‘I should hate them, but they're so hot’: Why We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal Should be Your Next Read
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“People lived because she killed. . . People died because he lived.”
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal is the first book of the Sands of Arawaiya duology. This New York Times bestseller features a world inspired by Ancient Arabia, a diverse cast of characters, and well-loved tropes such as enemies-to-lovers and found family.
Faizal is a Muslim-American author and the founder of IceyDesigns. In 2020, she was featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. We Hunt the Flame is her first published novel.
Summary
Zafira bint Iskandar, known to the rest of the world as the Hunter, is the only person to brave the dark forest, called the Arz, and come out alive. At the start of the book, we find Zafira on a routine hunt in the Arz that quickly goes wrong. She meets the Silver Witch who informs her of an opportunity to retrieve an ancient artifact called the Jawarat that will destroy the Arz and bring magic back to Arawiya. But in order to do so, she must travel to Sharr, an island of evil that acts as a prison to the kingdom’s most vile creatures. On top of that, she must reveal to her misogynistic caliph that, all along, the Hunter was a woman dressed in men’s clothing.
Nasir Ghameq is the crown prince of Arawiya and its deadliest assassin. He learns of the Jawarat when he returns to the palace after his latest kill. His father, the cruel and bloodthirsty sultan, commands him to travel to Sharr, kill the Hunter and retrieve the Jawarat. If traveling to the most dangerous place in Arawiya wasn’t enough, Nasir is forced to bring with him the person he loathes most in the world.
The characters’ paths collide, as do their swords. They soon learn that, despite their differences and prejudices against each other, they must work together if they are to locate the Jawarat. On Sharr, they meet up with others also on the search for the Jawarat. As their journey progresses, our heroes learn that there is an ancient evil at play, determined to see to the destruction of Arawiya.
This story is full of exciting adventures and shocking plot twists, and through Faizal’s beautiful writing, the readers will find themselves fully immersed in the land of Arawiya.
What I loved
The Writing
I am not lying when I tell you that I fell in love with the book from the very first paragraph:
“People lived because she killed. And if that meant braving the Arz where even the sun was afraid to glimpse, then so be it.”
Immediately, I got chills. To contrast, here are the first lines of Nasir’s first chapter:
“People died because he lived. And if that was the only way to carry forward in this life, then so be it.”
With her writing, Faizal creates a vivid story for the reader. But the reader doesn’t just see the story. They feel every emotion, hear every sound, taste every bite. On top of that, Faizal incorporates Arabic culture and language into the story as well as Islamic symbolism. This made me cry like a baby, because it was so wonderful to see that kind of representation.
In terms of storytelling, We Hunt the Flame will be one of the best reading experiences a reader will ever have.
The Female Relationships
When Zafira was first introduced, I got some “I’m not like other girls” vibes from her, a phenomenon that many female YA protagonists fall victim to. And as badass as she was in the first few pages, I was a little wary of her.
However, we very quickly learn that Zafira has strong, healthy relationships with multiple women. Sure, she talks about how she is lanky and awkward and how her best friend, Yasmine, is curvy and gorgeous, but it comes from a place of admiration rather than jealousy. In fact, Zafira often looks to Yasmine for advice. Her inner monologue is even in Yasmine’s voice. It’s very sweet and refreshing to see.
What I Didn’t Love as Much
The Romance
Listen, enemies-to-lovers is my FAVORITE romantic trope. And for the most part, Zafira and Nasir’s relationship has all the good, juicy elements every enemies-to-lovers story should have. It’s got knife-to-the-throat. It’s got cautious-interest-turned-mutual-admiration. It’s got an angry make out session. And while all of that was glorious, I found the romance lacking.
In order for me to be fully invested in a love story, I need to see a deep, emotional connection between the characters. I didn’t see that with Zafira and Nasir. There were a lot of long glances, and thoughts of “I should hate them, but they’re so hot.” And we do see the characters start to care for each other as they learn more about each other. But that deep connection wasn’t there. It was mostly just Zafira and Nasir thinking about how attractive the other person is. It’s like, we get it! You’re both hot! Can we move on, please?
But to be fair, both of these characters grew up in an environment where loving someone romantically was a luxury. Zafira’s primary focus was providing for her family and her village. For Nasir, everyone who loved him was punished, so he stopped himself from loving. This attraction is very new to them, so of course, it will take time to develop (and, spoiler alert, it does in the second book). I just wish we got to see more than “wow, they’re hot.”
Slow pacing
I love some good backstories and I understand it takes time to establish a fictional setting. But I also love getting to the action! In We Hunt the Flame, our heroes do not set off on their journey until about 150 pages in, and it takes another 50 or so pages for them to actually meet. I feel like so much of the first part of the book could have been cut out or shortened as it didn’t serve a huge purpose to the plot.
The story does pick up after our heroes land on Sharr and are faced with a series of unfortunate events. But a lot of time is spent setting up camp and sitting around a fire. I know that this is meant to develop the relationship between the characters, but that could have been done in a more efficient way.
Closing thoughts
Overall, I rate this book 4/5 stars. It was a very unique and engaging story. The characters were all complex and lovable— even the villain. And I absolutely adored how the Arabic language and Islamic symbols were integrated so seamlessly in the writing. It made me feel seen, and it made me feel even more connected to the story.
Header Image: @hafsahfaizal / Instagram
Written by Bareerah Zafar
