A very solid start to an incredibly original and unique fantasy series. I can't wait to see where the other books take these characters!

This was a gripping and exciting debut with a rich fantasy world and complex themes of identity, power and rebellion.

Right from the beginning I was immersed in the worldbuilding. It was filled with intrigue and wholesome characters and I loved the found family vibes.

I really enjoyed the different point of views between Hassa, Sylah and Anoor and was especially hooked to Hassa's storyline. I do wish there was more depth between the bonds and I didn’t like the fat-shaming at one point between characters. However the magic system was very interesting and whilst I'd have loved further exploration of it, the characters were rich, the stakes high and the adventure they found themselves on had me hooked.

I can’t wait to see what happens next!

I’m really looking forward to reading this book, I have heard so many good things about it! Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, unfortunately I wasn’t able to get to it before it was archived but will review in full when I do get a chance to read it.

a gorgeous book inside and out, with a compelling, expansive world. and, for the booktok girlies: yes, it has sapphic enemies to lovers.

From the description of this book, I desperately wanted to love it. It sounded like a story that would make me fall in love with fantasy again.

And I have to say, I did enjoy it. Maybe not as much as I wanted to, but it kept me turning the pages and it left me wanting more. The magic system was new and intricate, and I adored the characters, I just felt that the plot was perhaps a bit too slow in pace and it could have perhaps started a bit faster.

Either way, I enjoyed it and look forward to picking up the next book in the series!

A really well-built fantasy debut novel with fascinating and easy to root for characters navigating the complicated world that the author created.

There was a lot of infodump world building to start but it wasn’t as clunky as it could be. It did feel a little like we were changing words in the book just to be different, like tattoos being “bloodinks”, and months being “mooncycles”; it added a bit of unnecessary confusion to my early reading experience, and I'm sure I'll get just as confused when I eventually read the sequel.

We had tons of relationships to navigate right from the start and I found that aspect absolutely wonderful, just how complicated some of the situations were between various characters. The trials were an intriguing enough premise for the book but I couldn’t help feeling like I'd have been more invested in them as a reader if it was Sylah who was the one who was taking part as I tended to think of her as the main character. However, I also really did like how emotional her storyline as a recovering addict was and the physical toll the withdrawals had on her body wouldn't have meshed well with doing trials.

It did feel a little overlong, like it could've used more red pen, but it wasn’t unenjoyable. My interest wandered a little whilst reading. There were so many plots to sneak into places and do things that eventually ended up being pointless that they all just blended together, truth be told.

The main love story was a very sweet, very cute slow-build, and we got there in a roundabout and unexpected way. I liked the inclusivity a lot, just like I did with Faebound - the lack of judgement for people identifying as "they" was just plain nice, as well as the unspoken acceptance of queer relationships.

As another plus, the ending was really good: the book ended with the event we spent the entire story building up to, (and there was resolution within that) but there were also cliff-hangers but they weren't too frustrating. I was very interested in the tease of the addition of yellow blooded people in future books.

Unfortunately I could not get into this book - other readers may enjoy it more. I did not finish it in the end

The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi is a gripping and absorbing novel that is a perfect fit for readers who crave a richly imagined fantasy world, are drawn to stories of rebellion and revolution, and are eager to immerse themselves in a complex exploration of themes such as racism, identity, and the struggle for power and equality.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me access to the early copy!

The Final Strife is the first book in the Ending Fire trilogy and Saara El-Arifi's debut book. Right from the beginning I was immersed in the world that the author created. It was filled with intrigue and wholesome characters. I regret not starting it sooner. I liked how the Hassa, Sylah and Anoor are portrayed and was especially hooked to Hassa's storyline. Anoor is the sunshine character who is maybe a bit naive when it comes to the Empire's atrocities but also a very determined and empathetic character. This had a very engaging plot that left me wondering about the secrets of the Empire. The only thing that I wished for was a little more depth to the bonds between the characters as it felt like that took a backburner in the quest to move the plot along. Nevertheless, I was thoroughly invested in the book and diving right into the sequel.

