Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Amongst a strong field of fantasy series tackling the concept of racism, colonialism and imperialism, this is one of the best I've read. This is partly due to the character of Sylah, who is one of the best anti-heroines I've seen written in recent years. Anoor frustrated me a little (I felt that the initial spoiled brat element of her character faded a little too quickly) but definitely grew on me throughout. I thought the caste system using different blood colours was interesting and the reveal about the history of the empire at the end was well done (if a little predictable). I'll definitely read the next one.

I’m not entirely sure where to start with this review because the book was epic yet I felt like there was something lacking.
I loved that there were multiple POVs and the world building was rich and diverse. It really gripped me and I wanted to spend more time in the world.
One of my issues with it is that there were so many sub plots that I didn’t feel like enough were tied off at the end of quite a long book. I also think that because of the sheer scope of everything that was in the book, by the time the next book comes out I’ll have forgotten a lot of the storylines and the characters.
I really disliked Sylah and although I warmed to her, I still can’t say I’m rooting for her. The romances also felt a bit lacklustre. There was little angst or pining and so when characters hooked up there was none of that ‘finally!’ feeling I so love to read.
Definitely worth reading, some great aspects to it (four stars after all) I just wanted more from it.
I think I’ll read book two, but only if I come across it or a subplot comes back to me at a later date sparking my interest.

This was a really involving book with great world-building. As more information was revealed it changed what you thought you knew about what was happening, with final revelations about blood introducing startling new possibilities. Although it didn′t really end on a cliff-hanger,there is definitely more to come and I am eager to read what happens next. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

The Final Strife is an absolutely magnificent first instalment in an all new epic fantasy trilogy all about rebellion and survival.

We’re introduced to an empire governed by a blood based class system where the people are kept just as in check by the deadly Tidewind that ravages the land by night. Those with red blood, Embers are of the ruling class with magic in their blood and the Aktibar, a set of trials which appoints the next set of Wardens to rule the Empire is soon approaching.
Sylah, an Ember stolen from her family as a child by a Duster (those of the working class with blue blood) rebel group was raised with the sole purpose to infiltrate these trials and overthrow those in charge, that is until the rebellion was crushed leaving Sylah the only surviving child from the group. However, Sylah’s hope is reignited when an opportunity to see her mission through falls into her hands through Anoor, the daughter of one of the ruling Wardens of the empire.

Now this is a chunky read but El-Arifi’s narration has a compelling rhythm to it that is just as masterful as that of the Griots (storytellers) within her book.
The worldbuilding has roots in Arabian and Ghanian lore and is so vividly immersive and complex, with each turn of the page, each twist of the story feeding us more of the culture, politics, history and secrets of this world.

It is slow going and the time jumps did throw me off at times – also when the point of view switched up within the chapters but this may be more down to the layout of the digital arc - but I just couldn’t put the book and when I had to I couldn’t get these characters out of my mind. There’s an equally frustrating and fascinating quality to each of the main players in this tale and their development and relationships with one another was so well written.

I can’t wait to read more!
Final Rating - 4.5/5 Stars

This was great!!! If it isn't broke then why fix it? Essentially has all the components of a great story, friendship, romance, a competition, twists and turns, a class system, betrayals. Love it.

I'm really hyped to read the next one because it ended and I'm like? Nooooo I want to know more.

I loved the characters, they're really engaging and you have to root for them!

I didn't think anything was really going to top my love for The Jasmine Throne and the Unbroken which I read and loved them last year. And yet. The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi is the love child of these two masterpieces and yet wholly its own.

A gritty revolutionary fantasy set in a queer normative world, rooted in Arabia and African mythology, with a wholly queer cast this became a new favourite from the first page. I found it impossible to put down this book the second I picked it up, and each point of view felt like peeling back another layer of amazing world building.

I honestly cannot find a fault with this book,
The writing is stunning, the pacing perfect and each character is impossibly flawed and yet so deeply lovable.
This book have all of my favourites - a life altering competition, a class war, mysteries and magic, and also a vague feeling that things may not quite being what they seem... and then a surprisingly relationship that tugs at your heartstrings!

I have been recommending it to everyone I know as a glorious epic fantasy and I will continue to do so till kingdom come.

