Genre: Young adult fiction, fantasy fiction
Key Stage: Year 9+ (most suitable for age 14+)
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal (2019)
Plot: We Hunt the Flame talks of Zafira, a well-known, respected hunter who disguises herself as a man to go into the dangerous forest and find food for her people. On the other side of this world, the story also follows Nasir, the “Prince of Death” who is a deadly assassin obeying his father, the king’s orders. They both journey to the island labelled as evil but for different reasons. This is where they will eventually meet and encounter a few other people along the way who all have their individual goals.
Positives: The world building and character dynamics really made this book stand out to me and i fell in love with the character’s chemistry. Together, they made this book delightful and fun. Hafsah Faizal has a way of writing humour and wit mixed with serious issues and history that manage to work around each other. This Middle Eastern inspired fantasy was full of high stakes quests, ancient magic, old threats, and legends. Throughout the book, there were a lot of plot twists and reveals that made it impossible to stop reading. As the first book in The Sands of Arawiya, the ending was, of course, a shocking cliff-hanger.
Negatives: The beginning was a bit slow as it mainly introduced the world and characters, but I soon forgot about it as the rest of the story was absolutely incredible. One other thing is that it takes some time to understand the politics, world and magic system, but it eventually makes sense (especially with the help of the map) and all falls into place.
Reviewer: Rose, Year 9