Romantasy

We Hunt the Flame

Name: We Hunt the Flame
Rating: 3.67 (166 reviews)

Hafsah Faizal · Sands of Arawiya #1 · 2019

A hunter disguised as a man and a royal assassin race into a cursed forest for an artifact that could restore lost magic.

Score: 76.0
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Sweet
POV: dual
Ending: HEA / HFN

Tropes

Enemies to Lovers Slow Burn Assassin Quest Fierce Heroine

Content warnings

ViolenceDeathTortureChild deathAnimal deathBloodKidnappingWarGrief & lossChild abuse

Curated signals, not an exhaustive guarantee.

If you liked this, read

One Dark WindowRachel Gillig81.4 Dance of ThievesMary E. Pearson77.9 GracelingKristin Cashore77.4 Flame in the MistRenee Ahdieh76.8 To Kill a KingdomAlexandra Christo75.4

What readers think

Readers consistently praise Faizal's lush, poetic prose and the richly imagined world inspired by ancient Arabia — a setting that feels genuinely fresh in fantasy. The character of Altair is a fan favourite for his wit and complexity. Critics note that pacing is uneven: the middle drags considerably, with most plot momentum compressed into the final fifty pages. Nasir is frequently called out as a predictable 'broody tortured prince' archetype, and the enemies-to-lovers romance is widely considered underdeveloped, lacking the tension needed to make the payoff land.

Read it if

· Readers drawn to non-European fantasy worlds with a rich cultural aesthetic
· Fans of lyrical, atmospheric prose who prioritise writing quality over plot pace
· YA readers who enjoy slow-burn, low-spice romances alongside a classic quest structure

Skip it if

· You need strong plot momentum — the middle act is slow and the climax is very compressed
· You want a fully developed enemies-to-lovers romance with real tension and payoff
· Broody, mysterious love interests feel overplayed to you — Nasir leans heavily on that archetype

If you liked this

· For fans of An Ember in the Ashes — similar ancient-world setting, morally complex assassin love interest, and quest stakes
· Like The Wrath and the Dawn but with a quest structure instead of a retelling frame
· For fans of Children of Blood and Bone — African/Middle Eastern-inspired fantasy with a fierce heroine and high magic stakes
· Like Strange the Dreamer in its prioritising of gorgeous prose and atmosphere over tight plotting

How we read the room

In this series

Part of Sands of Arawiya — read in order:

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