It took a while for me to become invested but I was in a reading slump prior to starting this. It is a little slow to begin with but the end is worth it - It really picks up in the last 20% and the twists absolutely blew my mind.
The world is very interesting and I loved learning more about it - the use of the unreliable narrator here is absolutely phenomenal.
I loved the diverse cast in this - LGBT+ and disability rep is there, although I can't speak for how well the disability rep was done. I also thought the substance misuse and grief was well done although I don't have specific experience relating to this. (Please check own voices reviews for all of these.)
I love a trials trope - competition in books for high stakes is always a winner for me.
The characters were well-developed and nuanced.

I really struggled to get into this one and found myself quite overwhelmed and inundated with information at the beginning. I could tell it’s an amazingly created world with some fantastic world building but I guess I wasn’t in the right mind frame for coming to grips with something that required so much depth of understanding!

I did love the plot idea, with the feeling of segregation and rising above adversity, adding to the sense of overcoming. It definitely had red queen vibes with the colour of your blood dictating your station in life.

I didn’t particularly warm to any of the characters and for some reason I wasn’t quite rooting for them! I wanted to but I just couldn’t make myself engage with them which I think was more my fault than the books.

The writing is amazing and it’s a truly brilliant book but I don’t think I was in the right headspace for reading such a complex book in the midst of exams when my brain was already feeling a little full!

It’s a great example of a fantasy read so I can certainly imagine will be a favourite of many and well worth a read if you love a perfectly crafted world!

I loved this book. Took awhile to get into the flow of the story. I can’t say o particularly liked any of the characters at first, but the world building was fascinating. However as the story built I found myself liking the two main characters much much more. I’ve been In a funk since finishing this. I miss Anoor and need the next one now!!!

A brutal world that feels real and lived in; a traumatised MC (Sylah) who goes through absolute darkness and comes out the other side raging w/ fury; a sapphic enemies-to-lover interest (Anoor) with SO many layers. The language-based magic system also works really well for me. It feels intricate and unique, and also not super "gamey" at all. The queer rep is brilliant!

Thanks so much to Netgalley / Harper for the e-arc! Can't wait to pick up the real thing next month.

A richly imagined world with an obvious social commentary on Empire, The Final Strife is a gripping tale of fighting for what's right - even if it means losing everything. Queer as well as body positive, I loved the huge scope of this book, it's magic system and the wealth of possibilities it offers for the sequel!

The two main characters spark off each other in all the right ways and I can't wait to see what happens next!

Sorry but, although I love fantasy, this wasn't for me. I found there was too much information given too quickly, so I didn't engage with anyone straight away. Then the violence which put me off - I've read many fantasies based on a violent racist regime and decided to give this one a miss. But I'm sure others will love it.

I have a lot of thoughts on this book, it was very dense, a lot to learn, a lot of characters to learn, a complex caste system. The plot was heavy. All that said, it was an interesting book and I’m glad I read it.

This is a phenomenal debut, and a sapphic epic you'll never forget. Devastated that I can't read the next one immediately.

The Final Strife showcases a diverse range of Black women in high fantasy, and I never knew I needed to read about them until now. The characters were interesting and compelling enough to drive the plot forward and the themes were always well-written. The atmosphere was amazing and the writing was smooth and easy to read.

I cannot wait to see more of the author's works!

Like its main character Sylah, this book grabbed me, and wouldn't let me go until it had my undivided attention. It is an intensely felt, beautifully characterised story where you feel for both Anoor and Sylah - two girls who are quite different in many ways and who are the making of each other as they work together to overturn the rigid ruling class who determines those with blue or transparent blood are social inferiors and are dispossessed. Fans of the Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham will really enjoy this. There are story tropes such as the games of strength and tactics, literal blood magic and a tale of stolen children designed to be sleeper agents in a long game of infiltration and destruction from within. Most disturbing are the Ghostings, the original inhabitants of the land now colonised by the ruling red bloods, and who at birth have hands and tongues removed before being enslaved. It was a very compelling tale and I cannot wait for the next installment.