The Final Strife is a phenomenal start to a brand new fantasy trilogy with incredible world-building and compelling characters. The story is brutal, intriguing, and action-packed. Highly recommended!!

Every 10 years a set of trials are held to determine the next leaders of the empire. 1 of our main characters has been groomed since birth to be a sort of trojan horse/chosen one to win the trials and after doing so take down the empire.

Only, several years before, things went wrong, she got very screwed up and so she misses her chance. But now that the time is here, can she accomplish the same goal by training someone else instead.

I really liked the 3 main characters and I thought the world building in this was great. Their whole society and what tier you sit in (and whether or not you get horrifically mutilated as a child) is determined by the colour of your blood. All 3 characters are trying to go against the expectations of their blood to make a better world/destroy the existing one.

I also felt it was well paced between the different story elements of conspiracy unravelling, relationship building, the training and the trials, rather than all the focus being on the trials as might have been expected.

Looking forward to the second book in this trilogy!

4.25 stars, rounded to 4 stars

omg this book was soooo good!! i loved everything about this! this plot, the setting, the characters everything! this is definitely one of my favourite fantasy books!

Sylah was was raised to be a weapon wielded against the empire that divides and oppresses based on the colour of one's blood. However, she has lost her way and succumbed to addiction, will she be able to reclaim her destiny and bring about the empire's downfall?

There were a lot of elements of this book that I did really enjoy, so I'll start with those. This book crafted a really rich and beautiful world. I found so much of it to be really unique, which is always refreshing. From the magic system, to the structure of the society, to the religion and how it plays into its historical and political landscape, there was a lot to explore, which was really fun.
I also liked the idea of a 'chosen one' who missed her calling, and so found Sylah to be a compelling character and an interestiing lens through which to view the narrative.
Unfortuantely, and I think this was my main struggle with this book, I did not find Anoor as interesting or compelling. At all. If I'm being honest, most of the time I really struggled to even like her much. She felt whiny and entitled, and I know that was the point in the beginning, but she didn't seem to grow all that much and it made it very difficult to empathise with her. This then also meant the romance was of very little interest to me, I struggled to see where they were finding common ground. It felt as though we were being told they liked each other now, but it wasn't as apparent in their interactions. (Speaking of romance, the adopted sibling love interest saga was also really not for me, I feel like it was included just so certain parts of the ending could have a bigger impact)
Then, overall, I feel like the general stucture of the story could have benefited from some tightening up. The set up and the journey through the trials, following various POVs, felt very drawn out in comparison to the final act where everything was hastily brought together. For me, there were certain plot points that could have been removed and the story would have functioned the same, and others that warranted more attention to build towards the 'reveals' at the end in a way that felt more satisfactory.

To sum up, I'm intrigued by the world and by what this book has set up for future installments, but I'm not sure will I be in a major rush to pick up said installments, if only because connection to the characters I'm following is a real make or break for my reading experience.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for my e-arc of this title, received in exchange for an honest review.

All in all, I enjoyed this novel. I loved the world-building and the author’s writing is excellent and I also liked how she deals with some of the hardest themes in the story, but I also found the pace often too slow and there were times when I didn’t really like the characters so it took me a while to finish reading. The ending got much more interesting with a few shocking twists and surprises that made me race through it to see what would happen and curious enough to make me read the sequel when it will come out.

This is a very intricate book with a lot of depth and detail, it loosely reminded me of the hunger games with the trials in the Aktibar.

The main character is called Sylah who is troubled with addiction and her dark past. Her Ghosting friend I found very interesting and I am looking forward to reading more about her in the next two books to come. Addiction, gender identity and same sex couples was so well portrayed by Saara El-Arifi all throughout the book. I don't want to give away any spoilers but the shock twist at the end has set things up perfectly for the next book in the trilogy. I definitely recommend this and have already told friends to read it too.

I loved The Final Strife by Saara El Arifi.

The Empire of this epic fantasy novel is one ruled by blood colour. The elite ruling class have red blood (Embers) and can perform magic, those with blue blood (Dusters) have been forced into a difficult life of poverty and Ghostings, those with translucent blood who are servants, have their tongues and hands cut off for the crimes of their ancestors 400 years ago.

