We Free the Stars is the sequel to Hafsah Faizal’s debut novel, We Hunt the Flame. Readers return to Arawiya, and Zafira, Nasir, and others make the journey back from Sharr to begin the second part of their mission to bring magic back to their people. But of course, there will be no smooth sailing for the team as they struggle with broken alliances and missing pieces to complete the task. 

Feel free to read my review of Faizal’s first book in the duology, We Hunt the Flame. 

The team has successfully recovered the hearts of the Sisters of Old – that is, except for one. While Altair had possession of one of the hearts, he was unfortunately kidnapped by the Lion of the Night. However, now the Lion also makes his way to Arawiya and prepares to unleash his demons (“ifrits”) and gain control. Zafira, Nasir, and the rest of the team must now work against the clock to not only return the hearts to their rightful places, but also recover the fifth heart somehow to bring magic back to the land. 

As mentioned before, the group faces difficulties along the way in We Free the Stars. Altair believes that his friends have abandoned him, and is tempted to join forces with the Lion as an alternative. Zafira’s bond with the Jawarat has her questioning her own sanity. Nasir’s struggle to control the magic within him proves to be more difficult than he anticipated. 

In addition to internal conflicts, our characters struggle with old relationships as well. Zafira has to mend her bond with her best friend, Yasmine, who saw Altair kill her brother Deen. Nasir desires to repair the relationship with his Sultan father, who is under the Lion’s control. We also meet new characters who have significant parts to play in the events to come (with heartbreaking ends as well). 

Faizal once again demonstrates her descriptive writing ability, providing readers with the rich details needed to picture each scene and consider each emotion with which our characters struggle. The story is paced well, with bursts of action sequences in between moments where dialogue takes over. We also get more politics in We Free the Stars, since much is at stake depending on who comes out on top in the battle for power. 

I have few complaints about the sequel; for one, it seemed to drag on at times. I understand much of the separate storylines fit into the big picture. However, when it takes about 16 hours or so to read the book (according to my Kindle), sometimes it seems like I’ve been reading this book forever. I guess the density seemed a bit much at times.

Another complaint is the pining between Zafira and Nasir. So. Much. Pining. I get it, they are in (deliberately undeclared) love. And yes, since Nasir is next in line to rule, and his future bride should also come from royalty. Consequently, it is a “forbidden” love and they cannot act on their feelings for one another. But that doesn’t mean they don’t struggle every time they’re in the same room (which became annoying with each scene). 

Don’t get me wrong – I’m a sucker for budding romances; it definitely adds more to the plot and more ways for readers to relate. But with each scene describing Zafira or Nasir’s struggle to open up to the other, or being distracted by certain exposed body parts, I found myself screaming, “Just tell him/her that you love her/him!” or “Just kiss already! ” among other thoughts. Maybe this is just another thing for readers to look forward to, but personally I could have gone without a few scenes (or at least have them give in to their desires more often). 

Overall, I greatly enjoyed We Free the Stars. It’s full of magic, wonder, love, loyalty, politics, challenges, and more. The sequel is worth the wait for readers who fell in love with the first installment, which is available now. 

Hafsah Faizal returns as a guest on our Cantina Conversations to talk about her experience with releasing the sequel, challenges faced during 2020, and some of the narrative choices she made. Stay tuned for an upcoming podcast episode and order We Free the Stars, available January 19, 2021. 

Listen to a (very) brief conversation we had during C2E2 2020 during Episode 89 of The Nerd Cantina Show podcast.