We Hunt the Flame (Sands of Arawiya, 1)

I cannot tell you how excited I am that I get the opportunity and the privilege to write this review for you guys, because this is a huge deal for me.I have been waiting for this book for two years. I have begged everyone under the sun to get me an ARC of this book. Then I was selected to be a part of the street team. Because of that, I was given an eARC by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review, and I shook with anticipation as I opened it and finally got absorbed into the world of Arawiya.It is one of the most wonderful books I have read in two years, and I can’t wait to tell you about it. Let’s get started.The first thing that drew me to this book was the fact that it is an Arab-inspired fantasy. You guys know me, fantasy is my jam, but when I hear ‘Arab inspired’ it takes less than two seconds for me to already be on board. Hafsah does not disappoint.She paints a world together with words that is so easy to get lost in. From the use of Arabic words to the places that they travel, this story bleeds Ancient Arabia. She paints such amazing details, it’s almost jarring to come back to the real world when you’ve been in the pages for so long.Not only that, but she gives you characters that make the journey that much sweeter.I had a lot of crazy thoughts about this book (most of which she was informed of over Instagram DM) (sorry Hafsah), but what I think makes this book that much sweeter is the relationship between Nasir and Zafira. I think the best thing she could have done for these characters is make them mirrors of each other, which she pulled off in such a stunning way.I don’t want to get too into it, but they’re truly two halves of the same coin.I think every single character in the main zumra is incredibly rich and well developed. I loved Altair and Nasir’s reluctant bromance, and Altair is arguably my favourite of the bunch (outside of Nasir because who doesn’t love a grumpy cinnamon roll with grey eyes). His humour and wit is something that I strongly identify with, and I lost track of the amount of times he had me laughing throughout. I know that there’s a lot more to him than banter, but the banter that he had was pure gold.I also really liked the depth that she brought to Benyamin and Kifah. They didn’t have to have a lot to them. They could have just been a warrior and a safin, but she added that extra layer. That extra bit of story to their characters that just made it that much better.I also think that this book has a couple of themes that we really need to discuss, one of the most important ones being the unity that all of the characters display. They are from five different caliphates. They have five different motives, five different end goals in mind, but at the end they’re working together as an entire unit for a common purpose rather than allowing themselves to be divided by petty squabbles and things that aren’t important.I don’t know if she intended it to be an overarching commentary on today’s political climate, but it definitely worked out that way because I think that we’re all different, but it’s time for us to be united and come together as one just as these five people did. Though they’re in a desert, and we’re in our own land.I also really liked that this journey they’re on was part of the driving force behind their character development and their self-discovery. They all start out with their own goals and motives, their own prejudices, and their own burdens. But as they travel further through the desert, they start to unload and come into their own as people.Zafira, as an example, grew up in a world where her merit was in something she did disguised as a man, in a society that did women no favours and made sure that people knew that women were to blame for the downfall of said society. That women had no value, no worth, and if she had just been born a man then everything would have been better for her.REPORT THIS ADAs she crossed through the desert, her identity becomes her own. She is Zafira, not the Hunter. She is herself, and as she becomes more and more sure in that she grows more into the person she was meant to be.The same goes for Nasir. The fictional love of my life, Nasir bin Ghameq. The assassin. The Prince of Death. Shaped by darkness, and afraid of the emotions he has kept away for so long. His lesson is more of an emotional one. That emotions aren’t something that have to be feared.Each of them learns from the other, each of them grows stronger and better because of the other.I really, really hope that you guys decide to pick up this book because every single page is a marvel. I hope that you guys decide to pick up this book and fall captive to the Sands of Arawiya, just like I did.I hope that you pick up this book, and you bring the desert to it’s knees in the reading of it.Hafsah, thank you for letting me be on your street team. Thank you for bringing me along on this journey. I can’t wait to see what the second book contains.

3.5 Stars ✨“We hunt the flame, the light in the darkness, the good this world deserves.”We Hunt the Flame is a duel POV, set in an Arabian Mystical world. It follows FMC Zafira, a huntress - who dresses up as a boy and goes into the cursed forest, that no one else can navigate, to hunt so she can feed her people. She cannot let people know she is a girl or she would lose all her credibility and achievements. She lives in the land of Arawiya, which used to have magic but no longer does. One day she is tasked by the silver witch to go to this sandy mystical island Sharr, and retrieve something that will help restore magic.MMC Nasir, is the Prince of Arawiya, also known as the Prince of darkness, is an assassin who kills for his evil father the Sultan. His father finds out that the notorious “hunter” is going to Sharr for something and tells Nasir to follow, kill the hunter, and take whatever they retrieve. An ancient evil stirs as they embark on this quest, and what they seek may be a greater threat than either imagined.I gotta admit, this book took about 100 pages to really get me fully invested. The beginning was a lot of world building and setting the stage for what was to come. It wasn’t boring, just the pacing was a bit slow. The writing was beautiful, so if you can press on past the 100 page mark to where things take off, it turns out to be a fun, plot twisting adventure.Books with quests have got to be one of my favorite things! Especially when, along the way, more characters are introduced. Zafira was a decent main character, nothing really stood out about her for me though. Then there is Nasir, bless his heart, he is a mess. Both main characters were constantly having to face their fears and their pasts during this magical journey, which gave them time to grow. The side characters added so much to the story and I really liked the banter between them, especially in the darker moments of the plot, and they all had to figure out how to work together. I liked that even though some of our characters face dark moments, there were positive messages throughout the story like love, friendship, loyalty, and redemption. Overall, I enjoyed this one, and will definitely be continuing with the series.Content ⚠️:Language: The only foul language is in Arabic, so I didn’t even know what they were saying TBH.Spice : The romance was a subplot and super slow burn. There is intense attraction between them, touching and holding but nothing inappropriate.Violence: There is violence, but to me it was pretty typical YA style and tame.