We Hunt The Flame: Book Review

 

WE HUNT THE FLAME

Hafsah Faizal

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Synopsis: 

People lived because she killed.
People died because he lived.

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the king. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. 

Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.

War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the king on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds—and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.

Set in a richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia, We Hunt the Flame is a gripping debut of discovery, conquering fear, and taking identity into your own hands.

Genre: Fantasy

Representation: Middle Eastern culture and characters, 

Trigger Warnings: Torture, reference to child abuse, reference to murder, ableist language, blood and gore, abduction and imprisonment, poverty, addressed sexism

My rating:

 

PLOT

Without doubt, this whole story was one of the most well laid out fantasy stories I’ve ever read. In the beginning, the pace had been a bit slow but even as I was sluggishly reading it, I knew this book would only get better. And then it did! The pace picked up and never dropped which resulted in me being glued to the ages 24/7. There were a few plot twists but all of thems absolutely blew my mind. Also, the romance was just so pure! It was a slow-burn for sure to the point I was like, CAN’T YOU BOTH SEE YOU LOVE EACH OTHER?! NOW KISS! I don’t know what else to say, this book was just amazing, it’s rendering me speechless at the moment. All I know is that I’m not okay after that cliffhanger ending. Where is the second book and why is it not in my hands?

 

CHARACTERS

THIS BOOK HAD THE BEST CAST EVER!!!

 

Zafira: This girl. This girl is dama* amazing. She’s bold and brave and scared all at the same time. She’s tough but she’s emotional too and oh my god I just can’t. She stands up for herself as well as others and is a total feminist. Is she emotional? Yes. Do I find that one of the best qualities in her? Also yes. One of my favourite parts about Zafira is that her face is an open book and she knows it. Everyone knows it. I’ve been waiting for this representation for so long! Because hell yes we have the I-can’t-read-your-face characters but now we finally get the opposite. I feel so seen.

Nasir: Nasir is our I’m a dark dark killer but actually a cinnamon roll on the inside character and I shall do everything in my power to protect him. Despite the fact that he can very well slay a whole army on his own. He has such a tragic past and um present too? Can the author stop torturing him, please?

Altair: THE LOVE OF MY LIFE. He’s flirty and witty and he is the dream man. Altair loves Nasir so much and so does Nasir but like every bromance, they decide to show that by constantly squabbling and issuing death threats against each other. The basic stuff, you know? Their banter gave me LIFE. I could honestly read a whole trilogy on the two of them.

Yasmine and Deen: Well hello we have completely opposite siblings, my favourites. Because my sister and I literally act as if we were born from different mothers, we’re that different. Deen is the cute and soft boy who just wants to protect his sister and Zafira and like you can’t help but love him. And then there’s Yasmine with a dirty mind and mouth that I absolutely love. She’s just so… herself? Yasmine just does and says whatever she wants and I feel like that’s her absolute best quality.

Benyamin and Kifah: Badass warriors alert! I just got really attached to Benyamin, real quick. He’s the quirky and kind character who’s as wise as an owl. He also has that slow and lazy way of speaking that is written really well in the book. On the other hand, we have the impatient and quick Kifah. Like Zafira herself mentions in the book, she reminds me so much of Yasmine!

*I’ve taken to use the Arabic curse words and language mentioned in the book because I’m freaking obsessed

 

WRITING STYLE

It took me a while to adjust to Hafsah’s style but in the end, it’s absolutely wonderful. There are a lot of flowery descriptions and internal monologue. The descriptions are not something that I usually like but I feel like the author was able to pull it off really well in We Hunt The Flame. I love the inclusion of Arabic language words, especially the glossary and pronunciations provided at the end. I might have incorporated some of them into my day to day vocabulary…

 

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I can’t recommend this book enough. It has quickly become one of my favourite fantasy books of all time, it is so freaking perfect. Hafsah Faizal has my heart and soul and well every fibre of my being, but please I just absolutely NEED the next book. How am I supposed to wait so long to see what happens to my babies? Because one thing I know for sure is that the author does not shy away from killing these precious characters so now I’m just anxious over who is going to survive the second book.

 

MY FAVOURITE QUOTES

 

“If I told you my name, would you bow?” His voice was soft. A melancholy caress. He lifted his chin when understanding dawned on her face. “Or would you flee?” 

 

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

 

“There was nothing more respectable and dangerous than a woman of confidence.” 

 

“I’ll have to introduce you by saying, ‘He’s not always this grumpy. Then again, he’s one of those people who talks less and murders more’.”

 

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

 

A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He

 

Have you read or heard of We Hunt The Flame before?

If yes, what are your thoughts on it and have you seen the glorious cover for the next book?

If no, then are you planning on picking it u anytime soon or is it already on your TBR?

What was the last fantasy book that you read and loved?