The newly-released sequel to Hafsah Faizal’s best-selling We Hunt the Flame is here, and it’s every bit as amazing as the first book, filled with the same spellbinding prose and darkness, as well as the characters who are dealing with the aftermath of their stay in Sharr.

We Free the Stars picks up right where We Hunt the Flame left off, with Altair captured by the Lion of the Night and the rest of the group aboard a ship, sailing their way to Sultan’s Keep, where they will be forced to confront Nasir’s father.

Zafira, after accidentally binding herself to the Jawarat in the previous book, is now dealing with the repercussions, as the Jawarat is a voice in her head that never seems to stop whispering, putting her on edge. She also continuously battles feelings of purposelessness now that she is stripped of her identity of the Hunter, with the Arz now gone and her father’s cloak long shunned.

Kifah remains as bold, hopeful, and action-oriented as ever, set on following through with their mission to return the hearts of each Sister of Old to their designated minarets across Arawiya. Nasir, on the other hand, finds that he is finally beginning to slowly melt away his hardened shell as he begins feeling and caring again, no longer the cold, lethal Prince of Death that all once feared. 

Something notable about this book is that, rather than the story being told solely through the eyes of Nasir and Zafira, Altair’s perspective is added to the mix, allowing for more angles to the story and more information about his and Arawiya’s past to be understood. 

This book is also considerably longer and more action-packed and heart-wrenching than the last; filled with much battle and loss, love and hope. 

All in all, though, this book ends this enthralling duology on a good note, but never shies away from the realistic fact that even with victory, heavy loss often still follows.

-Aisha E.

We Free The Stars by Hafsah Faizal is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.