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antonique_reads's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Slavery, Blood, Colonisation, Classism, Death of parent, Drug use, Violence, Torture, Grief, Death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical trauma, Gore, and Addiction
malinhalia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Confinement, Drug use, Child abuse, Body shaming, Colonisation, Addiction, Racism, Gore, Death, Drug abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Slavery, Genocide, and Sexual content
cozyscones's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcohol, Colonisation, Slavery, Classism, Gore, Sexual content, Death, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Addiction, Confinement, Police brutality, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Body shaming, Torture, and Fatphobia
Minor: Vomit and Excrement
azrah786's review against another edition
4.5
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, gore, injury, self harm, torture, confinement, suicidal ideation, death, child death, death of parent, murder, addiction, drug use, slavery, classism, racism, child abuse, ableism, fatphobia/body shaming, grief
--
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
CW: violence, blood, gore, injury, self harm, torture, confinement, suicidal ideation, death, child death, death of parent, murder, addiction, drug use, slavery, classism, racism, child abuse, ableism, fatphobia/body shaming, grief
--
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Confinement, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Child death, Torture, Fatphobia, Self harm, Death, Drug use, Racism, Murder, Death of parent, Addiction, Ableism, Body shaming, Grief, Slavery, and Classism
luckylulureads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Addiction, and Confinement
Moderate: Ableism, Fatphobia, Suicide attempt, Classism, Colonisation, Sexual content, Gore, and Body shaming
kaela_readsnwrites's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thoughts:
The story begins with Sylah’s viewpoint and at the start, she is mostly a self-pitying drug addict on the path to her own self-destruction. However, she is also fiery and stubborn, which makes it clear she hasn’t lost all her fight just yet. To be honest, I didn’t find her very likeable to start with but her interactions with both Hassa and eventually Anoor build her character and I became more fond of her as the story progressed.
The additional viewpoints of Hassa and Anoor helped give a fuller view of the Empire, it’s segregated society and its politics. Both characters are engaging, with their own secrets and burdens to bear and to me, were instantly likeable, unlike Sylah.
There were a couple of times the multiple viewpoints took place in the same body of text. My preference is that they occur after a paragraph break or at the start of a new chapter as this avoids any confusion. Although this was not a frequent occurrence and thankfully, didn’t detract too much from the writing.
For the most part, the pacing of the story worked well but I did find the beginning a little slow. One issue for me that I feel affected the flow was a spat of repeated ideas or phrases, that seemed unnecessary. Thankfully, they disappeared completely in the second half, which I flew through compared to first.
The world building, I felt was done incredibly well and was developed through the story rather than passages of backstory. There were also inclusions of quotes from texts from the world at the start of each chapter, which gave snippets of information and short tales from Griots, the storytellers, about the Empire’s history. I think both of these aspects were clever ways to give the reader insight into the world of the Empire.
Though the story is a Fantasy, there isn’t an awful lot of magic apart from bloodwerk, runes of power drawn in the wielder’s own blood. Though the magic system comes more into focus in the latter parts of the book, I wouldn’t say it is a driving force of the story. This to me is not an issue but there might be some who expect more magic and magical creatures from a fantasy setting.
In my opinion, though the story was left open for a sequel to follow, there was enough tied off for it to still feel like a satisfying ending. The three main characters, Sylah, Anoor and Hassa, each achieved some of their goals but there is still much they need to do to aid their people and change their worlds. I was very much left wanting more and I look forward to the series continuing.
Wrap-Up:
Overall, I really enjoyed ‘The Final Strife’ by Saara El-Arifi and it is an impressive debut novel. The main characters were each very different, providing alternative views of the world and each were engaging, making me long to know more about them and follow their story. The world building was well done and I felt fully immersed in the story throughout. There were a couple of issues I mentioned, but they were, to me, minor and of very little detriment to the book.
The story begins with Sylah’s viewpoint and at the start, she is mostly a self-pitying drug addict on the path to her own self-destruction. However, she is also fiery and stubborn, which makes it clear she hasn’t lost all her fight just yet. To be honest, I didn’t find her very likeable to start with but her interactions with both Hassa and eventually Anoor build her character and I became more fond of her as the story progressed.
The additional viewpoints of Hassa and Anoor helped give a fuller view of the Empire, it’s segregated society and its politics. Both characters are engaging, with their own secrets and burdens to bear and to me, were instantly likeable, unlike Sylah.
There were a couple of times the multiple viewpoints took place in the same body of text. My preference is that they occur after a paragraph break or at the start of a new chapter as this avoids any confusion. Although this was not a frequent occurrence and thankfully, didn’t detract too much from the writing.
For the most part, the pacing of the story worked well but I did find the beginning a little slow. One issue for me that I feel affected the flow was a spat of repeated ideas or phrases, that seemed unnecessary. Thankfully, they disappeared completely in the second half, which I flew through compared to first.
