A very realistic story of the Arab world. A very descriptive story and the fantasy has a meaning. I have lived in an Arab world and recognized the atmosphere of the story.

This was a really diverting read - magical and original which dealt with very important and relevant themes for today.
The struggle for gender equality set in a fantastical land was particularly relatable as was the Huntress' journey from the shadows into the light.
There was nuance to the characters and the revelations at the end were unforeseen making it an exciting ending - drawing the reader in and making them want to follow the story into the next book(s).

I look forward to reading the sequels!

If ever there was a book of 2 halves for me it is We Hunt the Flame, I was so excited for this book, it was truly everywhere I looked on Instagram, Book Twitter and book events – I got my copy as an early release at Yalc 2 days before my request was granted on Netgalley. I went into it blind, captivated about the excitement surrounding it, I really wish I had looked at some reviews first. The thing is, I can see why so many people love it and it had huge potential to be so much more for me, but in the end I can say that it was just okay.

I’ll start with what I enjoyed though! I loved the star embossing on the title font for the cover, it’s a subtle thing but it really is quite beautiful to look at. The world building is pretty good, considering the author gave herself pretty bleak environments to work with. From frozen wastes to the arid desert, it’s no wonder that many feel the journey is one Zafira may not return from, the story does have bursts of colour though in places and these do thankfully appear enough to break up the otherwise dull surrounding, be it through dreams or flashback, they help to keep the pages turning. The mystery of the Arz was one I was really intrigued about, I was fascinated by it’s creation and how it claimed people in the way it did, the way it linked into the detailed back story was one of my favourite parts of book. I loved the little bits of history and most certainly the mythology around The Sisters and how magic was lost to the land. The Silver Witch was one of the most intriguing characters, turning up like Mother Aughra giving cryptic clues and not always helpful advice, her story arc is great. I also have to say that I adored Altair and for me he carried much of the story with his snarky quips and banter, he and Kifah are kinda sweet too in a shy way. His development is fantastic and I lost count of the bombshells dropping around him, I really hope he gets more of an opportunity to shine through later in the series, because truly, Nasir didn’t really cut it for me.

Honestly though, I found I struggled to really care much about what was happening for the most part and I struggled to connect with nearly all of the characters. I truly became very confused with the names, everyone has their actual name, a nickname, a mystical name, a pet name – I often found myself utterly mystified with who was talking. I’m still not sure when Kifah turned up, but for a good while I didn’t even realise she was an actual separate character. It was also hard work then to keep on top of the Arabic – I mean at the end there are no fewer than 7 pages of double columns to contain the glossary and pronunciation guide, I didn’t even go there in the end to find out how much I had been butchering the pronunciation – honestly, stop putting these guides at the back!! The journey felt very repetitive too, it was like every other chapter had to be punctuated with a fight with the Ifrit, in some ruins, partially reclaimed by the desert, like we were in some old school console game where the simple programming replayed the same fight but just in a different place. I also struggled to read the tiny font which didn’t endear me to keep picking it back up, especially at nearly 500 pages which is somewhat unheard of for a debut title. There was plenty that could have been edited out, with a handful of redundant characters and plenty of plot that was just pure exposition – it could have easily shaved a good couple of hundred pages and probably been a much better read for it.

Ultimately, this just about scrapes into a 3 star because the 10% of characters I liked rescued it for me as well as some jaw to the floor reveals which just about kept me turning the pages. I appreciate that there may have been plenty of leg work setting up the world building for the next book, but I’m probably not going to continue with the series or at least I will properly consider reviews before taking the plunge again.

A highly anticipated read that just didn't hit the mark for me.

I loved the potential of this world; a fascinating fantasy world inspired by ancient Arabia. As the lore developed I had so many questions and wanted to know more. The writing is evocative, but the focus seemed to be more on the character and relationship development than world building. Unfortunately I didn't care about most of the characters. The few intrigued me at the beginning were sadly not a big part of the main story, and I could not invest myself in the romantic subplot.

It is not that I disliked this book, just that I didn't feel strongly about it at all after the beginning. Overall I'm left with the feeling that this book just wasn't for me. I can understand why those who connected Zafira and Nasir as characters love it though!

Unfortunately this is a DNF at pg 148 / ch 20. I cannot connect to any of the characters or the story which is disappointing as it was one of my anticipated reads of 2019.

I was really into the vibe of this book but unfortunately it did not impress me as much as I hoped it would. It was really difficult to get into and I didn’t feel an emotional connection to the protagonists. That being said the story was enjoyable and the writing was pretty.

