Title: We Hunt the Flame
Series: Sands of Arawiya, #1
Author: Hafsah Faizal
Publication Date: May 14, 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
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.
I had a reading slump and the moment I was out of it, all I wanted to read was contemporary. Reading Young Adult Fantasy always require me a great amount of uninterrupted time and undivided attention. I don't want anything getting in the way of me reading fantasy because I want to pay attention to the details and events. I've been an incredibly busy person for the last few months so reading fantasy books was out of the option. But now that I'm free, I'm back to enjoying the genre.
One of the best treats of 2019 has got to be this book. This is part of my June YA TBR and I am proud of myself that I got through a fantasy book and I'm also thankful for the author's writing because the story was just compelling for me to finish the story.
We Hunt the Flame was kind of slow for me at first, I have to admit, but thankfully the story's pace picked up and so did my interest. There's magic, action, banter and friendships that make up for most of the things I like about a book. Oh and did I say romance? No? Well that's because there's no concrete picture of it really but the chemistry between Zafira and Nasir was just *chef's kiss*. I like the whole enemies-to-lovers trope A WHOLE LOT (one of my favorite tropes of all time) although like I said, there really isn't a confirmation. But rest assure, they have a lot of moments that made me grin like a Cheshire Cat.
The characters, main and side, were all unique in their own ways. And I like how there isn't a character that's giving me a headache although the sultan makes me want to fight him but aside from him, they're all interesting and I appreciate that the author stuck to Zafira and Nasir's POVs despite this ensemble of characters that has been formed throughout the story. Constant POV change in third person is one of my pet peeves in fiction. Gladly, this book didn't give me that problem.
Another thing that made me appreciate and love this book is how this addresses sexism. How women are expected to marry, stay at home and not get their hands dirty working outside, and are expected to bear children because society said so. And I'm happy that Zafira stands up for this injustice because this is one of the things and unfairness that happens in real life and sadly, still happening to this present day.
Overall, this book was one of my favorites. I already said this. I've also reread this already two days after I finished on the first read. Now, I wait for the next book. Kind of wished I didn't rush this because I have a lot of questions and that ending had me wanting more. MORE.
missing YA fantasy like this,
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