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alisoflicker 's review for:
The Final Strife
by Saara El-Arifi
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
The Final Strife is a captivating novel exploring identity, forgiveness and what binds us to one another in a fractured world.
From the prologue alone, I was immersed within the pages. El-Arifi's worldbuilding is beautiful, mysterious and intimate. I found myself leaning in as I read the Griot's story, the rythem of the djambe drum and old tavern taking shape around me. This immersion continued as I explored and experienced the culture, lore and mysterious alongside the characters.
I loved the characters, especially Anoor, Sylah and Hassa. They were all flawed, blinded by their ambitions and yetall three of them were trying to create a better world for their fractured people
The themes within the book were so beautifully explored within their external and internal journies. They read like real people, and it was impossible not to love them, root and cry with them.
The storytelling. I could not put this book down, between the lore, characters and underlying mysteries, the narrative was addictive. Not to mention, the use of Griots throughout which spoke to my Afro-Caribbean roots. The power of storytelling was a powerful theme of onto itself.
I could write a whole essay on why I love this book, but I will end it here. I full reccommend this book to those seeking high fantasy novels with lovable characters, high stakes, layered themes and a magical world that will leave you wanting more. Definitly going to be reading books 2 and 3 in this series, and anything else EL-Arifi writes.
From the prologue alone, I was immersed within the pages. El-Arifi's worldbuilding is beautiful, mysterious and intimate. I found myself leaning in as I read the Griot's story, the rythem of the djambe drum and old tavern taking shape around me. This immersion continued as I explored and experienced the culture, lore and mysterious alongside the characters.
I loved the characters, especially Anoor, Sylah and Hassa. They were all flawed, blinded by their ambitions and yet
The themes within the book were so beautifully explored within their external and internal journies. They read like real people, and it was impossible not to love them, root and cry with them.
The storytelling. I could not put this book down, between the lore, characters and underlying mysteries, the narrative was addictive. Not to mention, the use of Griots throughout which spoke to my Afro-Caribbean roots. The power of storytelling was a powerful theme of onto itself.
I could write a whole essay on why I love this book, but I will end it here. I full reccommend this book to those seeking high fantasy novels with lovable characters, high stakes, layered themes and a magical world that will leave you wanting more. Definitly going to be reading books 2 and 3 in this series, and anything else EL-Arifi writes.