We Hunt The Flame by Hafsah Faizal
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.
Review
This book has all the makings of a brilliant young adult novel. You have a crowned prince turned assassin and a beautiful village girl that has always been drawn to the mysterious forest. Despite this good combination of success, this book fell short in a few areas that I tried my best to overlook. While it started off slow but strong, the book soon spiraled into something unrecognizable. I blame this on obvious plot holes and the lack of strong character arcs.
Zafira had the sass and spirit of most young adult heroines but she lost a part of herself about midway. She became someone else the moment she was in the presence of others, never asked for help, and kept acting like a damsel in distress instead of the bad ass that could work well with others and save the day. Nasir, on the other hand, managed to still keep me glued to every page. Not because he was unlike the typical elusive and hurt prince trope but because he thought coherently most of the time.
This is something I can't say for most of the group. The side characters were a welcomed addition as I'm a sucker for the found family trope. But sadly this group of misfits just didn't fit. They bickered most of the way and nothing about them being together changed how well the mission went. It actually just made it worse. Now I know I sound like I absolutely despised this book but I found myself reading until five am because no matter what, I still wanted to know if these misfits actually get their act together and get it done.
They came out of it tooth and nail but I still have plenty of questions and a thirst to pick up the next book. I blame this determination on the need to appreciate this young adult story. I read a review that called this book "old YA" and I find myself agreeing with that statement. While my age and recent life experience may have caused me to analyze the actual storyline, I just know 2015 Tina would have ate this book up without any faults. Its precious, intriguing, and just brimming with potential.
I rated this book a 3/5 stars.
- Tina.
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