The world building, I felt was done incredibly well and was developed through the story rather than passages of backstory. There were also inclusions of quotes from texts from the world at the start of each chapter, which gave snippets of information and short tales from Griots, the storytellers, about the Empire’s history. I think both of these aspects were clever ways to give the reader insight into the world of the Empire.
Though the story is a Fantasy, there isn’t an awful lot of magic apart from bloodwerk, runes of power drawn in the wielder’s own blood. Though the magic system comes more into focus in the latter parts of the book, I wouldn’t say it is a driving force of the story. This to me is not an issue but there might be some who expect more magic and magical creatures from a fantasy setting.
In my opinion, though the story was left open for a sequel to follow, there was enough tied off for it to still feel like a satisfying ending. The three main characters, Sylah, Anoor and Hassa, each achieved some of their goals but there is still much they need to do to aid their people and change their worlds. I was very much left wanting more and I look forward to the series continuing.
Wrap-Up:
Overall, I really enjoyed ‘The Final Strife’ by Saara El-Arifi and it is an impressive debut novel. The main characters were each very different, providing alternative views of the world and each were engaging, making me long to know more about them and follow their story. The world building was well done and I felt fully immersed in the story throughout. There were a couple of issues I mentioned, but they were, to me, minor and of very little detriment to the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Addiction, Slavery, Racism, Torture, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Bullying, Death, and Death of parent
readravereview's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Addiction, and Slavery
Moderate: Torture, Gore, and Sexual content
carochacord's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Cursing, and Addiction
Moderate: Alcohol, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Excrement, Murder, Police brutality, War, Gore, Body shaming, Grief, Torture, Vomit, Cultural appropriation, and Slavery
Minor: Abandonment, Rape, Self harm, Stalking, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Colonisation, and Death of parent
qace90's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes. This in no way influences my review; all words, thoughts, and opinions are my own.
I am absolutely adrift in feelings after finishing this masterpiece and I cannot wait to see what happens next with Hassa, Sylah, and Anoor. Full review closer to release!
Full review:
I am absolutely adrift in feelings after finishing this masterpiece and I cannot wait to see what happens next with Hassa, Sylah, and Anoor.
The Final Strife is a story of survival, family, and fighting to make and be a change for good. Sylah is part of the Stolen, a group of Ember children stolen by Dusters to win the Aktibar and rid the Empire of Embers. Hassa is a Ghosting, and in many ways she is invisible which allows her to know more than anyone else. And Anoor is one of the Dustings left in place of the Stolen, left with the Warden of Strength and hated because her existence presents a show of weakness that Uka’s household could be infiltrated.
There are so many elements at play in this book and I found it so hard to put down or not think about it when I was forced to deal with the real world. I love the complicated motivations of all the characters and the way secrets and hidden truths have shaped the reality they’re all living in. Anoor and Sylah are both trying to figure out where they fit in the world they're living in, while Hassa is a silent watcher to all the things going on. Hassa is also more aware of everyone's secrets than sometimes the people whose secrets she knows even are aware.of their own histories. This just truly does so much and I don’t want to give too much away because getting sucked into this world and feeling for these characters is such an experience. Themes of grief, friendships, family, and the mystery of what’s happening in the Empire.
I adored this book and look forward to more from Saara and the continuation of the Final Strife Trilogy!
Review will be posted to Cannonball Read on June 14, 2022
I am absolutely adrift in feelings after finishing this masterpiece and I cannot wait to see what happens next with Hassa, Sylah, and Anoor. Full review closer to release!
Full review:
I am absolutely adrift in feelings after finishing this masterpiece and I cannot wait to see what happens next with Hassa, Sylah, and Anoor.
The Final Strife is a story of survival, family, and fighting to make and be a change for good. Sylah is part of the Stolen, a group of Ember children stolen by Dusters to win the Aktibar and rid the Empire of Embers. Hassa is a Ghosting, and in many ways she is invisible which allows her to know more than anyone else. And Anoor is one of the Dustings left in place of the Stolen, left with the Warden of Strength and hated because her existence presents a show of weakness that Uka’s household could be infiltrated.
There are so many elements at play in this book and I found it so hard to put down or not think about it when I was forced to deal with the real world. I love the complicated motivations of all the characters and the way secrets and hidden truths have shaped the reality they’re all living in. Anoor and Sylah are both trying to figure out where they fit in the world they're living in, while Hassa is a silent watcher to all the things going on. Hassa is also more aware of everyone's secrets than sometimes the people whose secrets she knows even are aware.of their own histories. This just truly does so much and I don’t want to give too much away because getting sucked into this world and feeling for these characters is such an experience. Themes of grief, friendships, family, and the mystery of what’s happening in the Empire.
I adored this book and look forward to more from Saara and the continuation of the Final Strife Trilogy!
Review will be posted to Cannonball Read on June 14, 2022
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Gore and Physical abuse
Minor: Fatphobia
- Alcohol consumption - Disfigurement/maiming - Execution - Prejudice - Gambling - Nightmares - Withdrawal - Vomiting - Sexual content
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