This book was intense, and blew me away with the Tidewind.

I was drawn in instantly to our first protagonist, Sylah. She's outspoken, mean, and messy, and I just loved her. Her past unfolds throughout the story and with each unravelling piece you begin to understand more and more the reasons she has for the way she is. In contrast we have Anoor, who despite very similar traumas, has used it in a very different way. I think it handles well the different ways in which people learn to cope, and how your station in life can help or hinder that too. And Hassa. Just. I don't have words for Hassa and her people, the Ghostings. The cruelty in this book towards the Ghostings and the Dusters is sickening, really got me in the feels. And Anoor, an Ember in upbringing, those above everyone else, but something else entirely at heart. I absolutely loved all of our leading ladies. I absolutely loved the story. I absolutely need more. Like now. 😂

The pacing was consistent, the story was very unique, I loved the world Saara El-Arifi has created. I am honestly, so excited for book two. I'm sat here just a bit speechless because it was just so very good! I also don't want to dish out spoilers, so I won't go into details of the story but... you should just read it. If you enjoy a gritty fantasy book, full of representation, secrets and betrayals then... yeah, get this book on your tbr. This is really up there for me so far this year!

I'm left with that huge, final question... "Who are you?!"

I received "The Final Strife" on netgalley and am voluntarily leaving this review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5 stars
The Final Strife is the first book in an African, Arabian-inspired fantasy with three woman who band together against the rule of the Empire that divides people by the color of their blood.

“A dancer’s grace, a killer’s instinct, an Ember’s blood, a Duster’s heart.”

I am all for new, exciting fantasy books. I am constantly looking for new books to discover and read and this discovery is one that makes me very happy to have found! Honestly, this book is just a phenomenal debut!
The book follows three women, all of a different class and all with a very different background and childhood. A Ghostling, a Duster and an Ember. Just the fact that there are different blood colors and thus different classes and how this corresponds to everything in the story makes it so rich in worldbuilding. It takes a tiny while in the beginning to get in the flow of the book because a lot of information is given, but once you’re past that part this book will blow your mind!

The pacing is very well done. The right pace to give you the time to learn the world, the setting, the character but also the stakes. Combine this with a super intriguing plot and it’s a recipe for an amazing, rich and entertaining story. The way everything ties together, story wise and character wise is an amazing example for clever and grabbing writing.

I also loved how this book is written more as new adult/adult as opposed to young adult, with heavier topics being shown and the characters being older. It was amazing to see the darker sides, drug addiction, oppression, grief and how the characters deal with it, but also how it shaped them in who they are. It really added another layer and also made the characters themselves more real in my eyes. I also especially loved the mental growth paired with these topics.

While the book is very rich in its worldbuilding and plot, the book would be nothing without its amazing cast of character. Sylah, Anoor and Hassa are three amazing woman who really bring their whole to the story and who make you fall in love with this story as well. Very distinguishable, remarkable and characters that can’t be missed in this book. All of them have their distinct part in bringing everything together and tying the different plotlines together. Sylah’s humor is also something that I loved, almost as much as I adored how innocent Anoor could be, but also how well she meant everything.

The relationships between the characters really grow quite a bit in this book. I loved the friendship between Hassa and Sylah at the beginning, almost a pity not much of it was seen during the middle of the book. I also really loved Anoor and Sylah together. They came together in an unusual way, but I loved how they made it work and how their “forced to be and work together” evolved into a friendship and later in more. I loved seeing that development and with the ending that broke my heart a bit I really want to know how they will overcome all that happened in the sequel!

Overall, this was an amazing debut with lots of action, adventure, suspense, romance. It is super intriguing with amazing characters who will capture your heart and won’t let go.

I tried to get into this but really couldn't. Maybe I'm just fantasy-d out for a while. I will try again but the characters really didn't grip me at all.

The Final Strife is a beautifully written, captivating epic fantasy that explores a cruel Empire built on blood magic, fear and slavery. It is a story of rebellion, love, and the courage that leaves its reader yearning for more!

