Unfortunately I struggled with this. I thought the blurb sounded amazing, and I was really excited to dive into an epic debut fantasy by an author of colour (which this industry needs far more of!) - but I found myself disappointed by the book as a whole. There were many interesting elements and ideas in this, though few of them were examined with any depth. In the end, I found it hard to finish the book, and my friend who was reading alongside ended up dnf'ing it. I wish I liked it more, but there was no emotional attachment to any of the characters and I was... bored?

A fantastic start to a new epic series by Saara El-Arifi! The Final Strife is a gritty, sapphic and thrilling story that will stick in your mind for some time.

This book centres around three female protagonists in a divided community where the colour of your blood denotes your worth and even then you are further categorised. You have the ruling red-blooded class, the working blue-blooded class and then there’s the lowest class of translucent-blooded people.

“If your blood runs red, go straight ahead. If your blood runs blue, you’re not coming through. Translucent hue, who are you, who are you, who are you?”

We have the usual trope of ‘the chosen one’ being flipped on it’s head with her reluctance to enact the revolution she was stolen and crafted for. Sylah is flawed, terribly so and addicted to a drug that may very well kill her.

Anoor is utterly charming and has a hard life being raised with spite by a mother that doesn’t want her but is saving face.

Finally we have the oh so clever and beautiful Hassa, having suffered the same fate as any child born with translucent blood of having her tongue and hands removed, she is a force to be reckoned with. Hassa should hate Sylah and Annor for who they are but she does not. Hassa is playing the long game and knows much more than she lets on.

The whole story is epic, delivering on all fronts. We have the social divide, political issues, injustice, love, vengeance and betrayal. The characters aren’t just one-dimensional either. There is beautiful representation of different identities and relationships throughout the book that don’t feel like they are added in for the sake of ticking a box. We have well-rounded characters that identify as trans, non-binary, lesbian, bisexual and gay. Each character is there for a reason and it’s great to have such depth with a story.

It’s not just the classes that are at war, their very environment is out to get them with the ever increasing, ripping winds that are deadly to those caught in it. There is a reason why they are getting worse which I will leave to you as the reader to discover.

The book is amazing, you really get behind and root for the characters. The ending isn’t your typical ending either and paves the way for more books in the story.

Book 2 can’t come soon enough!

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperVoyager for granting my wish, I loved it!

The Final Strife was an incredible fantasy debut, and despite it initially being quite intimidating, I flew through it.

The world building was impressive and I know there’s a lot more to come in the sequel. This world is divided by blood, red blood belongs to the elite, blue to the workers, and clear blood for the servants. Every ten years, the Aktibar is held: a set of trials to determine the Empire’s next leaders. Sylah has red blood but was stolen as a child along with a few others, and raised amongst those with blue blood, training her to become one of the Empire’s leaders and put an end to the current regime.

‘A dancer’s grace, a killer’s instinict, an Ember’s blood, a Duster’s heart.’

But as it is a fantasy book, not everything goes to plan. Sylah is meant to enter the competition but instead finds herself breaking into the room of the girl she was swapped with, the only blue blooded girl still living, as the rest were killed when it was discovered they were swapped. Unfortunately for Sylah, Anoor ties her up and keeps her over night so she misses her one chance to sign up. Fortunately for her, Anoor has signed up, and is in desperate need of an instructor so Sylah offers to train her in exchange for being taught how to use blood magic, which can only be done with red blood. I loved their relationship and how over time they grew to trust each other and become closer. I’m very excited for further developments in the sequel!

‘If Anoor was the tidewind, Sylah was fire.’

I loved the magic system in this book and all the intricate details so much! It was written incredibly well and I never wanted to stop reading in anticipation of the next scene. There were so many badass female characters in this and I adored the slow burn friends to lovers. Hassa was such a fascinating character as someone born with clear blood. Those with clear blood have their tongue removed so they can only communicate through their own sign language, which very few non-clear blooded people can understand and interpret. I can’t wait to see more of this character and the relationship between Sylah and Hassa.

‘It’s not up to you to choose who lives or dies.’

I completely recommend this book if you love fantasy with intricate world building!

Book 1 of a trilogy, this fantasy book doesn’t disappoint. With emphasis on the class system, your class is determined by the colour of your blood. Strong world building, interesting plot with well developed characters, can’t wait for the next instalment.

