Reviews

We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal

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juliapatt2007's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

“We were not born to fight, but our cradles were built from struggles and hardships. Pens, swords, sticks -- weapons shoved into our fists as soon as we’re old enough to grasp them. So we fight, because the world will cut our throats otherwise. We fight, because we don’t go down without one. (pg. 425-426)

I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this book after the first one but I can’t believe I ever thought that! This book pulled me back to it again and again. I love love love how this author builds in subtle feminism into her story, allowing it to be an element to the story and her characters without overpowering. I also love the descriptions of Nasir and how it is vague enough for the reader to fill in the gaps *shivers*. I did struggle a little bit remembering who everyone was but after awhile I remembered enough about the major players. Faizal’s description of Nasir and Zafira’s relationship was beautiful to me “Moon of my soul” and “twin flames” gave me shivers every time. I was a little disappointed in the ending just because I felt it was a little rushed (I kept checking how many pages were left because so much still needed to happen). I would love to see this author write some short stories about our favorite zumra and their continued adventures. The author has an amazing way with words and describing the rich world she has created! I loved reading these books and they are already on my “read again” list. This duology ended well and is very close to being added to my “to buy” list.

Content Warnings