The characters are dynamic and fascinating; the writing is compelling and rich; the prose are enthralling and storyline truly gripping. The book is fairly slow paced, but it works well with the overall plot and intricate world building.

I loved every moment. Highly recommend.

Full review will be up on my Goodreads and Amazon/ bookstagram on release day.

First of all, a BIG thank you to HarperCollins UK for providing me with an eARC of this book. I’ve had my eye on this for what feels like forever, but I didn’t think I had a shot at getting an ARC. I’m so lucky!

[This eARC reminded me of why I prefer physical ARCS, though. It wasn’t formatted for my Kindle Paperwhite, and the wonky formatting not only took me out of the story a little, which detracted from my overall enjoyment, but occasionally caused confusion because the formatting often jumbled conversations, causing me to occasionally not know who said what and/or I didn’t know who was speaking at any given moment. All that said, I’d rather have an eARC than no ARC. They just make reviewing the story difficult. Not all eARCs, in my experience, have these problems, but it’s been a few since I’ve had a not-wonky eARC. It’s making me crave a physical book, so that’s what I’ll end up picking next, rather than my latest eARC. Which makes me sad, but it is what it is.]

Second, just LOOK at this gorgeous UK cover! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – the UK usually does better, more stunning covers. Sorry, US, but it tends to be true.

ANYWAY!

Per usual, I knew very little about this book before going into it. For example, I didn’t even know about the different colors of blood. But if you like to know more than that going into a book, see Goodreads for the synopsis, which you can read here!

Recommendation: If you’re all about rebellions, complicated warriors, and enemies-to-lovers romances [and you don’t mind LGBTQ+ romance], then this book may be for you! Sylah is an incredible complex badass itching to rebel, and unafraid of tangling with people – in both ways, if you know what I mean. The world feels real and deep, well-thought out and executed. Personally, I’m looking forward to Book Two. That said, it didn’t hit the way I expected, so keep that in mind. The writing style did take me a second to adjust to, but that may be more due to the short break I was recently forced to take and the fact that my last book was a YA Contemporary rather than on Adult Fantasy.

In my opinion, if you’re worried about insta-love here, I really don’t think it’s present. It does feel a little rushed when it does come, maybe a little sudden, but not INSTANT by any means.

That said, let’s talk about the characters a bit. The only character you can go into this book knowing about is Sylah, our leading lady born to burn. Talk about a flawed character! She more or less begins as only having one thing going for her: that she’s everything her movement wanted her to be, at the core . . . buried, as it were . All of her behavior and thought processes are all 100% her movement’s desire for her to behave and think. The Sylah at the end of this book is very much NOT the Sylah at the beginning of the book. It’s hard to even describe her character arc WITH spoilers, let alone without. I really feel like she developed quite a bit as a character/person throughout the book, which is awesome. Your MC doesn’t always change so notably in Book Ones of series, sometimes with the second or later book really bringing about change.

When ending this book, I was still left with questions. But isn’t that a bad thing? In my opinion, not at all! In this case, it’s largely because the book left me curious on why certain aspects of this society have worked the way its worked for all these years. I will admit that there’s one question that might poke a decent sized hole in the society-building, but that 100% could be that my memory is failing me or because I ended up reading too much of this book tired. HOWEVER – even with that possibility, I’m invested enough that I want Book Two sooner than I’ll get it – even if I get the eARC. The book is still good enough for me, even if that hole really is there.

I’m dying to talk about the other characters [and events and details], so, on to the spoiler section we go!

**SPOILERS AHEAD, BEWARE! DON’T CONTINUE UNLESS YOU DON’T MIND SPOILERS OR YOU’VE READ THE BOOK! FEEL FREE TO COME BACK AND CONTINUING WHEN YOU FINISH READING!*

ANOOR STARTS OUT SO SPOILED AND ANNOYING! [Don’t be mad, you know you were thinking it, I was just willing to say it straight out.] In all seriousness, though, Anoor needs to start out that “bad” [and, honestly, it’s a complement to the author that I feel that strongly about her thoughts and behaviors] in order for you to appreciate her character arc. Because Sylah isn’t the only character/person to end as a completely different . . . character/person. I might even like Anoor more at the end than Sylah.

