir are struggling with the truths about themselves and the kingdom. I am desperately waiting for the next book since I need to know how their story ends!

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal is the unique fantasy that I’ve always wanted. This book is meaningful to me in so many ways and being on the street team for both books in this series has allowed to truly cheer Hafsah and her works of art along as much as I can. WHTF from start to finish was a deep dive into a well-laid out world that is deeply imaginative and luscious. I hope everyone gets the chance to read this.

We Hunt the Flame is another book that felt rushed into production. I think with more time and revisions it could have been good because there was real potential in this plot, but as it stands it feels quite thin.

This story centres around Zafira, the only person who can successfully navigate through the cursed forest of Arz. Intriguing concept, except we never get to see her do it. We’re told how special this is and people talk about her doing it, but there is never a part of the book where we enter the Arz. It points to a greater problem: it is significantly lacking in descriptions that immerse the reader in the world. This isn’t uncommon with debut novels but it is frustrating that more time wasn’t dedicated to the setting.

The book is written from two perspectives, Zafira the huntress and Nasir the Prince of Death. We switch back and forth between perspectives like clockwork. Usually books will build up tension with one character before moving to the next but in this book it just feels like a schedule. The chapters are also concerningly short; the majority of the chapters are only 2-5 pages. I’m not saying short chapters are always bad. They can be used quite effectively during intense scenes or if it fits in with a character’s erratic mentality, but here it just felt like she ran out of things to say. I don’t understand because sometimes she will use the triple asterisk page break so why are you ending a chapter so soon? You don’t need to have an equal number of chapters from each perspective.

Another significant element of the story is the quest to restore magic to the land. Magic had been lost many years ago and people blamed a group called the Six Sisters. I did quite like that she took a real world problem – the oppression of women – and gave it a fantastical reason. It was a clever way to integrate this societal structure into a fantasy world.

But because this book felt so sparse, the finale left me nonplussed. Nothing had the proper build-up so it just left me confused. The ideas were there but they needed to be flushed out so that the reader feels their significance. While tropes aren’t always a bad thing, each character’s arc goes just about how you’d expect and it’s a bit disappointing that nothing was subverted. If you like an emotionally repressed heroine, a man with a dark and painful history, then you might enjoy this. I’m sure the author will continue to improve with future novels, but I wish this had gone through more revisions.

i FINALLY read this book after years of it being on my TBR. What a great fantasy story with a lot of background and mystery. I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and look forward to checking out the sequel.

This book is one of a kind and so unique. Breathtaking and stunning, Zafira will have you rooting for her every step of the way. Representation in this book is so beautifully done and so needed in the YA community. The Zumra is sure to grow in the world bigger and bigger by the day.

Wow! Such wonderful world building and character development. I had a hard time putting this book down! Bravo!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel! The details, the zumra, the story — all of it came together in an extremely delightful way, and I definitely need book two.

This was a captivating YA fantasy. Strong characters, missing magic, a quest to reclaim it, sworn enemies - what more could you want? Set in a lush Arabic culture, this was a delight to sink into. I’m eagerly anticipating the release of Book 2 in January 2021. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First off, I love the cover--the artwork is beautiful. Interesting story and characters made this an engaging read that I highly recommend.

What an exquisite book! This is the diverse rep we need!!!

We Hunt the Flame is unputdownable. The world building, the characters and the electrifying romance. Hafsah Faizal’s words are addictive, every word purposeful, woven together to create an enchanting world. The story is dark, passionate and rich. This story tugs at your heart and creates butterflies in your stomach. I laughed, I swooned and I cried.

Read more of my review here...

https://thechroniclesofabookworm.wordpress.com/2019/05/14/we-hunt-the-flame-book-review/