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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