I'm a little disappointed by this one. I warmed to Sylah immediately but found myself losing interest as the book went on. Anoor grew on me, and I would have loved more time with Hassa. The world itself is well-built, and the magic interesting, but the moral ambiguity of certain characters didn't extend to the person revealed as the enemy towards the end; I found Loot very one-note.

The pieces are there, but they just didn't fit together for me.

This book complex, It’s a slow burn story about an empire built on secrets. The comparison between the two MCs is evident and I constantly switched between liking each at the time of writing. The world building is emmense. Slight reminders of Divergent with the factions but very much more adult in its storytelling.

“Remember, my friends: love gives you strength, but retribution gives you purpose”.

This book is up there in my all time favourite reads. The characters are immersed in a class divided society where resentment grows greater by the day. Uprisings swell and are put out before momentum can build but still the thrum of change remains primary goal for some groups.

Sylah’s character develops throughout the whole book with her life throwing set back after set back at her. When light is shone at her from the horizon she plots to fufil what she believes she was destined to become but things don’t always go so smoothly.

Twist and turns are fast coming in this book and it really keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I wish more had been discussed about Hassa and where they begin to grow into this world.

The Final strife is everything I could have asked for in an debut epic fantasy novel

The world building is so beautifully immersive and the politics, the intrigue, the history had me hooked from the very beginning

The characters:
Sylah has such a gritty, endearing personality that I loved from the very beginning
And Anoor, sweet, caring Anoor, with the kindest most tender persona who grows into such a strong, deep rooted character
This book is dark and complex, It’s a slow burn sapphic captivating story of an empire built on secrets during the dawn of revolution

Beautifully written, gripping and so unique!

The book starts slow, stays slow and finishes slow, that’s not necessarily a bad thing as there is a lot of world building and character introduction, an intriguing premise and one I look forward to reading more about in the rest of the trilogy, thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read the book early

The Final Strife is set in a harsh and savage world where the colour of your blood determines your status. Not only is there the threat of death, or worse, from the ruling empire but from the Tidewind that comes every night and claims more and more lives.

The world building is intense, full of depth and details and it draws you in instantly. The characters are well developed and this means that you'll definitely have a favourite or two.


*Thank you to @netgalley and the publishers @HarperCollinsUK @HarperFiction for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

There are some books that when you read them, you just know. You know that these characters and their stories are going to live in your head for years.

The only reason it may not be the first title that jumps to your lips when someone asks for a recommendation is that you don’t want to share - Share these characters that you care for SO deeply - Share this world where they struggle and dance, laugh and cry, love and bleed…

Because what if that don’t understand, what if they don’t understand and in doing that show that they don’t understand the piece of you that also lives there.

The Final Strife is one of those books for me.

It takes the norms of the ‘chosen one’ trope or the ‘brooding assassin with a past’ throws them straight out the window. To be honest Sylah would definitely throw you out the window… and swear at you afterwards.

Anoor. Beautiful, courageous Anoor, who I’m sure a lot of bookish people will see themselves in, would probably laugh in your face … and maybe offer you tea.

All the characters are all so beautiful flawed, and so flawlessly real.

The politics, the intrigue, the twist and turn of the plot, the world building all leave you so immersed, so breathless that all you can do is want more

Gritty, Sapphic, Inclusive, Friends/enemies to lovers, morally grey characters, badass side ones … just everything you could ever want, and it all takes place in the blood soaked land of The Final Strife

Vivid, and lush writing with well-crafted plot and characters. An exciting start to a very promising series. I'm very glad to have given this a shot.

Full review to come and rating may change.

I do not even know where to start with a review for this book. I mean, sometimes you come across a book that grabs you by the face and just demands to be read. This is one of those books.

You are introduced to the world quickly, smoothly and efficiently, without any kind of condescending tone from the author. Their style is smooth, and easy to read, holds your attention, even when it is three in the morning and you know you should be sleeping.

I loved the story, simply loved it, and I could not wait to finish it, to see if things would work out the way I thought they would. Some did, some didnt, and that was fine by me, as I loved the ending, and I can not wait for the next book.

It was an emotional bumper car experience, that leaves you begging for more!

Vivid worldbuilding, beautiful writting, well rounded characters AND it's sapphic. 100/10 totally recommend

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollinsUK for this eARC of 'The Final Strife' by debut author Saara El-Arifi. My review is purely my own opinion.

I loved this book. Did it take me ages to get to read this book? Of course. But it's such a good read, I'm glad I took my time with it. El-Arifi is such a good writer and the black main character is so strong, powerful and well developed. I just adored this book in total.

This book sits perfectly in the dystopian YA fantasy section. There's the misuse of seeds, loss and tragedy mixed in with the desire for a better life

The book starts slowly but soon gets going with secrets and lies being exposed

I'm usually more of a YA reader, but I'm so glad I broke out of my comfort zone for this book. The world of The Final Strife is brutal and unforgiving, but it is also rich, vivid, and beautifully imagined––not to mention expertly woven into the narrative.

Sylah and Anoor are two characters I would go to war for, and their dynamic is wonderfully crafted throughout the novel.

The book also does a great job of exploring difficult themes without ever becoming too dark or grim or a chore to read.

100/10 would recommend. I'm looking forward to the next instalment already.

