A review by waywardcrow
The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi

adventurous dark sad tense 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

4.75

This was so good but I would not describe it as a fun read. Don’t get me wrong, the storyline is very engaging and full of exciting moments. But I was just as happy to put this book down at the end of the day as I was to pick it up at the beginning.

Because the caste system is so dark, cruel, and twisted and my heart was breaking for those at the bottom of society. It is a reflection of other oppressive systems and colonialism throughout history. This is not an escapist read by any means. Ironically, the next book on my TBR is Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Hopefully reading this has opened up/prepped my mind for that reflection and I won’t get too depressed reading them back to back lol. 

Anyways! It was very well written and I loved the use of poetry and storytelling throughout the novel. Not only were the acts of oppression mirrors of our world, but so were the acts of resistance. There’s also a lot of mystery and intrigue, I totally have no idea where things are going. I tend to read a lot of more predictable books (which I don’t mind) but this was a nice change to be genuinely surprised about everything that was happening. 

And of course, hip hip hooray for sapphic representation! I was not expecting a world where being LGBT is normalized. But I think we needed it or else this would be an even harder read than it already was. I like the way the romance developed over time, although the romance reader in me yearned for a more angsty portrayal of their internal conflicts as they realized their feelings for one another. 
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