The worldbuilding in this book was amazing! I loved that it truly felt I was there, through eloquent descriptions I got lost in this book.

The characters were well written and complex, they showed great character development and the relationships were emotionally intriguing.

Great representation!

A unique and diverse fantasy debut, We Hunt the Flame is full of rich worldbuilding and intricate characters. Overall I did enjoy this but it did drag sometimes; I felt like perhaps the book didn't need to be nearly 500 pages long.

DNF at 40%. I just couldn't get into this book. I can appreciate it's well written and can see why it's done so well and was so well-hyped but there's something about having to constantly have the glossary up on my phone because there's so many terms and names that I couldn't figure out from the context in the book alone is not wonderful writing. Yes I know its fantasy, yes I know it's full of mythical creatures and things have different names, but this should be able to be gotten from the story surrounding the text. It made it incredibly hard to follow and to feel rooted in the story.

Although in the end I did like reading this book, it did take me quite a long time to finish as some parts put me off. My advice is to stick it out and really get into the characters and plot. I mean we have more time now than ever so get to reading!

First of all I want to talk about the two protagonists of this novel. Both Zafira and Nasir are incredibly complex and complicated characters. They are human and flawed and I think that's probably one of the reasons that I was first pulled into this story. Their aspirations, fears and beliefs are laid bare for the reader, allowing us to fall into their thought process as the story progresses. When they meet in the second part (because this book is split into three sections) of the book this becomes quite an interesting way of reading the story as their viewpoints add even more detail about the other character.

Outside of the protagonists the only other character that I ever really connected with was Altair. He was funny and witty and I liked the way that his character interacted with both Nasir and Zafira. I think what really drew me to him was his mystery. He is a character who has no name or title by birth, but as the story progresses it becomes clear that he has a lot of connections, allowing him to control the world around him through information gathering and manipulation. He's a very interesting character to read, and I almost wish he had his own point of view in the book because I can imagine it would have been quite entertaining.

I have to say at this point that I really enjoy Hafsah's writing style. Her writing is so lyrical and incredibly beautiful. You're transported to the world that she builds, seeing it through the eyes of multiple characters. If there had been even more of her amazing descriptions about the world of We Hunt the Flame I think I might have liked it more. I think mostly my problem with the world was that I expected a story based around ancient Arabia with the feelings that I get from story like 1001 Arabian Nights, but it just wasn't there for me.

That just leaves the premise, the plot of the book, and I think this is really where this book fell down in my opinion. The blurb sets this book up as an incredibly Arabian style fantasy quest in search of lost magic. Now in the first section of this book this premise is very much the focus. The silver witch comes and sets both Zafira and Nasir on their quests and everything is heading in the right direction. When the characters hit the Sharr in the second section I got completely lost and I think the moment where I started wondering where the story was going was the moment that Deen was killed by Altair. I absolutely loved Deen's character in the first part of this novel. He was a gentleman who wanted nothing more than to help Zafira. But, the moment he died, I kind of felt like he was only included in the story as a plot point. From that moment Zafira's focus kind of shifted from searching for the lost magic to avenging Deen's death, yet she never seems to quite get to that point either, and by the end of the book I wasn't really sure where the story had veered off to. This disorientation I think came from the fact that my expectations were set from the blurb and I got to the epilogue and was like 'that wasn't what the story was about at all'.

For me this book felt like a preface to the real story. The start was quite slow, setting up the world and the characters, then everything else after that felt incredibly fast, almost too fast. I lost touch with the characters over the course of the novel. I did enjoy it and the story did grip me. Overall, however, I got to the final page and just felt... underwhelmed. I don't know whether I'll pick up the second book. At this point I just don't want to be disappointed again, but I also have this little voice in the back of my head telling me that the next book is really what this book was promising to be. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

- DNF @34% -

Zafira dresses as a man and hunts in the local cursed forest so that the people in her village don't starve. Her exploits have earned her the nickname of 'The Hunter', but people would turn against Zafira if they knew she was a woman.
Prince Nasir, known as the Prince of Death, is an assassin for his power-hungry father, the sultan.
When Zafira is invited on a journey to restore magic to her land, she leaves her family behind, unaware that Nasir has been sent on a quest of his own to find the hunter and kill them.
Will Zafira be able to bring back magic?
Will Nasir follow his father's orders as he usually does and kill the hunter?

