The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: We Hunt the Flame

Series: Sands of Arawiya #1

Author: Hafsah Faizal

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Found Family

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review:

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man and braving the cursed Arz every day to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to go against his controlling father. If Zafira was revealed as a woman, her accomplishments would be rejected and if Nasir showed compassion, his father would punish him in brutal ways. Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya, but neither want to me. War is brewing and Arz comes closer with every passing day, covering the land in shadows. When Zafira sets off on a mission to find an artifact which will restore magic and defeat the Arz, Nasir is sent on a similar mission: find the artifact and kill the Hunter. But a dangerous foe is stirring as the journey continues and the prize they seek may be more dangerous than they thought.

This is another reread. In my memory this book was just okay, and I wasn’t going to read it again. Then I went back and read my review of it and is said I liked it more than I remembered, so I spontaneously checked it out from my library. Upon rereading it, I really liked it!

I will say I struggle with longer books. By the time I get to the end of the book I feel like I forgot what happened at the beginning. I also struggle with high fantasy books, because they are almost too detailed that I get distracted. I faced a little bit of this while reading We Hunt the Flame, but for the most part the book was engaging enough that I didn’t get distracted.

This book takes place in a fantasy Middle East, and it is a nice look at that culture. There are some things that I wasn’t familiar with, especially the different types of clothing, but a quick Google search and I was able to picture what was being described. This book does have me wanting to go experience life in the desert.

All of the characters were so different and interesting. I especially loved Nasir. He is such a sad, harsh, emotional character and I cannot help but love him. I think his interactions with Altair are the best. The found family aspect is one of the best parts, though I will say I wish there was a little bit more development of them becoming friends.

I enjoy Zafira, but there is something about her character that I am still needing. She is a very real character. She has complex feelings and emotions and makes not always the best decisions. Her relationships with others are also complex, especially with Deen. I will admit I love that she isn’t super knowledgeable in romantic ways, which can be entertaining to read.

I also really like the growing relationship between Zafira and Nasir. I thoroughly enjoyed reading their interactions, especially after they start admitting how they feel a little more. That scene near the end when the antagonist had both of them, was one of my favorites and I think it is when we, and Zafira, get a better look at who Nasir is. This part is also super revealing for another character.

There was also a dual POV! I love multiple POVs, and this is probably one of my favorite uses of dual POV. It meshes seamlessly between the two views, and it was just used really well. I will say sometimes, I wanted more of Nasir’s perspectives instead of Zafira’s. Though the chapters were pretty short most of the time, which I also liked.

I will say this book moved pretty slow. It took a while for things to get going. And sometimes the reasoning behind actions, especially the antagonist’s, were a little confusing.

This book also had a lot of dualities to it. It had really emotional scenes, action scenes, characters being kind one second and being cruel the next. What I am trying to say, is that this book was incredibly written!

I hope that in the next book characters are more developed, as well as their relationships between themselves. I also hope the magic system is explained more.

We Hunt the Flame is a wonderful high fantasy beginning to an exciting duology. It has Middle Eastern representation, and an intriguing magical system, real and complex characters, plus found family and enemies to lovers. If you’re ever looking for an emotional, exciting escape from reality, We Hunt the Flame is the perfect book for you.

Quotes

“He didn’t live. He existed. And no one understood the difference between the two until they ceased to live.”

“If you’re going to risk your life, it has to be on your will. The living can’t survive with promises to the dead.”

“For you, a thousand times. A thousand leagues and a thousand sands. For you, a thousand times I would defy the sun.“

“To define is to limit.“

“Strength doesn’t come, brother. It must be seized.”