SPEAKING OFF WHICH – can we take a second to talk about my torn feelings on Sylah? She’s this complicated badass – that also annoys me every now and then? She’s somehow something like a selfishly selfless person? Like, she takes too much pride in her “selflessness” but is really selfish about that “sacrifice? But that’s not even quite right – she hits like she thinks she’s the savior the world needs, she’s the perfect gift to this society – but also this never-going-to-recover-completely addict who’s useless? That she’s everything – but only with the joba seeds. But, again, it isn’t even that – that’s part of her character arc, her personal progression. It’s how she obsesses over it, how she goes about thinking on it – or something. I’m struggling to put it to words, and perhaps I’ll update this later if the words finally come to me, but I’m hoping I’m making my point. There’s something about Sylah that rubs me the wrong way, and makes Anoor come out higher in my book. But maybe that’s intentional about her? Maybe she’s supposed to feel this way about her? I guess I’ll find out as the series unfolds!

The “side characters” don’t feel shallow, empty, or like filler. In fact, I enjoy most of them. Except Lio. I don’t know if Lio feels forced/shallow or if her personality rubs me the wrong way, but I don’t care, at the moment, if I never “see” her again.

The class separation by blood color. I feel like I’ve read a book that did that before, but I didn’t hate the idea then, and I don’t hate it now. And beyond the blood color, this world feels like I could go visit it, it feels so real. I don’t know that it’s the best world building I’ve ever seen, but still impressive and well done! I’m looking forward to seeing more of it with Anoor as disciple, and the rest of the world with Sylah – and Jond? I understand why she struggled to kill him, and why that means he had to come along, but what will his presence change/bring about? What role will he play in the story going forward?

And what about Hassa? I loved her before Anoor’s turnaround “knocked her down”, but, honestly, I think they’re tied in my book [sorry, not sorry, Sylah]. I love Anoor for her improvement and progress, but Hassa started off a winner for me. That’s not to say Hassa doesn’t have any room for improvement or is perfect, by any means, but I love her. I don’t know if I feel like I relate more to Hassa or Anoor, but I’m SO excited to see what role she plays in this going forward. Her backstory just made her even more amazing in my eyes.

Jond. Serious mixed feelings about this guy. He has a serious shot at a redemption arc, but he’s, in his own way, just as spoiled as Anoor – just without really any improvement. At all. Jond at the beginning is almost identical to the Jond at the end. The only difference is the pain Sylah puts him through – both directly from her and indirectly by what her choices “force” him to do to her. He hits more entitled than Anoor at times. And the torn part comes here: that makes him extremely annoying in this book, but leaves him WIDE open in the coming story to improve – or regress. Which is, in its own way, exciting to see unfold.

All in all, a really good book, and I’m glad I have the Goldsboro SFF edition coming. [Eventually.] And the Waterstones, because I love the UK cover more than the US, and I wanted a copy to celebrate getting the e-ARC. It feels like such a victory for me and my small following. I wish I could have gotten around to finishing the book and writing this review sooner, but I underestimated how much of an impact moving and returning to the workforce [and this job especially!] would have on my spare time. [Aka what is spare time right now?] Buuuuuuut I have too many books to read, so make time I must, and I’m hoping to write more reviews soon! Stay tuned!

This was a perfect debut fantasy novel - intriguing, well written and poignant. Cannot wait to see where the characters and setting will take me next!

An gorgeous, memorable, exciting 5/5 star read!

My biggest complaint about this book is that I have to wait SO LONG for the sequel to come out. I can already say that I will be buying that the moment it is available.

