We Hunt the Flame (Sands of Arawiya, #1)

by Hafsah Faizal

*An instant New York Times bestseller*
*A BuzzFeed pick for 'YA Books You Absolutely Must Read This Spring'*
*A Bustle's Most Anticipated YA Release*
*Paste Magazine's Top 10 Most Anticipated YA Novels*

Set in a richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia, Hafsah Faizal's We Hunt the Flame - first in the Sands of Arawiya duology - is a breathtaking debut about discovery, conquering fear, and taking identity into your own hands.

People lived because she killed. People died because he lived.

Nobody knows that Zafira is the Hunter. Forced to disguise herself as a man, she braves the cursed forest to feed her people. If she is exposed as a girl, all of her achievements will be rejected.

Nasir is the infamous Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the sultan. If he refuses he will be punished in the most brutal of ways.

Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya - but neither wants to be. And when Zafira embarks on a quest to restore magic to her suffering world, Nasir is sent by the sultan on a similar mission: retrieve magic 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 . . .

• ISBN10: 1529034094
• ISBN13: 9781529034097
• Publish Date: 8 August 2019 (first published 14 May 2019)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 25 January 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Imprint: Macmillan Children's Books
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 496
• Language: English

Reviews

[Jo]

3.5 Stars.

[Quirky Cat]

I hate myself for taking so long to sit down and read We Hunt the Flame. Has it really been sitting on my shelf for nearly TWO YEARS?! Yes, yes it has. Considering how much I loved this book, I consider that such a shame.

Zafira is the Hunter – and in lands that were more accepting, she would be known as the Huntress. That is not to be, even when she's the only one who can dare enter the magic forest and hope to come out alive.

Then there's the Prince of Death, a literal prince and assassin all in one. Nasir terrifies all around, with one notable exception. His father. Now Nasir has been ordered to go after the Hunter, use him to track down a priceless treasure, and then eliminate him.

“We hunt the flame, the light in the darkness, the good this world deserves.”

Words cannot describe how much I loved We Hunt the Flame. It was everything that I could have asked for – and so much more. This book may be almost five hundred pages – but it went by in the blink of an eye.

Well, thankfully, not quite so literally. But I did read it over the course of two nights, and what an experience it was! My only regret is that I didn't plan ahead and have We Free the Stars sitting on a shelf waiting to be read next.

Zafira and Nasir make for freaking fantastic opposing characters. It takes a while before they meet, but I enjoyed the switch in perspectives even before then. Both stories are heartbreaking for very different reasons.

I think it took me about two (?) chapters to get sucked into the plot. But once I did? Yeah, it was thoroughly stuck in my brain. I'm still wondering what will happen next or how they're going to complete the next mission (I'm trying to be vague here, to avoid spoilers).

“Be as victorious as the name I have given you, and bring the desert to its knees.”

So yes: in case it wasn't obvious, I loved We Hunt the Flame. It is going on my list of favorite young adult novels. And I will be picking up We Free the Stars once my book budget allows (I've been veeery bad lately).

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Nessa Luna]

Ok, this book started off really good, but towards the middle, it got a bit slow. I still enjoyed it very much and I could not put it down the moment they arrived on the island. It definitely ended with a bang and I cannot wait for the sequel! [spoiler]There is talk about romance, but it was very minor in my opinion and that's honestly the way I love my romance. I am sure it'll be explored more in the sequel, but yeah I do kind of ship it.[/spoiler]

[leahrosereads]

Pretty strong debut! Loved the world building. The world itself felt massive, and I loved the setting. The characters were well written and pretty fleshed out. Some inconsistencies here and there (namely around the romance), but overall, it didn't matter to me. And boy did this conflict work so incredibly well here. Definitely looking forward to seeing where this story goes!

[Joséphine]

Initial thoughts: Feeling sadly lukewarm about this book. It didn't have any problems but neither did it grip me. It's one of those that was entertaining enough while listening to the audiobook but once it was done, nothing about the story really stood out to me. I'll probably forget what We Hunt the Flame was about beyond the synopsis, so I might as well have stopped there.

[blackbibliophile]

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Amazing!! I loved it!
I can’t wait for the sequel!

[layawaydragon]

I really, truly wanted to like this one. I don't know what that matters, why I'm defending myself, but here I am.

I tried. Got stuck in the molasses ass beginning, quit, tried again, repeat. Like if I just stuck it out, things would get going and it'd be worthwhile. I loved The Hunter. Got real tired of The Death Prince's shit though.

Finally after months, I got to 30% where it started picking up, and they were setting off for the quest! Then It Hit Me: was it worth it?

So I quit again for the last time. I'm sorry We Hunt The Flame. I don't know if it's you or me or us together, but I just can't do it anymore. I wish you and your fans all the best and I'm sorry I can't count myself among them.