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mar's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.0
I enjoyed this, though not as much as I expected I would. There's a very fun subversion of the Chosen One trope, the worldbuilding is nicely done and with a couple very memorable elements, and the story incorporates and explores topics of oppression and class division well.
What I struggled with was the immaturity of the characters, which made it feel too much like reading a YA novel š I found they got on my nerves a lot, but with time I did get a bit invested in both the slowburn romance and Anoor's success in the Aktibar, so I guess it wasn't all that bad. (Also: I adore a deadly magical competition, and with how much time was spent training for each trial it would've been nice to spend a little more time on the actual events themselves).
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!
What I struggled with was the immaturity of the characters, which made it feel too much like reading a YA novel š I found they got on my nerves a lot, but with time I did get a bit invested in both the slowburn romance and Anoor's success in the Aktibar, so I guess it wasn't all that bad. (Also: I adore a deadly magical competition, and with how much time was spent training for each trial it would've been nice to spend a little more time on the actual events themselves).
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Drug abuse, Violence, Colonisation, Addiction, Murder, Slavery, and Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Gore, Grief, Ableism, and Torture
Minor: Sexual content and Body shaming
kylosten's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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: Addiction, Xenophobia, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Slavery, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Genocide, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
miraileah's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
4.0
4.0. Although this book started out not keeping my attention, I ended up becoming really invested in the plot and the characters stories. Iām not sure when Iāll read the next one, but Iām glad I kept with this book, for the themes of colonialism and making social change. I thought that (both Sylah and Anoorās journeys to better understanding of what their ideal world looks like) was the best part of the book, and it was done excellently.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Physical abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
arguhlincozzi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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
I loved this book! A map was at the heart of the story (a geographer's fav), critical discussions about justice and how to achieve it, plus more twists and turns than I anticipated! So excited for book two!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Addiction, and Cursing
kathyreadsalot's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-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
4.0
*Spoilers!* So I was a bit skeptical about this when I started. It is definitely heavy with very early mentions of
What I liked: the overall story has promise and it was intriguing enough for me to finish; the LGBTQ+ representation, the political intrigue, the plot twists at the end and the character development of Sylah, Anoor and Hassa. I am definitely looking forward to reading Book 2 because i am keen to see how the story progresses.
What I didnāt like: the pacing of the middle part of the book was a bit too slow at times especially during the training scenes with Anoor and Sylah, how Anoorās weight was treated at times, and that we didnāt get equal treatment of Hassaās storyline vs Anoor & Sylah.
If you are not in the mood for oppresive and violent government regimes as part of the story lines, I would say skip this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Violence, War, Child abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Genocide, Murder, and Toxic friendship
heidi_grey's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-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? No
3.75
The world building is very rich and in fact the first 30% or so of the book are primarily setting up the blood-divided society, hierarchical structures and bloodwerk system. A lot of thought went into this which I loved to some extent. However, this also meant that the story took quite a while to get going (but when it does, it is really good!). The Final Strife is not really a āmindless readā but takes some mental effort, dare I say. Thereās a glossary at the end that really helps (if you know it exists).
The characters in this are really deep and well-developed with great arcs throughout the story and a lot of diversity (e.g. musawa neutral gender characters). It just took me quite a while to start caring about our FMCs, especially Sylah. I felt like this book was missing a āsave the catā moment to make her more likeable from the beginning.
Even though the book summary might suggest that the Aktibar is the main focus of the Final Strife, the actual trials are less important to the story than the relationships and plot developments that happen outside of the trials.
The characters in this are really deep and well-developed with great arcs throughout the story and a lot of diversity (e.g. musawa neutral gender characters). It just took me quite a while to start caring about our FMCs, especially Sylah. I felt like this book was missing a āsave the catā moment to make her more likeable from the beginning.
Even though the book summary might suggest that the Aktibar is the main focus of the Final Strife, the actual trials are less important to the story than the relationships and plot developments that happen outside of the trials.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Addiction, Slavery, and Death
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Death of parent
avisreadsandreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Murder, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Confinement, Gore, Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Fatphobia and Body shaming
bookstarbri's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I wish I loved this :/ Idk, I think a big problem was that I didn't like one of the main characters, so it was a rocky start. I also didn't like that it took SO LONG for things to happen. I'm all for slow burn, and even prefer it in fantasy, but it felt like a lot of scenes could've been cut to move the plot along faster. Since it was a training kind of book, there was a ton of that, but then what they would be training for ended really quickly so the buildup didn't really feel worth it? For me, things didn't start getting really interesting until around page 400, and that was just too long to wait. There were some slight surprises before that point, but nothing that was super shocking. The ending is interesting and part of me is considering reading the sequel because the ending was so good, but I'm not sure. I will say that it did have a promising start for me and I LOVED Hassa, Anoor, Kwame, and Gorn. Though this wasn't for me, I can definitely see why it's beloved by so many. There's a lot of intricate thought put into this world and I did love reading that aspect of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Slavery, Addiction, Blood, Drug abuse, Body horror, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Self harm
Minor: Rape
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Death, Drug use, Abandonment, Ableism, Child abuse, Classism, Gore, Vomit, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, Death of parent, Murder, Drug abuse, Addiction, Child death, Medical content, and Slavery
Moderate: Sexual content
zaqlovesbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
Even though the book is definitely published and has a freaking sequel out. I would love to thank the publisher for giving me early copy on netgalley to review.
In a world where everyone is segregated by their blood. Weāre following Sylah, whom I canāt recall her blood type is someone who struggles with keeping a job and her addiction to drug known as joba seeds. In the aftermath of finding out someone whom she thought was dead, she finds Anooor. The daughter of warden of strength. Making a deal weāre following the both of them as they navigate trying to help one another accomplish their goals.
So far I really love the world building, the characters and overall how rich the descriptions are. It just screams living and breathing. Even the characters feel like people who you meet in real life. I love realistic characters in a non realistic world. I also like how itās handled with our mc having to find a way to get her stuff done. Iām really into this book.
And donāt like I canāt believe it took so long to get to to this book. Thereās literally a whole sequel out. Iām not requesting for any arcs until I finished the ones I have.
My favorite character has to be Hassa, she literally has to put up with Syrah like a lot. Of thereās so many characters who I find interesting but definitely she stands out.
Iām surprise how in depth and interesting this book was. From the characters, the lore, its world, and overall how everything affects one another.
I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves really high fantasy novels with so diversity that i canāt describe this story in one word.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Violence, Slavery, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Torture and Child abuse