One of my favourite books I read last year, Saara just gets it. A beautiful world, great characters and addictive writing style. Cannot wait to read on.

🗣💬:
"𝙏𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣, 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚"

👩🏾‍🏫 𝔾𝔼ℕℝ𝔼:
SFF / Queer

📄 ℙ𝔸𝔾𝔼 ℂ𝕆𝕌ℕ𝕋:
502

✍️ ℙ𝕃𝕆𝕋:
The empire is ruled by blood: red-blooded Embers, blue-blooded Dusters and clear-blooded Ghostings. All will be shed in the coming battle for power.
The Aktibar – a set of trials held every ten years to find the next Ember rulers of the Empire – is about to begin.
All Embers can join but it requires great skill to win.
Sylah was destined to become Warden of Strength, forged as a weapon to change the Empire from within. Those dreams of a better future turned to dust when her family were brutally murdered.
But Sylah wasn’t made to sparkle, she was born to burn. And as the trials draw near it’s time for her to decide…will she rule the Empire or destroy it?

💭:
A stunning fantasy debut...one I have not read the likes of for a while (especially with modern fantasy which I'm typically not a fan of).
The character development, the subtle magic systems, the rules of social hierarchy and injustice, the relationships, the visuals and world building, the action...all chef's kiss!
Such a rich and detailed piece of storytelling!

Great African and Arab cultural representation but also very gory at times so be warned, some of it will literally turn your stomach!


Overall great great fun and I will definitely continue with the series!

I was super excited to delve into this African and Arabian inspired fantasy that explores a world divided by the colour of ones blood.

There are three blood types in the Empire. Red of the Embers, the ruling class. They have access to magic and complete control. Blue of the Dusters, the working class. They work on plantations and in factories and are treated as though less than human by the Embers. Clear of the Ghostings. They have their tongues cut out and their forearms cut off in penance for an uprising over 400 years ago.

First of all, the representation within this book is fantastic. Unless I'm mistaken every single character in this book is Black. There is also great LGBTQ+ representation, both in romantic and sexual relationships (enemies to lovers anyone?) and also in having transgender and non-binary/multi gendered people. And just to top it all off there is disability rep from the Ghosting characters who have been mutilated. However, they have developed their own language and have adapted their tools to work for them. Now I know that representation doesn't make a good book, but in a good book? Well it just makes it even better!

We follow a drug addicted woman who has red blood but was raised as though she was a Duster. She was supposed to be the chosen one, but things don't go her way and she misses her chance. She struggles with her addiction and also with her place in this society. She was raised to hate those with red blood, but that includes herself. We also follow a young woman living a life of plenty, the daughter of one of the most powerful women in the Empire. But she is hated by her mother, and lacks skills in the BloodWerk magic that other Embers can do. Finally, we follow another woman, this time one with transparent blood. She is a slave, as are all of her kin, but with how little the Embers notice her she is able to slip in and out of places she should never be. There is a lot more to her than meets the eye.

So not only is there the conflict present between the different classes of people, but there is the tidewind. It blows each night and is strong enough to rip the skin off of a person. If you get caught in it? You're dead. It used to follow a pattern, you could make sure you were inside on time. But lately? The tidewind has been getting more powerful, more unpredictable, and more dangerous.

I adored the character development within this book, it's pretty strong from two of our main characters and seeing their change and growth throughout the book is incredibly satisfying (as well as allowing us to learn more about this world along with them). I also need to know more about this world. I don't want to spoil anything but there are so many secrets partially revealed and mysteries to unravel and I just need the second book already!

On CAWPILE I rated this: Characters: 10, Atmosphere: 8, Writing: 9, Plot: 9, Intrigue: 8, Logic: 9, and Enjoyment: 10 giving an average of 9 and a 5* rating!

Content warnings: addiction, violence, slavery, blood, classism, death, racism, torture, murder, child abuse, confinement, grief, ableism, alcoholism, emotional and physical abuse, genocide, police brutality, suicide attempt, colonisation.

