“We hunt the flame, the light in the darkness, the good this world deserves.”

This debut was crafted with skill, complexity and a writing maturity that speaks of more experience than a first book. I bought into this story from the first few pages and it was the kind of tale that built and pulled you in more as you read.

WE HUNT THE FLAME is a fantasy needing quite a bit of world building but this was cleverly accomplished in the background and not with lengthy explanation or description. As the story played out, I understood and grasped increasing details about Arawiya, Sharr and the cultures of the different races within this land.

“We are all flesh and blood, soul and heart. Capable of malevolence, just as much as benevolence. One wrong does not make evil.”

There are two protagonists in this tale, Zafira, the huntress masquerading as a hunter and Nasir, the Prince of Darkness, an assassin. Both these characters were deep, complex and Nasir in particular, was not particularly likeable until you began to know more about him. The whole story was leading to their journey together as a reluctant gang on a mission. There were great characters in this gang and Altair was a particular favourite. This is a story of good and evil on a grand scale but also the inner battle for good and evil on a personal level.

The story was steadily paced at first, but from about a quarter of the way in, the tempo increased and it was fast-paced all the way to the end. There was the feeling of quest and adventure, sliced with danger and a sinister power. All was not what it seemed and there were two fantastic plot twists towards the end, followed by an explosive ending.

I simply cannot wait to read more from this world. I feel attached to the characters, I truly enjoyed the creation of Arawiya and Hafsah Faisal’s writing was a joy. This author has such potential and I hope to read much more from her in the future.

From the very first page of We Hunt the Flame, I have been drawn into the world of Arawiya.

Drawn in by the interesting characters, the complex world they live in. And by a story that intrigues me so much, I kept turning the page even though I should have been going to sleep.

The way the land was separated and how they were affected by the loss of magic fascinating. Unfortunately for Zafira the place she calls home is a land of snow and icy. Where women are seen as the reason for the loss of Magic. That women are only good as wives. I felt my anger raise when I read what happened to a woman caught working on their own.

Hafash Faizal writing style easy to read, it's fast-paced with enough details to keep your interest without feeling overwhelmed with all to much information.

One of my favourite element of We Hunt the Flame is the interaction between the characters. Especially Nasir and Altair, I wouldn't call it a love-hate relationship. But the way the needle each other is funny.

There are certain plot strands that I could see coming, but that didn't take away any enjoyment. Also, they made sense for the story.

On the other hand, there were a couple of plot stands that I didn't see coming. Once, in particular, cause me to drop my e-reader on my face.

We Hunt the Flame is a YA Fantasy adventure treasure hunt. Perfect for fans for Throne of Glass, An Ember in the Ashes and Kingdom of Copper.

My rating for We Hunt the Flame is 4.8 out of 5.

We Hunt The Flame is a gripping young adult novel that explores the light and dark in people and forging your own identity. Zafira is the Hunter, a mysterious figure who hunts for food in a magical forest no one else can navigate, but no one would care how she feeds her people if they knew the Hunter was female. Nasir is the Prince of Death, forced to obey his father the sultan and kill on order. Though very different, they both find themselves on a similar mission: to retrieve magic from a dangerous island; Zafira for the people and Nasir for his father. And though Nasir has been ordered to kill the Hunter, they both end up part of an unlikely gang, all untrusting but united in a common goal, and then it turns out they have a bigger enemy than any one of them.

As someone who doesn't tend to read fantasy (but saw someone raving about this book), We Hunt The Flame was a revelation: a fantasy novel that is carefully woven to dig deep into character and motivation, and without excessive or unnecessary world-building. Moving between Zafira and Nasir's perspectives, the narrative is fast-paced and balances surprises with emotion. Both of the protagonists are engrossing characters, with Zafira learning that people's morals and lives aren't black and white whilst she looks to who she is outside of the 'Hunter' legend, and Nasir battling with the fact that emotion and relationships with others might stretch beyond who he's been told to kill next. The coming together of the whole crew doesn't feel forced and works well, leaving an intriguing mix of characters for the second part of the duology.