We Hunt the Flame is one of those hyped and beloved books that I hoped I would like and ended up not enjoying.
Zafira and Nasir were okay protagonists but I felt like I had seen characters like them before and struggled to connect with them.
The pacing was a bit off for me, but I do appreciate that the author was setting the scene and establishing the characters and world.
While the setting and concept were interesting, what I read felt like a mix of books I've read before.
From the first page I found it difficult to get into the story. I also struggled with the writing style and found myself losing interest.
After a while it got to the point where I didn't want to read any more and I decided to stop reading.
I might pick this up again at a later point as it was a book that I was looking forward to reading.
I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more.

Unfortunately, this wasn't for me.

First posted on <a href="https://www.uptownoracle.com">Uptown Oracle</a>

First thing I have to say about We Hunt The Flame is that I adore the brilliant world building that Faizel builds throughout. From the quiet and non-magic home of Zafira, to the extravant palaces in the capital and the magical Arz and dark cursed island our characters head to – they’re all enchanting. Faizel has a way with words to bring these places to life.

The world of Arawiya is full of Arabian influences, and this could get a bit confusing with some of the words used. I know a few people who DNF’d it did state this as a reason. But I found that it heightened the link to Arabia and once you got used to it it works really well to create an in depth world. Plus the magic is more dark and twisted than the traditional elf-haven style magic land I often read about.

Zafira as a character really brought something to We Hunt The Flame. Whilst her hiding as “The Hunter” because she’s a woman is reminisent of other protagonists, her character depth brings her into her own throughout. As she moves into situations where she has to be Zafira and rely on herself, the writing and storyline helps move her towards being a more well rounded character despite her flaws.

Nasir also gets a great character arc throughout. He develops from his prince, assassin, puppet persona quite well with the help of the quest, Zafira and the other characters in a way that is also believable. The introduction of secondary characters also work well to push the story. Additionally, they were introduced into the story in a way that was intrically linked to the storyline.

Altair being sassy but mysterious allows for a big pay off when the storyline reveals his secrets. Plus, Benyamin’s backstory helps introduce us to new places in the world (can you say hello book 2?). Between Zafira and Kifah we also got to see two very strong women (in different ways and because of different reasons too!) in a world that is extremely patriarchal.

Overall the plot is wonderfully written to keep you intrigued as to what will happen next. Faizel has a way of keeping the plot twists carefully hidden (but not completely out of the blue) before she reveals them in a entrancing wave of her pen.

Plus, the world building, magic and character backstories are carefully place within the storyline to make sense without using info dumping as a tool.

Overall I loved the book and it was perfect for me as a fantasy lover. I was in a bit of a slump before Christmas and this was one of the books I managed to race through.

Positives of We Hunt The Flame
World building
Character Depth
Negatives of We Hunt The Flame
I received We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal from the publisher via Netgalley. This is an unbiased and honest review

We Hunt The Flame sparkles with the thrills of old adventure stories and childhood quests! Zafira and Nasir’s stories are bursting with life - I almost feel they could have had their own books, their characters were so well rounded -and yet they interwove each other naturally and proficiently. I am waiting with eager anticipation for We Free The Stars!!

What a tangled web of shadows this weaves!
I had my eye on this from the moment it was announced, and even though it was after release, I was thankful to have my request granted from NetGalley as it meant I had to read it sooner rather than later, and I am so glad I did.
I am genuinely wondering how I can review this properly without spoilers, but I am going to do my best and just advise that there may be potential ones in here so just skip it if you want to be taken on a fantastic journey, without any inclination as to what is coming!

My Grandmother (who I was incredibly close to) was born and raised in Iran and I have always been drawn to that side of my heritage, but it was never something that received much attention in mainstream story telling when I was younger, not even so much now. You had to go looking for it, often not finding it, or resort to the classics, Arabian nights, Aladdin (my favourite Disney - not so much in the original tale!) so diving into this incredibly rich, detailed, world, where (magic aside) everything was just normal, was refreshing, and like a little piece of home.

I loved Zafira. She was badass, and selfless, and she had humour and she was not about to bow to anyone.

"If you want me obedient, Prince, kill me and carry my corpse."

