The Candle and the Flame

By: Nafiza Azad

Narrated by: Christine Tawfik

Azad's debut YA fantasy is set in a city along the Silk Road that is a refuge for those of all faiths, where a young woman is threatened by the war between two clans of powerful djinn.

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.

©2019 Nafiza Azad (P)2019 Scholastic Inc.

Monotone narrator

I couldn’t get through listening to this because of the narrator. The story is intriguing, but I’m going to have to buy a physical copy. The audiobook is so mechanical and sleep-inducing. So sorry.

A delight to the senses

I felt like i had visited a new land - all at once fantastical, exotic, and so very human and familiar. I experienced the spices, attars, desserts, desires, and heartbreaks along with the characters. As a world traveler this seemed so familiar and also so unknown. Highly recommend if you’re craving a trip to a bazaar without leaving home.

Excellent and imaginative read, great performance!

Wonderfully written and beautifully told, this book is captivating from start to finish. It is a welcome change from the standard North American/European fare. I really, truly enjoyed this book and its take on the Djinn and adaptation into a culture. The characters are intriguing and the love story is a beautiful one. Will definitely be looking forward to more books from this author in the future!

one of my favorite reads in a long time

I really appreciated every single character in this book but especially the women, every single one of them was a strong voice and getting stronger and by the end of the book I was in love with every single one of them. this is a setting that I haven't seen in a lot of books and I loved every second of it. I'm really looking forward to reading more of this author's work, and it had me really wanting to read more about history and culture in the Middle East/ this part of Asia.

Disappointed.

It’s not that the narrator hasn’t tried to give this work decent effort. But as a south Asian descent American, many of the important cross cultural words are completely mispronounced and ruining the story’s prolific “otherworldly” and culturally stimulating effect. Words like Kaaba and beta are mispronounced, amongst others. I had to cringe a few times as these words repeatedly get mispronounced. Just wondering why scholastic publishing didn’t just use a narrator familiar with the arabic/Hindi/Urdu language words used or at least cross reference with the author to ensure accuracy. I’ll have to download the kindle, the audible is just not cutting it for me. But I suppose someone unfamiliar with this culture might never notice and enjoy this rendition.