Thanks to Netgalley and the oubblisher for the eARC!

This is the first book in the Ending Fire trilogy and I think it's a really fascinating start!

Set in a dark and brutal world, we follow three women Sylah, Anoor and Hassa.
Three complex, multifaceted characters, with whom it is not easy to get in tune but following their developments was really interesting. Especially Sylah with her addiction, I find she was the most exciting character to follow.

Worldbuilding is detailed, with a vivid world where the themes of racism and classism are strong.
The story full of political conspiracies, betrayals and the struggle for power kept me glued to the pages as did the fascinating Ghanaian mythology.

A dense story, but in which there is no shortage of action and intrigue, The Final Strife is an atmospheric epic fantasy that sets an interesting foundation for the sequel!

3.5 / 5

I enjoyed the concept of the colour of your blood denotes your caste. There was some good world building. I liked the setting and atmosphere set. However I did get a bit annoyed with the constant use of Java seeds in the beginning of the book. I get that it was an addiction but it just frustrated me. On the back of that, the characters seemed one dimensional and a bit boring. The beginning is pretty slow going. I do think the book could have been shorter, there was quite a bit of dialog and internal monologue that we didn’t really need. I may pick up the next in the series just to see where it goes.

The Final Strife is an adult African and Arabian inspired fantasy set in a corrupt empire that categories people according to the colour of their blood - red, blue, and clear.

Red blood is the colour of the rulers and elite of the city. Blue is the colour of the working class. Clear is the blood of the slaves.

The Final Strife follows three women each with a different colour blood. Sylah grew up part of the resistance, she was supposed to be the chosen one, but it all fell apart and now she relies on drugs to survive. Anoor is the daughter of a powerful ruler, but she secretly has blue blood and has been made to feel inferior her entire life. Finally, Hassa works in the shadows, never noticed by the upper classes. They tried to take her people's language and power, but they failed.

This is a story of rigid class divides and revolution. It's absolutely amazing.

The characters are loveable but complex and flawed. Sylah and Anoor appear to be the main characters but Hassa is constantly working in the background. It does a great job of showing how even those who feel oppressed and want to work towards revolution, may be unwittingly oppressing people themselves.

There's great character development regarding Sylah's drug addiction. The Final Strife never villainies her, and shows how her addiction is linked to trauma and isolation. The only way out is working through that trauma.

I loved the bisexual representation and there's a great slow burn sapphic relationship in the background of political intrigue and a competition to choose the next rulers of the city.

It also has my absolute favourite trope of secrets being revealed that heavily change the characters understanding of the world. That ending? Yes.

If you love epic fantasy this is a fantastic choice and I urge you pick it up.

The Final Strife is an epic beginning to a trilogy set in an empire where the colour of blood determines your station in life. Sylah, a red-blooded Ember stolen and raised by blue blooded Duster rebels, was destined to overthrow the empire. But after her adopted family were brutally murdered, those dreams of a new regime turned to dust. Without a purpose, Sylah is adrift and falls into addiction. On the eve of the Aktibar, a set of trials held every ten years to find the next Ember rulers, Sylah encounters someone from her past and suddenly finds herself embroiled in the plans of the rebellion.

This first instalment in the Ending Fire trilogy absolutely captivated me. The world building was vivid and detailed, the plot intriguing, and the characters well developed. The story is told from the perspective of three female characters: Syrah, Anoor and Hassa, all three courageous, flawed and determined, all three beautiful. Syrah’s addiction was particularly well depicted throughout the book, showing her struggles to obtain a next fix, as well as issues with withdrawal and long-term effects of addiction. I was rooting for all three, and am impatient to see where the story will take them. The world system addresses issues such as classism and racism, but El-Arifi also created a world that is gender-inclusive and queer-normative, with everyone born musawa in the likeness of a genderless deity worshipped in the empire.

Thanks to the publishers for providing me with an electronic review copy of this novel, all opinions are my own. The second instalment of this trilogy is due mid-2023, and it’s already on my list of highly anticipated releases for next year.

A vibrant fantasy debut -- the trilogy should be a smash-hit, by all rights, and I hope it is. The world-building is deep and rich, bringing a mish-mash of cultures together to create something relatively new for 'western' readers. There are a few moments of needing to suspend disbelief that take a bit of work to get going, but once you do, El-Arifi will sweep you off your feet.

I really enjoyed this book. It was eye opening, cruel, intense and frankly horrifying at moments. But it was so fantastically written, ab amazing debut into the fantasy world!

I tried this one, but it really wasn't for me. I was only about 10% in when I had to give up. Brutal violence, abject horror, brutalisation of entire peoples - it was too much, and too dark, for me. DNF'd at 10%

This, to me, was a great fantasy debut. A cruel empire where young children were stolen to drive a resistance.

Within this book, your place in society is decided by your blood type. I really enjoyed the politics of this world, the characters and their growth throughout. There is a trial to decide upon the next leaders. The magic system is interesting but is not the main focus of the book.

I am very interested to see how this world is going to expand in the next book after the ending of this one.

I wanted to love this one so badly but it was incredibly slow and very hard to care about what was happening. And then nothing significant really seems to happen until closure to the end setting it up for you to read book 2.

This is the story of Sylah, her fight and her friendships and foes.
It took me a little bit to get into the story as some words had different meanings, but soon got into it and then I could not put the book down.
I loved that we gradually found out more about her early life and in the Sanctuary with Jond. The story had little twists which I enjoyed.
The found the development of the relationship between Anoor and Sylah really interesting. The gradual countdown and preparation for the Aktibar kept the tension.
I don’t very often read fantasy novels, but I did enjoy this one and can definitely recommend it.

Every night in the city of Nar-Ruta, the Tidewind blows. Embers, Dusters and Ghostlings; all hide from the corrosive storm. The capital of the Empire of Wardens, Nar-Ruta is a corrupt, cruel and oppressive place for all but the ruling Embers. But a bigger storm is coming. The Trials of the Aktibar are about to begin.

To be honest, this took me a while to get into, having put it down at least once to read something else, The beginning is fairly slow and stereotypical, following an aggrieved character with a drug addiction. I don't want to reveal any spoilers but it gets going about 20% of the way in and then doesn't stop! The progression thorugh the trials are standard and the enemies to lovers is pretty well sign posted. There aren't many surprises that you can't see coming (except for one, right at the end, And I will proabably read the next book just for that).

However, if this all seems a bit negative, what saves this is the world building and character relaionships. Set in the city of Nar-Ruta for practiculaly all of it, it is richly developed with a cracking magic system (no spoilers!). I did want to slap various characters at times but this was within the lines of the plot and produced the right emotional response. Despite the slow start and somewhat predictable outcomes, I did enoy this quite a lot and I'm glad I persevered with it. In my opinion, readers of the Daevabad Trilogy and Reign & Ruin (winner of SPFBO7) would enjoy this immensely.

I received a ARC from the Publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review. Thank you.

A stunning new entry into the fantasy genre. This debut novel was an absolute amazing read full of adventure and kept you gripped from page one. The character development was well written and the storyline is one I hope to see continue and have as much buzz as it’s debut had

Sylah was one of the red-blooded children stolen by blue-blooded rebels in a long-sighted rebellion.
After the death of most of her allies, Sylah has spent years becoming no-one, until a moment of madness brings her to meet Anoor, the girl she had been swapped with.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Final Strife follows 3 narrators. Sylah, a red-blooded rebel, who was raised to overthrow the system. Anoor, the blue-blooded girl who was dispensable. And Hassa, a speechless ghosting who knows everybody's secrets.

Sylah is our main character. She was trained from a young age to enter the Aktibar and become the new Warden - a red-blooded Ember with a blue-blooded Duster heart. Of the twelve stolen children, Sylah was the best and most-promising... until her family was killed.
Now she has spent years in the gutter, chasing her next hit of joba seeds, to keep her tragic life away. Getting deeper into debt, she decides to go after the girl who stole her life of luxury.

Anoor was sacrificed by her blue-blood parents, swapped for the stolen red-blooded children, left to die like the rest of the twelve.
The only reason she's alive isn't some warm-hearted gesture from her foster-mother. It was a cold, calculating decision by the Warden of Strength. She can't let people know that the rebels managed to steal her real daughter. As much as she hates the weak, pathetic blue-blood Anoor, the Warden keeps up the pretense in public at least, that they are family.
Anoor decides to challenge her fate by entering the Aktibar and proving her 'mother' wrong.

