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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
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
Nice ideas and a couple of good characters. Too many holes in the world building. Twists felt limp. Repetitive prose that needed editing.
I am so happy that I won a copy of The Final Strife on Goodreads Giveaways!
It's an amazing debut epic fantasy novel that truly has it all - twisty plotlines, strong characters, great worldbuilding - everything you want in epic fantasy! The story features three strong women, all of whom are from different places in the social hierarchy, and all of whom are trying to find their place in the world they live in. Their relationships grow and change throughout the story, and I loved watching all the relationships develop. The character development is amazing, and the worldbuilding is incredibly rich. The story draws on African and Arabian mythology, but the world the author creates is truly her own.
Definitely one of the best epic fantasy books of the year! Highly recommend!
It's an amazing debut epic fantasy novel that truly has it all - twisty plotlines, strong characters, great worldbuilding - everything you want in epic fantasy! The story features three strong women, all of whom are from different places in the social hierarchy, and all of whom are trying to find their place in the world they live in. Their relationships grow and change throughout the story, and I loved watching all the relationships develop. The character development is amazing, and the worldbuilding is incredibly rich. The story draws on African and Arabian mythology, but the world the author creates is truly her own.
Definitely one of the best epic fantasy books of the year! Highly recommend!
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-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 was in a pretty horrible reading slump while reading this which didn’t help, but that combined with the pretty slow pace of this book meant it took me a really long time to read it.
🩸Sylah was really hard to like at the beginning, and it’s honestly possible that I would have DNFed if it had just been her pov, so I’m glad that other POV’s were brought in later, but I wish it happened earlier because beginning-of-the-book Sylah was not it.
🩸Speaking of other POV’s, Hassa is my fav (and I wish we got more of her), and then Anoor, because she slap annoyed me in the beginning but then she had so much character development and I really began to like her pov. In terms of side characters Loot was hilarious and I loved how extra he always was😂
🩸I loved the unique magic system and how intricate the world building was, this is not a book that I would recommend for people just getting into fantasy it was a very heavy read.
🩸If you’re not a fan of gore you may want to give this one a miss, there isn’t an extreme amount but the gore in this book is super unpleasant and hard to read.
🩸I was in a pretty horrible reading slump while reading this which didn’t help, but that combined with the pretty slow pace of this book meant it took me a really long time to read it.
🩸Sylah was really hard to like at the beginning, and it’s honestly possible that I would have DNFed if it had just been her pov, so I’m glad that other POV’s were brought in later, but I wish it happened earlier because beginning-of-the-book Sylah was not it.
🩸Speaking of other POV’s, Hassa is my fav (and I wish we got more of her), and then Anoor, because she slap annoyed me in the beginning but then she had so much character development and I really began to like her pov. In terms of side characters Loot was hilarious and I loved how extra he always was😂
🩸I loved the unique magic system and how intricate the world building was, this is not a book that I would recommend for people just getting into fantasy it was a very heavy read.
🩸If you’re not a fan of gore you may want to give this one a miss, there isn’t an extreme amount but the gore in this book is super unpleasant and hard to read.
The world building in this book is creative, precise, and intriguingly horrifying. The brutal history unfolded over and over again, like a map revealing more and more information each time. I sincerely am amazing by how well El-Arifi was able translate themes such as class, oppression, and systemic violence into a story which paid homage to harsh reality.
It is rare to find yourself attached to a truly strong FMC… let alone THREE. All three of the FMC where unique, strong willed, and powerhouses in their own right. The diversity of their upbringing and skills was remarkable.
One final note, I sincerely enjoyed the third person omniscient narration in this story. The way El-Arifif jumped from character to character, POV to POV was impressive and incredibly well written.
It is rare to find yourself attached to a truly strong FMC… let alone THREE. All three of the FMC where unique, strong willed, and powerhouses in their own right. The diversity of their upbringing and skills was remarkable.
One final note, I sincerely enjoyed the third person omniscient narration in this story. The way El-Arifif jumped from character to character, POV to POV was impressive and incredibly well written.
DNF at 25%
I was really excited to read this and really wanted to like it but I just can't connect with it at all. I might come back to it at a later date because there are things that I find interesting in this and I've heard such good things about the ending but I have been putting off reading it so much that it's just not worth forcing myself through it any longer.
I was really excited to read this and really wanted to like it but I just can't connect with it at all. I might come back to it at a later date because there are things that I find interesting in this and I've heard such good things about the ending but I have been putting off reading it so much that it's just not worth forcing myself through it any longer.
Took a minute for the writing to grow on me but when it did, the world building (especially considering it's only a small corner of it) and the characters hooked me in, especially when the trials started and we got to watch Anoor grow through them. Definitely ready to find out more in the Battle Drum, especially about the different colors of blood and the world expanded! (And maybe some more Hassa)
I just loved the world building!! The stories, history, and little snippets from the world’s various texts just made it feel so real. And our 3 heroines!!!!! I need more hassa in the next book tho. Fuck jond what a weirdo
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you’ve ever felt like the fantasy genre was missing something, this is the series for you. Between its complex, lovable characters, its richly detailed world, and its nearly perfect pacing, the Final Strife is a thoughtful and carefully constructed foundation for a true epic.
Go into this first book with the intention of reading at least the second. (You won’t be able to stop there.) It’s already so good as a standalone piece, but I didn’t realize how much I would love it until I could look back with fresh context.
Go into this first book with the intention of reading at least the second. (You won’t be able to stop there.) It’s already so good as a standalone piece, but I didn’t realize how much I would love it until I could look back with fresh context.