The Final Strife is such an exciting start to a trilogy. The setup and setting have many classic elements of YA dystopia (not in a bad way) - categories of people, individuals selected to rise through the ranks - but explored and subverted through the lens of modern epic fantasy. The characters feel appropriately complex, and the relationships (including romantic) convinced me easily. This is a book where I enjoyed having seen twists coming, because it felt like pieces falling into place, with each revelation meaning something in the bigger picture. The world did require a lot of exposition at first, and it was not handled especially elegantly (a lot of blunt description or unnatural dialogue), but once that had passed the book went from strength to strength, and sets up a next book which I suspect will be even stronger.

Wow!! What a read! This book screamed at on its virtual shelf with such an amazing cover! I am glad to say, it did NOT disappoint. I was absolutely hooked & would most definitely recommend!

The Final Strife is a solid series opener, without ever being all that spectacular for me. It opens quite slowly, and doesn’t really pick up the pace until right at the end, but it has the potential for future books to be great, hence the slightly mixed feelings that I have about it.

The story is set in a world where people are classed based on their blood and its colour. Many years before, a group of individuals who wanted to change all of that kidnapped some of the highest caste children and replaced them with ones of a lower class of blood. They would raise these children to be able to take over the government when they grew up, but with the sympathies of the lower classes. That plan was wrecked, however, when their little enclave was found and destroyed, leaving only one of those children as a survivor.

So, my first point really, is that this book catches your interest right from the prologue. It’s a great opening, and guaranteed to get you hooked. So when it slows down, as it does since it’s over 600 pages, you can forgive that. That slowing down gives it time to build the world around the MCs, fleshing out everything that is happening, while also leaving you with a growing list of questions.

I think where this fell down for me, personally, was that I wasn’t so in love with the writing style that I could deal with this. I had to start skimming just a bit, so I could get to the action again. That, and the love triangle.

In theory here, I have nothing against the love triangle as a concept. It’s between two of our MCs, and a third character, and it’s this third character that I had the issue with, really. Because he (Jond) and Sylah (the bi mc) were brought up as siblings. As far as I read it, at least. They are not biological siblings (and were more… adopted, for want of a better word, by their parents), but they were effectively brought up with a single father and different mothers. Now. YMMV here, but that, to me, is treading a bit too close to incest and I had absolutely no interest in it. So this love triangle, which features heavily in the set up of the end, to say as vaguely as I can make it, did not land for me. Also the fact that this book has been marketed a lot as having an f/f relationship—which it does! I hasten to add—but for me, I would say this… not as prevalent as people may expect? For a good three quarters of this book, it’s the m/f relationship that takes centre stage, and then the f/f one. Which is obviously fine, but I feel this book would be better framed as having a bi mc, another sapphic mc and a love triangle.

Basically, what I’m trying to explain by all this is that the relationship between Jond and Sylah was supposed to be this big thing, and I just didn’t get it. So a lot of what relied on this relationship later on didn’t land. That said, neither did I really love Sylah and Anoor’s relationship (this is not enemies to lovers). I think this probably all ties back to how I found the writing style, so it’s definitely a personal thing.

Despite all this, and although I didn’t get the feeling from the ending, it was definitely one that had my pulse pounding as I read it. That ending is worth the entire set up and, really, would be enough to convince me to continue the series. While my whole review seems to have been complaining (oops), I would like to stress that actually I did enjoy this book. If this is one that intrigues you at all, you should definitely pick it up.

Twenty years ago, the Sandstorm stole twenty children from the Ember elite, distinguishable by their blood, and swapped them for blue-blooded Dusters. Now one of the Stolen is competing in the Trials to be the new Warden, and the Sandstorm are preparing for the Final Strife that will bring down the Empire.

The two main characters, Sylah and Anoor, are both well realised. Sylah is initially a bit unlikeable, struggling with addiction, but as more of her story is revealed to the reader she also grows as a person through the story. Anoor is battling her own demons from her harsh upbringing. Other characters, such as the Ghosting (someone with transparent blood) Hassa have their own secrets and parts to play in changing the Empire. Overall I really enjoyed this, it's a clever idea and there are plenty of seeds for the future books, as well as a reasonable resolution for this one. It does end with a couple of big questions unresolved, but ties up other aspects neatly which I thought was well done. There's plenty of action, intrigue, people learning to trust each other, and romance!

This was everything I want in a fantasy novel:

1) well-crafted world building that factors in real-world horrors of oppression and class division in a way that is brutal and honest, but still an immersive fantasy setting
2) multi dimensional characters that truly develop as people as the story goes on, Sylah's battle with addiction, and Anoor's struggle to prove herself are just the main points of the personal journeys both characters go on.
3) a unique magic system that feeds into and informs the world of the novel
4) a peek into all levels of the established society, from the wealthy elite, to the impoverished workers, to the criminal underbelly

Pepper in a sapphic enemies-to-lovers arc and a magical competition and you've got all the ingredients for me to give this book a 5 star rating. My only complaint is that I now have a very long wait for the next book in the trilogy.

(Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperFiction for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

Saara El-Arifi's epic SFF debut The Final Strife is an incredibly brutal tale of an empire built on blood through torn skin. It is also a tale of addiction, identity crisis, and grief; but most of all reforging oneself—dust through flame into glass. It unveils the beginning of an ambitious and complex story full of twisted truths, conflicting loyalties, and the all too human heart amidst flaming, blood-stained sands.

In short, I adored it, my hype was definitely not in vain.