This is a novel that is really centred around its characters and the ragtag band of fighters that they form. It also emphasises the importance of taking control of your own identity and how that might not always be an easy task in relation to the society or rules you live with. At the same time, it is a fun fantasy story with a lot of banter and characters learning to work together.

This book was built upon layers and layers of lush landscapes, history, and culture. This was a work we all needed to help diversify the pool of fantasy, and the writer's style is strong and enchanting. I found myself really pulled into this world, there was such a darkness in the shadows and in the characters that I loved and I praise them for not being always good or always sure, they were not just morally grey as people so often are but conflicted and constantly striving to do right [or wrong/what they think is right] and that's important in a YA fantasy. It's not a quick light read but engrossing and dependent on the reader's desire or ability to get lost in its words.

I would have rated it five stars but there were times where I felt the pacing was a bit skewered, not necessarily in the plot but within the love interests and their personal journies. I did adore all the characters though and cannot wait to read the next book, their zumra was amazing and there was not one character I disliked in the book, not even the villain. Faizal did a great job creating these characters and such an enriching world.

This book was absolutely, utterly, brilliant and amazing. I loved this book from beginning to end. As soon as I finished reading We Hunt the Flame I lied on my bed chanting “I need the next book, I need it, I need it, I need it,” because it utterly destroyed me and I need to know what happens next.

I was instantly hooked into this story. I was instantly intrigued by what was happening and I had difficulty putting it down. I loved that the chapters and perspective switched between Zafira and Nasir. Giving two, sometimes opposite and conflicting, insights into the story. I loved that their two points of views started off so very different and showing two different parts of the world. Which slowly began to align as the story progressed and they realised that they needed the other to find the book on Sharr.

The journeys and growth that the characters go through over the course of this novel were heartbreaking at times. So much happened to Zafira and Nasir, to them separately and them together that I don’t know how to put into words the roller coaster this book was.

So many of the characters were dark and conflicted, hiding secrets from others and sometimes themselves. The main group of characters, the zumra, don’t all truly trust each other. Well, Zafira and Nasir don’t seem to trust anyone really. But they all have to work together in order to reach the same goal. As Sharr plays on their fears and loneliness, Sharr (the prision island) is alive in a way and can play them against each other. The beings that had once been trapped during the rein of the Six Sisters have been left unchecked and allowed to roam wild since magic and the Sisters vanished. Many of them are bloodthirsty and want to get their hands on the zumra. So even though they don’t want to work together they have to survive this island.

I loved that they were forced together to stay alive. Going from enemies, begrudging friends/allies, friends but-I’m-not-going-to-admit-it, and potential even more in the sequel (mainly between Zafira and Nasir). Think that there’s also some potential for the found family trope that might work with the groups dynamic.

This book has really stayed with me since I read it and I think that it is one of the best books that has come out in 2019. It is an amazing debut that is rich with magic, love, family, friendship, and so much more. I highly recommend this to anyone that loves fantasy. I would say that this is one of the must read books of 2019.

The only downside of this book is that I don’t have the sequel already.

what a beautiful gem of a book! I loved the characters, the descriptions (especially of the food) and most of all, the plot!

Such a wonderful world and I cannot wait for the sequel!!!

I liked this book, i loved the story and the plot and the characters. The world building is great and I loved that it was a middle eastern setting with magic (who doesn't love magic) but for some reason I did have to force myself to pick it up. Its a great story and I did enjoy it once I got into it but I think I was in the wrong frame of mind. The hype for me just didnt live up to my expectations.
But i enjoyed it nonetheless.

