Book: We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publish Date:  May 14, 2019
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 sultan. 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 Zafira and Nasir 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 sultan 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.

Disclosure: ARC provided for an honest review. #partner


This is a review that I’ve been putting of for a while. I took my time with We Hunt the Flame because for a while, I wasn’t in the right head space to read fantasy. And when I’m in that space, I tend to hate read. And because I knew that We Hunt the Flame was the type of book I would love, I took my time.

And I’m glad I did.

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal is a story that should be on your shelves. The rich world filled with lush details is mesmerizing, but her characters are what will draw you. Their complex, layered with their own nuances and traits that by the time you’re finished, you’ll know who they are. And her writing? Beautiful. There were moments that I would just get lost, throwing time and the real world out the window. I wanted to live in this world, Arz or not.

Zafira is the character I needed at this particular time. It’s easy to get lost in the multitude of genre books, but every now and then I will connect to someone on a deeper level. Zafira is that one. She’s who I want to be, but with reservation. She’s brave, and boy does her inner monologue mimic what I think.

Nasir. Whew. What can I say about Nasir that hasn’t been said about many swoony boys before? He’s a leading man without seeking all the attention. He has a quiet broody factor about him, and when he does something, you pay attention.

There are many other characters worth noting, but I’ll save them for a spoilery-filled review. There are some characters that will rub you the wrong way, there are others that you will love, and there will be one that you will be so surprised that and it will take your breath away.

It was a bit of a slow start for me, but it could have been the world building, my head space at the time I initially started this. But I didn’t mind. Because when the momentum picked up, it really sped along and didn’t stop.

And warning. The end? IT WILL KILL YOU.

*Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*

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