With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for a complimentary review copy. Opinions are my own.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

I won’t lie, I was suspicious at the books description. I mean, if your mind didn’t scream RED QUEEN and then instantally WARNING then I don’t relate to you. Come on, the blood, the rebellion, the one with hidden powers among the normals. AND THAT IS JUST FROM THR BLURB.

And, okay, I wasn’t totally wrong. BUT, like red queen, the first book wasn’t half bad. You really can’t go wrong with a competition story OR enemies to lovers. So maybe not the most original, but hey I had fun!

The Final Strife is the epic African/Arabian mythology inspired dystopian fantasy I didn't know I was missing from my life. It has instantly become one of my favourite reads this year, and I have not been this excited about the start of a new series in a long time. It features three strong women as its main characters, each individually developed and portrayed as being strong in different ways. It also includes a diverse cast of characters and queer/trans/non-binary rep. If features such as these appeal to you then I would definitely recommend picking it up: a subversion of the 'chosen one' trope, slow burn romance, enemies to lovers, competing in trials/a contest ending in blood, wholesome female friendships, a snarky on the outside but heart of gold main character, a nightly curfew because of a deadly wind that strips the flesh from your bones if you are out in the open after nightfall, giant lizards you can ride around on. I also loved how the book explored the hardships and realities of drug addiction related to the aftermath of coping with trauma.
Overall, I am blown away by all aspects of this novel; the world-building is believable and intriguing without being too confusing, the characters are well-developed and engaging, and the plot kept me hooked throughout – I was shocked after finishing reading the ARC on my kindle to discover that the hardback is around 600 pages! I especially enjoyed reading from Sylah's perspective, and she had me laughing out loud several times. I will be buying myself a physical copy once it is released (June 23rd!) and I am already dying to read the sequel. This is definitely a fantasy series not to be overlooked.

Would I recommend?

Yes, particularly to fans of dystopian fantasy.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Harper Collins U.K. and NetGalley for the arc of The Final Strife by Sara El Arifi in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Initially starting this book I was mmm, not do sure, but this was quickly transformed into I cannot put these books down…Sylah, Anoora and Hassa are characters whose stories will remain in my head and my heart for a long, long time!


What can I say, these are characters who love, bleed, love and try, live and dance and just won’t leave me. They feel so strongly and so deeply, they fight for their and the future of those they care for.


Anoor is beautiful, stronger than she knows and so wonderfully kind. Sylah, broken, at the depths of loss and sorrow, but still fighting for more, and better, despite herself and Hassa, a beautiful, courageous soul!


This book delivers on all fronts, political dynamics, intrigue, twists, gurns and totally devastatingly emotional! Plus, romance and relationships that pull you in and turn you inside out!

Plus the cherry on the icing on the cake, morally grey characters, plots within plots and sapphic love. What more could I ask for? Book 2 now please!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for granting me an arc

I found The Final Strife to be quite slow in parts, especially in the beginning and felt like it took me ages to read. Despite this, I really enjoyed the book.

In a bid to overthrow an oppressive government who rule by what colour your blood is, an movement known as the sandstorm swap a number of Duster (blue-blooded) children with Ember (red-blooded) children. Their aim is to train the Ember kids to enter the Aktibar - a set of trials that are played out to determine the next leaders. Only people with red-blood can enter the trials, hence the switch. The sandstorm want ember leaders with duster hearts.

One of these stolen children is Sylah. After the sandstorm's defeat she turns to drugs, her sole purpose in life diminished, her adopted family all dead besides her mother. New revelations have her picking up where the Sandstorm left off and she decides to enter the Aktibar. What she doesn't account for is the spirited Anoor, the Duster child of the Warden of Strength. Anoor decides to enter the Aktibar, despite her having blue-blood and the two strike a deal. What follows is a story of love, loss, betrayal and redemption.

I'm always excited to read new and fresh fantasy debuts, especially when they sound as unique as "The Final Strife" by Saara El-Arifi. The book draws you in right at the very beginning with it's creative ideas and gruesome details - I wasn't prepared for someone being literally ripped apart in the first few pages but I do love darker aspects in my fantasy, so I wasn't put off by it. The world-building is dense, with a lot of things being told to us very early on, but it's done in a way that doesn't overwhelm the reader.

