We Hunt the Flame

Hafsah Faizal

May 2019 · Sands of Arawiya Book 1 · Sold by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

About this ebook

An Ignyte Award Winner 2020
A TIME Magazine Top 100 Fantasy Book of All Time
A Paste Magazine Best YA Book of 2019
A PopSugar Best YA Book of 2019
A TeenVogue Book Club Pick for 2019
A Barnes & Noble Teen Book Club Pick for 2019

"Lyrical and spellbinding" —Marieke Njikamp, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

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 gripping debut of discovery, conquering fear, and taking identity into your own hands.

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

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.

Ratings and reviews

A beautiful start to an Arabian-inspired fantasy duology - 4.5 Stars - "We hunt the flame, the light in the darkness, the good this world deserves." Zafira is the Hunter, a girl who disguises herself as a man. She travels regularly to the mysterious and dangerous forest of Arz in order to hunt for her village. When she gets the chance to get rid of the Arz forever by retrieving a magical artifact, she decides to go to Sharr, a mysterious and deadly island. Meanwhile, Nasir, the prince of Arawiya, is also sent to Sharr, but he is sent by his father with orders to kill the Hunter and steal the artifact. "A life without purpose may be no life, but a life without love is nothing but an existence." We Hunt the Flame features a fantastical Arabian inspired world with a veeeeeeeeery slow-burn romance. Things I loved: - As others have mentioned, Hafsah Faizal's writing is BEAUTIFUL. It's lyrical and absolutely entrancing. - I loved all the characters! (even though some of them frustrated me a little bit because of their stubbornness) - World-building was great in my opinion, though I was a little confused with all the information thrown at me in the first section of the book. Things I disliked: - There were some parts of the book that I felt were a little less engaging (though most of the book was pretty fast-paced and interesting). - As I mentioned before, I felt that the world could have been introduced a little better in the beginning as it was a little difficult to understand at first. I definitely recommend this book to those who love fantasy and/or books with flowery writing. I really enjoyed this, and am so excited for the release of the sequel!

I felt it's nice for a young audience. Story wasn't so original with random events happening and obvious twists. The characters are a bit cliché, especially the love story, that occupies soo much space in the novel.

I will admit that it took me a few chapters of the dual point of views to understand enough of this world to really start enjoying it. I was worried I was missing something, but this author unfolded this world, drew me in, and never released me. I couldn't wait to get back to reading every night as the world felt so real, the characters were complex and ones to cheer for, and the stakes set high for them. The alternating point of view chapters built the tension and suspense. The writing is some of the best I've encountered--the metaphors are original and fitting to the world. One of my favorites was on page 399: "Her heart pounded as fiercely as if she were running for her life." The banter and sarcastic humor surprised and delighted me and even made me laugh. The chapter endings always made me want to turn the page. This story is so much more than a fantastical world in which characters battle and compete to restore their former lives, it's a story of learning to be yourself, learning to let yourself love and be loved, and a story of friendship and family. I'm excited to read the final book in duology.

About the author

Hafsah Faizal is the New York Times bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame, and the founder of IceyDesigns, where she creates websites for authors and beauteous goodies for everyone else. When she’s not writing, she can be found designing, deciding between Assassin’s Creed and Skyrim, or traversing the world. Born in Florida and raised in California, she now resides in Texas with her family and a library of books waiting to be devoured. Visit her at hafsahfaizal.com.