El-Arifi’s world was an absolute pleasure to dive into. I am deeply invested in Sylah, Anoor and Hassa and the different ways in which they want to change their worlds. I’m also awed by the nuanced, interesting understanding of how revolution and radical change occur. Sylah is a stunning anti-hero and (with as few spoilers as possible) I am ALWAYS on board for an enemies-to-lovers romance plot (especially when lovers swap back to enemies at appropriate times!). Beyond that, this world was a stunning relief from the formulas of high fantasy. The Final Strife surprised me consistently throughout.

The caveat I would offer other readers is that this book takes a little while to get into. I would say it really caught by attention at around page 70, and by page 150 I was cancelling plans to stay home and read. The slow start also feels warranted, because the characters and world they occupy took some time to learn about.

I am thrilled by this book and will be recommending it to everyone I know.

Such a lush world building and compelling characters! I really loved the world Saara created and all the class struggles and nuances of a blood-driven society. The magic was also fantastic, and the romance, chef's kiss! At first, the narrative didn't flow well for me, but after some time, I was hooked. If you love SFF books with trials, this one is for you!

I loved this book.

I'm sorry that my review isn't going to be much more detailed than that, it's been over a week and I am just still reeling from this. Ever since finishing that final page, The Final Strife has occupied a space in my thoughts, mulling over the events of the book and contemplating what is going to happen in the future sequel (I can't wait to get my hands on it).

This book was so brilliantly written, and I loved Sylah. I loved how she was not the 'typical' fantasy hero, but was in fact 'a hero/chosen one that missed their calling'. That was such an interesting thing to play out, watching Sylah as she was aimless, filled with grief and guilt and anger and sadness. Her arc was incredible - she felt so incredibly layered and had so much depth to her, she felt real. I felt what she felt when she felt it, I mourned with her, I angered with her, and I loved with her. I was rooting for her the entire team, even when she was challenging. That is not something to overlook - Saara El-Arifi is an incredibly talented writer.

El-Arifi also did a fantastic job at giving this depth to the rest of the cast of characters, both those who had their own perspectives and those that did not. I particularly loved reading from Hassa's POV - as her journey she was on both collided with Sylah's but also gave insight to another part of the story that Sylah was on the journey to discovering.

The worldbuilding was fantastic. This is very heavy/high fantasy, and for that I did struggle initially at the beginning of the book to keep up/memorise all the different places/names/systems, but this did not impact my enjoyment of the book as within a 100 pages or so i found myself getting in to the rhythm of the novel and understanding. I think this is more of a reflection on me and my memory than it is the book.

Do be warned though before going in to this book, it is brutal. I suggest checking trigger warnings.

Thank you to Harper Collins / Harper Voyager for sending me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Without really knowing much about The Final Strife, I went into this book. I came for the sapphic content and stayed for everything. Even though I needed a long time to read it, I fell absolutely in love with Saara El-Arifi’s debut fantasy novel! Continue reading to find out what made this book so amazing.

Wow. Just wow. I don’t know really where to begin, there is so much I need to say. So much positive. The Final Strife is an amazing book with so many details in both character design and world building.

The world building is so well thought through. The people on the island of Nar-Ruta are the last people left on earth after a fire consumed everything else. They live in an empire controlled by four wardens of red blood. Embers, the people with red blood, are the top of society, they rule and control everything else with brutality and arrogance and secrets. The blueblooded people, Dusters, seem to be beneath them, sometimes no more than slaves. Those with clear blood, Ghostings, are mutilated servants, basically invisible to everyone else.
Everyone seems to have a set place in society, a blood class they can’t escape. Of course, there are people rebelling, some of them on a big scale, some of them hidden. While this society is brutal and harsh, I liked how it was written. It was well developed and explained how it all came into being.

I also loved El-Arifi’s way with words. She manages to create a scary world with a fitting atmosphere and just enough details to imagine everything. It was easy to feel the heat and dry air, the sand storms and the fear they bring, the subdued people who still have fight in their hearts, the heat and emotions of their gatherings. In contrast the impenetrable walls of the Embers’ Keep, the lightness of coming together as friends, the wish to change things, to be the change. It was like I could touch the tension between characters and hear their laughter.

Oh, and the characters! All of them are far from perfect but they were written perfectly in their imperfection. There is Sylah, the protagonist. The hopes of the rebellion rested on her shoulders until she brought them down. At the beginning of the book, she is mostly a shell of her former self, only living for the next joba seed, her drug of choice. She numbs her feelings and her surroundings, forgetting her old life for moments of emotional peace. I really enjoyed her character arc, how she tries to find back to herself or, find out who she is and what her goals in life are. She doesn’t hold back her opinions, she’s infuriating and angry and an absolute presence.

Then there’s Anoor. Sylah disguises herself as a servant to help both herself and Anoor. I loved Anoor’s development so, so much. She goes through so much growth and really develops a purpose in life. I love how she is a person of so many opposites, she’s soft and emotional, yet at her core she is steel. I generally loved all the contrasts in The Final Strife. The big divide between rich and poor, the contrast between loud, confident Sylah and Anoor, who isn’t sure of herself at all, the different approaches at rebellion.

I really am in awe of this book, the fantastic world building, the details that come to characterizations and this incredible atmosphere of the book. If you’re looking for your next favourite fantasy book, look no further, because The Final Strife is right there.

In a world where your place and worth is decided based on the colour of your blood, be the change.

This book was absolutely exquisite in its delivery. The Final Strife is on par with my love of Priory, and if you loved that, you will adore this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the world building, the meticulous detail that meant I could picture the world as I read, I felt like I was there, completely immersed in the story watching what happened like a little parrot on our characters shoulders. Absolute perfection.

I am also morbidly fascinated by the ripping. 😅

When Saara mentioned ‘a drug addicted chosen one who totally misses her calling’ I was absolutely sold, and I didn’t realise how sold I was until I read the book and absolutely adored how accurate the portrayal of our chosen one is.

The magic, how do I even explain my love for the magic? It was phenomenal and so, so well woven into the plot line, it was intricate and beautiful and perfect.

But as well as the interesting characters and the magic, this book really does make you think about discrimination. It makes you ask questions, prompts you to find out more, and makes you want to be part of the change. It is, to put it simply, inspiring.

If you need a well thought-out, perfectly written intricate plot with an interesting as fuck magic system, thought-provoking and engaging writing style, flawed as hell main characters, slow-burn romance, the most mind blowing plot twists AND has friends to lovers F/F (which you know we all need in our lives),The Final Strife is the book for you.

Absolute masterpiece.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Saara El-Arifi for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this. It was complex, with beautiful world-building and characters that were just so interesting and deep - Sylah's battle with addiction was so well written, as well as Anoor's struggles to prove herself. I just really enjoyed it.

The magic system was interesting and gave me something a bit different to the usual, too.

Overall, just a really good book and I look forward to reading more from Saara.

Imagine writing The Final Strife as your debut novel, what a story! The Final Strife is a wonderful bundle of Hunger Games, Six of Crows and dare I say Dune all rolled into one fantastic novel. Sylah was born to fight, to survive, to win the Aktibar. However, as with every fantasy not all is what it seems and strategy will play a huge part in the empires chess game. I cannot wait to see where this world takes us in the future. Don't be alarmed by the size, The Final Strife is a breeze and delight to read.

The Final Strife was an instant five star read and the fastest I’ve ever read an adult fantasy.

We’ve all seen the chosen one trope, reluctant or not, they always step up to the plate. But what happens if the chosen one misses their destiny?

It’s got everything I love in fantasy. Reluctant pairings, training, blood magic, rebellions, class divides, and trials for leadership.

The class system is ordered by blood colour - red, blue, and transparent. A lot of the structure of the novel is built around the Aktibar, trials to decide the next set of red-blooded Embers to rule the Empire. I love any novel with trials and Saara El-Arifi created such a simple but exciting competition. It felt legitimate and didn't seem like a guaranteed win for any one person.