The Aktibar – a set of trials held every ten years to find the next Ember rulers of the Empire – will decide on the future wardens of Strength, Knowledge, Truth and Duty. Our main character, Sylah, has been trained from birth to become Warden of Strength. Stolen away by a Duster rebellion, she was raised to be a weapon to end the empire’s regime, but the murder of her entire family sends her on a self destructive path of drug use and crime. Can she return from it and finally put the rebellious plans of her family into action before it’s too late?

I won’t say too much and spoil it, and it took me a while to get into as there was a lot of (great) world building, but I loved that the characters were all complex and flawed individuals just trying to do their best. Anoor’s arc was so well done (I was really rooting for her) and I loved the diverse and inclusive representations of sexuality and gender in the world the writer has built. The ending definitely sets up book two, so I look forward to reading the next instalment!

Thank you to @netgalley and the publishers for the ARC!

An exciting way to start a trilogy is with The Final Strife. Through the lens of modern epic fantasy, many typical elements of the YA dystopia setup and setting—categories of people and those chosen to advance—are challenged and subverted. The exchanges between the characters convinced me that they were well-developed characters (even love ones). Since it looked like the pieces of the jigsaw were coming together and each revelation had a bigger meaning, I enjoyed being able to foresee the twists in this book. The world did at first need a lot of explaining, and it wasn't done in a very gracious way (a lot of blunt description or unnatural dialogue), nonetheless, the book picked up steam after that and prepared the ground for a sequel who, in my view, will be much better.

Gritty, sapphic, inclusive, friends-turned-enemies, morally dubious people, fierce side characters... just everything you could possibly desire, and it all occurs in the bloody realm of The Final Strife.

What an absolute masterpiece of a debut! Saraa El-Arifi has woven a tale of a beautifully intricate and harrowing world, with a fascinating lore and social system. Sylah is an engaging lead, struggling to find her place in the world after tragedy struck. She does not have it all figured out, if anything she is a bit of a mess, and that makes her all the more endearing as she struggles to get back to herself and fight for her people and their freedom. Anoor was easily my favourite character. I thought her character development was the best by far, as she finally comes out of the bubble she's been living in and learns to stand up for herself and fight for what she wants. There were twists and turns along the way that kept me on my toes, and a fantastic ending that leaves off for an epic sequel. Cannot recommend this book enough!

The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi is a great debut book and well worth 4 stars!!

Summary
The Aktibar – a set of trials held every ten years to find the next Ember rulers of the Empire – is about to begin.
All can join but not just anyone can win; it requires great skill and ingenuity to become the future wardens of Strength, Knowledge, Truth and Duty.

Sylah was destined to win the trials and be crowned Warden of Strength. Stolen by blue-blooded rebels she was raised with a Duster’s heart; forged as a weapon to bring down from within the red-blooded Embers’ regime of cruelty. But when her adopted family were brutally murdered those dreams of a better future turned to dust. However, the flame of hope may yet be rekindled because Sylah wasn’t made to sparkle, she was born to burn.

Review
I love the world building in this book, it is so detailed and original and had me hooked from the start. The different class system is really interesting and i love the different take on blood magic.

The plot was good, i really loved the first half, but it started to fall flat in the middle and picked up again towards the end. i wasn't a big fan of the ending but that's because i thought it ended to soon (probably not a bad thing).

I loved the characters and their development, Anoor is my favourite and i was rooting for her from the start.

I'm really looking forward to seeing where Saara takes us in book 2 and the next instalment to Sylah, Anoor and Hassa's story.

This book took a while to win me over. I think I was somewhere into the 60% mark when I found myself really enjoying the characters, their interactions, developments and the story as a whole.

Anoor's character starts off immensely irritating but I suspect that is from us seeing her from Sylah's POV (despite the book being in third person) so of course as Sylah softens to Anoor, I felt more fond of her too. I really hope the next book(s) show off her reforms for the empire, which I am sure will not go smoothly but still can't wait to read.

Sylah starts out very tragic and also somehow bland, by the end I couldn't help but cheer for her and just want good things for her. Please just let her have good things for once, I am begging you Saara!

Hassa is just brilliant. She's a mystery, she's all the knowledge, she's the bridge straddling all corners of the story and city. I cannot wait to see more of her in the next book. I would also like more Kwame if we're taking requests.

