We Hunt the Flame

Last updated
We Hunt the Flame
Author Hafsah Faizal
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Young adult
Publisher Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Publication date
May 2019
Media typePrint

We Hunt the Flame is a 2019 young adult fantasy romance novel written by Hafsah Faizal. It is the first book of the Sands of Arawiya duology, followed by We Free the Stars in January 2021. [1]

Contents

Development

Hafsah Faizal wrote four other manuscripts before starting the first draft of We Hunt the Flame. [2] She found her literary agent through the Twitter book pitch contest #DVPit, finishing up the first draft of what would ultimately become We Hunt the Flame just before the contest started. [3] Faizal first got the idea to write the novel at age 17, when she first came into contact with the young adult novel scene, due to being a book blogger. [4] Hafsah Faizal was inspired by The Hunger Games and The Lord of the Rings , asking herself the question "what if the games were set in a fantasy world?" and using that as the basis for her story. [5]

Faizal reports during her writing process, she began to sketch a map and found that the map closely represented Arabia and decided to write the book in a setting that was more familiar to her. [6] Faizal set the story in a world reminiscent of ancient Arabia, avoiding ties to South Asian cultures that she states are often wrongfully entwined with stories about the Middle East. [4]

Synopsis

Inspired by ancient Arabia, We Hunt the Flame tells the story of Zafira, a legendary hunter who disguises herself as a man in order to travel into a dangerous forest to feed her people. [4] The story also follows Nasir, the crown prince who acts as an assassin and is kept on a tight leash by his father. [4] Both are sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient artifact, but while Zafira is retrieving it to restore magic to her people, Nasir is sent by his father to retrieve the object and kill the legendary hunter who is there to retrieve it. [1] As their journey unfolds, an ancient evil emerges and the artifact they seek may pose a greater threat than they realize. [1]

Reception

We Hunt the Flame was published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in May 2019 and debuted on the New York Times bestseller list, at #5. [7] It debuted to favorable reviews, earning a star from Booklist, [8] School Library Journal, [9] and the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. [10]

In February 2021, it was reported that STXtv was developing a television adaptation of the novel with Faizal as executive producer. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libba Bray</span> American writer

Martha Elizabeth "Libba" Bray is an American writer of young adult novels including the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, Going Bovine, and The Diviners.

<i>Briar Rose</i> (novel) 1992 young adult novel Jane Yolen

Briar Rose is a young adult novel written by American author Jane Yolen, published in 1992. Incorporating elements of Sleeping Beauty, it was published as part of the Fairy Tale Series of novels compiled by Terri Windling. The novel won the annual Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature in 1993. It was also nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel.

<i>The Goose Girl</i> (novel) 2003 fantasy novel by Shannon Hale

The Goose Girl is a fantasy novel by Shannon Hale based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale of the same title, published by Bloomsbury in 2003. It is Hale's debut novel and the first in her Books of Bayern series. It follows the story of Anidori-Kiladra "Ani" Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, as she travels to the neighboring kingdom of Bayern to wed their crown prince. On the journey, she is usurped by her jealous lady-in-waiting and must prove her true identity as the princess. Critical reception of the novel was mostly positive. The book won the 2003 Josette Frank Award for fiction and has been published in English, Spanish, Hungarian, Dutch, Japanese, and Vietnamese.

<i>Enna Burning</i> 2004 fantasy novel by Shannon Hale

Enna Burning is a fantasy novel by Shannon Hale, published in 2004 by Bloomsbury. It is the second book in Hale's Books of Bayern series, following The Goose Girl. The novel explores the story of Enna, who was first introduced as a secondary character in Goose Girl, as she learns the magical ability of manipulating the element of fire. Enna struggles to balance the fire's intense power over her with her desire to use her powers to save Bayern, her home country, from invasion. Its themes include friendship, deception, and love. Reviews of Enna Burning mostly complimented the book's prose and character development. It received the 2004 AML Award for Young Adult Literature and has been published in eight languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Korean, and Vietnamese.

<i>Ash</i> (novel) 2009 young adult fantasy lesbian novel by Malinda Lo

Ash is a young adult fantasy lesbian novel by Malinda Lo first published in 2009. It is a reworking of the Cinderella fairy tale that reimagines the title character, Ash, as a lesbian teenager. The novel centers around the familiar story of Cinderella, her father recently remarried, and lamenting the misery of her new life with stepsisters and a stepmother. The twist arrives when Ash falls in love with the King's respected huntress Kaisa, after she has made a commitment to dark fairy prince Sidhean.

Hannah Moskowitz is an American author of young adult and middle grade novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angie Thomas</span> American author (born 1988)

Angie Thomas is an American young adult author, best known for writing The Hate U Give (2017). Her second young adult novel, On the Come Up, was released on February 25, 2019.

