We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah FaizalMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a solid 3 stars for me. I liked it, but it was not love. I had a lot of trouble with the language in the beginning - often words were used that had zero context, so I was left to assume. By about halfway in I noticed that there was more translation. The word would show up, and then in italics the character would think the translation. It was strange. There was also a lot of detail that seemed to be left out. For example, at the end, (view spoiler)
The story itself was interesting. We get a different perspective with this Middle Eastern-like setting. There was a bit of a culture adjustment for me, because I couldn't figure out why there was so much emphasis on men going shirtless until I realized that Zafira was uncomfortable around men who were revealing so much skin, not that she was romanticizing their gigantic muscles. There are a lot of twists and turns, which weren't wholly surprising. I could see where things were going well ahead of Zafira, who always seemed to be two steps behind. The adventure was similar to most other fantasy adventures, where someone is "the chosen" to go and retrieve something valuable, meets up with a troupe of people who don't trust each other, they eventually become friends, yadda yadda. The stereotypical handsome joker, the brooding but gorgeous prince, the chattering elf (who didn't chatter as much as you'd expect, but who still seemed to have all the answers), and the random warrior woman all join in with our self-conscious and unsure heroine. That is to say, there was a lot of trope, just in a new setting. But it was at least a good read.
I think that one of my major problems with the book overall is that Deen and Kulsum only existed to provide the possibility that Zafira and Nasir wouldn't fall in love (of course, both of those characters are expendable, and of course Zafira and Nasir fall in love but are way too stubborn to actually embrace it). These two characters are absolutely unnecessary in the grand scheme of things. Deen and Kulsum have no character development, provide no real impetus for anything, and serve only to provide an excuse for Zafira and Nasir to feel pain. It feels like more should have been done with them to provide them with better character arcs, make them actually have an impact on the story beyond passive actors.
Also, there was a lot of wandering in the desert of Sharr with no direction and no destination in sight. They are literally just wandering, following Zafira, looking for a book, and fighting ifrit and other dangerous characters who pop up now and then. Most of their trip seems uneventful. All they do is argue, wonder whether they can trust each other, will-they-won't-they, etc. Yes, we're building relationships here, but I think that comes a bit at the cost of the story.
So overall, a solid 3/5 stars. I enjoyed it enough to keep reading. I wanted to know what happened to everyone, I wanted to know if Zafira and Nasir would actually admit to loving each other, and whether they would succeed in finding the book and setting things right. We're left with a nice epilogue which sets up well for the next book. I hate cliff hangers and this one was far from it. I was glad that the sultan's plan to destroy the village after Zafira left was addressed instead of just leaving the mention there and not talking about it again. Overall I'm glad that there will be a second book instead of trying to fit everything into this one, because after 91 chapters I was pretty spent. If given the chance, I would be interested in picking up book two when it's released to see how the story ends. If it ends up bleeding into more books, I probably will not keep reading.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
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