There’s been a lot of hype about We Hunt the Flame, and for good reason: it’s a lush, Middle-Eastern inspired fantasy that deals with love, loss and (of course) magic. I raced through this in one sitting, because it’s just that gripping.
Though the prose is a tad too purple, and the characters do rather a lot of navel gazing, that doesn’t take away from the strong heroine, Zafira, or the tortured angst of her foil and love interest, the assassin Nasir. They’re both well-rounded, they’re both flawed, and watching them slowly realise their feelings for each other (in the middle of a hunt to restore magic to the kingdom of Arawiya, no biggie) as they trek through the Hunger Games-esque style magical island of Sharr is great stuff. There are betrayals. There are revelations. And there is also some pretty cool stuff with shadows.

I was really excited to read this new fantasy! However I just couldn't get on with the writing style and I felt like we were thrown into the story and weren't really given enough time to find out about the characters and feel invested in them

I really enjoyed the idea behind this book. It has lots of action and intrigue and few twists and turns that I didn't see coming at. The character development was great, it was nicely progressed.

My only issue was that it was a little slow going in the beginning.

After finishing We Hunt the Flame, I was a bit confused about how to rate this book but now that its been a few days and I have slept over it, I think I can more or less point out why this book didn't work for me!

Let's begin.. shall we?

Unoriginal Story line
Apart from the Arabian setting of the story, this entire book can be considered as highly unoriginal. Let's see, the MC, Zafira is a huntress, who hunts in the cursed forest called Arz in order to feed the people of her village. She has a mother who is bereft and apparently good for nothing and a sister who is the soft one in the family. Her father was her role model until he died and she has a best friend who is in love with her. That's The Hunger Games right there folks. Heck! The only thing that distinguishes Zafira from Katniss Everdeen is that she has to pretend to be a boy when she hunts because the society that exist in this book is oppressive towards women. (FYI Girls dressing up like boys is the reigning trope of 2019.) Now moving on to the male lead, Nasir is the Prince/assassin also known as the prince of death. Nasir is tortured and ridiculed by his father, the king. Also, the king is controlled/ possessed by an evil ancient creature, that's Throne of Glass.

Even the concept of evil forest seems to be taken from books like Uprooted and let me tell you this, I didn't finish Uprooted because I wasn't feeling it but the best part of that book was the forest itself. In We Hunt the Flame the Arz fails to create the same magic, its there and people who venture deep into the Arz lose there mind but its never made clear what actually goes inside the forest and the one time when the characters are actually suppose to venture in the forest, it conveniently disappears because there is an even bigger threat to tackle. To add to every unoriginality that I mentioned above, the magic in this world has vanished and I swear it when I say this but this is the third book that I have read in July alone which follows this vanquished magic theme.

Honestly, though, I wouldn't have minded the unoriginality of the plot much and this could still have been a decent read if not a great one because the author surely knows her way with words. However, the plot of this book is OMG so slow... like I get the need of world-building and establishing the history of the world, which I won't deny was done splendidly but at the end of the day this book is about the quest to finding this ancient book which can restore magic to the realm and that part covers more or less 80% of the book, unfortunately, though it doesn't have a lot going on. There is very little action and I didn't particularly found the relationship development between characters enamoring or convincing. The plot twists felt contrived and it didn't help that I predicted each one of them.

Which also brings me to the third and the biggest issue I had with the book and that's the bland characterization . Both Zafira and Nasir characters showed a lot of promise in the beginning of the book. She is a young woman living in an oppressed society grappling with her own identity and trying to figure out who she is. He is lost in the darkness of his fathers creation and doesn't really understands or knows how not to be that person yet he feels strongly and cares so much. However, as the story progressed both their characters failed to keep up their initial charm and turned into very cliched characters. The attraction between Zafira and Nasir once again felt unconvincing because honestly, they barely knew each other. To a certain extent I liked Altair's character but apart from him I didn't find any other character even slightly interesting. Heck! at this point I don't even remember the names of two other characters who were part of their small crew.

Overall, I feel We Hunt the Flame had a lot of potential but weak characterization and uneven pacing made this book a drag for me. As always, this is a subjective opinion and you can always give this book a try. The cover is pretty at least.

I didn't have any expectations going into We Hunt the Flame, I didn't know anything about it except it was YA fantasy. And that is what I'd been craving to read for a long time. Before this I was in a bit of a book slump, only reading books I only mildly enjoyed, and nothing that I couldn't put down because I was so engrossed. In fact I took a while (or what is considered a while to me) to get through the books I'd been reading. <em>We Hunt the Flame</em> was exactly what I needed and maybe that was why I liked it so much.

The right book, at the right time.

This book was fast-paced, fun and engaging; considering that I had kind of fallen out of love with YA recently, this reminded me of everything I used to love about the genre. The world was interesting, and inspired by Ancient Arabia, drew on a lot of myths and legends I can't wait to see more of in the next books. The magic system was intriguing and easy to follow without being too much like the YA I've read before. It didn't have the intricacies a lot of fantasy that I have read more recently did, and definitely needs more exploration in the next one. However, it was a good world to be in, and I can't wait to hear about all the different lands that this book only touches on.


I'm a sucker for a group of characters that don't want to work together but eventually have to and grow to rely/like/love each other, which this novel had in abundance. It was the core of the novel for me. It's just clearer to see the development of dynamics and relationships with a trope like this and I loved the group that Faizal bring together.

That being said, the novel relies upon these tropes to hook you in. Parts of it was too much like a cheesy YA fantasy, the ones we all love but know could be so much better for avoiding or even subverting these tropes. Another one it falls into is an enemies-to-lovers, insta-romance between our two narrators. I like their dynamic, it's always fun to read about people who reluctantly start to like each other despite what they want. But it also could've benefited from the romance taking a back seat in this novel, maybe saving most of the real romantic development for the second one to leave us on the edge of our seats in a will-they-won't-they kind of way. What these two characters needed was a heavy friendship development before anything happened, but of course that is one of the things that has always bothered me about YA.

Nevertheless, the plot was intriguing and lends itself to more books. The characters are fun and you do want to learn more about them (even though some seem to appear out of nowhere with a flimsy excuse to how they got there). The world is well-built and excitingly fresh, it was exactly the kind of novel I was hoping it would be. I'll definitely be recommending it to lovers of fantasy and, most particularly, YA fantasy as one of the best I have read in a long time.

This could have been such a great fantasy if only the pacing had been better. I found it too bogged down in description which, though often very lyrical, stopped the story going forward. There was a lot of explaining of what was going on (I still don't think I fully get it) and too much internal monologue, which I found myself skipping. Shame, as it could have been great.

I'll start this review with my standard disclaimer that this is me, a white lady, reviewing a book written by a woman of colour with readers of colour in mind. I'd be naive to think I can have the same experience reading this book as they might - so I urge you to seek out reviews from those readers as they will have more insight on those particular elements than I do - and also it's great to support bloggers of colour! 

I'll start by saying that this book was difficult for me to start - I think that's because I was originally trying to read it digitally, but the first couple of chapters didn't grab me. If you have a similar experience I really urge you to keep going. This book picks up so quickly after those first ten or fifteen pages and once I got there I read it in two days - it would have been one but I work a nine to five so can't devote as much time to reading as I might like!

It feels like a while since I read a really good dual POV YA fantasy novel where the two POVs were love interests. I mean I've read a whole host of terrible ones but this was different. (Side note: I had the audiobook of The Traitor's Game and I just thought it was awful - steer clear). This book got it right. It managed to steer clear of that problem where you as a reader are practically screaming 'JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER' at the page! The dynamic between Zafira and Nazir is just wonderful - I enjoyed reading it, the tension was expertly handled - just great characterisation and balancing of viewpoints. 

So much of the marketing for this book has emphasised the 'disguised as a boy' aspect of the story. While it is emphasised over and over again that if Zafira is found out then bad things will happen, the amount of time she spends disguised is not as much as I would have expected. The 'reveal' happens pretty early on in the story (and for those wondering it isn't a horrible and violating 'tearing off the bindings' kind of a reveal - thank goodness) and for the most part Zafira is herself. I personally see that as a strength to the story as it meant that other tensions and difficulties could take precedence over the 'how will I take a bath' with which we're all familiar. Again, Hafsah Faizal manages to balance what might be a played out YA trope with exceptional skill!

I loved Hafsah Faizal's writing. Those two sentences at the start of the summary are a great example of the power that she has with words. I thought that the opening sentences to the chapters in this book best showed that expertise, some of them I had to read multiple times because I was just in awe of how she had managed to put words together like that. As something of an aspiring writer, I can only hope to have that kind of skill one day. It's the writing that really makes this book stand out from other similar titles. It's some of the finest craft I've ever had the pleasure to read in a debut and I'm thoroughly excited for more people to encounter and love this book. 

It's very clear that this is the first book in a series (or duology? - I'm not sure), as the plot isn't really resolved through this book. I personally didn't mind how this happened, it wasn't a sudden sequel hook at the end of an otherwise complete story. The only sadness for me is that I now have to wait an excruciatingly long time for the sequel - I mean May next year? That's practically torture. 

My rating: 5/5 stars

As I say, I did get sent a copy of this book for free but I also bought one myself. All opinions are my own. 

We Hunt the Flame publishes in the UK on August 8th and is available in the US now!

Until a few months ago, I hadn't read many fantasy novels (apart from Harry Potter and Twilight), but lately I found myself reading more and more fantasy and there is one novel that especially caught my eye and kept me completely engrossed. WE HUNT THE FLAME is the first novel in the Sands of Arawiya series by Hafsah Faizal and I am completely addicted to it.

The story is full of magic, fast-paced, and full of descriptions. The multi-layered characters are engaging, intriguing, and mysterious, all with their own demons to face in their journey to save the kingdom. 

I loved the setting. The Arabic desert is beautiful, mysterious, dangerous, and claustrophobic and it comes to life under the pen of the author. I like the writing style, especially the dialogues which I found witty and often funny (Altair made me laugh many times).

All in all, WE HUNT THE FLAME is a book I definitely recommend and I am already looking forward to book number 2!

We hunt the flame was a fun story about a fight for the safety of the kingdom, the blurred lines between inheritantly good and bad, and unlikely friendships.
I enjoyed this book, I liked the setting and worldbuilding, and I really appreciated the rep of this story.
My biggest hangup is that it didnt feel like anything new was being brought to the table, but that being said, it was still a quick and enjoyable read. I am definitely intrigued to see what happens next in this series, and I know a lot of people will really enjoy this book.

I’d heard and seen so many post’s about this book on social media so when I saw that this book was available to request on NetGalley I was so excited, and even more so when I got the email to say I had been approved.

So, let me start with what I loved about this book. I thought this book started off very interesting. It has a really good plot which is very different to your normal fantasy books. I liked how it was based outside the usual western style fantasies that you normally see. In fact, I’ve personally not read one, and think more diverse fantasy books are needed.

I also loved the way this book was written. It’s full of beautiful descriptions, which helped in create a great world. And I loved reading and discovering more about the Sharr world.

The characters started of interesting but Sadly, after the great start to this book I started to struggle with it. I felt all the character’s started to feel like they weren’t developing as much and that they all started to feel the same (hope that makes sense). I also felt couldn’t connect with any of the characters and no particular character stood out at me by the time I reached the end of the book.

Another thing I struggled with while reading this book was the pacing. I started off really well when I reached the middle section it just slowed down way too much for my liking and in fact at this point I started to skim read parts of it. It does pick up by near to the end but my this point I started to lose interest in the book.

All in all, I’m personally a little disappointed in this book. I tried really hard to like it but just couldn’t. Don’t get me wrong this is a beautiful debut novel and I know loads of people have loved it to bits, but sadly this one just wasn’t for me.

Even though this wasn’t a great read I do recommend, but just be prepared for the slow read.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Pan Macmillan for my eARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

"She was going to bring her father justice, kings and witches be damned. And when she returned, magic in her grasp, she would give a calipha her throne."

