Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - We Hunt the Flame

Not what I was expecting and at the same time, exactly what I was expecting. I don't really know what I thought of the book : I had a very hard time to get into the story, but I couldn't put in done once in it... And the end, please !

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joensign's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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chai_and_books's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. Yes the pacing was off. yes the world building was a little hard to follow. Yes the characters were a little bland at the start. But once the real adventure started, everything magically pulled together (get it- because they were searching for magic- ok nvm). I loved Zafira's characterization. She's strong and knows what she was wants, but is untrained and you see that when she's confused and makes hasty decisions. Nasir was boring to me at first, but his interactions after him and Altair reach the Arz gave me life. His actions are heavily influenced by the trauma he endured and the way Faizal portrays his journey from that to finding his voice is well done. Altair is the Kenji of this world and no one can tell me otherwise. He's witty, unserious but genius friend we all deserve tbh. I'm not the biggest fan of the found family trope but this group of people, forced together by circumstance, felt like they were meant to be together. All the different dynamics within the group were enjoyable and I'm glad they were explored for the most part. But most importantly, the way Nasir and Zafira gave- We didn't get a lot of them in this book but whatever crumbs we did get, I hung onto them for dear life. They are my children and they deserve to be happy together.
Overall, was it the best fantasy book the market has to offer? No. It had its flaws, however I would highly recommend it to people who are new to the fantasy genre and want a wholesome (for the most part) story with a romance subplot that will make you scream, cry and punch the air.

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caityreviews's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

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

3.75

It was a solid YA book, but it's just really not my style. If you anly read YA, I think you would enjoy the book a lot more than I did.

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oliverreeds's review against another edition

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adventurous tense slow-paced

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

3.25

Okay. This book has the heart and soul necessary for a good YA novel/novel in general; however, it was simply confusing. The first third of the book is completely dedicated to characters who either die or become increasingly unimportant. In making the first section so long, the author lost something important. She overemphasized how important these people were to Zafira instead of showing it. I wanted to see what Deen meant to her, what her sister meant, what Yasmine meant. The dialogue is amazing, but there was too much showing. Specifically with the Deen timeline: what? why was he there? what did he prove? what did the book gain from him being there and then going with Zafira? It didn't add anything to either character. The journey to Sharr was also like one page. I wanted it to be longer. I was confused at how much time was spent establishing the norm for Zafira and then how little that actually mattered. Three-four days were spent in her home town and it did almost nothing to further the plot. It isn't like Deen motivated Zafira in any way. She made a half-hearted promise to him but like overall his inclusion was just... unnecessary in my opinion. And then there was the whole thing with Zafira's mother. It would have been so much more impactful had it been written, described, understood differently. As a reader I had no attachment to the character before she started laying down trauma and recovering from it. I had no emotional stake for her and her mother's relationship.
Also in terms of plot introduction, sometimes the chapter would just start. And things would be different in a weird unexplained way and I would fully go back a couple of pages to make sure that I didn't miss something. Like one time they're j chillin on Sharr and the next chapter they can't find Zafira? There's no explanation for her being gone. There's not like we went to sleep and then woke up and now we can't find her. She just is somewhere else. Same with the darkness subplot. There was a lot that could have been done with that. The foreshadowing. The ~energy~ was there but it wasn't enough. I was just confused. What do these power mean? What are the stakes
I think the biggest issue I had with this novel were things a good editor should have caught. There were a couple of character inconsistencies. The chapter openings were often unexplained. The subplots were not explained, foreshadowed, or developed enough. The lore was absolutely beautiful but the author expected the reader to just know it. It needed to be presented in a better way for the minute detail aspects. It seems like the biggest issue in terms of plot had to do with transitions. Whenever there was a lull, BAM weird chapter where something happens that is important!!! But it was unexplained. It was out of pocket. I think the author just needed to listen more to her story. To focus on how someone who didn't know the world would see it.
Things I loved: the characters. They are all incredibly distinct. They are the reason i kept reading. The writing!!! Is beautiful. This author describes characters in such a clear, precise, and beautiful way. The metaphors hit so hard. Just wow. I think that this author is incredibly talented. She clearly had a vision, knew her characters, and crafted a beautiful world, but some things just fell short. They didn't work quite the way they should have. I would love to return to this author once she has written more and really honed the novel crafting and transition aspects of writing.

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cemeterygay's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

4.0

I adored this book so much for both the beautiful world it builds and the cast of characters we meet. The main plot is relatively simple but not to the book's detriment, if anything it allows both the world and characters to shine. There is a mild pacing issue in the beginning of the book.

For me, the main POV characters can make or break a book. Zafira and Nasir are amazing characters to read through their perspectives. You very quickly get a basic understanding of each character's motivations, personality, and challenges. The ability to so quickly empathize and understand each character really helps you root for each character and want them to succeed and just be okay. Even when Nasir or Zafira make choices that aren't the best, you can understand why these choices were made and The supporting cast of characters are also great and distinct. Altair in particular was a character I absolutely adored. He initially starts as more of a just humorous character but as you get to learn more about him, you understand just how deeply caring and impressive he is. Kifah and Benyamin were also great additions to the cast who had very different personalities which made reading the sections where they are on the island a lot easier to navigate. I also was very invested in the wellbeing of Zafira's family and friends and understood the loss both Benyamin and Nasir were experiencing throughout the novel.

I will say while the villain is definitely menacing, he just doesn't quite have the depth needed quite yet for me to rave about him.

The romance only was just starting to build but it was very fascinating watching the enemies to lovers arc. You can clearly tell that these are two people who have been forced into really terrible circumstances that lead to them ending up enemies when their goals are often times compatible and are just two people who want to do the best they can. So many scenes between them are either quite emotional or intense and I adored reading them.

I could not sing enough praise for both the world and the writing style. The two are not separable as if even one was poorer, the other would suffer. The rich descriptions and storytelling allow for the world which is incredibly well-designed to shine. I loved learning about the different affinities, the history of the world, and the culture of each caliphate. The history and knowledge are little intense in the beginning but I was very quickly able to adjust. The knowledge you receive either is incredibly relevant to the characters/plot or really helped to flesh out the world.

The pacing was just a bit too slow between Zafira receiving the quest and her then heading out to Sharr but beyond that I didn't have significant problems with the pacing.

Overall, I really adored this book and would absolutely recommend it.

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