Sadly, I still couldn't finish the book completely. The pacing is very very slow, so slow that I still haven't reached any actually exciting parts despite the plot being generally very interesting. I couldn't connect at all to the main protagonist, Sylah, and was even rather uncomfortable with the way her drug addiction was portrayed. Her relationships with Jord and Anoor couldn't quite capture my heart either, mostly because most of the book (or as far as I've read it, which was about 60% of it) focuses more on her and Jord whereas I was expecting an f/f romance based on the marketing and because the character writing is generally rather poor-ish in this one. I also didn't like how much emphasis was put on Anoor's weight here and there and didn't quite understand why this had to be in the book.
The main reason for me to dnf was the writing, though. The book is not badly written at all, but rather inconsistent and shallow at times. Their is no tonal consistency either, the book switching between serious and suddenly weirdly comedic parts, early examples being Sylah's drug use in the first chapter or her first meeting with Anoor. Add to that that I never really felt emotionally involved in anything that was happening and I simply wasn't enjoying myself.

Take this 2 star rating with a grain of salt because I stopped at roughly above 60%, and maybe the book gets much better afterwards. There is definitely potential and the world is absolutely intriguing, but it just isn't the book for me.

A beautiful sapphic story that speaks of revolution, oppression, and addiction: this is a truly remarkable debut from Saara El-Arifi! This is not for the fainthearted, but El-Arifi does a great job of conducting a painstaking exploration of classism, racism, and so much more.

The worldbuilding was spellbinding, with the terrifying tidewinds that swept away the lives of so many, and El-Arifi's use of blood as an indicator of social classes and how the ruling classes institute racism was eye-opening.

The protagonists are flawed but made me want to root for them desperately. Hassa was such an interesting character, and I longed to hear from her perspective more, as a Ghostling who had so many secrets of her own. Sylah was physically powerful yet bore the scars of her past in her debilitating drug addiction, lost to oblivion until she meets Anoor. And Anoor, sweet Anoor, had the best BAMF character growth in this story!! Her privilege and sheltered upbringing never negated her true self, and the more she learns, the more she gains empathy and resolves to shake things up in the Empire.

The sapphic romance between Anoor and Sylah was a sweet, slow burn, and was honestly so cute my heart couldn't take it!!! The nature of the book is dark, but the lightness in their relationship was like a beacon in the dark and I loved to see it.

It was also so refreshing to see how El-Arifi infuses her culture and background into the story with descriptions of food, griots etc. I was so happy to see positive representations of queerness! There are trans characters, non-binary characters, lesbian, bisexual, and gay characters and they are interwoven into the story without being made a big deal of and are not punished for their sexualities.

Thank you to HarperCollins for granting my wish and offering me an ARC on Netgalley!!

Sapphic enemies to lover of course i was there plus its fantasy and sci fi and going to be a trilogy, excuse me while i go scream for joy.

Saara El-Arifi you little minx you knew what i wanted in a book and delivered, the sense setting and world building is *chef kiss*, its not a info dump but worked in to the storyline nicely. the characters are on point which a growth that is natural and either character 180s they ARC to become what is need in the storyline. Plus the cutlures are well researched and explain in the story and so makes it all so realistic and respectful.

the balance between the magic system and the fantasy aspects of this story is just right and so allows the other themes of the book to come through and encourage a deeper connection with the story and characters.

this author has just joined my auto buy list and i cant wait for the next book

I reviewed the Final Strife for book recommendation site LoveReading.co.uk. I’ve chosen it as a LoveReading Star Book and Liz Pick of the Month. See link for full review.

WOW. And I really mean, WOW.
The Final Strife is Saara El-Arifi's debut, and if her debut is THAT good, I can't wait for the future books.

This book is chonky. And I love chonky books. But big books can sometimes make you feel lost, with too many names and places and information. And this isn't the case here. The universe is complex, the characters well-defined, but I never felt lost.
I loved the plot and truly struggled to put the book down sometimes. I have a lot of questions and can't wait for the rest of the series !