The Candle and The Flame by Nafiza Azad

Standalone

Publisher : Scholastic

Publication date : May 14th, 2019

Source : eArc via Edelweiss

Rating : 5 hearts

Synopsis

Fatima lives in the city of Noor, a thriving stop along the Silk Road. There the music of myriad languages fills the air, and people of all faiths weave their lives together. However, the city bears scars of its recent past, when the chaotic tribe of Shayateen djinn slaughtered its entire population — except for Fatima and two other humans. Now ruled by a new maharajah, Noor is protected from the Shayateen by the Ifrit, djinn of order and reason, and by their commander, Zulfikar.

But when one of the most potent of the Ifrit dies, Fatima is changed in ways she cannot fathom, ways that scare even those who love her. Oud in hand, Fatima is drawn into the intrigues of the maharajah and his sister, the affairs of Zulfikar and the djinn, and the dangers of a magical battlefield.

Nafiza Azad weaves an immersive tale of magic and the importance of names; fiercely independent women; and, perhaps most importantly, the work for harmony within a city of a thousand cultures and cadences.

Review

First of all, how can you avoid cracking with a cover like that… This book is beautiful, both the cover and the story. And as the author says, “This book is about many things but it is mostly about women being women in the most fantastic ways possible. “I agree with her on this point.

In this story we will follow Fatima who lives in Noor, this city is now protected from the Shayateen (djinn of chaos) by the Ifrit (Djinn of order). Fatima and her sister Sunaina are two of the three survivors of the Shayateen massacre, Fatima still has nightmares about them every night. However, she knows that she’s different, the fire of the Ifrit flows within her. When an old Ifrit who taught her a lot dies, everything changes for her. She becomes someone else and will have to learn to control this growing power. She will be assisted by Noor’s Emir, an Ifrit.

The story is told to us from several points of view, that of Fatima, that of Zulfikar, that of Sunaina, that of Bhavya and some others less often.

At first Fatima is innocent, despite everything she has experienced but she will change, she will grow up all of a sudden and above all she will have to make decisions that will change her life. She is no longer a frightened young girl but a woman who knows how to defend herself. She will stand up to the Emir but she will also let him protect her. I really like Fatima, the evolution of her character is very interesting and I like her way of thinking. Her relationship with her sister is important in the story.

Sunaina is not necessarily my favorite character in the story, but she too has evolved from a protective older sister to a sister full of fear and hatred, and finally to a true sister.

Zulfikar, on the other hand, I adore him, he’s sure of himself, of his power, but despite everything ; he knows how to show compassion, even more so when Fatima is close. I simply loved the relationship between Fatima and Zulfikar, it is being built little by little, with confidence and serenity. They’re really meant to be together.

Bhavya is the Maharajah’s sister, she is secretly in love with the Emir. At the beginning of the story I had a really hard time with her reactions, especially to people who are not of her rank. But as the book progresses, she gets better, she learns and what she will have to do to save her family is quite important.

Quite frankly, I loved this story, I must admit that I was hungry for a lot of time because food in the book seems so good, I was transported to another country, and it was a pleasure for me to discover all this history with the Djinns, magic and adventure.

Quick word: A magnificent story that will take you to a little-known land.

Chronique

Bon premièrement comment voulez ne pas craquer avec une couverture pareille… Ce livre est magnifique, autant la couverture que l’histoire. Et comme le dit l’auteur « This book is about many things but it is mostly about women being women in the most fantastic ways possible. » Je suis assez d’accord avec elle sur ce point.

Dans cette histoire nous allons suivre Fatima qui vit à Noor, cette ville est désormais protégée des Shayateen (djinn du chaos) par les Ifrit (Djinn de l’ordre). Fatima et sa sœur Sunaina sont deux des trois survivantes du massacre par les Shayateen, Fatima en fait encore des cauchemars toutes les nuits. Pourtant, elle sait qu’elle est différente, le feu des Ifrit coule en elle. Lorsqu’un vieil Ifrit qui lui a appris beaucoup de choses meurt, tout change pour elle. Elle devient quelqu’un d’autre et va devoir à apprendre à maitriser ce pouvoir qui grandit. Elle sera aidée par l’Emir de Noor, un Ifrit.

L’histoire nous est racontée de plusieurs point de vue, celui de Fatima, celui de Zulfikar, celui de Sunaina, celui de Bhavya et certains autre moins souvent.

Au début Fatima est innocente, malgré tout ce qu’elle a vécu mais elle va changer, elle va murir d’un coup et surtout elle va devoir prendre des décisions qui changeront sa vie. Elle n’est plus une jeune fille qui a peur mais une femme qui sait se défendre. Elle va tenir tête à l’Emir mais elle va aussi le laisser la protéger. J’aime beaucoup Fatima, l’évolution de son personnage est très intéressante et j’aime sa façon de penser. Sa relation avec sa sœur est importante dans l’histoire.

Sunaina n’est pas forcément le personnage que je préfère dans l’histoire mais cela dit, elle aussi a évolué, elle est passé de la grande sœur protectrice, à la sœur rempli de peur et de haine, pour enfin finir par devenir une vraie sœur.

Zulfikar, lui par contre je l’adore, il est sûr de lui, de son pouvoir, mais malgré tout il sait faire preuve de compassion, encore plus lorsque Fatima est proche. J’ai tout simplement adoré la relation entre Fatima et Zulfikar, elle se construit petit à petit, en confiance et en toute sérénité. Ils sont vraiment faits pour être ensemble.

Bhavya est la sœur du Maharajah, elle est secrètement amoureuse de l’Emir. Au début de l’histoire j’avais vraiment du mal avec ses réactions, surtout celles envers les gens qui ne sont pas de son rang. Mais au fil du livre, elle s’améliore, elle apprend et ce qu’elle va devoir faire pour sauver sa famille est assez important.

Très franchement, j’ai adoré cette histoire, je vous avoue que j’ai eu faim pendant beaucoup de passage grâce à ses descriptions de nourritures, j’ai été transportée dans un autre pays, et ça m’a fait plaisir de découvrir toute cette histoires avec les Djinn, la magie et l’aventure.

En bref : Une histoire magnifique qui vous fera voyager en terre peu connue.

About the author

Nafiza Azad is a self-identified island girl. She has hurricanes in her blood and dreams of a time she can exist solely on mangoes and pineapple. Born in Lautoka, Fiji, she currently resides in BC, Canada where she reads too many books, watches too many Kdramas and writes stories about girls taking over the world. Her debut YA fantasy, THE CANDLE AND THE FLAME, will be released by Scholastic in 2019.

Links

Goodreads : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39821312-the-candle-and-the-flame?from_search=true

Amazon : https://www.amazon.com/Candle-Flame-Nafiza-Azad/dp/1338306049/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1EIOEJR11NT3O&keywords=the+candle+and+the+flame&qid=1557226377&s=gateway&sprefix=the+candle+%2Caps%2C243&sr=8-3