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.

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. There isn’t much that I can add without spoiling huge plot points of the book. I will admit that I wish this book was shorter because the plot did drag. Some parts felt repetitive and unneeded. Jin is Arthie's brother in all but blood. He combats racism and discrimination with his unending charm and wit. The relationship between Jin and Arthie is so strong, in the platonic sense. Their bond is unbreakable, and seeing them outwit and outrun their enemies together was fantastic. Some of his chapters focused too much on his crush, but otherwise, his POV is enjoyable. Nasir and Zafira’s perspectives are equally amazing. They both have gone through a lot in book one and it was great to see them continue to develop and change over the course of this book.

Sacrifice, Benyamin had murmured. Sacrifice was nothing but death in a romantic farce. Nasir knew—he’d been born for death and darkness, and it was hard to have a heart when one had stopped that of so many others. It was hard to do good when it would be shadowed forever by his wrongs. i love this book. i'm a very old fan of hafsah faizal, and i'm obsessed with what she's brought to the genre since her debut. i've been waiting for this book ever since we first saw the hints of its bare bones - the title, the nods, and my god. the wait seemed never-ending at times. and then all of a sudden, it's 2023 and the book has a cover and then i had the book, and then i had it read. Not to be dramatic, but this book series has ruined reading for me. How am I meant to enjoy reading when my expectations have now been set so high? How can I enjoy another set of characters when they aren't the Zumra? How am I meant to enjoy any world that doesn't include Altair? And sorry to say, but that is completely and utterly unrealistic. They describe each other as family, as a 'zumra' who understand one another like nobody else has ever done - and apparently this all happened within two months? A task, an epic adventure, the success, the return, the secrets being exposed, the final battle, victory, and dying love - in TWO MONTHS? It is just extremely unbelievable. Below there are SPOILERS for the first book, We Hunt the Flame. I repeat, SPOILERS for the first book!

Jinan whistled. “I’m going to need to take a look at those ship plans when we get to the fancy palace, then. What’s the rush?” We Hunt the Flame is one of my all-time favorite books. We Free the Stars had a lot to live up to, but I knew I would end up loving it. I did not expect how much. This book somehow managed to surpass all of my exceedingly high expectations and leave me an absolute mess. We Hunt The Flame was so incredibly special to me- a fact I've been so vocal about. Tempest was one of the most anticipated reads for me and as excited as I was, there's always that sliver of doubt. "What if I'm disappointed? What if it doesn't measure up?" I am a FOOL. Tempest was everything I could have thought and more.

Kind of debating rating this, but I feel like I got far enough in the book to earn it. This will be my last attempt with Hafsah Faizal. I know she’s weirdly divisive as an author- we hunt the flame is either a ride or die series for some or a massive disappointment. If you did not like that book, don’t try with this one. The plot still heavily surrounds them working towards restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to return magic to all of Arawiya. Of course, there are many complications along the way: both emotional and physical entanglements.

On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone. This book continues on the quest to restore magic and save Arawiya from the danger that was unleashed at the end of We Hunt the Flame (I’m trying to be vague here for anyone who hasn’t read the first one yet).The characters all felt like wasted potential. No real character development. The angsty became more angsty and the annoying became more annoying. The ending also felt unsatisfactory. Very anticlimactic. A lot of subplots were not dealt with well and what was promised or heavily hinted at, was not gone through with and left unresolved. And there were worthless deaths, which is a no for me. Lush and striking, hopeful and devastating, We Free the Stars is the masterful conclusion to the Sands of Arawiya duology by New York Times best-selling author Hafsah Faizal. My heart has survived it is a surprise. You can never stop midway in this book. I had my heart in throat whole time Altair himself has to wrestle with the new knowledge that the Lion is his father and that all his plotting might’ve been in vain. I absolutely loved having some chapters from his perspective here, showing a more vulnerable side of him. It was especially interesting to see his true feelings for both his parents, how the shame his mother felt about herself was projected onto him, and how he slowly finds empathy for the Lion. It’s a dangerous path but one he can’t help taking under the influence of his father’s mind games. Zafira averted her gaze from the depictions painted across the golden surfaces: men and women unclothed and deeply entwined in various positions.