Book Review: We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal

Warning: This review contains spoilers for We Hunt the Flame and We Free the Stars.

We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal is the perfect ending to the duology. The first book is We Hunt the Flame. This duology is a Middle Eastern-inspired fantasy. Zafira is a huntress who is on a quest to hunt for a magical artifact. Meanwhile, Nasir is a prince who has been sent on a mission to kill the hunter not knowing that the hunter is a woman. However, if the huntress is discovered to be a woman, then everything she’s worked so hard to do will be discredited simply because she’s a woman.

In We Free the Stars, the battle of Sharr is over and Altair is held captive by the Lion. Meanwhile, the Zumra is working tirelessly to finish what Altair had planned and rescue Altair as well. But they’re low on resources and Zafira’s battling with the Jawarat—a darkness that has the ability to push her towards a level of chaos that terrifies her.

On the other hand, Nasir is working hard to learn how to hone his magical abilities. He wants to learn how to do this so that he can conquer the Lion and his father; who is also ensnared by the Lion. In order to succeed, the Zumra has to make some sacrifices. But, despite all of the darkness Nasir and Zafira have fallen in love. But time is running out and it’s hard to tell who will make it out alive. Earlier this week, We Free the Stars made it on The New York Times Bestsellers List!

Highlights

• I had very high expectations going into all of this and Hafsah surpassed it.
• The romance and the action scenes! I absolutely loved all of the characters in this one and I liked that there were more romance scenes in this one. This book is an emotional rollercoaster and I highly recommend it!
• This book is full of action in comparison to We Hunt the Flame. The book is well-written and nothing felt rushed.
• Altair’s perspective. Altair is one of my favorite characters and I loved getting a glimpse inside his head. He’s a very complex character who doesn’t seem to be either good or bad. He’s kind of a grey character.
• Zafira’s interactions with her sister. I loved their banter and their dynamics were great. There were times when I thought one of them might go too far, but that never happened. I loved reading about their fights and when they teased one another.

Lowlights

• There really isn’t any, but a part of me is curious about what the Lion’s perspective might have been like.

You can follow Hafsah Faizal on Twitter and purchase your copy of We Free the Stars here! If you read We Free the Stars, what did you think of it? Let us know!