A review by tinyy
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.5

Some of the writing in this book is gorgeous. I really mean it. 

Spoiler-free examples:
“But he was the Prince of Death, Amir al-Maut, as his mother had once called him in the old tongue, and good night always felt like goodbye.” P. 303

“Somewhere in the distance, a bird cried. Zafira couldn’t breathe past the delight expanding in her chest.” P. 318

But most of the writing is, in my opinion, akin to Tumblr poetry circa 2012. And it’s so repetitive. 

Spoiler-free examples: 
“She was going mad. She was the daughter of a madwoman, the daughter of a madman. Madness lived in her blood. That was the only explanation for this.” P. 187

“I have
to get out of
the way.” P. 222
(Yes, it’s really formatted like that. This occurs several more times.)

“She needed to lie down. What was she, an old man? She didn’t need to lie down.” P. 250

Examples with spoilers: 
”She didn’t need the others, the shadows reminded her.” P. 250

“Sometimes their surroundings mimicked her thoughts, wilting and wavering before she blinked and everything righted. The darkness was always happy to see her.” P. 299
(Also on page 299, we see the phrases “Weariness and wariness,” and “trekked and tracked.” Someone was feeling alliterative.)

And the worst offender: “She wanted Nasir to kill the Lion. His mother wanted him to kill the lion. She believed he could kill the Lion.” P. 418

Because this is already fairly lengthy, I won’t get into my opinions of the characters, the romance, the plot, or the world-building. To sum it up: I don’t like it. The one shining light was the Arabic. Habibi is my favorite term of endearment and one we should be using more. 
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