Hassa is a ghosting - the clear-blooded lowest-class citizens. After a failed revolution generations ago, all ghosting are forbidden from writing or speaking, and have their hands and tongues removed as penance for their ancestor's crimes. The ghostings are indentured servants, and the lowest of the low.
Hassa might not be able to speak, but they listen and know everything. Their status of being invisible and ignored by the Dusters and Embers is awful, but also allows them some freedom.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
It started by following Sylah, establishing how terrible life is in the duster quarters, and builds up some tantalising background.
I thought I had the plot pegged - that the drug-addicted 'Chosen One' would beat her demons and win the Aktibar... but I was pleasantly surprised by the direction it took!

I was also surprised by how much I liked Anoor, as she comes off as very shallow, and a bit silly in the beginning. She's obsessed with dresses and reading magazines, and despite being friends with the servants, she's very naive about the unfair class system in place.
But she's got a stubborn streak. She wants to prove herself by entering the Aktibar, and she sees Sylah as the perfect training partner.

Reading about the two of them was very entertaining. They are from completely different backgrounds, and they do butt heads, but it's so satisfying watching their friendship and budding relationship grow.

The plot itself was great, and I can't wait to find out what happens next.
As the book goes on, you realise that the history recorded by the Embers isn't that long, and there are growing questions about what happened before, and if there are other survivors in the wider world.
I thought the intrigue, and the central plot were all perfectly balanced. It kept me guessing until the end, what would actually happen.

Next book please.

I'm not usually a fantasy reader but this book has been my gateway drug, an excellent introduction into the genre full of fun,adventure and heart.

Saara el Arifi explodes into her publishing debut with The Final Strife, which begins her new fantasy trilogy The Ending Fire. The Ghanian and Arabian inspired fantasy that centres on the main characters of Sylah, Anoor and Hassa.
The Final Strife is set in The Warden’s Empire, an island nation that is brutally split into different classes that are typified by their blood colour. Dusters have blue blood and are mainly the repressed labourers of the Empire. The Ghostings are clear blooded and are stripped of communication by having their tongues cut out and their hands removed as a punishment for an uprising against the dominant Embers (those with red blood!) in the far reaches of time.
Sylah is an ember, and is also one of a number of babies and that were stolen from prominent figures in the Ember society by a terrorist organisation known as the Sandstorm, whose intentions were to destabilise society from the inside by replacing ember children with Dusters, and also being able to smuggle in sleeper agents who could take part in the competition to become a disciple of the hierarchy, The Wardens, called The Aktibar which is held every ten years. However, Sylah is aimless, addled by drug use and has lost all purpose following the massacre of the Sandstorm members several years ago. She wanders around living from the next fix to the next fix, eking out a living in the ring.
Anoor is the ‘daughter’ of one of the wardens and has been living in relative luxury throughout her developments. And Hassa is a Ghosting who lives and works in the palace, but also sells Joba seeds, the drug Sylah is addicted to.
We are initially introduced to The Wardens Empire through the eyes of Sylah. However, this expands to include both Anoor’s and Hassa’s perspectives as the book moves on.
The book is a fast paced, plot driven novel that is full of exuberance and stylised world building. El Arafi builds the plot using some recognisable tropes such as training montages, brutal competitions friends to lovers and chosen ones, yet manages to make them feel fresh and enjoyable without falling into overlong descriptions of each of these tropes.
Her characters are full of energy and likeable, even though Sylah is quite consumed by anger, and Anoor has the temperament of an over excited puppy dog at times. But for me, it was Hassa that was the most interesting.
The writing itself just bangs along and it is not a hard read, and Saara El Arafi’s writing seems to flow very naturally throughout the plot.
The plot itself is engaging, with twists and turns and as it unfolds you learn more and more about the world that the story is set in.
As I said earlier, this is the first book in the series, and it will be interesting to see how the story unfurls over the three books

What a way to start a series! I was 100% taken with Sylah, I loved every moment of her character development and arc. She had complex relationships with herself, Anoor and Hassa. I enjoyed the unique political system and found the challenges of the Akbar. Saara El-Arifi has created an easy-to-follow entry into a highly complex world. At no point was I lost or confused about the structure and magical system, which can sometimes happen in epic fantasy books.

I look forward to following Sylah, Hassa and Anoor on their individual travels. So much more is coming, and I cannot wait.

This is a fantastic read if you loved Children of Blood and Bone, Priory of the Orange Tree or Poppy War.