The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: We Free the Stars

Series: Sands of Arawiya #2

Author: Hafsah Faizal

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

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

The battle on Sharr is over and the Arz has fallen. Altair may be held captive, but Nasir, Zafira, and Kifah are sailing to Sultan’s Keep finishing the plan Altair set in motion: returning magic to Arawiya. But they are low on resources and allies, and the kingdom teems with fear of the Lion of the Night returning. As the zumra work to overthrow the kingdom’s darkest threat, Nasir works on commanding the magic in his blood. He must learn how to use his shadows as a weapon against the Lion, and his father, who lies under the Lion’s control. Meanwhile, Zafira faces a very different darkness: the Jawarat, a darkness that pulses with chaos and pushes her to the brink of sanity. Despite the encroaching darkness, Zafira and Nasir fall into a love neither can bear to lose, but time is running out and to win the war, sacrifices must be made.

I loved this conclusion! Everything came together in a really nice way and I just… I loved it. I can’t believe I ever thought I didn’t like these books very much.

Of course, Nasir was still my favorite. How he has grown from the first book. He was more willing to talk about his emotions and show how he cares for others. He was also more hesitant to kill. A part of me thinks this change in character was really sudden, but the majority of me agrees this was a long time in coming. I also really loved seeing him with his magic and how his use of it coincides with his emotions.

Nasir’s scenes with his father and Altair are everything. Especially his scenes with Altair. At least three of my favorite quotes from this book that I have listed below are pertaining to his relationship with Altair. Also, only two scenes had my eyes watering, one of which was between Nasir and Altair.

I do wish that we got more interaction with the Silver Witch. Especially for Altair. I want closure on that front and progress was being made by the end of the book. Hopefully more books will come out and we can know more about her and how their story continues.

Speaking of Altair, we got to know him on a deeper level this book. He comes across as very loud and humorous, but We Free the Stars shows us that he is much more complex and gives us a view into who he truly is. We also got to know more about Benyamin and safin in this book.

The zumra was separated for much of the book, but united when it mattered. There was a different sort of drama for the group this book than was seen in We Hunt the Flame. In the first book, they were just getting to know each other and were trying to determine if they could trust each other. In this book, they are trying to reunite with each other, protect each other, save some members from themselves, and save the world. It was quite thrilling, to say the least.

I’m a sucker for romance, so the growing relationship between Nasir and Zafira had my rapt attention. There were many things getting in the way of them, but their relationship is just amazing! They really understand and care for the other, and the way they are written, specifically how they care for the other, is absolutely stunning. They are one of my favorite couples of the year!

In the previous book, Zafira was bound to the Jawarat. This has made her, not crazy, but lose touch a little bit. For most of the book she is addicted to the Jawarat and is working to find balance and fight off the Jawarat’s chaos. I think this added an interesting piece to the story that I really enjoyed.

We also got more Lana and Yasmine! I actually really enjoyed getting to know Lana more as she wasn’t really in or mentioned in the first book. I would have liked more Yasmine. For being the sister of Zafira’s heart, she wasn’t in the book too much nor was she really thought of for the first half of the book.

While this book has lots of Middle Eastern representation there isn’t a lot of class representation. In the main group, only Zafira is in the lower class. The other characters are in the upper classes. Normally, I wouldn’t really notice it and it didn’t have the biggest effect on the story, but it would have been nice had there been a wider range of class throughout the group.

Also, I want more Kifah and Nasir interactions. I haven’t spoken much of Kifah up till this point, because I like her character, but she doesn’t stand out to me. But she is part of the zumra. We get all the other members of the zumra interacting with each other, but we really don’t see Kifah and Nasir interact much and I think that is a shame.

We Free the Stars did show us more of the Lion and why he is doing what he is doing. The final battle felt like enough but at the same time I was searching for a little more. I did like how the Lion was explained more, which was one of my complaints for the first book, but the magic wasn’t shown much. I wish we got to see people come into their magic and learn to use it. Though the part with the safin closing his eyes in peace upon getting his magic back was a nice moment.

We Free the Stars was a wonderful conclusion to a high fantasy duology. The characters grew and changed, with relationships evolving both in romantic, friendship, and familial ways. They story was engaging, as well as emotional and this book wrapped everything up nicely from We Hunt the Flame. A spectacular fantasy duology, perfect to escape into!

Quotes

“Life was a dance to a tune he could not hear.”

“It was a feeling unmatched, to be sought by another.”

“He missed him. In the way it felt to lose feeling when a limb went numb.

He missed her. In the way it felt to stop breathing. Like he was losing himself.”

“I knew it would be you. The world would bow at my feet, but only you would save me.”

“But what did the world care if one was ready for it or not?”

“His yesterdays and his tomorrows, gone just like that.”

“Tell me, Nasir. Beat me, if you must. Tear me to shreds, if it will ease your suffering.”

“Do you understand, brother? You’ll have me. No matter how thick the night, I will always be there to light your way.”

“We were not born to fight, but our cradles were built from struggles and hardship. Pens, swords, sticks- weapons shoved into our fists as soon as we’re old enough to grasp them. So we fight, because the world will cut our throats otherwise. We fight, because we won’t go down without one.”