Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi

40 reviews

chainingbooks's review against another edition

adventurous 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

I think this is a great fit for anyone that loves books that cover any of the following types of themes: toppling an empire, messy characters, characters unlearning their biases, rooting for the underdogs, expansive worlds, or the struggles of those living under an oppressive system.

I felt that this was a wonderfully diverse fantasy that doesn't hold back any punches.  I was truly impressed at how the author was able to balance three strong female leads, especially when they didn't go the route as setting up chapters as different POVs. While it felt like a majority of the story is told from Sylah's perspective, the characters she interacts with all feel so strong in their own rights.

I thoroughly enjoyed following Sylah as she works to find herself again. She was raised with a large legacy on her shoulders and does end up losing her way. When she gets the renewed energy to take on the empire, I was rooting for her even if I didn't agree with her choices. Her journey shows us that you can find allies in unexpected places, what we know of the world may not be the full truth, and what motivates us may change but if a cause is great enough it is worth fighting for.

Anoor was a character I didn't know that I would come to love. Once I did though, she became the character I wanted to protect more than any of the others (even though she totally doesn't need it!). The arc she follows felt like a true underdog's tale and I couldn't get enough of it. I especially appreciated how her character was able to be open-minded and learn from meeting people from different walks of life than her own.

Last, but DEFINITELY not least, there's Hassa. Hassa is a character I would absolutely trust with my life. In the beginning I thought they were just the reliable friend but as Hassa's role was revealed I was excited each time they came up in the story. It got to the point where I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for the next big lore reveal from them. There's not much I feel like I can say about their character without spoilers, but I will just say that they are a total badass who is smarter than I will ever hope to be.

While I'm bad at continuing a trilogy, the lore reveals right at the end of this have me wanting to dive right back in. I'll gladly talk with anyone that wants to scream and shout about the last 50 or so pages LOL.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, and Racism

Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Fatphobia and Kidnapping

aurora4847's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

4.0

I get the hype behind this series. The balance between political intrigue, action, and character development was perfect. I could not stop listening. It helps that I love the narrators' voices. I'm so excited to continue the series and see where everything is going next!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Fatphobia, Gore, Racial slurs, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Eating disorder, Sexual harassment, and War

This book is intense. There is a strong caste system with all the racism and classism that goes along with it. There are 2 public executions described with varying amounts of detail. Multiple characters experience the death of family members (including parents). The magic system is based on blood, so self harm for rituals is common. One caste suffers mutilation as children (process not described, only results). There is police brutality similar to that in the United States. There are flashbacks to child abuse, and multiple characters are involuntarily confined in varying spaces (including solitary confinement). The main character struggles with addiction through the whole story, and there are depictions of drug use, interventions, and withdrawal symptoms.

richy_qu33r_readzz's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.75

Incredible world-building, and strife is right. El-Arifi devises unique but very clear allusions to the social disparities societies create between race, class, disability and how those in power weave history to support their claims and protect the status-quo. The characters are richly developed, interesting, and create new stories while still fitting the “young person take on the empire” trope. 
There are a few inconsistencies in the small details which distracted me, but otherwise a wonderfully consuming read. Can’t wait for the next one!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, and Classism

smashley_rr's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-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

5.0

Spectacular world building, phenomenal storytelling, complex characters, this book has it all! Highly looking forward to getting the next from the library! Be sure to check content warnings because there could be some triggering things!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Racism, and Xenophobia

dragongirl271's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Slavery, Police brutality, and Grief

Minor: Child death and Vomit

fanboyriot'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? It's complicated

4.0

Read For:

✓ Slow Burn

✓ Queer POC

✓ Grumpy x Sunshine 

✓ Queernormative World 

✓ Interesting Magic System

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗

Not going to lie this book intimidated me for the longest time, fantasy books with small fonts tend to do that.  However, I really enjoyed this book once I started reading it.  Both the world building and character development were done well.  The queer representation was done so nicely and the topics of addiction were written with care.  It showed addiction in a more realistic light than some books, and showed the cycle of abuse along with recovery.

While it was a little slower in the middle of the book the beginning and end really made up for it.  Overall, the hierarchy of the different colors of blood was such an interesting idea and played well into the plot.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️

Angst Level: 💧💧

POV: Third Person 

Release Date: 23, June 2022

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting

raila_h's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Racism, Blood, and Colonisation

Moderate: Kidnapping

Minor: Fatphobia

saphfics's review against another edition

adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.25

I really feel like this is a book that I can only accurately rate after I have read the whole series 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, and Vomit

Moderate: Violence and Injury/Injury detail

scifi_rat's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

babewiththepower's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Death of parent, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, and Toxic friendship