Author: Hafsah Faizal
Genre: YA Fantasy
Summary: Arawiya has been struggling for 90 years, ever since the one named Lion of the Night fought the 6 Sisters and won. Subsequently quashing the magic that kept the kingdom thriving. The one magical thing that is present in today’s world is the Arz, and that is not good; the Arz is a dark and dangerous forest that no-one can escape once entered, and it keeps on growing, threatening to suffocate the people of Arawiya. There is no hope of the Arz receding or stopping its destructive journey toward the villages. That is, until a mysterious lady wrapped in a silver cloak makes herself known to the Huntress and the Prince of Death. Each are given the same mission – make their way to the deadly island of Sharr, find the Jawarat and restore magic to the kingdom. With unlikely companions aiding them, our main characters learn more about the history of the kingdom, and how it relates to them and their troubles today.
My Review of We Hunt The Flame
Rating: ★★★★★
Plot
Yes, the plot of We Hunt The Flame is similar in structure to other YA fantasies. But isn’t that what keeps us coming back for more?
Although I was able to guess most of the plot twists, the story was compelling enough to still enjoy the revelations. The only one I didn’t guess was on the last page, and it made me feel a little silly because I definitely should have connected the dots there! Anyway… the story drives forward at a comfortable pace throughout, and although there aren’t any major conflicts until the end, it’s a book concentrated on the darkness surrounding the main characters and the world building of this fantasy Arabia. I enjoyed the plot and cannot wait for book #2 of this duology, which is in the mail as we speak.
Characters
The gang that we follow in this book is a delight, and I enjoyed reading a little into the mismatch of characters from different caliphates. After looking at other people’s reviews on Goodreads, I can see why they thought the characters weren’t complex enough, or that their personalities fell flat. Whilst I can agree that both Nasir (the Prince of Death) and Zafira (the Huntress) come across as almost the same person (broody, hopeless, depressed teenagers forced to take on a burden, but suddenly excited by the other who is the light to their dark), I don’t feel like that was an entirely bad thing. It doesn’t always have to be opposites attract, so as similar as some parts of their personalities may be, their stories were completely different. And I had no qualms about the way the characters were written, to be honest.
What I have come to realise is that you’re going to be sorely disappointed in most books that you read if you look for perfection in each area: detailed world-building, depth in characters and relationships, unguessable plot, and and enchanting magical system. Though the writing may not hit the mark in every area here, it is still an above average YA fantasy (trust me, I am not one to dole out 5 stars to just any book!).
Writing
The writing in We Hunt The Flame was beautiful, with just a hint of doom and gloom (that’s a joke, it’s a lot of doom and gloom). I loved the way Hafsah Faizal told the story in a way that was natural to her as a Muslim and that was easy to immerse in by people from any and all cultures and ethnicities. My only issue was that I got slightly confused with some of the terminology sometimes. Most of the words were easy to guess the meaning of, but others were harder and that can interrupt the flow of the writing.
World-building
The world-building is amazing considering I don’t know enough of this culture to be able to imagine Arabia in all its glory, but I had no problems conjuring images of the villages and cities, sparkling palaces and magical desert island, along with their gorgeous thobes and turbans. I like the way I was reminded (as a British person that isn’t used to this being my everyday clothing) that the characters were wearing head scarfs and thobes by subtle descriptions and natural circumstances.
Vibe
As mentioned several times, this book is gloomy and magical! To me, it gives off Aladdin vibes (which we all know is the best Disney film). And although the narrative is focused on darkness overwhelming the main characters, I did not feel the book was too heavy or dreary. The elements of history and culture together really elevates the story, and the addition of Ifrits and Fae existing just captures that other-wordly beauty that most of us love reading fantasy for.
Highly recommend this one. Please let me know what you think of We Hunt The Flame and it’s sequel We Free The Stars!
Follow me on Goodreads to see my other reviews. Or check out my last review here, which was for Wreck The Halls.
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