But in the beginning she is hiding, and it is something that she only just starts to 'grow' out of as the journey continues, and she suffers loss, meets new people that she cannot help but come to care for, love even, and finds out who she is without her cloak to hide under.

Nasir was/is so beautifully damaged that I just wanted to make everything better. Who he really is, even if he doesn't want to admit it, shows through for us as readers right from the beginning, and I loved the switch between PoV's from him and Zafira. It allowed us to see the same scene from 2 views and it was perfectly done.

We are introduced to no small number of additional characters, and every single one of them is important, either to the story, or to the character and development of our MC's.

The journey across Sharr is fraught with danger, but it is also dotted with normal, human, almost mundane requirements of rest, food, and bathing. It is these moments, around our campfire that family is really born, that discoveries are made, that walls are broken down and masks slip.

I want number 2 so badly, but I am honestly grateful that this is a duology as I am not sure my heart could take any more. That last one, I was heart broken, and the end, I kinda guessed it, didn't want to believe it, but you did it anyways!

100% a recommendation, 100% worth your time, and 100% a beautifully written book that explores female oppression, loss, family, friendship and how the acceptance of darkness can be the most freeing thing you do.

Ah this book! It was magical and mysterious and I adored Zafira and Nasir and how their relationship progressed.

It kept me gripped throughout with a great story and characters. I just adore Altair! Love him.

I can't wait for the second installment!!

This book was one of my most loved read's, I have always had a love of Arabian fantasy and this book was the perfect read to cover that need I had for more of this style of the book.
This book had the most amazing world-building in the way you can so easily picture the places depicted in this book and the characters are amazingly detailed as well.
The characters were amazing and had amazing backstories and you got to understand them beautifully especially Altair.
The story was beautifully done a tad slow-paced at points but that's something im come to notice from the first book in series due to the author laying the foundations for the series.
overall this book was amazing and so beautifully done and rich with imagination.

I was really excited for this novel, which moves away from the stereotypical Westernised fantasy setting to explore a rich Arabic inspired world with assassins and princes. And although there was so much that was fresh and original here, I unfortunately didn’t find it perfect.

I struggled with the lack of world building for Arawiya, which ultimately left me feeling confused. It’s a large world, often complex and incredibly convoluted, but it isn’t really described all that well. When combined with the vast amount of travelling and questing in the story itself, I just found myself a little lost. I can appreciate that the author didn’t want to create large sections of ‘info dump’ style writing for the reader, but I personally could have done with a bit more. The pacing also suffers throughout the bulk of the book, becoming stagnant and lacking any real action for most of the middle section followed by a rushed ending with lots of twists. To me this lessened their effect.

I liked Zafira and Nasir. As characters they’re both distinct voices, well developed and interesting. That said I found the secondary characters very lacking in any kind of depth. We spend a lot of time invested in Zafira and Nasir, developing their personalities and spending a lot of time in their heads, thinking about everything, and as a result the others just feel a bit left behind and underused.

Heaps of potential, but this needed a bit more ‘oomph’ and less introspection.

We Hunt the Flame was a book that intrigued me, the synopsis had me hooked and the cover is stunning. It was definitely a good read and I would recommend it to my friends.
The writing style in this book was very good which I enjoyed a lot. I found the plot was slow-paced but in a nice way as it didn’t drag on, but it also wasn’t going through everything at a rushed pace which is something I always look for in a book. It’s a slow pace read that you won’t find boring as you learn a lot about the characters and what is actually happening without feeling either confused or that it was rushed overloaded with information.
The characters were good. Especially Altair, he was one of my favourite characters. I found myself laughing and rolling my eyes a lot while reading from him. I did find a couple of the characters either okay or sometimes a bit annoying, there was some points while reading Nasir’s POV where I was unsure on how to feel about him, I sometimes even felt like I didn’t fully understand him.
I highly enjoyed the romance in this book as it was a slow burning, enemies to lover’s trope which was brilliant! I’m pretty glad there wasn’t a love triangle as I’m not a massive fan of those, I also enjoyed how the romance wasn’t over done in this book as well.

This was one of my anticipated reads of 2019 - the setting and concept really appealed to me and I wanted to see what else could be done with a Middle Eastern setting.

Sadly it fell rather short for me.

I think that the beginning of the book was promising and I was ready to invest in the adventure, but then everything seemed to progress really slowly. Once they had set off, nothing really seemed to happen and I started to get a bit frustrated with the characters.

I think that this had the promise of something exciting that wasn’t executed as I would have hoped.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2019, and I am so happy to say that it didn’t disappoint! I was so excited to get ahold of it, and I was a bit worried that I would hype it up so much that it couldn’t possibly match it, but I shouldn’t have worried.

The novel is set in a world inspired by ancient Arabia, and I was fully immersed in the magical and spell-binding world that Faizal has created. In shifting the focus of a YA novel away from the usual Western setting, the author opens up a whole new world of possibility, and it is an important novel to include when choosing diverse YA reads.

One of my favourite parts of the novel is the glossary that that author included at the end. The mixing of the languages made the novel and the world that Faizal created much more immersive.

The setting of this novel was wonderful, and the way the author created them with words was spectacular. The sand and the oasis and the heat could be felt through the words on the page. The creatures and races that inhabit this world were just as clearly described, and the whole novel had a magical mystical feel about it. The descriptions in this novel are so lyrical and beautiful, her words create such beautiful settings and images it was just a joy to read.

Zafira, the main character is very cool and was a well-rounded character, with strengths and flaws. Nasir is the antithesis of Zafira, and there may be an enemies to lovers relationship involved!! These two make very fun leads, and the cast of supporting characters are as likeable. Altair is a very funny supporting character, he brings all the light to the book and his interactions with other characters are very humourous.

This book is quite dark, it has moments of light, but the majority is quite dark and I have included some trigger warnings above for elements that may be triggering to some.

Overall I loved this novel. Although dark, it is action packed and the writing is just so good, it’s impossible to put it down!

YES I am SO glad that this lived up to my expectations. I was really excited the ancient Arabian magic. and it just made my heart and smile light up because this is the representation we need nowadays

This story has such a lush and cultural feel that feels like it can be found lacking in other books. This reminded me slightly of NeverNight in the fact that there was alot of introspection and a huge focus on detail and narration. It's one of those books that you end up loving towards the end and when you look back you're like HOLY CRAP, THATS WHERE WE STARTED FROM?! like it's very very good and i loved the pacing since it was a slow burning book and i feel in YA especially we're lacking them at the moment.

I can see why not everyone would love this, but for most of the people i know it's one of the best books of the year, and for people who i know who haven't read it i'm gonna be screaming about it until they pick it up!

This was a very unique book, but I just don't feel like it was for me. I loved the writing style but it didn't captivate me as much as I wanted - but hopefully one day I'll try again and love it!

What an amazing story, I was so looking forward to this and then so excited I got an ARC for this , this is the first in a duopoly and Hafsah’s debut novel. This is wonderfully written, beautiful world building and full of characters you will adore, I loved this fantasy so much, the Eastern charm is something I love so much and I adore all the different cultures we are lucky enough to finally be getting now (about time publishing houses !). A wonderful read, full of action, adventure, romance, mystery and magic. Pick this book up if you haven’t already.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/RTRY0FC5ZWIW6/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read this as it is one of the most hyped YA books of 2019 so far and it sounded like a really interesting premise. I haven’t read much Middle Eastern inspired YA novels and advance praise seemed positive.

The world is interesting if a little confusing, it manages to be insanely detailed but also completely one dimensional – quite impressive really. The idea of an evil forest gave me a bit of an Uprooted vibe but like Uprooted it didn’t quite do it for me. The writing style is very flowery and verbose, and I found it to be overly descriptive. I usually don’t mind this too much but when you get to the end of multiple sentences and think “buh....?” that’s not usually a good sign. I’m not against the use of non-English words but there was just too many in this novel and it just served to ruin the immersion.

The plot itself is alright, for the most part it’s generic YA fare but also managed to also to be incredibly confusing. I don’t read YA to be intellectually challenged but it was all very nebulous and vague. The main journey was just a bit...boring.

Zafira is an interesting enough heroine. Other characters weren’t particularly standout but were ok. I struggled to understand the motivations of some of the characters – why did they make the decisions they make?

This book reminded me quite a lot of the same issues I had with Children of Blood and Bone. Scrape away the interesting setting and what you’re left with is a generic YA fetch quest.

I’m usually happy to sacrifice an iffy plot for awesome characterisation and vice versa but I felt this novel was lacking in both. It was a real shame as I was really looking forward to it.