So I thought I’d start our blogging history with a book that was monumental, vivid, exhilarating, and full of everything we like in a fantasy book.
(No, it’s not Harry Potter. More on that later)
We Hunt The Flame (https://www.wehunttheflame.com/) by Hafsah Faizal (https://www.hafsahfaizal.com/) is one of the most revolutionary books I’ve read. Ever. When writing books, especially one that takes place in history, you see them with strong European/American influence. For example: One of my favorites, Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco, takes place in the Historic UK and US - time period being the late 1880s. The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller is a young adult novel that takes place in a country with European influence. So imagine my surprise when I pick up WHTF and it takes place in a country (Arawiya) that has strong Arabian Influence!
I never thought I would read a book where I could watch other, non-arabic speaking people struggle with names and ideas that I grew up with. I talk with friends that read WHTF, and they butcher the words and names, while I, the benevolent, humble person that I am, laugh internally at their vain efforts. Hafsah Faizal has created a vivid story in a world that I can relate to, with characters I can understand. WHTF is a beautiful, marvelously crafted story full of fantastical elements told in the most magnificent of manners. Expect nothing but the best from this story.
Summary:
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 sultan. 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 Zafira and Nasir 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 sultan 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.
Characters:
Our two protagonists are Zafira Bint Iskandar and Nasir Ghameq.
This is one of the places Arabian Culture really shows itself, just in the name. Zafira is an Arabic name meaning “victorious”. In Quranic Arabic, Nasr means “victory”, which is where Nasir comes from. Zafira’s name, Zafira Bint Iskandar, is also common from islamic-arabia: Zafira is her name, bint means “Daughter of” and Iskandar is her father’s name. Nasir’s name takes on a different structure: as we all modernized, instead of writing the bint or ibn (ibn means son of), parents used their father’s name as their child’s surname - what Nasir did. Nasir’s surname, Ghameq, is his father’s first name. If Nasir had any kids, their last name would probably be Nasir.
But that’s not what we are here to talk about.
Zafira (zuh-fee-ruh) Bint Iskandar is a strong, willful girl who disguises herself as a man so she can go into the Arz - which is the strong, mysterious and magical forest that traps everyone in - so she can hunt for her caliphate, Demenhur. Demenhur is barren, covered with snow, and the sun rarely shines because “the sun didn’t know what to do with the snow that should have been sand” (ch 1). Through her hunting, she brings back food to feed the caliphate. However, she can only do so because she disguises herself as a man and remains anonymous. Because not only is Demenhur lifeless, it’s also misogynistic - in Nasir’s words, “Demenhur’s caliph was a biased crow who would blame women for old age, if he could” (ch 2). Zafira has a hero-instinct and the “if I don’t, who will?” mindset that leads her to her quest and plot of the book. (picture by Arz28)
Nasir (Nuh-seer) Ghameq is a cinnamon roll! Nicknamed the Prince of Death and trained as a Hashashin (this word means assassin), he dances to his father’s strings and kills at his father’s will. He shows absolutely no compassion for the servants working at the palace and is entirely stoic when it comes to other people. Then why is he a cinnamon roll? Because while he may not show his compassion, his heart is full of it. Nasir feels A LOT, he has just trained himself not to show it because of his father. What makes him go on his main quest? General Al-Badawi - more on him later. Nasir comes from Sarasin, known for its hashashins and general warrior-type nature. (picture by Arz28)
Now let’s talk the Zumra (zumra means “gang”):
Altair (uhl-tuh-eer) Al-Badawi is another cinnamon roll!! He is bold and outgoing and flirtatious, but has all the tricks up his sleeve and secrets in his brain. He is the reason Nasir and he go on their quest. I’d like to say he’s also the reason they succeed, but there are other people involved. Altair is the character with the tragic backstory and the cunning and conniving. His official title is General Al-Badawi, and he is Sultan Ghameq’s most prized general. Nasir hates him. (picture by Arz28)
Kifah (Kee-fuh) Darwish is a no-nonsense woman and one of the Nine Elite of Pelusia (the Nine Elite are basically bodyguards (?) of a sort to the calipha of Pelusia). She has daddy issues (finally! A character who’s not blonde and has daddy issues) and left her position with the Nine to come on the quest. She is a strong, savage lady who appears to be Zafira’s age (maybe 1-2 years older) but is much more mature. She loves everything food and joins the quest with the rest of the zumra for the sake of revenge. (picture by Arz28)
Benyamin (ben-yuh-meen) Haadi is an immortal safi (kinda like fae people) and the last person to come on the quest - also the one that drags Kifah along, they make their first appearance together. Benyamin is the eternally wise one, the one that has a way with words, the mastermind, and the one who has more tricks up his sleeves than you might expect. He comes from Alderamin, where all the safin live. He loves everything words and knowledge - in fact, while they are on their quest, Zafira sees him reading and says “only a safi would find time to read on [REDACTED]” (ch 51). (picture by Arz28)
Some other important characters:
Lana (Laa - nah) bint Iskandar is Zafira’s younger sister. Whereas Zafira’s personality is all ice and sharp angles, Lana is younger, kinder, more compassionate. If Zafira was a block of ice, then Lana is a delicate flower. She’s sunshiney and Zafira’s pride and joy. However, don’t let this fool you. Lana has the makings of a doctor or a nurse, and she is strong in her heart. In fact, it is she that takes care of their ill mother, especially when her mother has her “nightly episodes”.