The unveiling of the story and the lore was done so satisfyingly. Inspired by the mythology of Africa and Arabia, the world is complex and deep but never felt like too much to grasp.

The dynamics between all the characters are what cemented The Final Strife as a five-star read for me. Every relationship is unique and complex.

I have no idea where the rest of the story is going and I can't wait to find out!

My kind of of Sci Fi story. A lot going on , some great characters and a well developed storyline which could be the beginning of a series.. Very easy to get involved in the storyline. Great read!.

I was given an ARC copy of this book by Harper Collins UK and Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This story follows Sylah, a red-blooded Ember who is one of the "Stolen" - raised by blue-blooded dusters as part of a rebellious faction known as The Sandstorm. Her fate is to compete in the Aktibar, a set of trials held every ten years to determine who will be the next rulers of the Empire. However, when things don't quite go according to plan, Sylah stumbles on secrets that have been hidden, and works with an unlikely ally to discover more about the Empire's beginnings.

So - on to my review. I have only given this 3 stars, and there are a few reasons why, but I am going to start off with what I thought was good about this book.

1) Firstly, the world-building and character building were exceptional. The first few chapters in particular really grabbed my attention and showed me a lot about the world that the author was trying to create, and also a lot about Sylah, the MC. Right from the off, it is clear that she is a complex and complicated character, and although her backstory isn't fully explained straight away, the reader can certainly get a good feel for her. I particularly liked how it was hinted at early on in regards to her suffering with depression due to events in her past, and how she had turned to drugs to self-medicate (and later on how her addiction and recovery were documented throughout the book). I think the representation of this topic in the book was handled carefully and respectfully.

2) Secondly, I liked the semi-magical element of the bloodwerk. I have seen other books that created worlds where different coloured bloods were a main factor to the story - but this went the extra mile. And although the Bloodwerk wasn't the most pivotal part of the story, it added an extra intriguing aspect to the character and world building, and also added to the themes of identity, classism, and racism that are in the book as a whole.

3) There is very good LGBTQ+ and disabled representation with the book. There is also a sapphic romance aspect to it, but this was towards the end of the story and certainly not the main focus.

4) I enjoyed the overall story and plot of the book. I was pleasantly surprised when it became clear that the story wasn't going to develop in the way I was initially expecting, and that kept me interested because it avoided becoming predictable.

5) Character development - I really loved the ways in which both Sylah and Anoor's characters developed throughout the course of the story. For Sylah, we see her battling depression and addiction, but with the purpose of the training for the Aktibar, and her friendship with Anoor, we see her grow and change for the better, without losing that core essence of herself. Similarly, with Anoor, we see her embrace parts of herself that she was previously led to be ashamed of, and she starts to develop her own identity, curiosity and sense of self-worth.

Unfortunately, I did also have some negative thoughts on some aspects of this book.
The main negative unfortunately isn't due to the story, but it DID severely impact my enjoyment of this book - and that is the formatting. It appears that this book has not been properly formatted for reading on a kindle/e-reader! Which is strange, given that I was provided with an e-copy of the ARC for review. In particular, there were many instances where new lines or paragraphs were started in the middle of a sentence, which ruined the flow of the writing. Also, this book is written in several different POVs, but sometimes the POV would change in the middle of a paragraph without any warning whatsoever - so one minute you think you are reading from the MC's POV, and then the next sentence is someone else - and it can often take several sentences for you to realise! Again, this interrupts the story, makes it confusing for the reader and spoils the enjoyment. I had to re-read several sections to understand what was going on! I am assuming that, come release day, this is going to be made available for kindle/ebook readers, and so I would strongly suggest that the publisher fixes this issue!

There were times within the story that I found the pacing to be slow and sluggish. I mentioned earlier in the review that the first couple of chapters held my attention - they were snappy, well written and kept me interested. The same can be said for maybe the final 30% of the book - but this is where some of the resolutions of the story were becoming apparent, and in that sense it was a little rushed. The "middle" barely held my attention - in fact if I wasn't asked to write a review I probably would have DNF'd around the 40% mark.

