This is a spoiler free review.
We Hunt the Flame
Written by Hafsah Faizal
Written by Hafsah Faizal
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Release Date: May 14, 2019
Pages: 472
Source: Library Hardcover
Source: Library Hardcover
Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository
Recommended Age: 13 and up!
Summary:
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.
(Summary from Goodreads)
Review:
We Hunt the Flame has been a book with very mixed reviews all over the Internet which made me a little conflicted. I ended up reading it and greatly enjoying it due to its originality along with familiar fantasy aspects.
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.
(Summary from Goodreads)
Review:
We Hunt the Flame has been a book with very mixed reviews all over the Internet which made me a little conflicted. I ended up reading it and greatly enjoying it due to its originality along with familiar fantasy aspects.
COVER
I think the cover is really pretty and fits with the overall world and plot. I like how mysterious it is and the darker colors that are used because it really enraptures the darker atmosphere within the book.
I think the cover is really pretty and fits with the overall world and plot. I like how mysterious it is and the darker colors that are used because it really enraptures the darker atmosphere within the book.
WORLD-BUILDING
We Hunt the Flame is set in a fantasy setting inspired by ancient Arabia called Arawiya. The world-building is done in such a way so there's just enough detail given to the readers but it doesn't dump all the information on them at once. I really liked that we got to experience so many different settings/places in the world of Arawiya and we got to see just where each one was located via the map at the beginning. All the settings were so lush and the descriptions easily let me become immersed in them.
Then there are the characters.
ZAFIRA
“If you want me obedient, Prince, kill me and carry my corpse.”
Zafira is a young woman who disguises herself as a man known as the Hunter in order to feed the people in her village. If she's discovered to be a woman, her accomplishments will be stripped from her just because of her gender. Women in her caliphate aren't respected and they are usually married off to men if they exhibit signs of autonomy, which explains why Zafira would want to keep her identity hidden. Zafira is a strong independent young woman who does her best to help the people in her village and her family. Throughout the story, she is struggling with what it means to be herself outside of her identity as a hunter and she battles with her own personal darkness. Zafira is a character that goes through a lot of character development and is very easy to love.
NASIR
“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?”
Nasir is known as the Prince of Death and is the loyal assassin of the king, killing anyone who would dare to oppose/stand up to the word of his oppressive and tyrannical father. He pretends to be void of compassion for fear of facing his father's wrath. His subjects know his name and whisper it in fear, however, that isn't his identity at all. Over the course of the book, Nasir learns what it means to be himself without thinking about the vicious hold his father has on him. Nasir isn't as cold-hearted as people think and the character development he goes through is amazing. Nasir is a character that you can't help but love.
We Hunt the Flame is set in a fantasy setting inspired by ancient Arabia called Arawiya. The world-building is done in such a way so there's just enough detail given to the readers but it doesn't dump all the information on them at once. I really liked that we got to experience so many different settings/places in the world of Arawiya and we got to see just where each one was located via the map at the beginning. All the settings were so lush and the descriptions easily let me become immersed in them.
Then there are the characters.
ZAFIRA
“If you want me obedient, Prince, kill me and carry my corpse.”
Zafira is a young woman who disguises herself as a man known as the Hunter in order to feed the people in her village. If she's discovered to be a woman, her accomplishments will be stripped from her just because of her gender. Women in her caliphate aren't respected and they are usually married off to men if they exhibit signs of autonomy, which explains why Zafira would want to keep her identity hidden. Zafira is a strong independent young woman who does her best to help the people in her village and her family. Throughout the story, she is struggling with what it means to be herself outside of her identity as a hunter and she battles with her own personal darkness. Zafira is a character that goes through a lot of character development and is very easy to love.
NASIR
“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?”
Nasir is known as the Prince of Death and is the loyal assassin of the king, killing anyone who would dare to oppose/stand up to the word of his oppressive and tyrannical father. He pretends to be void of compassion for fear of facing his father's wrath. His subjects know his name and whisper it in fear, however, that isn't his identity at all. Over the course of the book, Nasir learns what it means to be himself without thinking about the vicious hold his father has on him. Nasir isn't as cold-hearted as people think and the character development he goes through is amazing. Nasir is a character that you can't help but love.
FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY
Zafira's family includes her village. She wants to feed and protect them which fuels her thoughts and actions throughout the book. However, she really cares about her two best friends who she thinks about frequently on her quest. Also, there's a beautiful female friendship in this book! I really liked her relationship with her friends as we could truly see how much she cared for them.
