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.