The Candle and the Flame

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.In this William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist novel, 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.

Author: Nafiza Azad
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Published: 05/14/2019
Pages: 416
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.90w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9781338306040
Audience: Young Adult

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.8
Point Value: 18
Interest Level: Middle Grade Plus
Quiz #/Name: 503803 / Candle and the Flame


Award: William C. Morris YA Debut Award - Finalist


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 03/01/2019 pg. 50
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2019 pg. 135
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 04/01/2019
School Library Journal 05/01/2019 pg. 37
Publishers Weekly 06/10/2019

About the Author
Nafiza Azad was born in Fiji and spent the first seventeen years of her life as a self-styled Pacific Islander. Now she identifies as an Indo-Fijian Muslim Canadian, which means she is often navigating multiple identities. Nafiza has a love for languages and currently speaks four. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Children's Literature from the University of British Columbia and co-runs The Book Wars (thebookwars.ca), a website dedicated to all things children's literature. Nafiza currently lives in British Columbia with her family.