If it wasn't already obvious, I adored this book. We have politics, characters, a slow burn romance, and fights for human rights along with a mystery about the rest of the world. I LOVE IT. Please let me know if you have read this or if you're thinking about it. Because I need to chat with people about this book!!!

The Final Strife has an interesting premise, a wonderful world and is backed by decent writing but falls short in all other aspects that made this a chore to read.

We enter a world whose people are segregated by the colour of their blood: Red (Embers), Blue (Dusters), Translucent (Ghostings). Embers are the ruling class, Dusters are the poor drudgery and Ghostings are essentially slaves who are dismembered in order to keep them subservient.
The Dusters concoct a plan to swap out Ember babies with their own Duster babies, in order to raise the Ember child with the mindset of a Duster and take the system down from within.

While this sounds like a great plan, its not executed nearly as well as it could have been, namely because of the glaring plot holes and the weak characterisation.
Why not find sympathetic adult Embers to aid your rebellion? As a consequence, those Embers could just raise sympathetic Ember children and have them takeover. Better yet, they could just make the change themselves! Theres another issue but that would include spoilers so i'll have to omit.

The biggest issue with this whole book is the characters. I (and the others in my readalong) had no emotional attachment to any of the characters who were a mixture of immature, annoying, childish and just plain stupid. Theyre meant to be 20 years old but act like children so it made nothing read true about why they acted they way they did.
Sylah is struggling with addiction which i didnt have much empathy for until the last few chapters and this was mainly because her initial motives werent set up correctly.

Anoor is a terrible caricature of an overprivileged white woman who discovers the error of her racist ways as soon as she gets a Black friend. It was all very cliches and shallow and i probably disliked her and her naivety the most.

The two main FMC as well as the secondary male characters were all a bit of a chore and if not for the ease of the writing - again which was good - i probably wouldnt have finished it.
The best of the bunch was a Ghosting named Hassa who was the only person with any real agency but even that was at a minimum.

There was some decent LGBTQIA+ rep but also some that felt a little forced. The sapphic element was fine but where others had been injected into the world seamlessly, the relationship between the two FMCs didnt feel as natural.

It sound contradictory to say someones writing is good while hating the story but while the author has a talent/skill for putting words together, the actual story she was weaving left a lot to be desired.

I enjoyed this, though not as much as I expected I would. There's a very fun subversion of the Chosen One trope, the worldbuilding is nicely done and with a couple very memorable elements, and the story incorporates and explores topics of oppression and class division well.

What I struggled with was the immaturity of the characters, which made it feel too much like reading a YA novel 😭 I found they got on my nerves a lot, but with time I did get a bit invested in both the slowburn romance and Anoor's success in the Aktibar, so I guess it wasn't all that bad. (Also: I adore a deadly magical competition, and with how much time was spent training for each trial it would've been nice to spend a little more time on the actual events themselves).

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A brand new fantasy series. I was excited to read this from the hype. I was pleasantly surprised, great world building.

Unfortunately my copy expired before getting the chance to read, but I’ve bought my copy and can’t wait to read and my review will be available on Goodreads upon completion. Thanks for the approval!

Thank you for an e-arc of this book. There is a lot of hype around this book even before I requested it on NetGalley and I was very curious. Unfortunately, this didn't impress me as much. The world building is unique and very brutal, I was surprised by some aspects of it. I believe it is wonderfully crafted.

Where it didn't work for me was the characters. I just felt that in such a brutal environment the characters will be more mature and some of their reactions were not what I would have expected.

I will try the second book for sure, but I don't have very high expectations, unfortunately.

amazing. show stopping. couldn't put it down. I read it on holiday and was consumed for days. Would recommend!

I DNFED(did not finish) this book. I couldn’t get into this book. It was not holding my interest. I didn’t care for the characters or what happened to them.

This was unfortunately a DNF for me: I was not in the place to read it at the time, I will try to give it another chance in the future.