Showing posts with label Hafsah Faizal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hafsah Faizal. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

We Free The Stars by Hafsah Faizal

Title: We Free The Stars
Series: Sands of Arawiya Duology #2
Author: Hafsah Faizal
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Fantasy; Young Adult
Publisher/Publication Date:

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble 

Synopsis from Goodreads...

The battle on Sharr is over. The dark forest has fallen. Altair may be captive, but Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah are bound for Sultan’s Keep, determined to finish the plan he set in motion: restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to the minarets of each caliphate, and finally returning magic to all of Arawiya. But they are low on resources and allies alike, and the kingdom teems with fear of the Lion of the Night’s return. As the zumra plots to overthrow the kingdom’s darkest threat, Nasir fights to command the magic in his blood. He must learn to hone his power into a weapon, to wield not only against the Lion but against his father, trapped under the Lion’s control. Zafira battles a very different darkness festering in her through her bond with the Jawarat—a darkness that hums with voices, pushing her to the brink of her sanity and to the edge of a chaos she dare not unleash. In spite of the darkness enclosing ever faster, Nasir and Zafira find themselves falling into a love they can’t stand to lose…but time is running out to achieve their ends, and if order is to be restored, drastic sacrifices will have to be made.

Lush and striking, hopeful and devastating, We Free the Stars is the masterful conclusion to the Sands of Arawiya duology by New York Times–bestselling author Hafsah Faizal.


**Note: there may be mild spoilers for We Hunt The Flame.**

It’s always nice when the follow-up to a favorite book sticks its landing, and delivers an ending that was satisfying in drawing the story to a close. We Hunt The Flame is one of my favorite young adult fantasy novels, and the sequel (and final book of the Sands of Arawiya duology) has sat on my shelf for way too long. At long last, I’ve finally read We Free The Stars.

This book—THIS BOOK—was so good from the very first page. The aftermath of We Hunt The Flame’s ending was immediate and visceral in its intensity. And for a group of characters I was clearly rooting for to succeed, it was hard to watch them experience the consequences and the subsequent turmoil brought about by accident and their decisions. But the conflict they were embroiled in was quickly spiraling into a war. Sides were already clearly drawn, and the greater part of the plot was already set in motion. I knew exactly what kind of story I was in for.

One thing that this duology did so well was the characters. Zafira: her desire to protect and help, to change the system that treated her unfairly, and reclaim magic as well. Kifah: who wanted her revenge, but was loyal and just as determined to restore magic. Altair: with his plans and web of allies. And Nasir: who was haunted by his past, who strove to atone and grasp a better future. Clearly I liked the dynamics of the team. What I was surprised by, however, was how deeply Faizal examined the characters. The story delved into the layers of who they were—their motivation, goals, and what they were willing to do to ultimately achieve them. No one was perfect. Mistakes were literally made (and some of them had really terrible consequences). The emotional stakes were just as high as the journey/battle to restore magic to Arawiya.

Lofty ambitions abound, but there was a cost for it.

We Free The Star was a fitting sequel and an excellent ending to the duology. I’m looking forward to Hafsah Faizal’s next book.

Friday, May 20, 2022

The Friday 56 (216) & Book Beginnings: We Free The Stars by Hafsah Faizal

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE


Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.


Synopsis from Goodreads...

The battle on Sharr is over. The dark forest has fallen. Altair may be captive, but Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah are bound for Sultan’s Keep, determined to finish the plan he set in motion: restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to the minarets of each caliphate, and finally returning magic to all of Arawiya. But they are low on resources and allies alike, and the kingdom teems with fear of the Lion of the Night’s return. As the zumra plots to overthrow the kingdom’s darkest threat, Nasir fights to command the magic in his blood. He must learn to hone his power into a weapon, to wield not only against the Lion but against his father, trapped under the Lion’s control. Zafira battles a very different darkness festering in her through her bond with the Jawarat—a darkness that hums with voices, pushing her to the brink of her sanity and to the edge of a chaos she dare not unleash. In spite of the darkness enclosing ever faster, Nasir and Zafira find themselves falling into a love they can’t stand to lose…but time is running out to achieve their ends, and if order is to be restored, drastic sacrifices will have to be made.

Lush and striking, hopeful and devastating, We Free the Stars is the masterful conclusion to the Sands of Arawiya duology by New York Times–bestselling author Hafsah Faizal.

Beginning: "Darkness surged in his veins. It exhaled wisps from his fingers and feathered his every glance."

56: "Everything, he wanted to say, but there was a cloth in his mouth, woven from fear and suppression."


Comments: I finally read We Free The Stars. It's the last book in the Sands of Arawiya duology, and I loved it. What are you reading this week?

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Review: We Hunt The Flame by Hafsah Faizal

Title: We Hunt The Flame
Series: Sands of Arawiya #1
Author: Hafsah Faizal
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Young Adult; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; May 14, 2019

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Target

Synopsis from Goodreads...
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.
I’ve wanted to read We Hunt The Flame for a while now. It seemed to have all the aspects I look for in a fantasy novel. A story involving the absence of magic and the quest to restore it is one of my favorite types of fantasy tropes, and the story Faizal crafted was just excellent.

We Hunt The Flame is a slow moving fantasy novel that deserves to be savored. The story was engrossing from what was basically the first paragraph. The world is rich with history. The characters are engaging, and they seemed to come alive on the page. The pacing set by the opening chapters really benefited the story later on. There needed to be that time and space to set up the foundation of the world, as well as introduce the characters. So when the characters set off on their adventure, I was already more than invested in them because I knew what their everyday life was like—as well as their connection with the secondary characters. There were many emotional scenes throughout the story, and I felt every one of them because of it.

Zafira was a great, well-rounded protagonist. She lived in a particularly strict part of Arawiya called “the caliphate of Demenhur.” As the Hunter she was skilled, but despite her achievements she was openly plagued by fears. That being said, she was brave, and had a willingness to step into the unknown to go after what she sought—even if her future was uncertain. Another notable aspect was the relationship Zafira had with her sister and best friends, Yasmine and Deen. It was great, and that’s all I can say about it.

On the other hand, there was Nasir. He’s supposed to be this tough guy, but by the end he was coming off as kind of sympathetic. His end of the story surprised me the most. His internal struggle was integral to his perspective, and at every turn there just seemed to be a revelation regarding him.

The other characters in the story came from just as varied backgrounds. They were interesting in their own right.

We Hunt The Flame was fantastic. The ending though, now that was one heck of cliffhanger, and I’m left with way too many questions. Luckily, I already bought a copy of the next book in the duology, and I plan to read it soon.

Friday, February 5, 2021

Friday 56 (193) & Book Beginnings: We Hunt The Flame by Hafsah Faizal

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE


Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.


Synopsis from Goodreads...
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.


Beginning: "People lived because she killed. And if that meant braving the Arz where even the sun was afraid to glimpse, then so be it."

56: "At least, she didn't think he would."


Comments: We Hunt The Flame has been on my TBR list for way too long. I finally read it, and I loved the story. What are you reading this week?

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