More of 3.5 stars actually.
I don't read many fantasy books because i just can't get into them.
This one though was an interesting read with a great word build but it was hard to read as there are many words that i needed to google honestly because i just couldn't understand them.
Not sure if I'll be reading the next books in the series.


Thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for my review copy

I'm currently putting this book on hold because I wanted to love it, so I'm not quite willing to give up and DNF or completely.

I loved the writing, it was beautiful, and the world sounded incredible. The plot was interesting and I have heard so many amazing things.

However I found it hard to get into. I needed a glossary, and reading the arc on my kindle made using one almost impossible, as I couldn't just flip backwards and forwards like I could in a traditional book. It made for a jarring reading experience, and meant Icouldn't get immersed in the world.

The main reason I struggled was that I had no idea what was going on. I couldn't quite follow everything and even though I wanted to know what was going on, perhaps because I was unfamiliar with some of the language, but also because though there was some world building it didn't quite feel enough. I didn't know the world and therefore couldn't follow the politics well enough.
Things ended up hard to follow and I didn't understand why the characters were doing the things they did. I want to love this book so I will come back to it after some research, but having to research and use a glossary makes it hard to want to read the book at the moment.

I love the middle eastern theme of this book, but the rest of it was just a drag. I was not invested at all and I almost DNF'd it, only carrying on because it was a review copy.

After struggling with We Hunt the Flame for over a month, I'll finally let it go
DNF at 55% / page 260

Reasons why I wanted to not let go

- I loved the beginning of this book, and rightfully so as Hafsah Faizal's writing is enchanting. I love her descriptive and embellished style. She could easily make my mouth water from all the food descriptions.

- The setting is eerily beautiful. A dark, scary forest that makes people mad and inches closer to your home everyday? Yes please! (well I don't mean that I want to live there but I definitely want to hear the story)

- Occassionally Zafira made me feel incredibly empowered. The book had moments when Zafira made a courageous decision that set off a bunch of butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

- The banter between Nasir and Altair is so good.

Reasons why I'm still letting go

- I have no idea what's happening. The author has a very mysterious way of communicating plot twists and turns, so mysterious in fact that most of the time I don't notice the turns until after they have happened. This is a book that should be read in between the lines as much as from the actual text. I felt like I had to constantly focus most of my brain power when reading it just so that I could follow the plot. But as I was reading it right after finishing my masters thesis I have to admit that there was no brain power left for me to exert. Also, I had this weird feeling that this book doesn't want to be read. I kept fighting my way into the story and then losing the plot route once again. At the 50% point there were new characters and I honestly had no idea where they came from.

- Infodumby but still lacking in worldbuilding. I don't even know how that combination is possible, but I definitely felt it in reading We Hunt the Flame. The worldbuilding was done in lengthy descriptions all at once, which caused me to fall into a coma although the writing was beautiful. Also, all of the worldbuilding seems to be done on a superficial level - the author doesn't (at least so far) give us any info on how the world works and why. I don't understand the world. I don't know if there are only witches or only one witch or also dragons or what is the magic like that everyone keeps mentioning.

- The characters seem to lack that something. I have difficulty grasping my thoughts on the characters, but overall they seemed one-dimensional. In addition to that, I felt like after spending 260 pages with them, I still don't know them one bit. I have no idea what they would do in different situations or who they are. Their inner monologue seems limited and repetative. I don't understand why Zafira is making the choices that she is making.

- The amount of foreign words. I actually like the flair that some foreign words bring to a book, however, in We Hunt the Flame there were simply too many. I felt like I had to constantly look at the glossary to check what a word means. This took me seriously out of the story so I tried just not checking and trying to read the book as it is, comprehending the words meaning by their context. But that didn't work either. I just ended up confused. So I simply find myself wishing that there were fewer foreign words or the context should make their meaning more clear.

4.5 stars!

Firstly, thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy of We Hunt the Flame via Netgalley.

Do you ever just know when going into a book that you’re really going to love it? That was how I felt when I started We Hunt the Flame. I’ve been excited about this book ever since I first saw it announced, and there’s been a lot of hype around it since, which I think is well deserved! It had everything I love: enemies to (almost?) lovers, a magical quest, and found family, so basically all the ingredients to the recipe for my perfect book!

We Hunt the Flame follows Zafira, a girl who disguises herself as a man to hunt in the Arz, the forest where no other person can enter, and Nasir, also known as the Prince of Death. When they’re sent on the same quest with very different instructions, they meet others and discover that there is more to the story than either of them have been told. I loved the characters in this book — they all worked so well together and there was so much character development for both Zafira and Nasir, but I especially loved Nasir’s development throughout the book. I’m so excited to see where book 2 takes them both. I adored the rest of the crew, too and I think it’s safe to say that Altair is my favourite. He was the walking ray of sunshine of the group, and I also found Kifah and Benyamin’s interactions so much fun.

