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abbysbookwor1d 's review for:
The Final Strife
by Saara El-Arifi
The Final Strife is a dark emotionally charged with plenty of political intrigue exploring revolution and complex power dynamics.
📖 The Empire rules by blood
Red is the blood of the elite, of magic, of control.
Blue is the blood of the poor, of workers, of the resistance.
Clear is the blood of the servants, of the crushed, of the invisible.
Every ten years a set of trials are held to find the next Embers rulers of the Empire. Sylah was destined to win the trials and be crowned Warden of Strength. Stolen by blue-blooded rebels she was raised with a Duster’s heart; forged as a weapon to bring down from within the red-blooded Embers’ regime of cruelty. But when her adopted family were brutally murdered those dreams of a better future turned to dust.
It's s up to her whether she rules the empire or destroys it!
✨ Review ✨
This was a fantastic debut! A character driven story filled with layered political maneuvering and a intricate magic system showing the courage it takes to stand up to Tyranny.
I really loved this world inspired by, West African and Arabian mythology creating a unique and rich fantasy world. It's filled with unique ideas that I think blend together to create a powerful and immersive world. I do however think it's a little info-dumpy and repetitive at times but this didn't ruin my overall enjoyment.
The representation in this is amazing, not only do we have a queer normative world, but there was great disability Rep and I loved the use of sign language throughout. This also speaks on mental health and addiction, which was also done really well.
The characters were great and I really loved there overall development, the relationships and dynamics with each other were done really well and it kept me hooked. However the romances in this didn't do anything for me but they're a small subplot so didn't bother me much.
The politics were fantastic and the way this story uses the colour of blood as a determinant of social hierarchy complimented this so well.
I don't think this was a perfectly executed book but it's a phenomenal debut and I can't wait to see where book 2 takes us.
📖 The Empire rules by blood
Red is the blood of the elite, of magic, of control.
Blue is the blood of the poor, of workers, of the resistance.
Clear is the blood of the servants, of the crushed, of the invisible.
Every ten years a set of trials are held to find the next Embers rulers of the Empire. Sylah was destined to win the trials and be crowned Warden of Strength. Stolen by blue-blooded rebels she was raised with a Duster’s heart; forged as a weapon to bring down from within the red-blooded Embers’ regime of cruelty. But when her adopted family were brutally murdered those dreams of a better future turned to dust.
It's s up to her whether she rules the empire or destroys it!
✨ Review ✨
This was a fantastic debut! A character driven story filled with layered political maneuvering and a intricate magic system showing the courage it takes to stand up to Tyranny.
I really loved this world inspired by, West African and Arabian mythology creating a unique and rich fantasy world. It's filled with unique ideas that I think blend together to create a powerful and immersive world. I do however think it's a little info-dumpy and repetitive at times but this didn't ruin my overall enjoyment.
The representation in this is amazing, not only do we have a queer normative world, but there was great disability Rep and I loved the use of sign language throughout. This also speaks on mental health and addiction, which was also done really well.
The characters were great and I really loved there overall development, the relationships and dynamics with each other were done really well and it kept me hooked. However the romances in this didn't do anything for me but they're a small subplot so didn't bother me much.
The politics were fantastic and the way this story uses the colour of blood as a determinant of social hierarchy complimented this so well.
I don't think this was a perfectly executed book but it's a phenomenal debut and I can't wait to see where book 2 takes us.