Reviews

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

motui's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

tagoreketabkhane31's review against another edition

4.0

I genuinely enjoyed this story that Nafiza Azad presented. It is a high fantasy read, taking heavy inspiration from the subcontinent and its heritage in religious, linguistic and mythological diversity. The Candle and the Flame is perfect for fans of the Daevabad triliogy, the Sands of Arawiya duology and the Burnt Empire.

The story centers on the city of Noor (an amalgamation of many different subcontinent cities, primarily Delhi) and its mix of diverse people, and you meet Fatima, an 18 year old girl who is one of three surviving people from an attack of Shayateen Djinn in the city that killed the entire population. Fatima discovers her connection to the Ifrit Djinn and their power, and this brings her into the sphere of the Maharaj and the politics of the palace, and along with the Emir Zulfikar.

From the beginning, the level of attention both to Islam and the Desi identity in language, food, clothing and etiquette was very much great representation. From Fatima observing her prayers, living with her Hindu adopted sister - and even though the religions are not named in the novel, it is understood by readers who are familiar, that the characters inhabit a world that has Muslims with Hindus mixed in as well. There are characters from a fictional China, Arabia, Turkish states and other areas that were on the real Silk Road (with even the Silk Road mentioned in the book as part of this world) and I appreciated the level of attention to detail that Azad put into the book. This is very much how an #OwnVoices novel in fantasy should be.

What did prevent me from giving this the full five stars was the detached narrative style that Azad employed throughout the novel. There were moments, especially during climaxes and heartfelt moments between Fatima and Zulfikar that the intensity was taken away because of the detached narrative. I also had issues with the time jumps that were not specified clearly.

I recommend this book wholeheartedly, and I can't wait to see what Azad comes with next.

lesserjoke's review

3.0

Another book that I wanted to love more than I actually did. In theory, this 2019 fantasy novel with #ownvoices Muslim protagonists and mythology should be a bright gem amid the common eurocentric tropes of the genre. In practice, it's a tad aimless in plot and needlessly distant from its characters. I appreciate the feminist focus on female friendships and women's choices as well as the incorporation of Islamic prayers as a regular facet of the setting, but I never felt like the main romance involved a genuine connection and I had a hard time tracking what some of the major figures were even trying to accomplish throughout. I'd read more from debut author Nafiza Azad, but I'm sort of glad this is a standalone work that won't make me keep all its details in mind for a sequel.

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cocoanut7's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I honestly can’t tell you why I didn’t like it, I only know I was never eager to see what happened next. I really love the diversity of this story and the cultural views it shares - that was great. But the writing itself was almost too poetic to match the drama of events. I’m not sure what the conflict of the book was at any given moment. It was just a slow development. The change of character threw me a bit - I’m maybe just culturally unfamiliar with that kind of story. I also felt the same with the love situation. 

christene_littlelibrary's review

adventurous informative mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

brucethegirl's review against another edition

I just can’t stand the narrator. The deliver is too robotic and I realized I had no idea who anyone was. 

willowshelter's review

adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

scienceworks's review

challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

diquinn's review

challenging tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

This had so much potential to be a great book, however it relied so heavily on the reader having a working knowledge of both Islam and Indian culture that it became hard to follow. 

gabriellabuba's review

5.0

I adored this book, the setting was so real you could see smell taste and hear the city of noor bustling around you. I honestly loved Fatima so much, really connected with her in a way I haven't been able to mesh with a YA heroine in a while. I loved how she refused to be cowed by anything or anyone. I loved how important her faith was to her in a way that felt very intimate and real without seeming too evangelical? Wrong word Christian word but the book doesn't try to convert you its a beautiful window into the lives of others and thier world views. I also adored the love interest?? I'd try to spell his name but confession I listened to the audiobook and don't know how!! The emir was the brooding YA hero we all wish we had, I live for strong capable men who have tiny internal meltdowns when they make social gaffes, who have stress nausea and have to not eat before important social engagement so they can't puke. The romance was so absolutely positively darling, it was every trope I love handed to me on a silver platter sprinkled with gold dust. I cackled with glee during the proposal scene. I was living my best life when he had to then go get her father's blessing. I really really loved how everyone took thier social responsibility to protect Fatima miles over making any concessions to the emir. Like yes give me more strong family/found family units who look at dude whose come to take you away and are like, but will you cherish her?? And all the amazing women characters who loved each other through disagreements and disaster and were friends and family anyway? So many women who were friends and were also amazing independent people doing great cool things with thier lives?!??? I want more of it. I also adored the magic in this it was beautiful and I really enjoyed the tidy ending all the many threads tied into a very neat. This book told a lovely story it may not have thrown in any crazy wild twists but honestly??? I was so glad! It told me a beautiful tale and I was jumping up and down in excitement waiting to see the characters react to each reveal and honestly that's better than a shocking twist. This book was a treat from beginning to end as lovely as all the delicious deserts Fatima and the emir are always eating and I'm so happy to have read it