Nasir has a complicated relationship with his father as even though he is the prince, he's treated as more of an assassin, sent out to expel those whom the King distrusts. Throughout the book, you can see how he battles his duty with his own thoughts and feelings.
Zafira's family includes her village. She wants to feed and protect them which fuels her thoughts and actions throughout the book. However, she really cares about her two best friends who she thinks about frequently on her quest. Also, there's a beautiful female friendship in this book! I really liked her relationship with her friends as we could truly see how much she cared for them.
Nasir has a complicated relationship with his father as even though he is the prince, he's treated as more of an assassin, sent out to expel those whom the King distrusts. Throughout the book, you can see how he battles his duty with his own thoughts and feelings.
PLOT
“Love is for children, said the girl.
Death is for fools, said the shadow.
Darkness is my destiny, said the boy.
Allegiance is my undoing, said the eagle.
Suffering is our fate, said the beauty.
And they were all horribly wrong.”
We Hunt the Flame is about Zafira, a Hunter, disguised as a man, who goes into the dark and cursed forest of the Arz in order to feed the people of her village. Meanwhile, Nasir, known as the Prince of Death, is the son and loyal assassin of the King. As war and the forest of the Arz begin to creep upon the kingdom, Zafira is sent on a quest in order to retrieve a magical artifact said to restore magic to the kingdom. Nasir has also been sent to retrieve the artifact, however, he's also been sent to kill the Hunter. As an ancient evil has begun to stir, both of them realize that the artifact could be far more dangerous than either of them ever imagined. While many Fantasy plots include quests, magic and the like, this still managed to stand out.
“Love is for children, said the girl.
Death is for fools, said the shadow.
Darkness is my destiny, said the boy.
Allegiance is my undoing, said the eagle.
Suffering is our fate, said the beauty.
And they were all horribly wrong.”
We Hunt the Flame is about Zafira, a Hunter, disguised as a man, who goes into the dark and cursed forest of the Arz in order to feed the people of her village. Meanwhile, Nasir, known as the Prince of Death, is the son and loyal assassin of the King. As war and the forest of the Arz begin to creep upon the kingdom, Zafira is sent on a quest in order to retrieve a magical artifact said to restore magic to the kingdom. Nasir has also been sent to retrieve the artifact, however, he's also been sent to kill the Hunter. As an ancient evil has begun to stir, both of them realize that the artifact could be far more dangerous than either of them ever imagined. While many Fantasy plots include quests, magic and the like, this still managed to stand out.
ROMANCE
There is romance in this story however, it's still building and promises to be something much bigger in the sequel. Nasir and Zafira are clear opposites and enemies in the beginning due to Nasir being ordered to kill her, and Zafira knowing his reputation, however, the two begin to move towards something differently as they work together in order to complete their quests. I really enjoyed their relationship, especially since it's an enemies to lovers romance.
WRITING
Hafsah Faizal's writing is lush and descriptive which at the beginning made it a little hard to get into the story, however it grew on me. I really liked how she let us find out about the world and different settings throughout the book instead of dumping it all on us at once which really made me enjoy it.
There is romance in this story however, it's still building and promises to be something much bigger in the sequel. Nasir and Zafira are clear opposites and enemies in the beginning due to Nasir being ordered to kill her, and Zafira knowing his reputation, however, the two begin to move towards something differently as they work together in order to complete their quests. I really enjoyed their relationship, especially since it's an enemies to lovers romance.
WRITING
Hafsah Faizal's writing is lush and descriptive which at the beginning made it a little hard to get into the story, however it grew on me. I really liked how she let us find out about the world and different settings throughout the book instead of dumping it all on us at once which really made me enjoy it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We Hunt the Flame is an addictive new fantasy read filled with lush but harsh settings, dark characters and an intriguing plot. It is a great new fantasy book to get lost in.
Quotes from the Book:
We Hunt the Flame is an addictive new fantasy read filled with lush but harsh settings, dark characters and an intriguing plot. It is a great new fantasy book to get lost in.
Quotes from the Book:
“Only a true best friend can protect you from your immortal enemies.”
“We hunt the flame, the light in the darkness, the good this world deserves.”
"Be as victorious as the name I have given you, and bring the desert to its knees."
“We hunt the flame, the light in the darkness, the good this world deserves.”
"Be as victorious as the name I have given you, and bring the desert to its knees."
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Crowns
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