There’s something about We Hunt the Flame that made it impossible for me to put down. Maybe it’s the world building. Or maybe it’s the characters. It might be the thrilling romance. It’s told with such passionate intent, every word meaningfully woven together into this breathtaking story that will resonate with readers until the very last page. I read through this in a matter of hours, and found myself wishing that Ms. Faizal had other books out; her writing is addictive. The world of Arawiya will lull you in with it’s dark promise, while giving you hope for the characters to see a better world full of life and magic.
We Hunt the Flame is a story set in an ancient Arabian style world called Arawiya. In this world, Zafira is a young woman disguising herself as a man known as the Hunter, going into the dark and cursed forest of the Arz to feed the people of her village. Should she be discovered as a woman, she’d be stripped of her accomplishments simply because of her gender. Meanwhile, Nasir is known as the Prince of Death, the loyal assassin of the king, killing anyone who would stand up to or oppose the word of his oppressive and tyrannical father. He’s long since learned to quell his compassion, or risk incurring his father’s wrath. As war and the forest of the Arz begin to creep upon the kingdom, Zafira is sent on a quest to retrieve an artifact that can restore magic to the kingdom, while Nasir has been sent to retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. However, an ancient evil has begun to stir, and the artifact may be more dangerous than either of them could have imagined.
Some of the first thoughts I had about this book were about the world building. It is done in such a compelling way, giving you enough detail relevant to the story, but not dumping a bunch of information at the reader that would make it feel a little disjointed. I loved that I didn’t just get an overall image of what the world might look like, but that readers get to experience many different settings of Arawiya. The opulence of the palace. The chattering markets, and quietness of Zafira’s home. The settings were so lush. I felt like I could step right in and know where I was. Even the forest of Arz seemed to be a little comforting, despite its cursedness. The descriptions felt like the jumped right off of the page, and I became immersed in them.
The characters were easy to love, and I felt that they had an amazing depth to them. I loved that Zafira and Nasir were not perfect, and that they grew throughout the story. There is no doubt that their character development is well done, our characters undergoing some major changes throughout the novel. Their battles with their respective darkness made them more relatable to me, Zafira’s struggle defining herself outside of her identity as the Hunter was quite important, especially in terms of her culture and the way she was raised. We’re not just seeing a fight between good and evil, but the internal struggles and choices that drive their actions. The antagonist is also complicated, and you’ll want to love them too, despite their malicious intent.
There’s definitely romance in this story, building alongside the storyline in such a gorgeous way. It builds in a fervent, all-consuming type of romance…as intense as the story and characters themselves. I loved it. This isn’t to say that there is not the propensity to be soft in this story, because there is also a tenderness to We Hunt the Flame that comes out in compelling ways. The familial dynamics are also something that I loved to see. Not just those of the main characters, but all of them. Each dynamic had meaning, and power in what became of the character, how they chose to respond to their situations. I also saw how the importance of our loved ones can shape, nurture, or corrupt what the characters became.
10/10 is what I would rate We Hunt the Flame. I felt wholly consumed by this novel of passion and darkness. There was so much to love in this harsh but lush world full of wonderful and monstrous things that we might want to go bump in the night. And those characters. I’ll not forget them for quite some time. I can’t wait to get my hands on a finished copy!
We Hunt The Flame is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of May 14th 2019.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
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 king. 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 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 king 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.
Set in a richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia, We Hunt the Flame is a gripping debut of discovery, conquering fear, and taking identity into your own hands.
I am loving this book. I am listening to it on audio and my student is reading it.