Yasmine (yas-meen) Ra’ad is one of Zafira’s best friends and someone she looks up to as an older sister. She is fiery, snarky, and sarcastic, and she feels everything fiercely, and she doesn’t care what people think about her. She’s also one of the four people who knows that Zafira is the Hunter. In the beginning of the book, she is getting married to Misk Khaldun.
Deen (pronounced how it’s written) Ra’ad is Yasmine’s brother, Zafira’s best friend (maybe even more… hehe) and also one of the four people who knows Zafira is the Hunter. He was once a soldier for the Demenhune Army, but when the Sultan’s Army attacks Demenhur and the Ra’ad siblings’ parents die, he resigns his post and comes back to their little village so he can be with Yasmine. His time with the army also haunts him, but he doesn’t let that show. Zafira says Deen can coax a smile on anyone’s face.
Sultan Ghameq is the Sultan of Arawiya and Nasir’s father. He is a dictator, a tyrant, who wasn’t always what he is now. His throne is something that should have been Nasir’s, and Nasir doesn’t know how Ghameq convinced his mother into giving the throne to him upon her death. Nasir also thinks that there was once a time when the Sultan prized compassion.
All the pictures are by Arz28 and can be found here: https://www.wehunttheflame.com/characters
My thoughts about the plot:
You can tell by the plot and the pacing of the book that this is a book that underwent a lot of editing, revising, rewriting, etc. The book jumps straight into action, and as a result, some people may find it a little complicated and confusing to understand. Faizal also does not explain a lot, so the plot pacing doesn’t slow down. However, it’s not something you’ll be utterly lost on - over time, things explain themselves through the book. There are no filler parts or filler chapters - everything in the book happens for a reason, there is no dwindling or dawdling. The plot flows smoothly and cohesively, and there are little to no plot holes. The worldbuilding is also pretty solid, and there is a map (we’ll get back to this, it’s a stellar map) to help explain things. All in all, this is a story well planned and well told.
Book Details.
I have the hardcover copies of the books, so my cover looks a lot like the ones you’ll see online. However, I will say that compared to the cover of the second book, the first one isn’t that great, and I think the drawing of Zafira is kind of a sore spot on the cover (no offense, Zafira). However, it’s one of the best covers I’ve ever seen and it really is beautiful.
The Map is divine. There are no other words. It’s detailed, extravagant, and the font and style gives it some of the pomp and flair of antique maps. It is SO PRETTY! I wish I had it in color.
The first sentence of the first two chapters are what will really hook you. Zafira’s first sentence is “People lived because she killed”. WHY WOULD ANYONE NOT READ THAT? What’s more interesting is that Nasir’s sentence is the exact opposite: “People died because he lived”. If that’s how we’re going to start a book, I’m in for the ride.
One thing I like about the book is how short the chapters are. Compared to other novels, the chapters are actually quite short, and from a book that changes POVs (Points of View) a lot, you’d expect gaps in your knowledge of what’s happening. However, because the chapters are short, you don’t get that feeling. And also thanks to short chapters, you can get through it pretty fast.
I also love some of the themes Faizal used in WHTF. Throughout the book, Zafira and Nasir both struggle with their identities as individuals, and who they are when certain scenarios play out. Faizal really integrates self-(re)discovery into the book and shows how we, too, can find out who we really are.
Like any other YA Fantasy novel, there are some ships and romance involved. However, I think WHTF could have done better without it in there. Sure, Faizal could have hinted that they like each other and that maybe in the future they might get together, but it really felt like the romance in WHTF was just there for the sake of it being there. It was dry, unfeeling, and at times it was random, too.
I have a little challenge here: in the epilogue chapter, above the word “epilogue”, there is a word written in Arabic. I wonder if you could tell me what it is? Of course, I know what it is and what it means… but do you?
Writing Style
I love, love, LOVE Faizal’s style of writing! There are no words. She’s up there with Tahereh Mafi. She personifies everything, referring to the moon as “she”, giving the sun thoughts and feelings, and more. She doesn’t do a lot of describing, but when she does, it’s vivid and flawless. And all the characters are different, personalities fitting with each other like puzzle pieces. Their conversation isn’t boring and dull and “professional”, there is wit and humor and sarcasm involved. And oh, we all love Zafira’s comebacks.
Conclusion:
All in all, WHTF is a captivating, amazing story with original characters, non-conformist plot, and ideals and morals that you can apply in your own life. the story telling is vivid, the plot is flawless, and I would rate this book a 9/10 (points taken off for the dry romance). I would definitely read this book repeatedly and recommend it to others, so why are you still here? Go read We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal!