Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

11 reviews

thecatconstellation's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol

kristinescorner's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, and Abandonment

Moderate: Slavery and Death of parent

mattyb's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, and War

Minor: Death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Abandonment

dokushoka's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, and War

Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Misogyny, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Cursing, Slavery, Dementia, Death of parent, and Abandonment

book_loving_dragon's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, and War

kbairbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.0

This book gave me strong high fantasy vibes. I spent the first while confused because so many names, nicknames, words, and languages were thrown at me and although I got more used to it as the book went on even by the end I was still confused. That’s on me I’m sure as the reader but I also didn’t enjoy the romance (either of them) or the characters, or the fight scenes.. I dunno this was a dark high fantasy but I didn’t connect to any of it and the constant pov change and many tiny chapters felt exhausting to me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

nightfell's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

Reading this book made me feel like I was going to have a heart attack in the best possible way. It is so full of life, and culture and the writing was lovely. 

I enjoyed the progression of Zafira and Nasir's relationship throughout, I thought it was well done and I ship. The scenes with them fighting and her tripping him up in front of everyone, and her tending to his burn were the best scenes of the book, I loved them sm.

This book has such slow pacing, but in an entertaining way, so I didn't really mind because of the short chapters. The amount of times Zafira fainted and ran away in this book became comical. Overall, I would highly recommend, I had so much fun reading.

I was quickly attached to all the main characters and they were all written well. However, I think there is a case to be made as to Nasir's characterisation and how in some ways was very much morally ambiguous - daddy issues - mummy issues - tragic backstory - grumpy Male love interest, but at this point I've accepted it as a part of the YA genre when it comes to romance. I loved Altair's lively banter throughout,

and I didn't realise how attached I'd been to him until he was separated from the group at the end. The last few pages of the epilogue was genuinely the saddest part of the book. When he described them leaving him, and the fact that they didn't look for him broke my heart. I love him. As I read the book, I made the discovery that both Zafira and Nasir were bisexual which I thought I had concrete evidence for. Zafira's reluctance and bitterness at Yasmine's marriage was too much to justify with 'their best friends', because the way she brought it up every few pages, even about halfway through the book when Zafira was on Sharr miles away, she still was so bitter about it and every time she thought of Yasmine she would talk of her 'ethereal, perfect beauty'. The evidence is there.
Also there was a moment when Zafira met with the Silver Witch toward the beginning of the book, and before she left she randomly decided to strangle Zafira, and ??? Like ok, choke her out for no reason? This can also be considered evidence for her bisexuality, In my opinion. 
Nasir on the other hand, was a sick joke. From the beginning, Hafsah Faizal created such obvious romantic tension between Nasir and Altair istg, the banter was so flirtatious, and at one point Altair even challenged Nasir to kiss him or something similar?? I even tabbed all their gay moments because I was so into it. Only for it to be revealed that they're BROTHERS. Never would I have ever expected that, and now I have to deal with the fact that I was an incest shipper/supporter. Pack it up Cassandra Clare. I'm going to need to embark on a whole healing journey before I can read the second book because wtf. And the worst part is Faizal knew what she was doing. She wanted us to ship them ISTG. And Altair knew the entire time and still flirted with his brotherrrr. And also that reveal that his dad is the Lion of Night??? I can't begin to process that. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Chronic illness

saoreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

I guess there were too many negative biases and notions I had before reading this duology, seeing book reviews of it specifically, which is a folly because it's a different story when you read it yourself to get the experience. The novel's high fantasy emergence did not scare you into thinking it was a bore; there was this kind of indulgence and mystique with the way the author weaved storytelling; it made readers patient, allowing it to unfold as it does, and waiting to see how it will come about. It flowed with realistic aspects in relationship dynamics which didn't follow a typical one. There were no words needed to express how true this was within the Arawiya lands. You waited for it and just as you thought, it's a relief both calm and sorrowful with how it ended out. I can't wait to read more about what happens when the Zumra journeys back away from Sharr, though it's a question if they really did in the next book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment

elthechameleon's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

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

3.75

This book has excellent world-building and is full of passages with stunning language and imagery - my favorites included the emaa scene and the interlude with Benyamin and Zafira. At other times, I felt that this book was hard to follow - not with vocabulary (the glossary made that easy), but in terms of the narrative flow. At times, I found myself unsure of how the characters got from one scene to the next and had to go back to read more carefully. These are, however, small things, and they feel very standard when considering this is this author's first book. There's so much promise that I can't wait to finish the next one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

sadiefc's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail