Zafira is The Hunter. Disguised as a man, she enters the dark, dangerous, cursed forest, to feed her people. If she is exposed, it will all be for nothing, her actions rejected no matter what good they have gone. Nasir is The Prince of Death. The heir to the throne, and an assassin, killing by order of the sultan.
Zafira is tasked with a quest: to go to a cursed island, and restore magic to the land. Nasir is issued with an order: to kill the Hunter, and steal whatever is required to restore magic.
We Hunt the Flame is the debut novel for author Hafsah Faizal. This is something I’ve said about other novels before, but it also applies to this one – it doesn’t feel like a debut. The worldbuilding is tight and we’re introduced to this land in a really fluid way. Everything feels natural, rather than events stopping to explain to the reader exactly what one thing or the other is.
Faizal skillfully weaves together this world and characters, making them feel completely and utterly part of one another. And the relationships built up between the various characters, whether it’s the relationship between the two protagonists or between them and the ‘side characters’, are an absolute delight to read.
The danger hangs over the heads of the characters throughout their journey, and Faizal effectively increases the tension and mystery with every page, keeping the reader absolutely hooked. I found myself completely caught up in the characters’ quests, eager to see how they would cope with the next obstacle thrown in their way.
There are familiar tropes buried within these pages, but given a fresh breath of life at Faizal’s skillful hand. The characters and this world are fun to read, the events that transpire are absolutely gripping, and I can already see this being one of my top books read this year.
Unwrapping Words 
Sounds like Faizal hit a home run on this debut.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Definitely! I’m going to be snapping up the sequel as soon as it’s out.
LikeLike