We Hunt the Flame was one of my favorite books last year so I was very much looking forward to this sequel. While it does not quite live up to the first one, We Free the Stars is still an enjoyable read. It picks up pretty much right where We Hunt the Flame left off, with Altair captured and the rest of the zumra short one of the magical hearts they need to restore magic to Arawiya. They will need to overcome a lot of obstacles, including between each other, in order to defeat the Lion and keep the land from falling into chaos and darkness.

This book was much more character driven than plot driven. Where the first book had a very linear, single goal motivated plot, Zafira and her friends are not as sure of what to do now that they have the hearts, but not all of them, and the lion is free. This leads to a lot of discussions, heart-to-hearts, and silent yearning. Not to mention that Zafira is now connected to the Jawarat, and it may be influencing her more than she wants to admit.

If the romance was your favorite part of the first book, you will probably love this one. I am personally more interested in the plot aspects so unfortunately this sequel did not grab me in the same way, but I did like how the story picked up further into the book and the ending was very satisfying. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know if there are enough words for how amazing We Free The Stars was, I stayed up until around 7 am each morning reading because I did not want to stop. It tore my heart out and gave it back to me a little fuller in so many of the moments that passed. To say this book is a Slow Burn would be a SEVERE understatement...its more of an excruciating inferno, a blaze that you see from far away yet feel it on your skin like you are standing right in the middle of it. This was such a phenomenal read and I'm so grateful to have read it, it was worth every single moment. Now, how do we go about getting a book for Lana...and when can we expect the movies?

This book was received as an ARC from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group - Farrar, Straus and Giroux in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I absolutely could not get enough of this book. Every page there was excitement and the story kept on being fresh and new on each chapter you read. The adversity that Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah went through with no assets, resources and allies just to defend their honor and protect their Sultan's keep was very admirable. If you are fans of Aru Shah and Aladdin, you will appreciate We Free the Stars. My eyes were glued from beginning to end with my heart racing and even stopping at certain points. It is bound to do well in our library collection.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. I didn't love We Hunt the Flame, but I wanted to give this one a try to see if I would like it better or if it would make me like the series as a whole better. I really wanted to to love We Hunt the Flame, and I really wanted to love We Free the Stars as well, since I really love this kind of YA fantasy. The setting and the worldbuilding are lovely, but beyond that, I honestly didn't particularly connect to any other aspects of the book. The general plotline is overdone, and the only thing to set it apart is that it is set in a different kind of setting than many YA fantasy novels. I didn't connect with any of the characters, and the romance aspects just didn't work for me either. I love that it is set in a world resembling the world of medieval Islam, and I wish that the plot and the characters were better developed to match with the wonderful development of the setting. I love the Arabic representation here, but if you want to read a good fantasy series set in the medieval Islamic world, I recommend S.A. Chakraborty's Daevabad trilogy, and if you want a good YA fantasy set in a similar world, I would recommend Nafiza Azad's The Candle and the Flame. Unfortunately, I just can't bring myself to recommend We Free the Stars or We Hunt the Flame.

This book! Oh my goodness! Heartbreaking.
This book is the sequel to We Hunt The Flame, and it was everything I needed it to be and more.

In this book Zafira, Nasir and the rest of the gang go after The Lion and try to restore magic for all. This book was beautiful, unpredictable, heartbreaking and wonderful.

This book was definitely a little darker than the first book, and had less humor in it. In this book there is a lot of discussion and analyzing of grief and what it means to be human. There is still some of the wonderful back and forth from the first book, but it general it takes on a more serious tone.

My only criticism is I feel like it went a bit long. I think it could have been about 50 - 100 pages shorter. I also think more humor in some of the darker moments may have helped to break things up a bit, but I also understand and respect the authors choice to keep those moments authentic. However, while it was a commitment, it also definitely delivered. I also loved that it did not rush the ending. In fact, it was more of a slow torture, but in the best possible way. I left this world feeling satisfied and happy for all of my new friends, what they had accomplished on their journey, and where their lives were leading them now. I know this is a duology, but I could definitely see and hope for a spin off series of another trilogy added to this world!

I was provided a free e-arch by netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I mean like this should be obvious but I guess just in case you don’t know, this duology means the world to me for a lot of reasons and so this is just me gushing and screaming BUT here I go trying to write a review AAAHHH.

I read this way back in May and the fact that it still has me feeling all kinds of feelings is truly a testament to how much this book absolutely broke me. Arawiya truly is my home and I will never be over it.

While WHTF sets the stage and starts off slowly and builds up to the climax, WFTS doesn’t hold back. It picks up almost immediately after the events of the first book and I just remember being absolutely hooked from beginning to end. Since the world is already built and the characters are already established, this is more focused on completing the story (obviously, as you can see I’m struggling to just not scream). Basically, what I’m trying to say is this just dives right in and things ARE HAPPENING.