* * 
2 / 5

When I picked up We Hunt The Flame I wasn't aware that it was a hotly anticipated YA release. I just thought that the premise and the cover were cool. Whilst I was intrigued by the magic and adored the setting, We Hunt The Flame failed to connect with me emotionally, resulting in me half-heartedly leafing through it.

"Darkness is your destiny. You were born for hell."

We Hunt The Flame has a solid beginning. Zafira bint Iskandar is a woman in a caliphate that dislikes women. Her village is starving and so she ventures into the Arz, the quickly-growing dangerous and mystical forest, to hunt food. She is the only one who can return and is approached by a mysterious woman who wants her to retrieve an artifact that can restore long-lost magic to the land. Meanwhile, Nasir Ghameq is the son of an abusive King. He is sent out to assassinate those who threaten his father. When the King sends Nasir to kill the Hunter and steal the artifact, Nasir goes. 

The plot is nothing new. The land is cursed because of something that happened ages ago. An artifact must be retrieved from a creepy and dangerous island. Zafira is an oppressed woman with a difficult home life. Nasir is a brooding, dark, misunderstood prince with a tragic past. What helps this book stand out is the setting, inspired by Arabia. Faizal paints a picture of a different world, trickles in the names of different foods, sprinkles in new languages naturally, and generally threads together a cool Arabia-inspired world where magic lingers. 

"They'll tell stories about us, he had said. There was once a boy with a future. Until all he had left was his past."

Unfortunately, the worldbuilding couldn't save the book from being utterly boring. Once Zafira sets off on her quest, I completely lost interest. It's hard to put my finger on why. Part of it might have been the flowery and overdone writing style. It might be that nothing ever felt like it was happening. The way that Zafira flip-flopped between being a strong Hunter who could provide for her people, and a weepy running-away wreck. The unbelievable way in which Zafira forgives the murder of someone she has known her whole life in a few pages. 

I just never felt emotionally invested. When big plot twists came up, I blinked and turned the page and kept listlessly reading, unaffected by what had happened. I didn't care who Nasir's mother really was. I didn't care who really killed Zafira's friend. Meh. Also didn't dig the romance. 

I'm glad I gave We Hunt The Flame a go. It was a shame the book felt so slow and that I went in thinking I was going to get something original, and I just didn't. On the plus side, some of the lines are super quotable. 

My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of We Hunt The Flame.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

People lived because she killed. People died because he lived.

This was a book I had seen all over the book community and after reading the synopsis I knew that I wanted to give this book ago. The world that Hafsah Faizal has created is magical but realistic at the same time. Her way of world building is phenomenal and was one of the things that had me constantly going back for more.

The characters are incredibly well written, and I really enjoyed the character development of our two main characters. I’m an absolutely sucker for dual perspective so I was extremely happy when I realised that this book had just that, letting us hear the story from both Zafira and Nasir’s eyes. I found myself really loving these two characters as well as Altair, especially that endless banter.

However, I did find the book slow in places and found it hard at first to get into the story. You need to have full concentration when reading this book so you don’t end up like me, having to go back and re-reading paragraphs. Nevertheless, the book did really pick up and I then I found myself completely hooked. I am in love with this world, the characters and the story that Faizal has created.

Overall I really did enjoy this book and really does focus on conquering your fears and taking control of your own identity. I do really recommend this book, just remember to power through the slow parts!

I wanted so badly to like this book - it has an excellent plot, and is bursting with fresh ideas. I especially love fantasy that isn't western based, that uses other belief systems as a base for the fantasy, but....

It's disjointed, and rambling, and difficult to follow. The jumps from place to place are jarring, and the characters do not have authentic voices - they all sounded the same. Also... Nasir sounded like a carbon copy of Altair or suchlike from the assassins creed games. Like, substitute the name, and it could be fanfiction.

Altogether, disappointing. DNF at around 30pc.