The battle on Sharr is over. The dark forest has fallen. Altair may be captive, but Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah are bound for Sultan’s Keep, determined to finish the plan he set in motion: restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to the minarets of each caliphate, and finally returning 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 the kingdom’s darkest threat, Nasir fights to command the magic in his blood. He must learn to hone his power into a weapon, to wield not only against the Lion but against his father, trapped under the Lion’s control. Zafira battles a very different darkness festering in her through her bond with the Jawarat—a darkness that hums with voices, pushing her to the brink of her sanity and to the edge of a chaos she dare not unleash. In spite of the darkness enclosing ever faster, Nasir and Zafira find themselves falling into a love they can’t stand to lose…but time is running out to achieve their ends, and if order is to be restored, drastic sacrifices will have to be made.

DNF at 60%. Book 1 had substance and story. This was a slog through nothingness. I’m very confused how these books had the same style but none of the same feeling. ( )

3.5/5 stars

Enjoyed it. Nice happy ending that the characters deserved. I wish Altair has a Queen by his side as well.

The purest of hearts will always triumph the darkest of souls. -Jawarat ( )

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. 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..
Zafira battles a very different darkness festering in her through her bond with the Jawarat
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.

Thank you, Goodreads and Fierce Reads for the chance to read We Free the Stars!

“{Honor before heart, said the girl.}”
“{Delicacy fosters death, said the lion.}”
“{Destruction follows darkness, said the boy.}”
“{Power begets pain, said the king.}”
“{And they were all horribly right,}”

Ok, first I am jealous of everyone else who read the first book! I have definitely missed out. This book is amazing! The way Hafsah Faizal writes, you feel you know all the characters. The dedication that you see in each character and their relationship to each other, you can't help but fall in love. The world building in this book is just absolutely beautiful. I don't think I have ever come across a book where the end didn’t leave me wanting or asking well what about this or that. Not that it was neatly tied in a pretty little bow, but you felt good with it ending that way. You will cry! You will laugh! You will get frustrated and in the end you will absolutely love this book! And to think this is only her second book released {that I know of at least} Hafsah Faizal will be an amazing author! I can't wait to see what comes next from her! Happy reading everyone! ( )

Buddy read with Halima!

Well, let me just say I’m very sad to be leaving behind these characters as well as Hafsah Faizal’s incredible writing style. I will definitely need to reread this duology sometime in the near future. If you like any of the following: enemies to lovers, slowburn romance, a badass female protagonist, a happy ending, and/or diverse reads, this book is for you.

The next quote is a SPOILER for literally the very last page. I will use the spoiler tags, so please don’t click if you haven’t read this book; it just didn’t feel right to not include it.

“I once loved, he has inked on his wrist. I will again, he inked on the other. He opened his palm and a plume of shadow curled to life. It was a reminder: People lived because he did.” Such an amazing parallel to when he was introduced in the first book with “People died because he lived.” ( )