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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-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
Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey/Random House Publishing Group for this eArc! You will find my unbiased review below.
The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi is an Afro-Futuristic, Sci-fi Epic Fantasy and the first of three.
In a world whwre your blood dictates your life, we have Sylah who feels like an outsider, living a life of what she would say a failure. Sylah finds herself torn on going about her life roaming with streets on a high or perusing her purpose and claiming was was her blood right.
We also have Anoor who is placed a world she technically does not belong in. Raised as a child of an Aktibar, she is expected to follow but seen as weak. But she takes a step to try to prove those people wrong with the help of Sylah.
This world was constructed in almost a brutal way. The way your life is dictated by your blood and it plans out your way of life. It seems everyone is acquainted with death. And death is no stranger in this book. Even the disfiguring a line because of their blood and what they are. Despite all the harshness in this book it was refreshing since YA doesn’t get this dark. We have a strong female lead who is lost in life and the seduction of drugs. But it’s a relatable feeling of not wanting to face reality. The book is definitely intriguing with some action, mystery,
Anoor was definitely a character I immediately liked and wanted more of!
However, with all the positive, there is some negative. I did think that there could have been some stuff cut out of the book. At times it felt as if the book was dragging to get to the main plot. But it is definitely worth a read!
Rating: 3.5/5 - Rounded to 4 Stars
I will be positing my review on Goodreads and once the book is published on 6/23/22 I will post it to my Instagram, Amazon, and Goodreads.
The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi is an Afro-Futuristic, Sci-fi Epic Fantasy and the first of three.
In a world whwre your blood dictates your life, we have Sylah who feels like an outsider, living a life of what she would say a failure. Sylah finds herself torn on going about her life roaming with streets on a high or perusing her purpose and claiming was was her blood right.
We also have Anoor who is placed a world she technically does not belong in. Raised as a child of an Aktibar, she is expected to follow but seen as weak. But she takes a step to try to prove those people wrong with the help of Sylah.
This world was constructed in almost a brutal way. The way your life is dictated by your blood and it plans out your way of life. It seems everyone is acquainted with death. And death is no stranger in this book. Even the disfiguring a line because of their blood and what they are. Despite all the harshness in this book it was refreshing since YA doesn’t get this dark. We have a strong female lead who is lost in life and the seduction of drugs. But it’s a relatable feeling of not wanting to face reality. The book is definitely intriguing with some action, mystery,
Anoor was definitely a character I immediately liked and wanted more of!
However, with all the positive, there is some negative. I did think that there could have been some stuff cut out of the book. At times it felt as if the book was dragging to get to the main plot. But it is definitely worth a read!
Rating: 3.5/5 - Rounded to 4 Stars
I will be positing my review on Goodreads and once the book is published on 6/23/22 I will post it to my Instagram, Amazon, and Goodreads.
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Très bon début de saga.
La base de l'univers reste classique, mais tire son originalité par ses influences africaines et sa bonne construction. Les enjeux politiques et sociaux sont très bien abordés et avec une critique de la ségrégation et le colonialisme.
Les personnages, principaux comme secondaires, sont intéressants et avec de bons développements. La représentation de personnages de couleurs, de genre différents et avec des handicaps fait aussi beaucoup de bien.
Les révélations et retournements de situations sont bien amenés par la plume de l'autrice et je me suis fait surprendre à plusieurs reprises.
J'ai tout de suite enchaîner sur la suite.
La base de l'univers reste classique, mais tire son originalité par ses influences africaines et sa bonne construction. Les enjeux politiques et sociaux sont très bien abordés et avec une critique de la ségrégation et le colonialisme.
Les personnages, principaux comme secondaires, sont intéressants et avec de bons développements. La représentation de personnages de couleurs, de genre différents et avec des handicaps fait aussi beaucoup de bien.
Les révélations et retournements de situations sont bien amenés par la plume de l'autrice et je me suis fait surprendre à plusieurs reprises.
J'ai tout de suite enchaîner sur la suite.
adventurous
mysterious
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
slow-paced
The vibes felt heavy, which is understandable as the book contains politics, class systems, addiction and more. I wasn't super into the book, I could easily go a day or two without reading, but the writing and universe is good.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Sylah and Anoor's relationship comes across as real, not built on just chemistry but their a shared understanding of each other. As the mysteries of the book unveil themselves, both Sylah and Anoor must examine their preconceived believes and shape their choices off a new worldview. Their foil, Jond, is blinded by a religious fervor for the Final Strife. He doesn't listen to Sylah when she tries to present him with truth; his mind is closed and he can no longer perceive the world, the truth of it, for what it is. Stunning example of characters driving theme.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I found this to be a completely engaging listen and I devoured it. I loved so many things about it, especially in the Griots’ stories interspersed throughout the book. I really liked three of the four POVs, but one felt very one-dimensional and he contributed to the loss of a star. There were some excellent plot reveals and I was satisfied with the ending. There’s quite a bit of nice setups, ethical conundrums and mysteries/questions for the rest of the series. I plan to continue on.
An epic fantasy where the Warden’s empire runs on a caste system based on blood color. The Wardens and the rest of the Embers (red-bloods) are at the top. Years ago, a group of rebel Dusters (blue-bloods) entered the Warden’s keep and swapped out 12 red-blooded babies with 12 of their own. Some survived and some were killed, what will happen when their paths cross?
I think epic fantasy readers would want to check this out, especially those interested in non-Western inspired fantasy. This could also be a good entry point into epics. There’s *some* complex worldbuilding, maneuvering, and intricacies, but I think it is overall easy to follow. I also think this could have worked as a YA on many levels, but not in a way that put me off, so I think older teens and adults alike would enjoy this. It shows you what it is from the beginning, so if you don’t like it from the start I think that’s a good signal of if you’ll like it or not. Also has a trans POV and I *think* the world is queernorm, it is at least about gender. There is also a smidge of sapphic romance.
There are *a lot* of trigger warnings in this book, look them up if you have any. Most overtly to me is a rampant and on-page drug addiction of the main POV, slavery, and *many* flashbacks or references to child abuse (physical and mental).
An epic fantasy where the Warden’s empire runs on a caste system based on blood color. The Wardens and the rest of the Embers (red-bloods) are at the top. Years ago, a group of rebel Dusters (blue-bloods) entered the Warden’s keep and swapped out 12 red-blooded babies with 12 of their own. Some survived and some were killed, what will happen when their paths cross?
I think epic fantasy readers would want to check this out, especially those interested in non-Western inspired fantasy. This could also be a good entry point into epics. There’s *some* complex worldbuilding, maneuvering, and intricacies, but I think it is overall easy to follow. I also think this could have worked as a YA on many levels, but not in a way that put me off, so I think older teens and adults alike would enjoy this. It shows you what it is from the beginning, so if you don’t like it from the start I think that’s a good signal of if you’ll like it or not. Also has a trans POV and I *think* the world is queernorm, it is at least about gender. There is also a smidge of sapphic romance.
There are *a lot* of trigger warnings in this book, look them up if you have any. Most overtly to me is a rampant and on-page drug addiction of the main POV, slavery, and *many* flashbacks or references to child abuse (physical and mental).