I am so, so, so thrilled and honored to be on the blog tour for Hafsah Faizal’s We Hunt the Flame! I have honestly been waiting years for this one! I added it to my goodreads “To Read” shelf back in 2017, but have been following Hafsah’s journey for longer. It has been an absolute joy to see how far she’s come! Today I have my review. But first, about the book…
About the Book:
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.
Goodreads – Amazon – Indiebound
My Thoughts:
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal is nearly 500 pages long. This can be really intimidating. However, once I found my footing in the world, the pages just seemed to fly by (especially the last half!) There are many things I loved about about this story. I’m just going to highlight a couple here so that you can discover the best bits on your own!
*The World: I was so enchanted with the world I found myself in. As the description says, Arawiya was inspired by ancient Arabia. It was so interesting to see how the author used this as her springboard. I loved all the elements she included and made her own. The world is lush and engaging. The reader can really picture it. And of course I loved the idea of magic needing to be restored! (There is also a Glossary and Pronunciation Guide in case you struggle with the vocabulary. I found I didn’t’ need to access this but it was interesting to look through after I read the story.)
*The Writing: The world is so vivid because of the really beautiful writing! It is descriptive, but also just lovely in and of itself. I loved the use of figurative language and the way the sentences flowed together. Plus, I always love getting the story from more than one perspective!
*The Characters’ Motivations: It was really fascinating to look at the different characters (main and side!) and learn why they’re making the choices they make. So many of them seem one way on the surface but the reader can tell there’s more to the story.
*The Secrets: And that brings me to the secrets! Both those that the characters are hiding and the little twists and turns the author surprises the reader with. These were all so delicious. They certainly did their jobs and kept me turning the pages wanting to find out more and more.
I could go on and on about the many interesting and engaging aspects of We Hunt the Flame. If you’re a fantasy lover you should really check this one out!
About the Author:
Hafsah Faizal is an American Muslim and brand designer. She’s the founder of IceyDesigns, where she creates websites for authors and beauteous goodies for everyone else. When she’s not writing, she can be found dreaming up her next design, deciding between Assassin’s Creed and Skyrim, or traversing the world. Born in Florida and raised in California, she now resides in Texas with her family and a library of books waiting to be devoured. WE HUNT THE FLAME is her first novel.
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