<i>Children of Blood and Bone</i> 2018 young adult fantasy novel by Tomi Adeyemi

Children of Blood and Bone is a 2018 young adult fantasy novel by Nigerian-American novelist Tomi Adeyemi. The book, Adeyemi's debut novel and the first book in a planned trilogy, follows heroine Zélie Adebola as she attempts to restore magic to the kingdom of Orïsha, following the ruling class kosidáns' brutal suppression of the class of magic practitioners Zélie belongs to, the maji.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meredith Russo</span> 21st-century American author

Meredith Russo is an American young adult author from Chattanooga, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renée Ahdieh</span> American-Korean author

Renée Ahdieh is an American-Korean author, best known for her New York Times best-selling series The Wrath & the Dawn. Her books have been translated into many languages.

Julie C. Dao is a Vietnamese-American fantasy author. She is best known for her debut novel, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, an East Asian-inspired retelling of the Evil Queen legend from Snow White, and its sequel Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nic Stone</span> American writer

Andrea Nicole Livingstone, known as Nic Stone, is an American author of young adult fiction and middle grade fiction, best known for her debut novel Dear Martin and her middle grade debut, Clean Getaway. Her novels have been translated into six languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiffany D. Jackson</span> American YA author and horror filmmaker

Tiffany D. Jackson is an American author and filmmaker. She writes young adult fiction and makes horror films. She is best known for her NAACP Image Award-nominated debut novel Allegedly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hafsah Faizal</span> American designer and author

Hafsah Faizal is an American author of young adult novels, best known for her New York Times best-selling fantasy novel We Hunt the Flame.

<i>The Bards of Bone Plain</i> 2010 novel by Patricia A. McKillip

The Bards of Bone Plain is a fantasy novel by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in hardcover and ebook by Ace Books in December 2010, with a book club edition issued simultaneously with the Science Fiction Book Club and a trade paperback edition following December 2011. The first British edition was published in ebook by Gateway/Orion in December 2015.

<i>Kingfisher</i> (McKillip novel) 2016 fantasy novel by Patricia A. McKillip

Kingfisher is a fantasy novel by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in hardcover and ebook by Ace Books in February 2016. The first British edition was published in ebook by Gateway/Orion in June 2017.

Nafiza Azad is a Fijian-Canadian young adult fiction fantasy author. Her debut novel, The Candle and the Flame, was released in 2019.

Tracy Deonn is an American author. Her debut novel Legendborn (2020) was a New York Times bestseller and received a Coretta Scott King–John Steptoe Award for New Talent and the 2021 Ignyte Award for Best Young Adult Novel. The sequel novel Bloodmarked was published in 2022 and also became a New York Times bestseller.

<i>Blood Scion</i> 2022 young adult fantasy novel by Deborah Falaye

Blood Scion is a 2022 young adult fantasy novel by Nigerian Canadian writer Deborah Falaye. Falaye's debut novel, inspired by Nigerian and Yoruba mythology, was published on 8 March 2022 by HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins as the first book in a planned series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunyi Dean</span> Fantasy fiction author

Sunyi Dean is an author of fantasy fiction.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "We Hunt the Flame". We Hunt the Flame. 2019-02-05. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  2. ↑ "Author/Designer Hafsah Faizal on Writing We Hunt the Flame". SPINE. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  3. ↑ Kirch, Claire (Apr 16, 2019). "Q&A with Hafsah Faizal". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Hershberger, Katy. "First Flames: An Interview Between Debut Authors Hafsah Faizal and Nafiza Azad". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  5. ↑ Tales, Miss Blue Fairy (2019-05-14). "Q&A! We Hunt the Flame, Hafsah Faizal". Blue Fairy Tales. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  6. ↑ "How sharing her Muslim identity helped Hafsah Faizal write her debut novel". NBC News. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  7. ↑ "Young Adult Hardcover Books - Best Sellers - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  8. ↑ than 200, Booklist Online: More; Librarians, 000 Book Reviews for; Groups, Book; Association, book lovers-from the trusted experts at the American Library. We Hunt the Flame, by Hafsah Faizal | Booklist Online.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ "We Hunt the Flame • Hafsah Faizal". Hafsah Faizal. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  10. ↑ Quealy-Gainer, Kate (2019-03-28). "We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal (review)". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 72 (8): 342. doi:10.1353/bcc.2019.0253. ISSN   1558-6766.
  11. ↑ Del Rosario, Alexandra (February 22, 2021). "STXtv Developing TV Adaptation Of Hafsah Faizal's YA Fantasy Adventure Novel 'We Hunt The Flame'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 22, 2021.


Books-aj.svg aj ashton 01b.svg

This article about an American novel is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.