The world building was good. The plot twists and unveiled info about the world building were even better and well spaced throughout the book.

As I said, the book took a while to win me over. It is a slow read then suddenly everything is happening and that was that. Should you read it? Yes.
"What if I don't like strong female characters, overcoming trauma/addiction and the concept of overthrowing an oppressive empire?" Well then what is wrong with you? Go read this book and re-evaluate your choices.

I am so not over this book. It was everything I wanted and more. I cannot wait to read more from this author this was just fantastic and addictive from the start.

Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my thoughts!

A fantasy inspired by Ghanian and Arabian folklore? With a morally gray sapphic MC that is out for revenge?? AND a tournament arc? Obviously, The Final Strife was one of my most highly anticipated releases of 2022, and I'm happy to say that it ended up being a very enjoyable read.

One aspect that I wasn't anticipating and therefore very positively surprised by is the disability rep in this story. Two out of the three main POV characters are disabled - one of them trying to work through her addiction and learning what it has done to her body and how to handle these changes, the other having undergone forced amputation of her arms and tongue and therefore being mute and making use of a specific sign language. As this practice already kind of implies, this book is incredibly brutal at times, both the world itself and the society the characters live within are absolutely merciless, and that is very much reflected in the story at times. So, if you're someone who doesn't enjoy brutality and gore in their books, this might not be the story for you.

I found all of the leading characters to be quite compelling and complex, their stories are intriguing and I am definitely invested to see where this series will lead them, especially with the note that book one ended on.

While there is much to like here, I did have some minor qualms with the book. Most of it can probably be chalked up to this being the author's first work. As some others have mentioned, yes, this book is long, and frankly, it's just a bit longer than it would need to be. I would be lying if I said that it didn't drag a bit at times.
While the worldbuilding was lush and incredibly intriguing, there were some aspects of it that just seemed a bit... too convenient. This might get addressed in further depth as the series goes on, so definitely take this with a grain of salt.

And finally, I'd like to see an end to the trend of sapphic high fantasy where the couple is split up at the end of book one. This is no fault of this book at all, but it's somehow become such a pattern at this point, and I'd just like to see them hold hands and be happy for once.

'Stolen, sharpened, the hidden key,
Well destroy the empire and set you free,
Churned up from the shadows to tear it apart,
A dancers grace, a killers instinct, an Embers blood, a Dusters heart.'

The worldbuilding. The characters. The pacing. The plot. All absoloutely exquisite.

If youre a fantasy reader like myself, this book is SUCH a well-written and thought out read i would 100% recommend it to you. It delivers on all fronts; strong female characters, magic, fighting, uprisings, secrets, bloodshed, a vividly conveyed world, and a concretely constructed social system.

My favourite thing about fantasy books is when the plot constantly throws curveballs at the characters which make them question their beliefs and continues to turn what the reader thinks they know or have figured out on their head. This book had LOTS of both. Some questions we got the answers to and some we didnt, and in the last few pages, we get thrown a massive curveball that raises an even BIGGER question, and I loveee it when authors end books like that. It makes me wish I had the second book right now. If you analyse this story, you can really appreciate how magnificently constructed it is across all aspects.

Sylah is our main character, a woman who has lost her purpose in life and wanders, taking a drug called a joba seed and fighting for money to buy these seeds. And when I tell you that the character development here is amazinggggg! We follow her from nearly giving up on life to being given a purpose again and we watch how her character develops and watch as when she meets new people, her beliefs shes held since childhood, slowly change.If anyone has watched Arcane, Sylah and Anoor, the other female lead, are like Vi and Caitlyn.

All of the main characters and even the side characters are well fleshed out and completely independent of one another. I think my favourite is Hassa, shes so knowledgeable, witty, and empathetic.

The only reasons why I dropped a star is that, I think this is a me issue more than a book issue, but I kept thinking "am I at the end yet?" and looking at how much I'd read which for me shows I wasn't fully being immersed in the story though I'm not sure why. And similarly, though I appreciated the development and technical aspects of the characters, I would say that personally I didnt feel any connection to them, even though they were so well created? 🤔

This was a really hard review to write because I couldnt really talk about the book without it needing a long explanation of what I was referring to? But I know its going to be huge when its released, if I ever wrote a fantasy series I would want it to be as well written as this!