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.

Full review to be posted soonish.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting and refreshing addition to the adult fantasy genre, inspired by Ghanaian mythology. Although I have mixed feelings about the book, it was definitely an engaging and highly complex read. Firstly, I thought the romantic connection between two adopted siblings was questionable & the plot line here was quite confusing. The rest of the plot and world building nonetheless provided interesting conceptions of class and power, and although I felt my interest in the plot dipped at certain points, it would be interesting to see how the story develops in the next book when it comes out!

Okay, it could be that this is at least the third fantasy novel with a tournament-centered plot I've read this year, but I just wasn't invested. Between the high page count (my pandemic brain just can't take it, I need to read a novella asap) and the unbalanced, transitionless POVs, the truly interesting albeit neglected politics plot was the only thing that kept me going.

And the interesting magic system! In a highly segregated, caste-like society where only the red-blooded can work magic by combining blood runes, magic can be used for almost anything. The approach is a lot like the solving of a puzzle, the possibilities almost endless. But adding magic-fueled microphones (?) and rune guns (???) to the worldbuilding of a yet unindustrialized empire makes the setting a little hard to grasp.

Where am I? When am I? No idea. Why are enslaved people systematically being mutilated by their oppressors when they still make up the majoritiy of the workforce, despite the existence of magic that can generate electricity? Also no idea. "Genes" and "neuroreceptors" are terms that get thrown around, but how are medicine and genetics implemented in a world where blood determines your worth? No answers.

Perhaps it's the absence of truly tragic protagonists or simply the lackluster narration style, but I don't think I'm hooked enough to read further lengthy books in this series. There are some wacky plot holes here that I doubt will be filled in in the sequels, so I have no motivation to go on. The Final Strife is by no means a bad debut, but it didn't strike a chord with me.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, for me, this was a DNF at 26%.

I had tried to read this one on two separate occasions (in case it was me more than the book itself) but I just couldn't get into it.

The premise of this book sounds amazing, I was desperate to read this from that alone, but sadly, it felt as though it was never going to come into this book in the way that I wanted. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions, but that wasn't enough for me to want to continue reading this.

Hopefully in the future, I can go back to this one and fall in love.

I tried so hard to like this book but I couldn’t get into this which sucks. This has so much potential though! So I do hope someone else will like this but I’ll DNF this.

A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc.

This was an amazing book, I am so glad I have a fancy physical copy coming soon that I preordered that reflects this beautiful book. 10/10, another great read!

An exciting epic that got better and better as the story unfolded. The latter half is faster paced and more gripping, definitely worth reading on for..
It is set in a land where there is a hierarchy of classes which determines where people live and what they are allowed to do and what they are subjugated to. The story starts with Sylah, stolen as a child and forged into a weapon, whose purpose it was to help bring down the Embers. However, Sylah has her demons to face - she is seriously flawed but this just adds to her character (and the events that unfold). Guilt, betrayal, love, loyalty and lots of action accompany Sylah and Anoor’s quests to bring about change - both have their own vision about how to do this (as do others who come to the forefront and add to the peril).
The settings are vivid and the characters strong - I look forward to reading the next book in the trilogy.

What an absolutely amazing debut fantasy by Saara El-Arifi.
Inspired by African and Arabian mythology which I really loved learning about.
Excellent prose that was really accessible for an adult fantasy story.
With characters who are flawed and whose relationships are messy but I got so attached to them!!
It has a blood based magic system that was well crafted and thought out.
A world where you can ride around on giant lizards and a nightly sand storm that can literally rip the skin from your bones because of the velocity…so yeah don’t get trapped outside at night! 😳🙈.
I also loved that this is a world where gender, race and sexuality doesn’t matter. Hassa is talked about being transgender but it’s not a reason for her persecution.
However there is still oppression present depending on what blood you have and this is a story about blue and clear bloods fighting in a resistance to overthrow the system that sees them as nothing. My only issue with this is that I had a little trouble with the length and pacing on this one and the ending needed more time for me.
I gave this one 4⭐️.