I loved the darkness of the first book, but oh my goodness this one went darker and I was here for EVERY SECOND. Also ALSO!!!! THE TENSION. THE ANGST. THE MURDER?! THE PAINNNN.

I made video reactions (which at this moment, while I’m writing this review, remains unedited) and I’m just as incoherent talking about this book as I am typing about it here. I truly don’t even know how to properly express how much this book shocked me?! There was so much to unpack and the way Hafsah unraveled the story just truly gave me a rollercoaster of emotions.

While one part of me was absolutely living the best time of her life with little tidbits of happiness, the other part of me was screaming because I knew pain was right around the corner. This was a much faster paced book (and not just because I devoured it) and still maintained the character-based fantasy that I just absolutely love. Hafsah just does such a great job bringing these characters to life and developing them so beautifully! I know the first book did a great job creating this beautiful cast of characters, but getting to dive deeper into them this time was such a different and richer experience!

I’D ALSO LIKE TO JUST TALK ABOUT THE FORESHADOWING. I read WHTF right after finishing WFTS because I know there was just so much that I had probably forgotten or had not thought about and bOY WAS I CORRECT. Half of the tabs in my book are me realizing how things in the first book were directly related to events in the second. They’re such tiny seeds that only make sense when you’ve finished the story and that’s just so mind blowing to me!

OKAY OKAY Back to the book even though I’m sure this review makes zero sense to anyone but me: I AM SO HAPPY WE GOT TO SEE MORE YASMINE AND LANA AND KIFAH BEING THE QUEEN THAT SHE IS I LOVE THEM. Also, the newer characters!!!! They were so interesting and I just really loved exploring the different facets of light and dark and that whole inner turmoil! (did any of this actually make any sense?)

If you enjoyed the first book, there’s no doubt in my mind that you will definitely love this book. The story really wrapped up in a way that had me feeling full and empty all at once. I’m devastated that the story is over, but at peace because the journey is over. What I would GIVE FOR MORE ARAWIYA THOUGH (I’d give my heart and soul for maybe a spinoff or something *Macmillan please I beg*). I don’t think it could have been a better ending.

One thing. I read the ending so fast that it felt incredibly hasty but I think that was just me flipping through to finish. The last line?! PERFECTION. I’m sad to see it go, but happy that it happened?! Now, as someone who has written detailed commentary in my copy, I know there were little fangirl things I wanted to see and got my hopes up about and yet, I was still incredibly satisfied with the way this story went, whether I got some things or didn’t.

Anyway, I know I could just keep talking about this book for forever but now all the thoughts I have are spoilery so I guess I’m just going to have to make a spoiler filled one sometime!

We Free The Stars picks up where We Hunt The Flame leaves off- on the edge of a cliff...

This book is all about the characters. What do they do? Why do they do it? Lots of character growth here and I love it.
This book is about bravery and friendship and finding yourself and finding happiness.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy.

I loved this as an ending to this duology. A bit less action/adventure than the first in the series, but the characters and their relationships were front and center. I needed something with a happy ending and this really delivered what I was looking for.

Readers who enjoyed the first book, We Hunt the Flame, will be quite happy with this follow-up. It picks up where we left our characters in the first book and moves the story along to a very satisfying conclusion. Although there's certainly room for more stories set in this world, this is clearly the end of Zafira and Nasir's story, and it's quite a good end at that. That being said, I'd love to read a book from Altair's POV.

Wow, I'm shooketh. Absolutely amazing and a great continuation of the first book. I'll have to read this again to absorb everything but applause for Faizal for doing it again!

Oh my goodness, this was amazing! I honestly feel words cannot sufficiently express how I feel about this book. But let's try.

The story was pure bliss. Faizal’s works do not allow for skimming. Every word is purposeful and there to be savored. I laughed; I cried. I was breathless; I was sad; I was happy. So many authors rush their endings; that's always been a complaint of mine. But WFTS's closing is slow letting us linger with our beloved friends and their world in such a beautiful way.

If you are a lover of elegant prose, realistic characters and lush, original settings, I highly recommend these stories.

While We Free the Stars completes the journeys of several characters, there is definitely room for more to be explored in this world and the arcs of a few other characters.

*spoilers*

I need more Altair in my life, please.

this story was perfect. I am in love. This was the right ending to this duology. it had everything. love, danger, fear, angst, forgiveness. this is an author to watch.

Perfect end to the series. The characters are wonderful, the plot is captivating, and Faizal is a fantastic writer. I can't wait to reread the series.