The writing in this book was nothing short of beautiful and the world-building was done exquisitely. There are so many gorgeous quotes in this book and I can only imagine how amazing all of the fanart is going to be. I was completely hooked on this story and the end of every chapter left me wanting to keep reading — I never wanted it to end! And THAT EPILOGUE. Oh my goodness, I do not know how I am going to manage the wait for book two! If you haven’t picked this book up yet, please do so and come join me in my suffering while I wait.

I think I have YA fatigue. I had to force myself to finish this but it was very similar to Sarah j maas books but not as good.
The middle Eastern theme was something that I was excited about because I love books based around that but apart from the names and a few random words thrown in it could have been set in any culture. A missed opportunity.

I absolutely adored this book. The characters were intriguing and the writing completely absorbed me into the story. It had the right balance of action and humour and I am so excited for the next instalment!

I saw this book everywhere at YALC so I was really excited when it came onto Netgalley. I did enjoy the story and if I was offered the sequel I would be happy to read it to find out where the story goes next. However, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I recently read 'City of Brass' and the genre is quite similar to this one. It is possible that because I read that one first and was so blown away by it, that this one couldn't quite live up to it in my mind.

However, I still think it is a good piece of YA fantasy. I was hooked on the plot and loved the elemental magic aspect. I did get confused at points with the sheer amount of new words and names but that didn't distract from the story too much once I got the jist of it.

Thank you for the copy!

DNF @ 21%

I just couldn't power through this. 101 pages in, there was barely any story to follow. We were stuck in her city, there was a wedding, the male protagonist was brooding with daddy issues. Based on other reviews, I believe this was meant to be a typical high fantasy (think Throne of Glass), just with Eastern culture rather than Western. I loved the idea of a Muslim-based high fantasy, but not when it's literally your stock narrative with Islam-derived names/languages.

I was intrigued to read this exotic, Arabian, fantasy YA read, something quite different in its setting and characters which offered a rich alternative backdrop.

Zafira lives in Dementur, one of the 5 Caliphates that are each led by a sultan. Each Caliphate has a curse – in Dementur it’s snow. The village is surrounded by the feared forest of Arz – where people who enter rarely return.

Zafira is a very talented huntress and manages to navigate the forest returning with meat to feed the village. But because of the way women are viewed and treated she has to pretend to be a man and is known as the Hunter – something very difficult to pull off in a village, but you just have to go with this.

The magical Arz forest is extending, threatening the village, so when she is approached by the silver witch to go on a quest to the evil Island of Sharr to stop this and retrieve a special magical book, she finds she cannot refuse.

And so it begins – Zafira must leave her beloved friends. It soon becomes clear that the huntress is also the hunted as other fighters from the neighbouring Caliphates pursue her, to include Nasir, a Saracen assassin.

With all the evil on the island, they form a small group realising they need to rely on each other to fend off the mystical creatures. Tension remains as they never know who can be trusted and for how long. The impact of the journey however starts to change them all and we see their characters rapidly evolve as bonds begin to form. This doesn’t necessarily mean everyone can fully be trusted.

Whilst I really enjoyed the book, there are clusters of flaws; the speed at which the characters evolve from hard killers to more caring individuals was a bit unrealistic. Romance blossoms. This is not subtle and is rather clichéd, with a bit too much repetition for my taste. A lot is quite predictable, but the fantasy elements, fighting scenes and tension were good. There are good chunks of dry humour also and I found the characters memorable. So whilst there are things to work on, it did not spoil my enjoyment and I plan to read the next escapade.

At first, We Hunt the Flame reminded me of The Hunger Games, as the young female protagonist hunts to feed her family and finds herself volunteered for a dangerous quest to save their whole society. It doesn’t take long though for Hafsah Faizal’s characters to take on a life (and personalities) of their own, and I was quickly utterly hooked.

We get two threads here, which weave together as both main characters find themselves searching for the same thing. Zafira is on a Chosen One quest to save the world, whereas Nasir is on a journey of self-discovery and attempted redemption from his many misdeeds. Along the way they gather friends and companions that provide support, emotional development, and a fair amount of comic relief to lighten the serious elements (I LOVE Altair and Benyamen; with their irreverent banter masking their true feelings and motives).

There is a real sense of setting and worldbuilding in the physical landscapes, but also in the magic systems and the histories of the different races; and the scattering of Arabic words enriched the linguistic style, infusing it with a taste of the desert sands and exotic spices. I felt transported to the forest, the desert, the shadows, and totally invested in the band of unlikely comrades and their mission.

