Book Review of 'The Candle and the Flame' by Nafiza Azad

Premise: 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:

        The Candle and the Flame is an intricate story that follows the main character, Fatima, living in the city of Noor, a flourishing multicultural desert city on the silk road, which is home to thousands of people of many different races, backgrounds, and ethnicities. Despite prospering now, the city of Noor had been attacked by the Shayateen, a chaotic clan of Djinn. Peace had returned to Noor under the protection of an orderly army of peaceful Ifrit and the rule of a new king. Near the beginning of the book, the death of one of the most important Ifrit gives Fatima something no human ever possessed.

        The settings were portrayed vividly, and there were many lush descriptions.

“The desert sings of loss, always loss, and if you stand quiet with your eyes closed, it will grieve you too. 
Perhaps it is the comfort that the shared sense of sorrow brings that draws her to the desert. Perhaps it is the silence unbroken but for the wind sifting through the grains of sand on the dunes. Or maybe it is the wide desert sky, the blue of which peers into her soul and finds things there better left to darkness.”

“Outside, the air still has the chilly flavor of a desert night, though orange streaks in the horizon warn of the approaching heat. 
The sizable amount of foot traffic on the streets belies the early hour. 
The city of Noor never sleeps. 
As one of the more profitable stops on the Silk Road, a steady stream of caravans enters or leaves the city at all times of day or night."

While the descriptions were beautiful, there were some places, especially at the beginning of the book, where the descriptions got too dense, but it got easier to read through the further you read. However, there was a lot of world-building in the first several chapters, which was fascinating as the author had incorporated not only so many different cultures and languages into the story, but djinn and ifrit lore as well. 

        The book was in 3rd person, but the narrator spoke in a distant/detached way. Being written this way seemed to stilt the writing. 

        Lastly, this book was slow-paced, and it takes time for the plot to come into picture, so I would recommend this book to anyone if they don’t mind that. This book is for ages 12-18 years, and is character-driven. On a scale of one through five, I would rate this book 4 stars.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

~ Candria

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