We Free The Stars by Hafsah Faizal | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The second book in the Sands of Arawiya duology by the masterful Hafsah Faizal—the follow-up to the smash New York Times bestselling novel We Hunt the Flame.
Darkness surged in his veins. Power bled from her bones.
The battle on Sharr is over. The Arz has fallen. Altair may be captive, but Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah are bound for Sultan’s Keep, determined to finish the plan Altair set in motion: restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to the minarets of each caliphate, finally bringing magic to all of Arawiya. But they are low on resources and allies alike, and the kingdom teems with fear of the Lion of the Night’s return.
As the zumra plots to overthrow Arawiya’s darkest threat, Nasir fights to command the magic in his blood. He must learn to hone his power, to wield it against not only the Lion but his father as well, trapped under the Lion’s control. Zafira battles a very different darkness festering in her through her bond with the Jawarat—it hums with voices, pushing her to the brink of sanity and to the edge of a chaos she dares not unleash. In spite of everything, Zafira and Nasir find themselves falling into a love they can’t stand to lose . . . But time is running out, and if order is to be restored, drastic sacrifices will have to be made.
Lush and striking, hopeful and devastating, We Free the Stars is the masterful conclusion to the Sands of Arawiya duology by New York Times–bestselling author Hafsah Faizal.

Hafsah Faizal’s writing is truly a force. We Free The Stars is the final book in the Sands Of Arawiya duology, and wow, y’all, just wow. I made this book a priority because full disclosure, I think that Hafsah is an awesome person and I’ve “known” her since she was blogging at Icey Books. Usually I procrastinate on sequels and just in general, but there are some things worth doing and reading on time/early — this book is absolutely worth reading as soon as you can get your hands on it. However, you should not be a weirdo and ensure you actually read book one - We Hunt The Flame beforehand.

The premise of We Free The Stars essentially is that our favorite team has a mission to bring magic back to Arawiya. After all, they now have the hearts of the sisters and they have to put them in the minarets. Only, okay, the Lion is pretty much no longer confined. But also, the Lion has Altair in his clutches. On the upside? Zafira has the Jawarat, this book that is magic and contains a whole lot of important knowledge. On the downside? Zafira’s mother has passed and well, her home isn’t quite what she knew. Nasir has returned home and is in the presence of his father again, but of course, his father is a massive douche and under the influence of the lion.

So, there is a lot going on in Hafsah Faizal’s We Free The Stars. It took me longer than anticipated to finish reading. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing – life is busy and this book is nearly 600 pages. Also? The writing is so detailed and intricate that it just took me longer to process. I feel like Faizal chooses each word and turn of the phrase with care. So, of course it is not going to be the kind of book I read in a single night and that’s okay.

What is wonderful is that I was so invested in the story. I legit almost cried a little at the ending, it was PERFECT. I mean, there were some surprises and the way everything came together was excellent. And I have to say, the core characters within this duology are so three dimensional – Zafira, Nasir, Altair, and Kifah – I loved them all. Read this duology for a flight of fancy through the sands of Arawiya, it is a stunner of a story.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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