This story ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, drawing the reader enticingly forward to the next book, so I am very pleased to see that it should be with us Spring/Summer 2020. I can’t wait!



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.

– Hafsah Faizal, We Hunt The Flame

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal is about a group of people who are thrown together in the search for a book.

Zafira, a young woman who dsiguises herself as a man in order to hunt for the food so desperately needed by her village. Deen, Zafira's best friend, and also in love with her. Nasir, the prince who is also an assassin, and who doesn't care about his own life. Altair, who forever teases Nasir about his decisions.

We Hunt the Flame is a fantasy book, set in another world, where magic has disappeared, and this book is meant to return magic.

It's a YA fantasy novel, which does mean that you get a lot of introspection, but this didn't take away from the book for me. I enjoyed the journey and the characters, and as this is the first book in the series, I look forward to the next one.

We Hunt the Flame was published on 8th August 2019, and is available to buy on Amazon and on Waterstones. I've found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Hafsah Faizal on Twitter, or through her website.

If you're interested in fantasy book, then here's some others I've reviewed:

The End of the Line 🌟🌟🌟

Brotherhood of Shades 🌟🌟🌟

Once Upon a River 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Bear and the Nightingale and the Girl in the Tower 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Spinning Silver 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Ragnarok Unwound 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Salt Roads 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Midnight Crossroad 🌟🌟🌟🌟

California Bones 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

And there's more reviews if you click Fantasy in the labels!

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Pan Macmillan (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

3,5 stars

It's an engaging start to a series, introducing the leads and conflict without feeling like its sole purpose is to set up a series.  The world is rich, and I'd love to explore the different caliphates more - particularly the palace and Sarasin. I feel like there's an interesting plot brewing there to be revealed in the next book (because of the official's captive son).

The characters were the best bit. There was a lot of talk about the two main boys - POV Nasir and non-POV Altair. I far preferred the unpredictable Altair, who had so many layers that gradually peeled back. He's also quippy, but it wasn't an annoying quippy. There was a purpose to it, and it also provided levity when Zafira was eyeing Nasr suspicious and Nasir was brooding over having to kill people he likes.

I was rather confused why everyone was agreeing to go to the Sharr. All the descriptions and reactions were that it was a bad place. Then, once they'd discovered they'd all been sent with opposing missions but with some link the Silver Witch, they didn't feel that suspicious. Instead, they teamed up. Zafira was more suspicious of them than of her actual mission.

I'm glad I read the glossary (at the back) first, because it really helped my comprehension to know things like daama was a cuss. I read the first chapter before the glossary and was a little confused by the above (I though daama snow was a type of snowfall!), but once I had the vocabulary, it was very easy to read.

I'm excited for the sequel, WE SCAVENGE THE STARS, coming next year.

Oh this book. I adored it.

The world building was wonderful, as such it took a little bit of time to get into. When I had my head around the location/dialect etc it was a breeze and quickly swept me away.

Zafira is our main lead in this story, living in a caliphate where deeds of women often go unnoticed. In this world where magic has vanished after the sister were killed in the Sharr, a strange forest called the Arz sweeps ever closer to their home. Everyone who ventured into the Arz either come back mad or don’t come back at all, except for our main girl Zafira.

With this gift of passing unharmed into the Arz, Zafira dons the mask of the ‘hunter’ and hunts to feed the people of her village. No one knows she’s a woman except for her close friends and family.

This story also runs alongside another, Prince Nasir’s. Nasir is also an assassin and is sent by his father to kill anyone that he is commanded to. He’s a troubled man who has embraced the darkness and yearns for his fathers approval.

Our two characters meet through the machinations of ‘the silver witch’ a woman who has somehow kept her powers despite magic fleeing the land. They are tasked with finding a book which is the key to bringing back magic to the whole word.

Zafira sets out with her best friend Deen and Nasir heads out with his general Altair. Both journeys have the same destination and the meet. Nasir has been tasked to kill the hunter, not knowing she’s a huntress.

From there they must battle the horrors of the Sharr, overcome their own demons and find camaraderie with unlikely companions.

This story, while a little similar to the likes of the Daevabad trilogy and Rebel of the Sands, it holds it own. It has magic, mythology, unlikely love, sacrifice and empowerment.

Overall it really is a breathtaking world to read and be a part of. Hafsah has nailed this book and brought characters that seemed unredeemable at the start but over time, discover that while there’s darkness, it doesn’t exist without the light.

A wonderful book and I cannot wait to see where Hafsah will take this story.