The Final Strife: The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller: Book 1 (The Ending Fire)

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An artist with a secret and a Lord of Hell must work together to solve a puzzle in this romantic fantasy adventure.

Like the fantasy aspects, the social aspects of the world were well done. Although it certainly has fun parts between the tournament and a developing friendship (or maybe romance), The Final Strife is largely a story about injustice. This setting does not have obstacles for women or LGBTQ+ people—as shown through the lives of the three main characters, a trans woman and two women who are attracted to each other—but instead, has divisions based on blood color. The different classes do not always fit neatly into boxes, even in addition to two individual characters’ situations being reversed: although clear-blooded servants and blue-blooded workers are definitely treated worse than those with red blood, many of the latter are just doing their best to make a living. There are plenty of red-blooded people who need to take jobs doing necessary tasks like cooking and cleaning for those people who actually are living in luxurious homes dining in splendor. Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror Book Review: The Final Strife". Publishers Weekly. 17 February 2022 . Retrieved 20 May 2022. Anoor has been told she’s nothing, no one, a disappointment, by the only person who matters: her mother, the most powerful ruler in the empire. But when Sylah and Anoor meet, a fire burns between them that could consume the kingdom—and their hearts. Sylah and Anoor are two characters I would go to war for, and their dynamic is wonderfully crafted throughout the novel. It takes the norms of the ‘chosen one’ trope or the ‘brooding assassin with a past’ throws them straight out the window. To be honest Sylah would definitely throw you out the window… and swear at you afterwards.Can all three work together to bring change to the Empire? Is there more going on beneath the surface? Will their differences destroy everything? El-Arifi tells a tale that is as fierce as its characters, plunging you into a sandy, stratified world until you can feel the grit between your teeth. Heart-wrenching and heart-pounding, The Final Strife is an unmissable debut." - Andrea Stewart The training for the trials were interesting to read. Learning about the skills and powers needed to get through each one. The characters are fully fleshed out, with POVs from Sylah, Anoor, and Hassa driving the story. You really get a feel for each of these characters and their relation to this world, and this helps drive the narrative throughout. When these three characters interact with each other, it’s funny, irritating, emotional – you really feel what the characters feel in their interactions. Anoor, a blue-blooded Duster left behind as a decoy when the Ember children were stolen, brought up in the Ember world, in their privilege, but always less than.

I do not even know where to start with a review for this book. I mean, sometimes you come across a book that grabs you by the face and just demands to be read. This is one of those books. 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. Find sources: "The Final Strife"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( January 2023) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Anoor is the first blue-blooded ruler of the Wardens’ Empire. But when she is accused of a murder she didn’t commit, her reign is thrown into turmoil. She must solve the mystery and clear her name without the support of her beloved, Sylah. Hassa may actually be my favourite character. I just wanted to hug and protect her at times. I need a novella dedicated to her. In a battle, the last battle, the only battle. And we name it now, so it sears into our flesh, the moment to come, the rebellion that will destroy the Embers and the empire they stand upon. The Dusters’ last stand. And it starts with you, my Stolen children, you are our last hope, you are The Final Strife.” Sapphic enemies to lover of course i was there plus its fantasy and sci fi and going to be a trilogy, excuse me while i go scream for joy. Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

We spent enough time with each trial to learn more about the world and how they do things. But didn't feel filler at all. I’ve realised a world run by people who think they’re better will never be better for everyone. … I didn’t want to fight this battle, but I was the only one who could. Not because I’m better but because I’m not one of them. And that’s a start” Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollinsUK for this eARC of 'The Final Strife' by debut author Saara El-Arifi. My review is purely my own opinion. Murder. Secrets. Sacrifice: Three women seek the truth of the empire’s past. And the truth they find has the power to ignite a war in the sequel to The Final Strife, the continuation of a visionary fantasy trilogy inspired by Africa and Arabia. This book delivers on all fronts, political dynamics, intrigue, twists, gurns and totally devastatingly emotional! Plus, romance and relationships that pull you in and turn you inside out!The world building is complex, and the world the characters are in is horrific, filled with violence, discrimination and bigotry. But the story still managed to feel hopeful, and not too dark. The politics and the way magic works fascinated me, and the plot is exciting and dramatic. The protagonists are flawed but made me want to root for them desperately. Hassa was such an interesting character, and I longed to hear from her perspective more, as a Ghostling who had so many secrets of her own. Sylah was physically powerful yet bore the scars of her past in her debilitating drug addiction, lost to oblivion until she meets Anoor. And Anoor, sweet Anoor, had the best BAMF character growth in this story!! Her privilege and sheltered upbringing never negated her true self, and the more she learns, the more she gains empathy and resolves to shake things up in the Empire. A great read. Set in a world very different to our own. I totally enjoyed sharing Sylah’s journey to discover herself and her true heritage. There are endless excitements and challenges for her along the way. Stories of barbaric treatments meted out to those deemed of a lower status. These made my flesh creep but all part of a well woven tale that stirs feelings and emotions. Fans of the first book in the Fire Ending Trilogy, The Final Strife, will likely be more than excited that the second book lives up to expectations.

What can I say, these are characters who love, bleed, love and try, live and dance and just won’t leave me. They feel so strongly and so deeply, they fight for their and the future of those they care for. 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. It tells the story of Yeeran Teila, a Colonel who becomes exiled, and her sister Lettle, a seer. A series of dramatic events forces them to live amongst a hidden tribe of Fae, and their attempts to find a way out to warn the Elves of the Fae they thought were Sylah dreams of days growing up in the resistance, being told she would spark a revolution that would free the empire from the red-blooded ruling classes’ tyranny. That spark was extinguished the day she watched her family murdered before her eyes.The book also does a great job of exploring difficult themes without ever becoming too dark or grim or a chore to read. Tell them they are lesser. And they will feel lesser. Show them they are nothing. And they will be nothing. Take their identity. And they will be no one” It's a strange thing giving your own book five stars. Especially when you first wrote it, you didn't think anyone but your cat would read it - and she doesn't like fantasy all that much so she still hasn't got round to it.