There was a distinct lack of suspense. With the trials, there was no real build-up, other than the training, and the events themselves were over too quickly. There wasn't a great sense of the trials being "difficult" for Anoor either - which they definitely should have been considering she had entered on a whim and had only done weeks of training (as opposed to the other competitors who had trained their whole lives!). I felt that she was able to complete them far too easily. The only exception to this was the one where they were put in the cells, but again, it was over too quickly and this would have benefitted from being told more from Anoor's POV, rather than Sylah's and Jond's.

I also found that the relationships between the characters weren't developed enough - especially in the romance/love interest aspect. In both cases (no spoilers) - I felt that the romance was completely out of the blue - again NO BUILD UP TO IT - almost like it was added as an afterthought?! It also didn't particularly add anything extra to the story and I think it would have been better for the author to leave the romance aspect out of the story completely. It wasn't needed.

I would recommend this book, maybe to someone who hasn't read a lot of high fantasy as a type of "introduction" into the genre.

This is an amazing first book in what I hope will be an ongoing tale. Well imagined characters in a story of truth and lies, love and betrayal in a culture very different from our own. Characters shift and manoeuvre around the central plot, who can you really trust, and who would sell you out in a heartbeat. Very much looking forward to further books from this talented author.

From the very beginning, El-Arifi builds a world full of colour and atmosphere. Whether Sylah is slumming it in the Dredge, fighting for her life in the Ring or lavishing in the luxury of the Keep, the entire continent is described in a way that really sticks with you throughout. A+ work from a debut author.

When the reader really gets into the guts of the narrative, it becomes apparent that this probably isn't going to go the way you expect it to. But in a good way. There have been many stories lately whereby the protagonist is portrayed as suddenly overcoming all their previous issues to rise to power. Here literally every character has a weakness, including the big bad. And Sylah? Despite being bred to take down the government, she's actually kind of a mewling weakling for the majority of the novel because addiction affects everyone differently. 

Which leads me into a discussion about some of the thematic content of The Final Strife. It’s a lot. Like a lot of a lot at times. Addiction is probably the largest one of all with our main character detoxing for most of this one. There’s also discussion of the kidnapping and murder of children, violence against children, gratuitous violence, references to and discussion of not only sex but also sexual violence, emotional and physical manipulation, plus so many other potentially affecting issues. But also, you need to remember that this is an ADULT fantasy. When things come up, they are not treated in a way that indicates inclusion simply for shock value, instead treating in a way that they are a byproduct of the society.

Overall, I really did thoroughly enjoy El-Arifi's debut. Its full of mythology, fully developed characters and a ton of intrigue. Also liked it because the violence has a purpose (yes, I enjoy a good blood bath but at least make it tasteful). The expert world building is on par with that of Chakraborty and Schwab, drawing the audience in from the first page.

Red is the blood of the elite, of magic, or control. Blue is the blood of the poor, of workers, of the resistance. Clear is the blood of the slaves, of the crushed, of the inevitable.

Saara El-Arifi weaves us a beautiful tapestry of love and loss, hope and longing, and characters with so much depth you sometimes find yourself loving and hating them at the same time.

When I first read the blurb for this book I thought I knew exactly what to expect. El-Arifi puts a clever twist on your typical Fantasy ‘chosen one’ trope which leaves you constantly guessing!

Now all I need is book two!!

Dnf, unfortunately.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book! My opinions are my own.

I really wanted to like this book. It seemed to have every ingredient I love in a good ya fantasy series. However, this one just wasn't for me. I can certainly imagine other people loving it though!

The story just didn't grip me and I didn't feel the need to continue reading. To me it felt like the reader is dropped into a fantasy world, is told the ins and outs of this particular society (different blood colors, giant lizards instead of horses) and then is expected to just take that all for a fact. I personally would have wanted to see more backstory, more explanation on the why of it all and more show, not tell.