Book Review- We Hunt The Flame

Title: We Hunt The Flame

Author: Hafsah Faizal

Published: 8th August 2019

Pages: 480

Series: Sands of Arawiya #1

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Trigger Warnings: Neglect, Abuse, Death

Rating: 5/5

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

Nobody knows that Zafira is the Hunter. Forced to disguise herself as a man, she braves the cursed forest to feed her people. If she is exposed as a girl, all of her achievements will be rejected.

Nasir is the infamous Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the sultan. If he refuses he will be punished in the most brutal of ways.

Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya – but neither wants to be. And when Zafira embarks on a quest to restore magic to her suffering world, Nasir is sent by the sultan on a similar mission: retrieve magic 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, Hafsah Faizal’s We Hunt the Flame – first in the Sands of Arawiya duology – is a gripping debut of discovery, conquering fear, and taking identity into your own hands. -Goodreads

Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan for sending me a copy of the novel to read!

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!

Happy reading!