In a world inspired by ancient Arabia, Zafira is a skilled Hunter who disguises herself as a man in order to track down animals in the cursed forest of the Arz, hunting and killing them in order to feed her people. Nasir, on the other hand, is an assassin known as the Prince of Death and also happens to be the Sultan’s son. Both characters come from extremely different backgrounds and reluctantly play their roles in We Hunt the Flame, eventually joining forces on a journey on which neither wants to embark – uncover a lost artifact that can bring magic back to their world. 

War is brewing, people are starving, and women face horrible inequality in Hafsah Faizal’s debut novel. On top of that, the Arz slowly consumes the kingdom of Arawiya in cold shadows, killing every semblance of life in its wake. In order to restore magic to her people and ensure their survival, Zafira is called upon by the Silver Witch to find and uncover the Jawarat. Zafira is the best choice for this quest because she is the only one who has entered the Arz and returned alive and well (not to mention on a regular basis). Everyone else either gets lost, dies, or comes back mentally unstable and dangerous – with Zafira’s own father being an example.

Zafira is extremely terrified but believes she is the only choice to save her land and her people. Nasir, however, has been ordered by his evil father to follow the Hunter on his journey, retrieve the artifact, and leave no one alive. If he fails, unimaginable punishment awaits him. Along with their companions and unexpected allies, Zafira and Nasir must work together or risk bringing death upon their people and/or themselves.  

Faizal spends the beginning of We Hunt the Flame building her world in extreme detail – from the clothing to the customs to the food. In fact, Faizal intentionally wanted to make readers salivate upon reading the delectable dishes featured in her story. As with any world-building patterns in storylines, the beginning of the novel is a bit slow, with no real action occurring until at least halfway through. However, readers will find it was worth the wait once the characters begin their journey – ancient evils and mythical legends come into play, making the quest more dangerous and challenging than anyone had expected. 

Of course, no YA novel would be complete without some pining and angst between the two main characters, nor without wisecracks from a smartass companion or two. Nevertheless, the world came to life off the page and into my brain, as Faizal’s detailed writing made it easy for me to picture all of the elements of this story. That, plus the heartbreaking backstories of the characters had me sympathizing with even the most ruthless among them. 

The sequel to We Hunt the Flame, titled We Free the Stars, will be published in early 2021. And after the cliffhanger at the end of the first book, I can’t wait to get my hands on the followup. I had the opportunity for a brief interview with Hafsah Faizal to discuss her choices in her writing and what we can expect from the sequel. The interview can be heard on a future episode of The Nerd Cantina Show.